DIY :: How to Make a Photo Card and Envelope

When I learned that my friend Fran was retiring, I knew that "wishing you a long and joyous retirement" written on a store-bought card wasn't going to cut it.  Fran is one of those friends with whom you can share anything without fear of being judged.  She's supportive, kind, considerate, smart, funny and lovely.  I wish everyone a Fran in their lives.

Doodling on envelopes is one of my favorite things, so I started there.  I boosted a photo from Fran's Facebook (right click, save image as) and printed it on my 30-ish-year-old HP LaserJet printer.

I cut strips of paper from scraps and layered them.  First the top strips, then Fran's pic, then the bottom strip. 

I used my very favorite glue that I wrote about HERE.  It doesn't leave a sticky residue on your fingers that gets on everything.  Love it!

I flipped the envelope over and trimmed the ends.

I used the back of our awesome library's book sale flyer and a contrasting paper to cut out two talk bubbles, and added Fran's name and address using my black Pilot B2B pen made from recycled plastic water bottles.  Cool.

I glued down the address bubble, colored in the letters with Sharpies, then added an Equality (natch!) postage stamp with a contrasting paper border background.  Voila!

For the card, I used the same techniques, but opted for a color photo.

Fran loved her handmade celebratory card and envelope, and I love Fran!

Happy crafting!

~Merrill ♥