How to Make Hand-Painted Note Cards

Create your own stationery. These note cards are simple to make. Use them yourself for thank-yous and other correspondence, or give them as gifts.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Art Sets
• Brushes
• Paper Cutters
• Ribbons
• Watercolor Brush Cleaners
• Watercolor Paintbrushes
• Acrylic Paints
• Crayons
• Paint Pens
• Acrylic Paints
• Internet Access
• Card Stock
• Colored Pencils
• Envelopes
• Markers
• Pencils Or Pens
• Sketchbooks
• Tracing Paper
• Watercolor Paints
• White Paper
• Crayons
• Markers
• White paper

1. Find a suitable design for your note cards. One excellent resource for images is the Internet. You can also draw your design freehand.

2. Choose 8 1/2-by-11-inch card stock for your note cards. Light shades of paper work best, as they allow the painted areas to stand out. Each piece of card stock will render two 5 1/2-by-4 1/4-inch note cards.

3. Choose coordinating envelopes for your note cards.

4. Copy or trace your chosen design onto a piece of plain white paper. Use a copy machine to enlarge or reduce the design size to approximately 5 1/2 by 4 1/4 inches.

5. Place two reduced or enlarged designs onto an 8 1/2-by-11-inch sheet of plain white paper. Center the two images on the top right and bottom right quarters of the paper bordering the longest edge of the paper.

6. Use this as a master copy to photocopy your images onto the card stock.

7. Use a paper cutter to cut each sheet of card stock in half. Wait until after the note cards have been painted to fold.

8. Use acrylic paints, watercolors, markers, paint pens or other craft paints to color the images on your note cards.

9. Allow the paint to dry thoroughly and fold the note cards.

Tips & Warnings

• Discount paper supply and stationery stores have a wide variety of card stock and envelopes to choose from.
• Use clear, black-and-white line drawings for your designs. These images come out clearer when copied than shaded or colored images do.
• Use initials to personalize the note cards. Images of monograms are readily available on the Internet and in many embroidery and needlepoint books.
• Let your child make a line drawing of his or her own, and transfer the drawing onto the card stock. Your child can then color the design with crayons to make his or her own set of note cards.
• Use different holiday images to make a set of Christmas cards.
• Use the paper cutters available at most copy shops if you don't have one of your own.
• Make extra copies of your note cards just in case you make a mistake when painting them.
• Give a set of note cards and envelopes as a gift. Stack 10 or 12 painted note cards onto an equal number of envelopes and tie with a ribbon.