Handmade Wedding Thank-You Notes

For a cute twist on personalized thank-you notes, send gift-givers postcards of you and your groom wearing clothing emblazoned with messages.

Photo postcards allow you to share your wedding-day memories -- and they are simple to create. The deckled edges and stamped "Post Card" heading evoke correspondence from the early 20th century.

Dainty Victorian-era engravings of birds culled from a clip-art book and then color-photocopied become elegant winged messengers bearing tiny three-dimensional missives of thanks.

Your wedding day will be filled with generous gestures by family and friends, and a handmade thank-you note is an especially gracious way to express your appreciation.

These charming paper-cutout greeting cards and envelopes display flowers of the month. One continuously cut image, such as the salmon-pink carnation, provides flowers for cards and envelopes -- negative and positive images. Several papers went into the daffodil (top center).

These cards look like duo-tone prints, but they're actually made with digital snapshots. Software can be used to convert pictures of pets and other animals to black and white and to amplify the contrast. Then the shapes are cut out and glued to cards. Botanical images and other photos of nature also work well for this project.

A calligraphed monogram from your wedding ceremony or a clip-art letter can be scanned into your computer and used as either a graceful embellishment or a bold graphic detail. A single repeated letter or a pair of initials makes a splashy customized cover for a note card.