Personalized DIY Thank You Cards

Did you know that January is National Thank You Month? Coincidentally, January follows Christmas, our dedicated gift-giving holiday, so it’s only logical that we would want to reciprocate the generosity of our friends and family with a gesture of gratitude for all of the gifts and well-wishes sent our way.

And while it makes sense to send ‘thank you’ cards in exchange for Christmas gifts, we may also want to consider some less obvious reasons for giving thanks throughout the month. For instance, we may want to thank a friend or family member for supporting us, a co-worker who has made the workplace fluid and fun, or a teacher who has gone the extra mile. We may also want to thank our clients/customers for their loyalty, or send a message of thanks to someone who has greatly inspired us. There are endless reasons for participating in National Thank You Month this year, and the impact that this small gesture of kindness has on all of us makes it worth the effort.

Saying ‘thanks’ need not be expensive or complicated. A simple gift and/or hand-written note can go a long way toward making our recipients feel noticed and special. As for me, I am giving thanks in two different ways this January:

1. For my local friends and family, I want to give simple gifts with handwritten notes that I can deliver in-person. I chose gifts such as tea, or small bars of chocolate, and wrapped them in paper. And to make my ‘thank you’ gifts extra special, I chose gold scalloped labels in one of my favorite designs: Poppy.

To match the labels, I found some gold cardstock and cut 2 x 3-inch strips. I also cut small strips – about 1.8 x 3-inches – of college ruled lined paper, and glued them to the middle of the strips of cardstock. On the lined paper is where I wrote my notes, addressing each person individually.

After I wrote and glued my notes to the cardstock, I folded the top and bottom flaps down, and sealed them with my scalloped labels. I used a tiny dab of glue to stick the notes onto the gifts, and secured them with a bit of twine.

2. For my distant relatives and clients, I decided to forego the gift option since I would need to send my gratitude through the mail. Instead, I found some cute thank you cards. I loved that they were blank inside so I could completely personalize each ‘thank you’ to whomever it belonged. For an added touch, I closed the note cards in their envelopes with matching ‘thank you’ labels that work great as envelope seals.

Saying ‘thank you’ is really important. It tells those around us how much we appreciate them, so why not list as many people as you can who are deserving of your thanks this month, and send them a note with a simple gift and cute label, or a note card with a handwritten, personalized message of thanks. Trust me, it’s worth the effort.

And thanks for reading!