Card sets with patterned paper

This year I signed up to be a "holiday helper" with the local chapter of Little Brothers - Friends of the Elderly (LBFE). LBFE is a network of non-profit volunteer-based organizations that work to relieve isolation and loneliness among the elderly. Normally they host an event for their members and volunteers to celebrate the holiday season, but that wasn't possible this year because of COVID-19. Instead, LBFE asked for holiday helpers to send care packages of treats and small gifts to elder friends during the holiday season.

I signed up for one friend for Thanksgiving and two for the December holidays, and I had fun putting together their care packages. I wanted to include something handmade for each holiday friend, so I made some simple card sets.

Supplies:
Paper: Thick Very Vanilla, Cajun Craze, Lost Lagoon card stock (Stampin' Up!); Stella and Rose paper pad (My Mind's Eye)
Accessories: Thinking of You die (Honey Bee Stamps), Thanks die (Taylored Expressions), Hugs Sugar Script die (Birch Press Design), Scripty Hello die (Lawn Fawn), Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack (Stampin' Up!), Bitty Banner punch (Stampin' Up!), sparkling clear sequins (Pretty Pink Posh), Connect Glue (Gina K Designs)

I had to put these together fairly quickly, so I kept the supplies minimal. My goals were to keep the cards flat for easy mailing and to make them as gender neutral as possible.

I grabbed a pack of patterned paper, and once I settled on a layout, I cut several sheets of the paper into the sizes I needed and mixed and matched the patterns. I chose four sentiment dies -- hugs, thanks, thinking of you, and hello -- and die cut one of each for each card set.

This layout would be so easy to customize for any occasion -- just change the patterned papers and/or the sentiments. You could also make them "fancier" by using ribbon instead of card stock for the solid strip across the card, adding a die-cut layer(s) behind the sentiment, and/or adding more embellishments.

I packaged each four-card set in a clear box with envelopes and a sheet of postage stamps. I hope the recipients enjoy using them!

Once these sets were all done, I had some odds and ends of patterned paper left. I wanted to finish off the pack, so I created four additional cards for my stash: two hello and two birthday.

Supplies:
Paper: Thick Very Vanilla, Cajun Craze, Lost Lagoon, Early Espresso card stock (Stampin' Up!); Stella and Rose paper pad (My Mind's Eye)
Accessories: Regals Candy Dots (Stampin' Up!), pearls (Stampin' Up!), Birthday Cheer dies (Honey Bee Stamps), Big Hello Sugar Script dies (Birch Press design), Happy Birthday die (Stampin' Up!), Funky Foliage Thinlits dies (Sizzix - Tim Holtz), Stitched So Sweetly dies (Stampin' Up!), Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack (Stampin' Up!), Bitty Banner punch (Stampin' Up!), Connect Glue (Gina K Designs), foam tape (3M)

These cards took quite a bit longer for me to design since I was working with different sizes and shapes of the leftover patterned paper. With some of the smaller pieces I die cut several of the Funky Foliage shapes, layering together the different patterns and colors. The rest of the paper made great background panels and strips. I was really pleased with how these cards turned out!

Thanks for stopping by today!