Splitcoaststampers.com - the world's #1 papercrafting community
You're currently viewing Splitcoaststampers as a GUEST. We pride ourselves on being great hosts, but guests have limited access to some of our incredible artwork, our lively forums and other super cool features of the site! You can join our incredible papercrafting community at NO COST. So what are you waiting for?
Currently the tape I am using for my cardmaking is not an acid free tape. But it does stick, and that's what I was going for
Which begs the question- do you try to use mostly acid free supplies on your cards? I do, solely because I like to use acid free in my scrapbooks and I don't want the supplies to get mixed up. (But even with my scrapbooks I'm not anal about them. I imagine my grandkids will look through them for a few seconds and then toss them in the trash. I have no illusions that they are for the future, they are for me.) I also try to use acid free supplies in case some wonderful person I send it to decides that the card I made is just right for their scrapbook page about the day/event the card related too.
But here's the main question- do you expect people to save the cards you send them? Similiarly, I have no illusion that the cards will be saved. I hope that my hard work is appreciated, and further hope that it spends at least a week on the mantle or fridge, but I am pretty sure that eventually my cards will end up in the trash. (I was pleased to see my parents had my valentine's card on their TV unit when I visited a week afterwards- but I'm sure it's gone by now)
So what do you think?
So what do you think? Do you expect your cards to be cherished? Are you upset to find out they have been thrown away?
Edit to add: I do keep the cards that people make me- for as long as my husband will allow it
Last edited by Skittl1321; 02-27-2006 at 03:21 PM..
I'm never upset when someone throws my cards away. I enjoy the process of making cards infinitely more than I care about the finished product. I think homemade cards are ephemeral- just a moment in time. And I don't worry about using archival materials when making my cards (although most of what I use for supplies is acid free, simply because that's what's available in the marketplace).
Amy
I don't expect them to save them. I'm on a decluttering kick, so expecting them to save the cards would be a bit hypocritical
I make the cards because it gives me pleasure to handcraft something for people I care about and because it's a creative outlet. I like to bring a smile to someone's face when they open the card, but I don't expect it to be a "collectible".
ditto for me! I like making cards and sending them, but I certainly don't expect anyone to keep them beyond a week or so. I certainly don't keep the ones sent to me.
I guess I'm in the minority here because I like to think that most people save my cards. I hate to think of my lovely work ending up in the bottom of a trash can. I would hope that most people who recognize that it's handmade wouldn't throw it away. Of course, I realize that some people will throw them away, but I don't like to think about it. :(
I guess maybe I'm just sentimental but I keep all handmade cards from friends and I also keep store-bought cards if my friends have written something sentimental in it. And, no, I am not a pack-rat at all. I hate clutter! I guess maybe cards are the one thing I allow myself to be sentimental about since they don't take up that much room. ;)
Is there a way that I can put on my cards - "when no longer needed, return to sender" ????? 8-)
Is there a way that I can put on my cards - "when no longer needed, return to sender" ????? 8-)
Christine
Too funny!! ;-)
I have to agree with most of the other responses, I enjoy making cards and hope they are enjoyed, but they don't have to be kept forever. I do however, keep the handmade cards people send me in a little box. It serves as great inspiration, although, I know I won't be able to keep them forever either. At some point the box will get full and I will have to start pitching.
I too use acid free just because almost everything now-a-days is acid free.
Is there a way that I can put on my cards - "when no longer needed, return to sender" ????? 8-)
Christine
I always want to put this on things I knit! When I spend 5 months making someone a sweater (or even just 2 months for a shawl), I hate to think it will go to Goodwill in a few years- send it back and let me use the yarn again!
The only person I know who saves my cards is my mom She displays them ALL on top of her TV console in the RV It makes me happy to make her happy! She loves showing all the people they meet in their travels the handmade cards she gets from me. That said, I never expect anyone to save my cards. That's also part of the reason I have a hard time buying the Hodgepodge kits. While I don't mind the paper going in the trash, I'd have a harder time seeing the metal pieces thrown out.
So here's a question, do you cannibalize cards you've been sent to reuse the metal pieces?
So here's a question, do you cannibalize cards you've been sent to reuse the metal pieces?
YES!
No, I don't expect people to save everything. I know that I can't do it, so I assume that they don't have the time, space, energy to keep up with it all either.
Location: Indiana, Oh Indiana. Indiana, we're all for you! IU!
Posts: 1,814
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I save handmade Christmas cards or cards from dear friends. I also save cards from my DH. I like it when people save my cards, but I guess I don't expect it. My mom and MIL both save every card I give them, so that's enough to keep me happy.
I don't expect people to save them, although I do know of a few that do. One of DH's friends always gets an awesome card at Christmas because his father was an artist and appreciates all that goes into them. I will admit I was tickled to go to a friends house and find that she had framed several of my cards and they were on her wall as you walk in her house.
I use both regular products and acid free products on my cards..I think there is so much more versatiliiy on cards becuase you can use anything.. and I know the people who save and throw away so I send accordingly.. I do howerver reuse peoples regular store bought cards each Christmas.. I take the storebought cards I got the previous year and I put them in the sizzix machine and make gift tags out of the fronts.. Its great becuse there are so many great patterns that are Christmas themed and the paper is thick.. I KNOW they are going to get rippped thru and thrown away so I hate to use my expensive Bazzill paper or SU cardstock.. and I can stamp or write on the other side..
I always make 2 plus of everything, this way i can keep a copy even if the person receiving it doesnt keep theirs, it doesnt bother me if people dont keep my cards, but if i have made something else like a candle or something for the home i would be offended if they gave it away or threw it away. it is fun though when you go to someones house and they still have your card out from last christmas that you made them, and when you ask why its still out, they answer because i can not make myself put it away.
Heck, I save all the store-bought cards I've received!!! LOL. I hope people save my handstamped stuff... but if they don't, I'd rather not know about it! LOL!
i hope my cards get displayed for a while. if its saved for longer even better.
what i do wish was that my mom would dump cards we've received over the years- why? because she has reused them to give to me- in the most tacky way. she liquid papers over the senders name then puts her greeting as if i wouldnt remember that card from x amount of years ago. she's done it for my birthday and for christmas. if not that, then she gives really cheapie ugly dollerstore cards.
i hope my cards get displayed for a while. if its saved for longer even better.
what i do wish was that my mom would dump cards we've received over the years- why? because she has reused them to give to me- in the most tacky way. she liquid papers over the senders name then puts her greeting as if i wouldnt remember that card from x amount of years ago. she's done it for my birthday and for christmas. if not that, then she gives really cheapie ugly dollerstore cards.
Oh that's just too funny! My mother and aunt used to have two reuseable greeting cards, they sent them back and forth with small notes every holiday until it was completley full. My aunt is a bit of a "reduce, reuse, recycle" nut, so I think she did this with all her sisters, and they just humored her. I hate waste- so it's kind of a neat idea, but at the same time- it seems so insignifigant.
I think of it like making a really incredible dessert. You enjoy making it and presenting it and seeing the "oooh" on everyone's face. But, in the end, everyone eats it and the evidence is gone. Does that mean no one appreciated it? No - it was meant for just that moment. I enjoy the making process - its an important outlet for me to be creative. I don't place any expectations on them and I would hope that they wouldn't keep it just because they think I would be offended if they tossed it down the road. I certainlly don't want anyone to feel stressed by the clutter. I still feel like they appreciated it. I tend to keep cards that I like, but I have to be honest that I don't really spend much time looking at them later. So why keep them? It doesn't make them mean any more to me. My appreciation and affection for that person isn't any more or less if I keep it or don't.
__________________ Darci "Awww, you guys made me Ink!"
"Creativity is a continual surprise" (Ray Bradbury)
I always picture a soldier sending his child a nice card that I made and he/she saves it for years and looks back on it as a special memento from Daddy/Mommy when he/she was far away.
Then one night the kid asked for the car and the answer is no and that card is ripped into a million pieces and thrown in the trash!
And while they are ripping it apart they see this name on the back and wonder who the heck is Roxie and why did this person go to all this trouble. The tape is dried up and the dang card is in five pieces now (I like layers).
Okay I'll stop now! So yeah it’s nice if they save it but most people don’t look at cards the way we do so if it hits the trash…oh well…it served its purpose!
I always picture a soldier sending his child a nice card that I made and he/she saves it for years and looks back on it as a special memento from Daddy/Mommy when he/she was far away.
Then one night the kid asked for the car and the answer is no and that card is ripped into a million pieces and thrown in the trash!
And while they are ripping it apart they see this name on the back and wonder who the heck is Roxie and why did this person go to all this trouble. The tape is dried up and the dang card is in five pieces now (I like layers).
Okay I'll stop now! So yeah it�s nice if they save it but most people don�t look at cards the way we do so if it hits the trash�oh well�it served its purpose!
Rox, that is so funny!
I think people appreciate the cards I make for them, and I would love it if they saved them, but I really don't expect that they do.
My father surprised me a couple of weeks ago. I was helping him pack for a move to Kentucky and he showed me a stack of my cards that he's been saving. He's the last person I would have expected to do that!
For me it's not so much about the saving as is how long do they keep it. Most of the cards I give go to family and friends that I see regulary. I see them (the card) displayed in their home for a few weeks or longer. I have been told some of my cards are re used too (with a new insert!) . One friend requested that I not sign the card so she can re use it. I now sign with a post it note!!!
I hope that people save the cards that I make them, I think I would be a little hurt if I found out that they trashed them ... however, I do understand not saving them. All my life I have saved all the special cards that I have ever received. I have them in a shoebox under my bed, but I do still have them, and every once in a while I pull them out and they warm my heart. No matter what, I would hope that they would display them for a week or two at least. I do NOT make cards for people who I know wont appreciate all the hard work that goes into them. I made a wedding card for my boss at work and he actually brought it into the office to display it and I thought that was SO nice of him.
Rox, I LOVED your post. That warmed my heart!!!! I think it is wonderful that you send cards to American soldiers, that is just great!
but only cards that really make me feel special. I know of a few people who have saved my cards and take them out every once in awhile. As the other posts have indicated I do not have delusions of grandeur about my cards. They do get thrown out. But I think a few get tucked into a memory box as well. I will not stop making them because I enjoy making them.
__________________ May you live every day of your life. Jonathan Swift Susan
I don't expect people to keep cards I send. I'm actually surprised when some keep them. I keep cards that are given to us but don't expect it from others. I sure didn't until I started making cards.
__________________ Taryn
"Forget regret or life is yours to miss." - Jonathan Larson
Oh, Rox. What neat thoughts. I'll bet they don't tear cards up in anger though. My dad was in Korea in 1959 and I still have the cards he sent me...and yes, I still look at them on occasion. I'm lucky he's still with us but the day will come he will be gone and I will always have fond memories available of him telling me what he was doing while 1000s of miles from home that are also in those cards. And, yes, I keep most all cards handmade or not!
__________________ Sharon Today is a new day. Make the most of it ~ My meager beginning!
I save many of the cards I am sent....they are special to me...however that being said, once a year I sort through them and share with my customers the card fronts...I give them to them so they have more ideas and so the circle of sharing and giving is completed....
I really don't care if people keep or throw away my cards, as long as they smile the day they recieve the card, all is well!
I don't expect people to save my cards, although I know some of my family do, but I do appreciate some sort of indication that they actually received the cards. For instance, I just sent a bunch of handmade Valentine cards to the kids in my family, and I didn't hear from any of the parents that they were received. Occasionally, I'll send out "Thinking of You" cards to family that live out of state, and it would be nice to at least get an email once in a while saying, "Thanks for thinking of me." Know what I mean? :???: It's not that I'm asking for praise with each card...just once in a while acknowledge it. If I get in a mood, I just might stop sending them. ;)
I know a few of my friends who have every card I've ever made for them. My mom keeps all the cards my kids make for her but I think she's gotten over the 'keeping everything I make her' thing since the grandkids came along. I know a few other relatives who keep them, but I know 99% of the people I send them to throw them in the trash (don't even recycle them). I usually use acid free stuff on mine since that's mostly what I have in my stamping stuff. I don't like having a bunch of stuff around and worrying about grabbing the wrong stuff for my scrapbooks. If I have acid free stuff for everything, then it's a non-issue.
I've kept just about every card I've received... even store bought ones... actually, I don't think I've ever received a handmade one :-/ Yep, I guess I'm a packrat when it comes to "momentos". It doesn't take up that much room (yet!).
But I have to be realistic and don't expect others to do the same. As long as the receiving end actually realizes the card is handmade by me and gets even just a little bit of extra happiness from that, it's enough for me (though I do feel just a *tinge* of sadness for the card =P). Unfortunately, many times the other person doesn't even realize I didn't just buy the card! (and I'm certainly not going to point it out!... "Btw, that card you tossed aside like some piece of rotten fruit, yea, I made that").
Unfortunately, many times the other person doesn't even realize I didn't just buy the card! (and I'm certainly not going to point it out!... "Btw, that card you tossed aside like some piece of rotten fruit, yea, I made that").
~ Melissa
I need to buy some handmade with love stamps- both my mom and my sister- to whom I've been telling about how much stampin' I've done didn't realize my Valentine's were hand made.
While I never expect anyone to save my cards, I have been told that they do. My mom saves them all, and my co-workers save them as well. My co-workers tell me they are saving them because one day I will be "famous" and they will have an original work of art from me!!! (I tell them that many artists are not famous until they die!!).
I don't expect that they are saved but I k now some of my gf's do... they are in albums like prized posessions! HA! THe one girl in particular doesn't have her own house yet... so she'll find later on that she cannot keep everything and that the things that "mattered" in high school seem less and less once babies first foot prints and kids art work comes along....
I am a "purger" when it come sto clutter.... it's refreshing which I guess over compensating for the fact that my mom always called me a "pack rat" growing up...
So no... I love doing what I do... and sending them off but I wouldn't want people lost in their clutter
Well, you guys are all more understanding than me I guess, because I DO expect people to save my cards. And, if they don't they are in big trouble!
What do you do to them? And don't forget what your signature says! LOL!
So far I have saved every RAK I've been sent except what my SIL sends and she sends them with the intention of me passing them on to Keiki. I say Keiki because she likes everything cute, cute, cute!
I will someday have to go through and recycle the RAKs but for now they look so nice in the corner of my stamping room on a photo tree thingy!
stampscout - loved your story! I have all my FIL's post cards in my stamping room and I pull the cigar box out once in while and go through them. I gave my daugther the first Valentine he ever gave my MIL. Very fancy and I think it cost him a whole ten cents back in the 1930's!
What do you do to them? And don't forget what your signature says! LOL!
I'm just a big talker. LOL!! Just teasing really, although it would hurt my feelings if I knew that someone tossed a card that I put a lot of time and love into.
I never expected anyone to keep the cards I make them. However, friends and relatives tell me that they keep my cards and add them to the holiday decor and put them out every year. (ie..Christmas, Halloween, Easter) They say they would never throw them away.
This weekend I talked to my brother over the phone for awhile. The phone rang again a minute after we hung up. It was him again. He just wanted to tell me that he "LOVES" (he emphasized) getting cards in the mail from me. He was commenting on the V-day card I sent. He saves them and shows them off to friends that come over. He said it was important that I know that, so that was why he called me back. I told him that he made my day. When we got off the phone I was bawling like a baby! What a sweet man!
On the other hand....on my Halloween cards I have a special stamp I put on the back of each card...
"This card was made by hand, if you throw it away those same hands will make a doll in your image and stick pins in it's butt."
Do you expect people to save your cards?
I'm guilty of saving cards
