So this year, my Rakhi cards were really elaborate. Sadly, for the past two years one set of the Rakhi cards kept getting lost in the mail. To make up for it, I created elaborate cards to send in a dedicated (tracked!) package. Overall, I was quite pleased with how the cards turned out. Best part is that this year EVERY Rakhi card reached it’s destination well in advance!
This Rakhi season, I dipped into my embellishments stash much more – especially the satin ribbon. My favorite ribbons are from Offray since it’s easy to find and comes in a variety of colors. Plus, the ribbon comes in many different widths, so I could make large or small bows to fit the card. Personally, I really enjoyed the 1″ and 1.5″ wide ribbons.
I’ve also got a small stash of Prima flowers that I pulled into a few of the cards. In some cases, I used ink to shift the colors of the flower and match the color scheme better. Distress ink is great for this but I was also able to use my Lawn Fawn inks. The various buttons and rhinestone embellishments are mostly Bo Bunny, Darice, or Tim Holtz brand items. I also used plenty of Tonic Studios Nuvo Drops – definitely one of my favorite items to use on any type of card.
From Papa to Buaji:
The last card I made was a money holder for Dad to give to Buaji on Rakhi. Her favorite color is blue so initially I picked all blue card and patterned papers. As I was laying out the pieces I felt like it needed more interest. I ended up using distress ink to alter the colors on the top layer, which added some texture and variation.
From me to my Bhaiyas:
For the cards to my cousins (2 in India, 4 here), I chose colors I knew they liked and just started layering Spellbinders dies on my craft mat. I wanted three 5×7 cards and three 6×6 cards so I just divided my favorite dies into two piles based on size and went from there. These rakhi cards came together quickly. Most of the time on the cards for my cousins was spent trying out different embellishments.
From Ma to Mamas:
Ma has 3 brothers (1 here and 2 in India) so I aimed for 3 different looks. I used a lot of Spellbinders dies from designer Becca Feeken because of the elegant look her dies give. For the purple card, I really loaded up the card with embellishments. The red/gold card I tried to have the gold mirror border stand out. With the third card, I had a monochromatic look where nothing individually was the focus. All of the greetings I used on these cards were from a custom photopolymer stamp set I bought last year.
