Lacy Window Thank You Notes (DIY)~ Woodland Wedding

All of the tutorials I posted last week featured decorations and other items to make for a wedding.  Today is one last wedding post: we'll call it a bonus tutorial.

After the dress is off, cake is cut and the gifts are packed up, you can relax, right? Wrong!  Its time for one of the most important parts of throwing a wedding: 'Thank You' notes.  This is crucial.  
No one wants to take a day off work, drive to your ceremony, and buy you a gift just to be forgotten as soon as they throw the rice.

These sweet thank you notes with lacy peek-a-boo windows are made from a recycled manila folder and wood grain contact paper scraps.  I bought one of those cool hole punches that have two parts, one for each side of the paper.
I had big plans to make some cute little tags like this-------->

But, I guess this type of punch focuses more on the hole than the section punched out, because I was left with this ----->
I don't want Patrick to know that I've spent $18 on something pointless, so I had to find a purpose for it and act like its the most useful thing I've ever bought (kind of like the time I convinced him that I needed a $20 tart pan for a Harry Potter party...I've made so many foods in tart form that you would think it was a basic pan that everyone owns).  I used the punch to make tiny thank you notes, but you can also make them large enough to send through the mail.

You will need:

large square hole punch (or an x-acto knife)

manila folder

wood grain contact paper

paper doily

hot glue gun

permanent marker

envelopes

scissors

Cut and fold the manila folder into cards.  If you have envelopes, make sure the cards fit comfortably inside. Use the punch or x-acto knife to make windows.  If you are using a two piece punch, make sure you line up the cardboard with both sections.  If you don't, the square window will be crooked.



To add contrast behind the 'lace', and to stick with the forest theme, I placed a small square of wood grain contact paper under the window.  To cut out your square, use one of the discarded sections as a guide by cutting around it, making a square slightly larger than the window.  Remove the paper backing from your square and flip the card over.  Set your contact paper square over the window (this way, you can be sure that its in place) with the sticky side up.  Holding the square in place, push the back of the card down to attach it.  When the card is facing up, all you should be able to see in the window is wood!

To add the doily, cut around the discarded section again to make a square of lace slightly larger than the window.  Attach the doily square to the inside of the card using a small dab of hot glue in in each corner.

With the permanet marker, write 'Thank You' on the front of the card.




**My cards are a little small.  The wood contact paper section doesn't leave much space to write.  If your note is short and sweet, this will work well for you.  If you need space for a longer message, make a larger card or a smaller window!