Merci Beaucoup

So as you may have gathered from last week's solitary post, I've been rather busy preparing for graduate school applications. At the moment I'm (busily) trying not to think about the GRE which I am taking tonight.

An important part of a graduate application is, of course, the letters of recommendation. Upon realizing, of course, that thank you notes must be sent to my recommenders at some point, I perked up at the idea of picking out the perfect card. Sure, I could use my regular Eames stationery (which I highly recommend) but it feels more special to choose actual thank-you cards for this specific purpose. I would like it to be apparent that I spent as much consideration on the outside of the card as the inside. In this situation, where someone has devoted a lot of time and effort for your benefit, it seems thoughtless to send them a meaningful message inside a card that reflects a thirty-second decision at the Walgreens card kiosk.

My requirement is that they be aesthetically pleasing, with an interesting design, on good quality paper. The vast majority of thank you cards, I have found, can only be described as "cute" (think daisies and buttercups and all those fun things) which obviously would not do here. Elegant and professional (but never boring) is my goal. Somehow, I would love the card to reflect my personality in a subtle way. Here's what I came up with...

Snow and Graham is a personal favorite of mine and I love that they're a Chicago company. Their designs are gorgeous for any occasion.

Eucalyptus Thank-You from Greer



Leaves Thank-You from Greer



I've featured this faux bois card by Blue Snail Papers before...I just love it. But is it too exuberant to send on this occasion?



Ditto with this super fun Merci Buckets card by Armato Design



The multilayered design of this card by Binth, another Chicago line, is just gorgeous.



Finally ... for a long time, I have wanted a good excuse to send one of the decadent yet elegant cards by Jezebel. (Like you need an excuse?) They're a little bit quirky but still sophisticated. And they're SO me - my first-ever post here was about my obsession with silhouettes.
There are several thank-you themed designs to choose from:









The only question is....which to pick?!