Recycled Thank-you Cards

My little boys had birthdays last month. With birthdays come presents and then come thank you cards, right? My mom sent me some cute ones but I needed more and couldn't find them anywhere! The ugly ones I did find were $4 for a box of 10! 

So what does a good crafty mom do but make some! 

Remember these canvas portraits I made? 

 
 See all the birthday cards? There were more too. Well, I took some of them and cut 'em up and glued them on blank cards that I bought forever ago at Michael's. And here you go: 8 free cards.

Just for fun, I thought each of the cards deserved a close-up.

I cut around the frogs and lily pads, attached them to a blue card with scrapbook tape, then drew the water and the one frog's tongue. Inside I wrote, Hopping by to say THANKS!

This crane was originally on top of a cake, but I just cut it in half and added it to a white card. The inside says, Thanks for the load. Nothing like a little cheese!

This cute little monkey was on the front of a card and the yellow printed section was the back of another card. The inside says, Swinging by to say thanks!

Mr. Frog came with googly eyes but I had to replace them for this card. I sincerely hope one of my kids did NOT eat the originals... but I suspect that's indeed what happened. The bugs were on the same card but I drew the little dotted trails and the eyebrows. The inside reads, Just hopped by to say thanks! I know, pretty creative. 

The truck came from one card and the yellow pattern the back of the same card that you saw above. You can see that I wrote Thanks for the haul for my birthday! I wish I had centered it with just Thanks for the haul. Oh well!

These balloons came from card but the yellow stripe is cardstock I had in my craft closet. I had a sheet of thank-you related transfers, you know the kind that you rub really hard and they peel off? I really sound like I know what I'm talking about, don't I? Well, that's how You're the best! got there. 

Continuing the balloon theme, the picture and the light green section were from a card the boys got. I glued it on a green card and added silver and red polka dots and another rub-on transfer that says Thank You. In case you didn't read that on your own from the picture. 

The cute little bear was already floating around with the balloons. I just cut around them and added them to a blue card. I added the Merci! and Thanks! with more rub-on transfers and really hated this card! Then I thought to add the cloud which was cut from another part of a birthday card and glued on upside down. Much better.

So there you go! 8 free cards and a fun evening being crafty. The best part? Finally crossing "thank you cards" off my list!