According to historical records, it's claimed that the custom of sending greeting cards can be traced back to the ancient Chinese who exchanged messages to celebrate the New Year. By 1400, Germans are known to have printed New Year's greetings and by the mid 15th century Europeans were exchanging paper greeting cards and Valentine's. Of course, all this crafty creativity was headed for some industrialisation and by the 1850s printing had made mass produced cards cheaper and easier than the traditional handmade cards. Naturally, many of our Grandmothers still took the time to make their own cards as they had learned from their own Grandmothers and their patience was rewarded when by the 1990's consumers had started to hanker for the individuality of the handmade card... and that is where we come in :-)
In fairness to many of you, the topic of this blog may well be preaching to the choir (as it were), but I'm sure you'll bear with me... after all, there are still millions and millions of people who aren't interested in paper crafts of any kind - and I'm not even including tribes in the Amazon! I've also opted not to include the Tipsy Tarts... after all, Miss Twinset would be far too intense and the Other One - well - we've seen how she is with booze, so imagine how she'd be if she discovered glue?
Now, before I chucked them out for the day (reminding them that they have homes of their own to go to), Miss Twinset pointed out that you're able to buy handmade cards in most good stationery shops now. In fact, they're often really beautiful and well made. The point though is that even if they are handmade, they're usually made in some kind of quantity, which means that they're not 1 of a kind. If you make your own, you'll have the satisfaction not only of knowing that you're giving someone a card that is 100% unique, but the recipient will have the pleasure of knowing that you took the time to make them something that you thought they would like.Take this birthday card for example... made for my Dad's birthday last year. I used a photocopy of a picture he had from his childhood. Backed onto white card, then chocolate brown card and finally onto grey card for a layered look and decorated simply with a skeleton leaf, 2 feathers and a glass bead. Other detail was achieved using gold leaf. The card was a hit, not only because it was meaningful to him (and featured a very handsome photo OF him), but because he knew that I had taken the time design and make this just for his birthday. There is no other card like it in the world and it made me feel great that he loved it :-)
Now, of course, it's not only birthday's which are significant or special... there are also many other high days and holidays throughout the year and two of my favourites are Mother's Day and Father's Day... The reason why I love these holiday's in particular is because they're a celebration of only Mothers and Fathers and it's a great opportunity to say thank you to them for everything that they do all through the year.
Above are the cards I made for Mother's Day and Father's Day in 2010. Both of them feature things that my parents love and although they're simply designed, they took hours to make and I have to say, making them is so much fun! In fact, these cards are part of the gift from me :-)
Of course, yesterday (Sunday) was Mother's Day and it wouldn't be the same without a card, so here's a look at this years design...
As you can see, I even included a tag that says "I love you"... just in case she didn't know :-) A little secret is that the tiny diamante crystals on the tag are actually from a nail decorating kit :-) I'm addicted to stationery and craft supplies, but I also think out of the box and the nail decor kit actually came with 10 different miniature decorations which will work fabulously on cards... so don't be afraid to try something different!
Our Grandmothers knew how to think creatively and how to make people feel special by taking the
time to do something meaningful. They also understood that they didn't have to use expensive elements to make a beautiful card, in fact they were the original recyclers! As an example, they would use pictures from cigar boxes (which were often beautifully decorated). They also used bits of lace and ribbon that were left over from their own sewing projects, as well as buttons or beads that no longer had another purpose. It's not about the money you spend on making the card... it's about taking the time to do something special for someone you love.
So... get creative and I promise that you'll find it rewarding!
Until next time...
