Hello!

I hope you guys are having a fantastic week!

Ok, so confession time.  I didn’t make these cards “just for you”.  I didn’t even really make them for me!   I made them because I felt so terribly guilty about sending people thank you cards and notes written on ready-found, mass-produced cards.  {I’m sure this is totally in my head but…} it feels like everyone expects me to make something special;  something unique and handmade, and I really think that I “should“.    I love sending real, physical, paper + pen notes (written with a pencil in my case – due to infrequent penmanship practice and frequent mistakes) to people that have touched my life or done something amazing for me.

After all, making things is kind of what I’m good at.  It’s embarrassing when you don’t do the one thing you’re actually good at!   …So much pressure, y’all!

I ended this guilty-procrastinating-lazy-girl cycle and spent yesterday making a pretty little stack of cards.  And, I loved it.  It felt so simple and fresh and something different from my normal creative outlets.

So, thank you, highly-demanding, quality-craving card-recipients (the ones that live in my head).
You cajoled me into this project and now I love you even more. 

Now, down to business: 
These cards are quite easy to make, required supplies I already had on hand (and you probably will too – if you’re a tad crafty) and took 0.3 seconds to make (not really.  More like 3 minutes, but still.  fast.)  And they look stunning.  And they feel stunning.  Really.  You just might want to do something awesome (worthy of a thank you card) just so I’ll send you one.

You will need:
folded cardstock  (I used 8.4 x 5.5 inch watercolor paper with a rugged edge – 4.25×5.5 when folded)
gold leaf
gold leaf “size” (adhesive)
paintbrushes
typography stamp
embossing ink
embossing powder (I used glossy white)
embossing gun

Tip: when applying the adhesive for the gold leaf, be a little rugged and sketchy with the brush to create those beautiful brush stoke textures.  Allow the adhesive to dry just until sticky, then apply the gold leaf.

If you have any questions, just ask in the comments section and I’ll get back with you STAT.

I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Instagram your DIY’s with the hashtag #BeautifulHelloBlog so we can all celebrate the beautiful things together!