15 Quick Ideas to Customize Your Handwritten Thank You Notes

Customize Your Handwritten Thank You Notes

The art of handwritten thank you notes is slowly fading away.

It's no wonder, with the amount of technology available to us today. The average person sends thousands of emails per year and less than six hand written cards. But that's beginning to change. People are realizing the value of the written word. In a world increasingly connected, we're feeling more and more distant. A return to handwritten thank you notes and other personal communications are rekindling the bonds between us.

Businesses are catching on, too. Handwritten thank you notes are becoming standard marketing practices for many large companies. They're finding that gratitude helps convert leads and build customer relationships. Ironically, this is made possible by digital technology, specifically automated handwriting. Simply Noted leads the field with the most advanced handwriting robots available. More about what our technology can do for you later.

As handwritten notes return to favor for events, milestones, and simple favors, people are looking for ways to personalize the experience. Not only does this make the process more fun for you, it creates an even more memorable experience for your recipients.

In this article you'll find 15 quick ideas to customize and personalize your handwritten thank-you notes. Have fun with them! Handwritten notes are both a communication method and an artform, so show your recipients how much you care by putting more of yourself into your messages.

A hand-drawn card with flowers and lettering that reads "thank you so much!"

Fun Ideas to Personalize Your Handwritten Thank You Notes

If you've got a card in one hand and a pen in the other, you're already more than halfway to an authenticate statement of gratitude. Here are some ideas to make it even more special.

Include a Sweet Treat

Who doesn't love a quick shot of sugar to bring a smile to their face? Add a bit of sweetness to an already heartfelt "thank you" by dropping a few pieces of candy or some other sweet treat into a box along with your thank you card.

If you happen to know your recipient's favorite snack, be sure to customize what you include to match their interests. If they love chocolate, send them a personalized mini bar of dark chocolate. If their guilty pleasure is jellybeans, tack on a mini-can or two. You can even send small boxes of their favorite brand of tea or coffee as personal thank yous.

Savory treats work just as well. Send a little bit of edible love along with your gratitude and watch your recipients' eyes light up.

Send a Personalized Coupon

Your thank you doesn't have to be the only way you repay a favor. Give them playful opportunities for "payback" by sending personalized coupons. These can be as simple as "good for one free hug" or "one meal and good conversation on the house." It's an easy gift, and the sky's the limit on this idea, so let your imagination run wild.

How you create the coupons is up to you. You might design something online or in a program like Photoshop and then print them on your color printer. You could also draw them freehand on an attractive piece of stationery. Whatever you choose, put yourself into the design. Get creative!

Close up on a person producing artwork with ink and paint.

Draw Your Own Artwork

If you have any artistic ability, this is the way to put it into practice! Draw or paint your favorite scene and then write out your message. You can even get crafty with it and create 3D artwork that slides out from behind your thank you note, making it seem as if the note itself were a canvas.

A great way to begin a hand-drawn design is to select a blank card or fold a piece of premium paper. Go to your local craftstore and ask about the materials they have available for handmade cards.

Use Papercrafting Techniques

Speaking of handmade cards, you can create wonderfully inventive handwritten thank you cards using papercrafting techniques. Scrapbookers are very familiar with the specialty paper cutters and design techniques possible with craft paper. Your friendly craft store will be able to point you in the right direction if you don't have previous experience.

There are also boatloads of tutorials online for creating personalized greeting cards with papercraft. Go through a few before you begin to get a feel for the process and then start making your own!

Design a Meaningful Photo Collage

If you have any favorite moments, consider recreating them in a handmade card design. Search through your past photos and pick out the ones that mean the most to you and the create a layout of photos or paste them into an album cover if you have one. You can find tools online to help you organize your photos into an attractive collage. Then you can either use your collage as the cover of your card, or print it and include it inside.

Rewrite a Memorable Poem or Song

This is a fun way to bring flair to your next handwritten thank you card. Choose a song that's meaningful to you and your recipient and rewrite the lyrics to fit the situation. You can do the same with a poem, a movie quotes, or really any creative expression.

If you rewrite a portion of a song, you can imagine your recipient singing it in their heads with your new lyrics as they read the card. Your gratitude will come alive for them in a new way, and you'll have a bit of creative fun in the process.

A quote in neon that reads "all we have is now".

Include Personalized Quotes

If rewriting existing material feels a bit daunting to you, you can still benefit from the creativity of others by leaning on a favorite quote about gratitude. Some examples include:

"Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." – Melody Beattie

"The more grateful I am, the more beauty I see." – Sarah Ban Breathnach

"Gratitude is the most exquisite form of courtesy." – Jacques Maritain

"He who receives a benefit should thank the giver; and he who has given should be happy in the thought that he has done something good." – Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Paint on the Envelope

This is a charming way to create an artistic first impression. Don't worry if you're not an artist. Whatever you decide to paint will be beautiful simply because it's an honest creative expression made from you to your recipient.

You might paint "thank you" or monogram initials onto the outside of the envelope. You might add a memorable scene from your shared lives or recreate the moment you're thanking your recipient for. Make it colorful and make it memorable!

Create a Card Design By Zooming in on a Definition

What's the first word that pops into your mind when you think about the person you're writing to. Is it "kind", "intelligent", or "bighearted"? Find the word that most represents your recipient in a dictionary and take a close up photo and then turn that image into your card design. You'll warm your recipients heart with a textbook definition of what you most value about them. This is a wonderful way to kickoff a handwritten thank you note because it sets the mood perfectly.

Use Rubber Stamps and Stickers to Give Your Cards Artistic Appeal

You don't need to have any artistic or crafting skills to create a personalized experience for your recipients. With rubber stamps and stickers, you can make cute designs by simply pressing onto your cards.

One way to do this is to create a rectangular box on your card design by drawing red lines where you want to place the stamp or sticker. Once it's placed, use your finger or another tool (like an eraser) to press it down. Stamps can be overlapped with different colors to create interesting visual effects. You can use stickers to tell a story in visual form. Create something fun with very little effort!

Purchase a Custom Address Stamp

When you send a lot of handwritten notes, you wind up writing your address (in the return address area) fairly often. You can speed this process plus add a fun bit of personalization by having a custom address stamp made. These can include line art images, illustrations, calligraphic letters, and various fonts. Most manufacturers offer online tools for making your own address creation. Once it's done you can personalize and customize your handwritten thank you notes each time with a single press.

Paste a Photo onto Your Envelope

Do you have the perfect photo of you and your recipient? Print it out (sized appropriately) and paste it onto your envelope to create an emotional connection with your recipient before they even see the inside of the card. The image you choose should speak volumes about who they are to you and why their help is appreciated.

If you paste the photo onto the front of your envelope, make sure to leave blank areas for your postage and addresses. You don't want your decoration to render your card undeliverable.

Create a Matching Set

If you're planning a wedding, you know that soon you'll be sending out dozens or hundreds of handwritten thank you notes. Make them extra special by matching their design to your invitations, RSVP cards, and every other piece. This creates a cohesive experience that ties a nice bow on your event.

Use a Postcard as a Thank You Note

This is an option if you're sending a thank you note to someone who lives far away from you--or, of course, it could just be your preference for the retro design! When writing a postcard thank you note, you can pack in more personalization than you would on a small piece of paper.

Choose your design based on what you know about your recipient. You can add a photo or two, customize the back with your handwriting, and add special embellishments like stickers. The possibilities are endless.

A fancy envelope featuring a white wax seal.

Add Wax Seals and Embossing

Getting handwritten thank you notes is an honor in and of itself--but receiving them with beautiful wax seals on the back can add an extra sense of occasion. Using a traditional seal is easy, but if you're new to the concept, learn how to do it beforehand using online tutorials or videos.

Embossing also adds a premium touch because it makes your designs pop in three dimensions, adding textures and visual interest to your card. You can buy them online, at upscale stationary stores, or even on Etsy.

Tips for Writing Better Thank You Notes

Need some help with what to say in your handwritten thank you notes. We can aid you there, too! Check out these tips to start writing better thank yous today.

1. Address the card to each individual person, rather than just "The Smith Family." Sticking to people's names makes them feel much more personalized!

2. If you are writing a thank you note after an event, make references to the event throughout your note. This will show how much thought you put into your message. Make sure you choose an appropriate ending, too.

3. Let your note reflect what the act of kindness means to you. Did this person help you out in a time of need? Did they bring joy to your life? Referencing why you're writing will make it much more meaningful for the recipient!

4. Keep your message short and sweet! One paragraph should do — you don't want to ramble and take up too much space.

5. Handwritten notes can be absolutely breathtaking! If you're able, try writing your note with a calligraphy pen and some elegant ink. It will really make your words stand out as unique and thoughtful!

6. Have Simply Noted do the work for you. Our next-generation handwriting machines use exclusive smart fonts to generate the most convincing, automated handwritten notes available today. We can even replicate your handwriting for the most authentic experience possible.

Just like the old school thank you notes that we grew up seeing our parents write, handwritten notes are a treasured sentiment. They show gratitude and appreciation in a way that words never can! We hope these tips will help you write better thank you notes for all the wonderful people who have touched your life.