Last night we gave our granddaughter her birthday card with $10 inside. She took the money and left the card. Okay, she's only ten so that's perfectly understandable and we rarely spend much money on cards.
But that started me to thinking. What does everyone do with their cards after they get them? They're expensive! Birthday cards cost around $3-$5 for a decent one.
Most people spend a lot of time searching for the right card. When I get one, do I just read it, then toss it in the trash? But if I'd saved every birthday card I'd ever gotten my house would probably be a fire hazard--said with much sarcasm.
My husband gives me "ahhhh" cards. The kind that brings a tear to my eye. Especially when look at the back and see the price. He could've bought me one of those really small boxes of Godiva for what he'd spent on the card, then just written a note saying how much he loves me.
Cards from my daughter usually have a message that says how much she appreciates that I didn't kill her when she reached her teens. Terrible twos have nothing on a girl reaching puberty. She's 35 now, she can quit apologizing.
Our son actually remembered my birthday one year, but he was broke. He took a paper bag and cut out enough to make a card, tore the edges then burned them without catching himself on fire (I was so proud of him for that). He wrote a silly poem and drew a really bad picture. I still have that card.
One year I cut up a bunch of cards and made a collage, then I made place mats. They have clear plastic at the craft store that you can iron over the front. That works pretty good. You can fancy them up in a lot of different ways. The grandkids seem to like them.
I have one friend who gives me cards with sexy guys on the front. I love this friend! I made a collage of all these men and made myself a placemat. Sometimes doing crafts can be a good thing. Oh, yea!
So, what do you do with all those cards no matter what the occasion?
Karen Kelley
"...romance's rising funny girl."
Sharon Sala on Temperature's Rising
www.authorkarenkelley.com
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16 comments:
I keep the ones that touch my heart. I'm glad I did because the ones that passed away, I have something to hang onto. :)
I love that you make place mats out of them. I think I will try that and clean out my closet. lol
Sheila
I keep them, I'm working on scrap books, and as I get to the card events, I sort through them and keep the really special ones, and yes, I toss the others. As Sheila said, there are some I'm really glad to have since the giver is no longer with us. Karen, the stories you shared are great. The cards that go with those memories are the best, aren't they?
Sheila and Jamie, you both reminded me about the cards from people who are gone. I have a special cabinet, it's actually an antique seed cabinet, very large with lots of small and big drawers. In it, I keep stuff that means a lot to me. I have a card my grandmother mailed my mother. The really old kind with the glitter on it and where the outer layer is rice paper(?). I have a letter my mother wrote when I was barely walking.
OKAY! I ADMIT IT! I save everything! I seldom throw anything away. My house probably is a fire hazard. LOL!
But I am starting to sort through some of the stuff that doesn't mean quite so much.
Karen
I keep a few special ones - hubby, or ones the kids actually pick out themselves. Mostly they go on the desk, and once they get shuffled to the bottom of the "stuff" box, they get tossed.
I am terrible at giving cards. I have dozens I've bought, and never remember to mail. All usually signed and personalized, so I can't ever use them! I end up feeling like a goof for never sending them, and they also get shuffled to the bottom of a box until they're finally tossed.
I keep most of my cards. I have always been a pack-rat. I realized why last year when I was at my parents house and discovered a box of birthday cards from when I was too young to remember...My mom had saved them (as she has saved a lot of stuff). I really enjoyed going through and reading them.
Something I have yet to do, but have thought a lot about is continuing a family tradition. My maternal grandmother used her cards to make gift boxes of all sizes (from quarter inch square size to the size of the entire card). It was something for her to do in her retirement years along with other creative endeavors. I helped her some when I was younger and her boxes were always a hit with friends and at craft sales.
She passed away my senior year in college and the boxes she made became treasured mementoes. I remember most times when I would be at my grandparents', I always wanted to "make something" whether it be boxes, or some other sewing project. I rarely have time to sit down and make the boxes, but it is something I definitely plan to do in the future.
Thanks for blogging on this topic Karen! It's brought back some fond memories I haven't thought of in a while.
Michelle
wrrxtwKaren I don't buy cards much anymore. Like you I would rather have a box of chocolates instead of a card or even flowers.
There are some I would never throw away because they are from people special to me and others I save because I love the design. Sometimes I would cut the cards to make gift tags. The rest I toss during springcleaning because I just don't have space for them.
eh... depends on the card. If it's something I really liked, or if it's from my kids or the DH, I usually save it.
otherwise... welllllllllll....
Michelle B....what a wonderful idea---covering boxes with cards. I love it!
Luann, I've warned Karl if he buys me flowers he's dead meat! LOL! The last roses I got turned black and died within a week. $50! I could've had bling-bling!
Jenny, another great idea! I'm definitely going to use this one.
Shiloh, now look at what we can do with cards! I love recycling.
Karen
I've kept the ones that I really like. Some of them have pretty messages and I bought inexpensive frames and have them in my "girly room" and other I have saved for scrapbooking. But like you said most of them end on the trash can. That's one of the reason I try to come up with alternatives instead of buying them. I have to say that your idea of making placemats is really good. And covering boxes with them is another great idea. I'll have to keep both in mind in the future! LOL
Niny
I fold some of mine into gift boxes *s*
Erin the Innocent
The cards the kids receive are kept to be put in their scrapbooks. Other cards are usually tossed unless they are unusually pretty or have a memorable saying. I rarely buy cards anymore to give, just make them on the computer
Karen,
I have kept everyone of my cards since I was 5 years old and I am old now, but I still keep them.
I cherish my cards and I go back and read through them and they bring back memories that I haven't thought of in a long time.
Billie Jo
I have made binders with blank pages in them and have taped my cards in there. They are in sequence eg. birthday, Mother's Day, Anniversary, etc. I can tell you that over the years this has amounted to a couple of binders. Family ones I keep like from my husband, kids, etc. And ones that are especially special to me for one reason or another, but others have ummmmmm not made it into the binder.
Cryna
I keep some of my cards, the ones that are from the important people in my life, but most of them I try to donate the covers to schools that use them for craft projects (along w/ calendars). But some do get recycled.
I usually save them.
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