A few years back I graduated with a 2:1 in Illustration.  But believe or not, my digital illustration and calligraphy skills leave A LOT to be desired.  My ‘lane’ as it were is most definitely Abstract Art.  I create abstract pieces ALL THE TIME.  In fact, I’ve just launched my new Fine Art shop.  Which I’m next level excited about by the way!  Anyway, I’ve had a string of good fortune lately, and I want to redirect some of my energy and time towards showing gratitude to my loved ones.  They are so supportive of my ventures and deserve some thanks!

To accomplish this, I’m planning to make some homemade thank you cards to give to close friends and family.   BUT I need something to jazz them up, and since I’m pretty much hopeless with digital drawing and calligraphy, I need to call upon the powers of the mighty SVG.

Yes, this is a sponsored post, but the opinions expressed are independent and very much my own!

What is an SVG file?

This is my latest craft discovery!  SVG stands for ‘Scalable Vector Graphics.’  These files are most commonly used for Embroidery, Paper Cutting, Scrapbooking and more.  If you are one of these crafty folks, svgs* might just level up your craft game.  This new knowledge couldn’t have come at a better time for my next personal craft project.  Let’s get started.

Initial Thank you Card Design

I’m lucky in that I already have a home studio of sorts (in my living room pahaha) with the equipment I need to make my cards.

I’ll be using:

• Photos of my canvases
• Canva
• A4 300gsm card stock
• My printer and guillotine

I’m keeping this stage as simple as possible because the real crafting magic will happen when the SVG files come into play.  Wahoo!

The dimensions for my Canva template will be 149mm x 105mm so I can fit two cards per sheet of A4 300gsm card stock.  The thank you cards will be relatively small in size.

Here is a preview of my design in Canva.  I have used images of my surface design to form the background for the front of the card and added a simple logo to the back.  The circle has been added to provide some white space for any SVG additions to the front cover.

The next step is to download this bad boy and send it to print.  I’ve made sure to print two copies per sheet.  In retrospect, I should have selected ‘Full page photo.’  But hey I’m doing two things at once here and I’m easily confused.

My designs have been successfully printed so it’s time to slice n dice with my A3 guillotine and then do some folding.  Yes, that is my sofa aka my home studio by the way … it’s where I do my best work!

Here is an example of one of the cards.  I can’t do anything else with these for now, as I’m waiting on some new supplies.  I can, however, tell you my plans for the next stage of this project.

How I Plan to Incorporate SVGS*

OK, so this is my first time using SVG files for card making.  But this is how I plan to execute the next stage of this process.  A lot of creatives use Cricut Design Space, which I think in some respects would be much easier…Sorry guys!  But, I spend SO much time looking at a screen, that I really want to add an element of traditional hands-on crafting to this project.

I found some awesome wreaths over at designbundles.net* that I would love to use for these thank you cards.  They would work perfectly around the white circle.

By the way, my handwriting hasn’t changed since I was eleven and I use mail merged labels for EVERYTHING because my writing is illegible.  Just ask my work colleagues.  For my design work, I rely heavily on software such as Canva to add typography, and even then, it takes me ages to decide on the layout.  There is a good selection of calligraphy options via design bundles that might just save my bacon.

Here is where that old school craft vibe will come into play.  I’ve ordered some clear silhouettes printable sticker paper that I will be using create stickers from my chosen design bundles.  These stickers will be added to the front and inside of my thank you cards.  I can’t wait for my new supply to arrive so I can finish these off and get them posted out!

* This is a sponsored blog post, any links included from the brand have been marked with a (*)

**Update** I recently happened upon this comprehensive (over 7,000 word!!) beginners guide to Cricut crafting. I have included it as further research for any craft enthusiasts!

FIN

Thank you so much for joining me today.  Have you ever used SVG files before?  Or was this a new insight?  As always I hope this has been useful, and I have given you some ideas for your next craft project.  Either way, let me know in the comments below.

P.s. If you find my content useful and enjoy what I share, why not buy me a coffee? 

P.p.s. Whilst you’re here, why not check out my previous post by clicking the image below