Got a stash of cards on your hands? If you're one of our card club members, you may find great joy in creating handmade cards but not enough people to send them to.
In an age where a message on Facebook is the only birthday greeting some will receive, a card in the mail is even more meaningful.
Steps to Greeting Card Management
Keep a Calendar
Manage special occasions on a computer as annual recurring events, or keep a paper "perpetual" calendar. Consult the list of events prior to the beginning of each month. If Facebook alerts you about a birthday or anniversary of someone dear to you, add their name to the calendar. (This has been the most effective way to grow my card list!)
Sort Cards
First, organize your card stash into categories for various occasions. I used the following categories to cover the bases: birthday (him), birthday (her), birthday (juvenile), anniversary, thank you, get well, thinking of you, miss you, sympathy, holiday, congratulations, baby, blank, and love. I store them in a sturdy acrylic box.
Here is one of my filled boxes.
Prep Cards to Send
Next, review the list of a month's occasions and select a card for each individual. Have your address book handy (mine is in "contacts" on my computer), a roll of stamps, return address labels, PostIt Notes, a favorite pen, and a journaling stencil if you tend to write "downhill".
Add a handwritten greeting to the inside of the card, address the envelope, and add postage.
Next, consult a calendar to calculate the appropriate mailing date. Be sure to consider weekends, holidays and distance when choosing the date. Note the mail date on a PostIt and add to the envelope.
Finally, sort the cards in order by mail date, and keep them in a visible place so you don't forget to mail them. (I'd like to thank our very own Deb K. for being my "mail angel" throughout the month!)
If you still have too many cards in your stash, consider donating them to organizations who have a need. (Cards from the store are expensive!)
Card Care Connection is a nonprofit accepting cards to provide encouragement to those facing cancer.
Cards for Hospitalized Kids aims to provide hope, joy, and magic to children facing serious health issues. Lastly, check with your local church, military, or other organizations who may have a need for all-occasion cards.
And don't forget to join our monthly birthday card swap on the Club Scrap Chat group on Facebook.
Of course, there is no right or wrong way to do this...the most important part is finding the card de-stashing method that works best for you!
Tricia
