Baby Thank You cards

I had my baby shower a little more than a week ago, so I am due to send out my thank you cards for all the baby goodies we got.

I wanted to get ahead and break down the steps to make the cards, since I knew I had to make a large quantity.  I personally do not like making repeats or the same thing over and over, so breaking the card design down into steps made it easier for me and saved me time overall.

It started with a design.  I chose which stamp I wanted to use and I practiced coloring the image.  I had to choose something simple since I knew it would be mass produced.  I went through my stash and found an image I liked.  I then, looked through my dies to see which designs would work to easily create layers on my card.  I recently purchased a layering die set from Spellbinders - A2 Curved Matting Basics B and it fit the image perfectly, with rounded corners - which I liked for a baby card. Once I had the design worked out I broke it down into steps.

First step, die cut the layers I will stamp on and the colored card stock layer.  This was quick and easy with the die cutting machine.  Then I got stamping.  I stamped the image (A Slice of Life - retired Stampin' Up!) and the "thanks" sentiment (Blissful Botanicals - Lawn Fawn).  For a baby card I didn't want to use black ink, so I used Soft Suede ink from Stampin' Up!
Next step, after a few days, I did all the coloring.  This took the most time, but by doing all at once, it sped up the process since the design was all the same and I had all the products out.  I used basic colored pencils - nothing fancy.
After they were all colored, I then adhered them atop the coordinating layer.  On another day, I cut all the card bases and embossed them with an embossing folder.
The final step was assembly.  I tied a bow on each piece and then simply glued them down on the card front. 
If I waited and did all these steps all at once for a large quantity of cards, I would have probably got frustrated, overwhelmed, and bored.  By breaking it down and having things ready to put together in steps, made this mass production easier to handle. If you have a large quantity of cards to make, try to break down the steps - you may find it as less of a task and more enjoyable to create the finished product in bulk.