Who doesn’t like to get a personal greeting card in the mail?
And they can be as fun to create as they are to receive. No, really. Even if you have labeled yourself as “not artistic.” Which, by the way, you need to quit doing right now.
I have been making my own greeting cards for a long time. Sometimes I draw or paint the picture. Sometimes I use beautiful images that I have collected from various sources. All of these prints came from either old calendars or the Missouri Botanical Garden’s bulletin, which as a member, I receive for free.
I trim the images as needed, and apply them to blank cards that I have purchased for this purpose. Those pictured here were purchased from a craft supply store with properly sized envelopes for 50 for $10.00, so 20 cents a set. Even including the rubber cement that I use to affix the images to the cards, the stamp costs more than the card ingredients.
The images can be tailored to the type of card being sent. So for my Christmas cards, scenes with snow. For a sympathy card, a landscape with rain. For a birthday card, something with happy colors or something quirky that will have the recipient smiling.
A few cards ready to mail.
How beautiful & so easy. Thanks for the inspiration!
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Greeting cards are my super power. Oh, and creating a meal out of scraps.
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“Greeting cards are my super power.” Yes they are!! Nice work! I love how you use frugally-acquired images. I too am a card maker and I love to re-use found things on my cards. My daughter worked at an office supply store and she often brought me stacks of clean, new materials from their trash to use in my cards. Gold stickers (great for embellishing envelopes), covers from outdated planners (colorful!), little discontinued notepads, etc. (One of my sons, however, preferred it when his sister worked at Subway. If she wasn’t hungry enough for her free sandwich, she would drop it off at his apartment on her way home. Good times!)
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Mmmmm. That is a tough choice! Free office supplies or a fresh sandwich. Your family has all the goods!
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These are gorgeous! It’s fun to send and receive cards.
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Agreed! There is little about Victorian England that appeals to me…except that people who could read and write sent letters all the time. To have the luxury of a pot of steaming tea and the time to send a lengthy description of the garden, or the party, or the sermon from Sunday (along, of course, with a description of what everyone was wearing…) what fun!!
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This is mega cool! I just bought cheesy holiday cards today, and I was thinking there has to be a better way. What is the brand of blank cards you got? Maybe I can get them on amazon for the future. My daughter would love this, too, as the artist in the family.
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From the craft store Michael’s, in the United States. https://www.michaels.com/coredinations-white-cards-and-envelopes-4.25-x-5.5-inches/D048411S.html
I don’t advertise, and if you can find a local source that is more eco-friendly than this, please do that instead. If not…this will do in a pinch.
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Above comment is from regular read Elizabeth–was logged into wrong wordpress account!
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got it! Thanks!
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Love it. I have done similar when on tight budget. . Matching photos to recipient. Will we get to see your frugal Christmas gift ideas for your family?
Would love some of your inspiration.
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I’m afraid that my gifts this year aren’t so frugal. I gift only to my children (including DIL) and grandchildren. This year I am giving mostly consumable items. My new neighborhood has delightful tea/coffee/food shops, 2 Fair Trade stores, a family owned brewery, a farmer’s market. I’m supporting the local shops this year.
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Hello Fawn,
I too often make my own cards. I think it feels a little more personal to receive a hand made card that some one has put thought, care and love into making just for you. I also make all my own gift tags for birthdays and Christmas. For birthdays I use any bits and bobs I have gathered together during the year such as ribbons or things off cards I have received, pressed flowers or something natural. Then after Christmas I go through all the cards I have been given and cut out appropriate pieces to use as gift tags the following year. I have been using the same ball of crochet cotton for strings for the tags for years!
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I have been making my own gift tags out of cardstock that was gifted to me, but it is running low. I will use your idea to make some out of the Christmas cards and save those this year. For ribbons–I have been using up my mothers stash. She saved all the ribbon gifted her, bought some on sale—and DID NOT wrap the gifts she gave. Very curious.
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I LOVE this idea!!
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I know! I like the way they turn out better even than $4 cards.
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Consumable gifts good idea-no clutter. I had been thinking along those lines
My sister always gifts me a food hamper that she creates herself. My favourite olives etc…..
One year when money was tight I made millionaire kits. Everyone loved them.
I made little calico bags with string ties to close them, with the words ” little bag of coins” on them. Placed 5 x $1coins inside along with a lotto coupon.
Then on card wrote 4 instruction.
1: Choose your lucky numbers
2: Fill in lotto coupon with your numbers
3 Take little bag of coins and coupon along to lotto shop and purchase lotto ticket
4: Go home and pray like mad that ypu win a million dollars
Everyone thought they were great, but sadly no one won, they still had a lot of fun trying and I wasn’t out of pocket by overspending on gifts..
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Doesn’t it seem that we get our most creative when we are not spending a lot of money? I would have loved to gotten one of your “millionaire kits” and I’ve never bought a lottery ticket in my life. Well done.
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🙂 thank you. Yes necessity is the mother of creativity as well as invention.
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