A couple of years ago I decided to make an effort to send out birthday cards to each of our niece’s and nephew’s. We only see them all once or twice a year so I thought it might be nice to put forth some additional effort to touch base with them.
Well the first year went by and I did make a solid effort. We even received a couple of phone calls thanking us for the cards! Kids can be so sweet. Unfortunately though I wasn’t quite perfect and I missed a few birthdays. The same thing happened last year too. No matter how good my intentions are I always seem to procrastinate and then either send out cards late or not at all. I recognize this is an area that I really need to improve upon.
As the New Year was dawning I realized that I needed to come up with a better plan for sending cards this year. Fortunately for me I discovered blogs and the concept of “blurfing”!
In January of this year I noticed that a lot of the blogs I visit discussed organization. I guess everyone’s New Year’s Resolutions are pretty much the same; exercise more, eat healthier, lose weight and get organized! However since most of the blogs I visit are craft related the theme was organizing your craft room or supplies and in some small ways organizing your personal schedules. My ‘DUH’ moment was when I realized that most card makers have a reserve supply of cards on-hand to give when appropriate.
While some people keep a reserve supply for last-minute giving I realized very quickly that if I made Birthday and Thank You cards in advance I would (hopefully) have one less excuse as to why I just couldn’t find the time to send out the appropriate cards. Some people have cute little bags, boxes or baskets that they keep they’re cards in. These are then organized with separators identifying what each section contains; Thank You, Birthday, Anniversary, Wedding, etc. The final tip I saw that really made an impression on me is that those with the ability to enter important dates into their phone or computers use that as a reminder to mail out cards or gifts.
The cards below are ones I have made to begin my reserve supply. The first two cards did not have a specific source of inspiration. I think the ideas are just a conglomeration of different embellishments I have seen other people use. The last card was inspired by a sketch I saw on the Cuttlebug Challenge website. I have not put a sentiment on it yet as I think it could be used for a variety of occasions. I will add the sentiment when the need arises.
Thank you for visiting again and thank you for listening to my story behind the creation of these cards.
Make time each day to be creative!
-Janice
The next card was inspired by a layout from Papercraft Essentials Magazine. The polka dot paper and animal cut outs are from Nana's Kids paper pack by Die Cuts With A View. The inside flaps were edged with Memento Desert Sand ink for some dimension. The Partytime stamp is by Inkadinkadoo and was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black. The writing was done by hand with an Ultra Fine Point Black Sharpie marker. I was pleased with the end result.
I hope the kids enjoy receiving these cards.
