Make Your Own Greetings Cards
Around 1 billion Christmas cards are sent every year. That’s a lot of card. Why not give some of your money a generous life by making your own greetings cards – and giving what you save away.
Your opportunity to exercise your creativity, to share with family, colleagues and friends – it may take more time to do, but it might make you a better person. (And even if it doesn’t it will make for a better planet).
Or send e-cards and give the money you save to charity (Friends of the Earth, for one, would be happy to help you with that).
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taunton, GB , 30 Aug 2005
I have taken to sending a xmas email to friends and family, with an xmas piccie of kids attached! i then add a personal line here or there, if i feel like it.
These are friends and rellies that i don’t see on a regular basis.. i always think it a bit odd to give cards to people i see regularly… is this just me being weird, or do other people feel this too?!
But for rellies/friends (that we don’t see regularly) that don’t have email (not many!) I send home-made cards… just select something off some clip-art and pop onto thin card… v easy.
this year i’m hoping to make xmas postcards, so that no envelopes are involved, thus saving paper!
another thing we’ve done other years is get the kids to draw an xmas piccie, scan it, print onto card… hey presto! saves me a job – i’m no good at art!
Maidenhead, GB , 31 Aug 2005
I always think that greetings cards are something to send if you’re unable to give the greeting in person – so yes, I agree. But then part of me thinks am I just being a typical insensitive bloke, so end up buying cards anyway. Hmm.
24 Oct 2005
For the last couple of years a friend and I have put aside a couple of evenings before Christmas to get together to make our Christmas cards. We usually have a glass (or two) of wine to help the process along and give each other opinions and suggestions. It means we actually do it rather than just intending to do it, and it also gives us a good excuse to catch up with each other in our busy lives. We’ve even taken to doing the same thing during the year for birthday cards.
And I agree with the previous people’s comments about cards to local people. I tend to just send them to people i won’t be seeing, although when everyone hands them out at work I do feel a bit mean and end up joining in. Our boss last year emailed us all with a Christmas card email and told us that the money he was saving on cards was going to a charity. Thought that was an excellent idea.
AF , 31 Oct 2005
Making your own cards is definitely a win-win situation! You save money on buying horrendously expensive commercial cards as well as the paper etc, and folk feel extra special that you’ve taken the time to create something just for them. Great all round! An extra challenge is to use the odds and ends you already have around the house rather than buying new materials. The simplist ideas are often the best.
AF , 31 Oct 2005
Making your own cards is definitely a win-win situation! You save money on buying horrendously expensive commercial cards as well as the paper etc, and folk feel extra special that you’ve taken the time to create something just for them. Great all round! An extra challenge is to use the odds and ends you already have around the house rather than buying new materials. The simplist ideas are often the best.
Sheffield, GB , 03 Nov 2005
i always make my own but last year having a had a baby we took pictures of hi and used those as the card then our relatives and freinds got a card and a picture.
AF , 13 Nov 2005
Try and do this as often as I can and purchase bits and pieces in bulk with friends from mail order companies. It is fun, but time consuming and you do need the space to leave things to dry out. You need to very organised to do this for birthdays and special occasions as the card needs time to dry!!!!!
01 Dec 2005
Isla has made some for friends and family, I will try to make some for work colleagues. TN
Godalming, GB , 20 Dec 2005
As well as making some of my Christmas cards this year, I have also sent an e-card to everyone taking part in the Year of Living Generously.
If you aren’t on the Generous e-list, you can view the card here http://www.foe.co.uk/cards/dec20-070296.html
03 Jan 2006
Managed to do cards for colleagues. The girls did their own thank you cards using old photocopier paper and prints. TN
17 Jan 2006
Have been making my own cards since I was a wee child, but it can be a bit random these days, so a reminder to myself to do it more often!
05 Feb 2006
Cut of the front off old christmas and birthay cards and stick on to a piece of new a4 card folded in half and write your own greeting inside.remember who sent you them and then send them one that somebody else sent you
14 Mar 2006
I make my own cards. So does my sister. Hers are so gorgeous that they’re a present in themselves. They go in albums and I know I’ll never throw them out (a couple are going to be framed) – they’re the least disposable cards I receive.
Handmade cards go down well at the Christian Aid shop too. This year I should resolve to start early on making them so it isn’t all a big rush!!!
Nancy, FR , 15 Mar 2006
I made a personalised card for my Dad’s 60th, making a collage of family photos. I made my mum’s by knitting a little mouse in a yellow dress and sticking it on a card with a rose in its paw. It was such fun that I think I will try to remember birthdays far enough in advance to make as many personalised cards as possible!
Newport, GB , 15 Mar 2006
I have managed to make all birthday cards so far this year. However my parents 40th wedding anniversary card is proving difficult. Inspiration has yet to arrive and time is running out. I have also made some cards for my M-I-L to give to her friends.
GB , 22 Mar 2006
My wife is mad on this, they are really good as well…..I have to say that thou. She puts a lot of effort into each one and makes it much more personal to the receiver. Tradition has it that a card was sent if one could not offer the greeting in person. Today our nearest family are over 100 miles away so her cards add the extra touch. If you have creative hands do this, its fun, if you don’t feel brave enough go and find a charity shop that is selling local handmade cards..they cost a bit more but they say a lot more.
12 Apr 2006
I use to make some cards and buy some but I haven’t bought a card in over a year now. I enjoy making cards instead… and people are really touched that you’ve devoted an hour or however long specifically to making something for them!
GB , 07 May 2006
I recently spent quite some time in a card shop looking at folder after folder of wedding invitations with my fiance. After we had seen the final album we came to the conclusion that none of samples were to our liking, and that they were all ridiculously expensive.
We have just sent out our first batch of home made wedding invitations which are all unique, and cost a fraction of the price of those in the shops. They also look great and have had very positive comments so far.
Oh and we make the majority of our birthday cards when we have time.
11 May 2006
Have just committed to doing this, because we have a huge family and lots of birthdays etc. Partly I wanted to do something creative and more meaningful than a bought card, and partly I was hoping to save money. I’ve stocked up on basics like cards and envelopes and a kids’ bumper pack of craft paper, but have found out that even making your own cards has been commercialised and there is a huge range of ‘must-have’ supplies you can buy. So my task is going to be to try and make cards out of recycled and found materials …
24 May 2006
Does it count if you do it because you love making things? Has gotten more difficult since the arrival of my baby four months ago – egreetings cards get sent more often these days!!
25 May 2006
I love doing this. At Christmas the other half & I sit down and form our own little production line, creating about 6/7 different designs. All of the materials I use are found around the house (except the card). Bits of foil from food packaging is excellent, old & odd socks cut up (and any other bits of clothing to past it for charity shop) etc.
I’m not so good at birthday cards for friends & extended family but will now make the effort!
18 Jun 2006
Just started making my own cards. My father was so touched with his personalised Fathers Day card. I have such fun & such a sense of satisfaction making them & friends are so touched to receive them. So all are blessed.
Amersham, GB , 01 Sep 2006
Ben and I made all our own wedding stationary – invitations, orders of service, place cards, and thankyou cards. It took hours and my hands were purple for some days – we hand pritned them using poster paint on sponges, before adding a stamped design. The results were very good though and worth all the effort. We really enjoyed making them and saved loads of money too.
20 Sep 2006
I make cards and seel them to raise money for charity. I also keep all the cards that people give me, chop them up and recycle the pictures/wording into new cards or gift tags. It’s cheaper and recycles the cards in a way I can really apprecaite, rather than just bunging them in the recycling sack. I actually get to see the finished product.
04 Oct 2006
Lurrrve making cards. Am trying to use more and more earth friendly bits, though, as I’m not sure how ethical the card making industry is on the whole. Recycled card blanks are good from www.eco-crafts.co.uk . You also need to be careful about a lot of the embellishments as they are not fair trade; a good place to buy fairly traded bits is MIC crafts (not sure of their email address but if you put MIC crafts into a search engine I’m sure they will come up). I too keep greetings cards to cut up and transform into new masterpieces; wrapping paper can be good for that as well. Happy days!!!
26 Oct 2006
Love to do this anyway!! My friends at work them so much they buy them!!
Welling, GB , 26 Nov 2006
I’m slightly cheating as I don’t do my own cards (because I’m not very handy or creative) but my mum loves doing it and always supplies us with a bumper box of Christmas and birthday cards. We recycle the Christmas cards we receive either in the recycling box or to many of the collections that are now around.
Cardiff, GB , 27 Nov 2006
Doing this for the first time this year afetr starting small with a few birthday cards during the year. I need this year’s cards from others to become my stock of “bits” for next year though, as I haven’t saved any £ by making them this year. Next year I’ll be better prepared by collecting red and green card, ribbons etc along the way, as I’ve really enjoyed doing it.
bournemouth, GB , 06 Dec 2006
i like making christmas cards. it’s a good way of recylcing other bits and pieces too.
i’m also making my own christmas presents too this year.
06 Dec 2006
Have just made mine so feeling slightly smug. Am usually up late on the day before last post for overseas trying to finish… I used to make lovely, complicated cards but since having children (and more people to send them to) the designs have got much simpler so they can be mass produced by hand! At least it means I do something creative once a year. The design has to be something to do with real Christmas too, ie no santa. Ikea has been good for textured recycled card blanks that are so nice they need little adornment. Also, of course, endless tea lights, white crockery, plain frames etc to decorate for your home-made gifts (or your children’s)... but that would be another action!
Lancaster, GB , 06 Dec 2006
I’m concerned about this action as card making is a huge money-making business and is not always about saving money or saving the earth.
I buy charity cards and send them to everyone I know – Christmas cards are part of our decorations at home and the house would look bare without them. I love giving and receiving cards.
I’m all for recycling cards though – I may even buy some reuse labels and send the same cards next year :-) Otherwise our cards get cut up for gift tags and decorations, and the rest are recycled.
Leicester, GB , 11 Dec 2006
This is fun and you can choose what message you want to send – often being on a tight budget at christmas means I am confined to buying tacky penguin/rudolph/santa cards when really I want to send something with a more important and peaceful message – by making my own cards I can do this and save money – I use a lot of recycled materials like hoarded wrapping paper.