Searching for card ideas that don’t involve firefighter hats or ambulance stickers? Instead, look through your stash of die cuts and metallic papers. You probably already have everything you need to create lovely appreciation cards for First Responders.

![]() | PhotoPlay – First Responders Collection – Card Kit – $12.34
PhotoPlay – First Responders Collection – Card Kit |
Look at the details on my cards. Nothing specifically says “police” or “fire” or “rescue” or anything like that. I didn’t include any stickers or special patterned paper. Instead, I tried to suggest the “feel” of these departments with die cuts, stamps and color choice.


Imagine First Responder uniforms. The colors are generally black, navy blue or white. Accents on these uniforms might be fluorescent stripes or stitched American flags. Other accents including badges and stars are often metal. In my card design, I tried to acknowledge a variety of service departments with silver, gold, black and gunmetal grey papers that I already had in my stash.

![]() | Reminisce – Police Collection – 12 x 12 Cardstock Stickers – Poster – $3.79
Reminisce – Police Collection – 12 x 12 Cardstock Stickers – Poster |
Look in your Craft Stash!
I found several “thank you” stamps in my stash, and I also used a stitched die set that mimics the “feel” of a badge. For final touches, I found a teeny-tiny American flag stamp and a star-shaped die that I cut with metallic paper.

So next time you need to create a project involving First Responders, think beyond perfectly matched pre-patterned paper and cute stickers. Let colors and shapes motivate you as you sift through your craft stash. You probably have everything you already need to make great and meaningful projects!



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![]() | Scrapbook Customs – Occupations Collection – Cardstock Stickers – Nurse, RN and LPN – $3.89
Scrapbook Customs – Occupations Collection – Cardstock Stickers – Nurse, RN and LPN |
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