Tracking my cards
 

I would like to keep track of who gets which of my cards. My only thought as to how to do this without making a list is to write something like "went to John" in my card description. Then next year if I want to make John a card using the Marquee Messages set, I could go into that set here on SCS and if I see "went to john" then I'll know I already used that set and try something else. I could also add the year. Does that make sense or do you have other ways of keeping track? My fear is sending someone a card that looks like last years. Right now I do have a birthday list and I handwrite what the card looked like. Maybe that's still the way to go, or maybe do both...

I try to take pictures of my cards on my phone and try to make a notation of who got it. The truth is, though, that probably the recipient won't remember from year to year, so if you happen to use the same set, it's still the thought that counts. :-)

If you have a scanner, then you could scan the card, and save it with the recipients name & year you sent it? If not, then a photo on your phone, then transferred to your Pc would do the same.

But DH has hunting friends and I'd hate to use the turkey on his card if I used it last year! Here's a true story....oldest son asked me to make a fathers day card for him to give to his dad this year so I made a cute card with a rifle and a turkey. I was later looking through old cards and I had made that exact card for his dads birthday the year before! I changed up the dp and font but I had the gun and the turkey in the same layout! LOL. Although...the turkey isn't stampin up so I couldn't search for it here anyway. I used to take pictures of each card I made, but 7 years is a lot of cards! And my pictures didn't show who got the card.

I'm thinking the yearly birthday list may be the way I should continue. It has my friends and family on it. The rest of the cards I send are church friends and I don't think they'd remember.

Why not? There are tons of non-stampin-up stamps all over the gallery.

I don't know the name of it. It was a single stamp I bought at either Michaels or acmoore.

I don't do this extra step but I could. I have a board on my Pinterest account--in fact it is linked in my posts here :) -- for my own card creations. As I describe each one, I could simply add 'for John 2016' and then at least I could look back at the cards I have made and see who it was made for at the time.

That may be an idea for you, or at least bring to your mind how to make it work for you. It does get tricky over time, not re-using the same set for someone. I know I don't like to!

As a Chemo Angel, I send a card to someone every week for months, sometimes years. I hate the idea of repeating, either card designs or sentiments... which is a challenge when you're talking 50 or 100 cards to the same person. I developed a really elaborate system for tracking every single card I send. It's too much to explain in a post, but I wrote about it on my blog: how do you keep track of your happy mail? | Bashful Cat Cards

(I'm sure my crazy is showing... I'm sort of an organizational freak, and just a teeny bit too detail-oriented, LOL. You could probably develop an easier system, maybe with Evernote?)

Kathy - Something I have done at times is to take a quick picture of my card over the envelope so just the name of the recipient is showing. It's a fast way to "document" what card I sent to someone.

HTH

I take pics of all my cards. I then load into my pics on the computer. In the little box under each pic I add a description. Like mom bday 2016, hubby xmas 2016, "name of child or relative" "reason for card" "month and or year". I have not had a problem with this yet, only if I put a personal id info, then when I upload to SCS i change the description.

Then when my pics file gets too big, I grab a kid to help me download on one of those thumb drive thing's.

I do kinda sorta say that in the description. ( for my whom ever s) and since I like what a like, I know they have received cards sometimes with the same stamps over the years the good news is that they don't look too much a like though because, over time I have changed how I create cards.

in the beginning before I was brave enough to color I did everything as line drawings CAS one layer cards more or less... and then I started collecting paper. and then I made my self learn to color things. so, its funny to me when a CAS one layer comes along lately from my self :lol:

And most cameras date the picture, which would help too! Good idea.

I am totally dingbat crazy about keeping track of what card was sent to whom. At the beginning of my adult card making career I started keeping a 3 ring binder with notes about cards that I sent out.

As my card making increased in both volume and complexity, I made a photocopy of the front of each card, with notes about who it was sent to and what occasion. I am able to fit photocopies for 2 cards in each plastic sleeve, back to back in the sleeve. If there is additional memorabilia, it can be slipped between the two sheets (i.e. Wedding invitations, funeral brochures, newspaper clippings.

If you're still reading this you are a glutton for punishment! ;). Anyway, the spine of the 3-ring binder has the month/year beginning and ending info. I now typically fill 2 binders a year so the dates are usually January - July, August - December.

What I have discovered through the years is that it is very easy to find cards in this system because it's set up by date. Birthdays, anniversaries and holidays are a snap to locate, get wells and sympathies take a bit more effort, but typically I can remember the approximate time of year that the event occured and find it within s couple of tries.

All of this sounds totally archaic and low tech, in light of our high tech world. Keep in mind I've been doing this for 20 years or so! What I have come to appreciate about this system is that it is almost a journal of our lives. The cards sent represent an important event at the time, and the notes and memorabilia, add to this. In effect, it is a lazy way of journaling/scrap booking, in addition to being an organizational tool.

Can't tell you the smiles that came to my face when I look back at some of these old cards and the memories they invoke. Totally priceless!

Oh, the other way I utilize the photocopies now is to add a post a note about card ingredients and when I took photos of card. I use this info when I upload a card to my gallery or a challenge on SCS. It makes it much simpler to include all the info because I have it right there with the photocopy of the card. Even if the card doesn't make it into my gallery, I can refer back to the photocopy/Posti it note if I want to make another like it and can't remember how I did it.

So that's how I keep track of the cards I send, it's the simple Captain Obvious way. Copy the card, pop it into a notebook. Done. On to the next project! :cool:

Oh my word, you guys, it would never cross my mind to be worried if I sent the same or a similar card to someone twice.

But I can solve your dilemma with 3 little words: Buy more stamps. :D

I have a Google spreadsheet which goes back about six years now. It's for birthdays and general cards, Christmas is a separate one. I have the name and address, birthday (if applicable), and the last column has a brief description of the card I sent, enough to identity it. In my case, it wasn't so much fear of duplicating, it was wanting to be able to make an intelligent response when someone said " thanks for the lovely card. How did you do x ( or any other question relating to its construction).I freely admit that I also change the background fill in a row to green if I get an acknowledgment in any form, and tend to drop people off my list if I've sent cards for two or three years in a row and don't even know whether they arrived. I've had enough cards go genuinely AWOL, and international postage is too much too keep sending into a vacuum. Just this week I had a card returned "insufficient address" when I have been sending to this person for several years. To make it worse, it was my DTGD sample card so it had extra postage on it :mad:.
To make the sheet more manageable, I archive earlier years onto a second page.

I might suggest going at it the other way. Instead of files by pics...I would have files by people.

For example: "Son". Then I just pop the pic of the card into that file. You get to label pics so I would say bday 2016 or whatever.

That way when I am making for a person...I know what I sent them. It isnt that you would not do the same design twice-it's that you dont want to give it to the same person twice.

For people you only did a RAK for or rarely send to and dont warrant their own file, then I would have a Misc People file and then put the name/year on the card. You can alpha sort it.

ETS: This is esp helpful if you do themed cards for a person. Say it was fishing for man. If you see them all...you may say, gee I never did a card with just a big fish on it. So now, not only do you know what not to do but may get an idea of what you do want to do! :)

wavejumper - you are on to something!

Kathy - Your original question was how not to duplicate a card to anyone. Instead of thinking how to document the cards and who they went to, think how to document the person and what cards they received.


You are making a birthday card for John, you could look into his file, list, folder, chart or whatever you decide to use and see what cards you made in the past for John. That addresses your original concern.


Does that make sense?


Thanks wavejumper!

That just might work, Diane. But for John, he doesn't normally get A card from me because but because it was his 60th and a party he got one this year. I guess I wouldn't need to track john then. I need to write down all the suggestions and pick which pointers will work.

I make a copy with all the pertinent information and file it in a 3 ring binder. I am 'old school' and do not have a phone to take pictures etc. LOL

Welcome to my world! :D
I am old school, too....though I do take photos with my iPad so I can upload to SCS gallery. So I am old school cool, with a tad of new world technology. :cool:

Great idea!

I've done Christmas card swaps, sent one out to someone, and had them say: " your card was the prettiest card I got this year! Just beautiful!" I'm standing there thinking hmmm.....which one was it? Thankfully she didn't ask me how I made it.

I make copies of every card and keep them in plastic sheets in a large binder by category, i.e. birthday, anniversary, congrats, etc. On the corner of each copy I put the person's name and year, John 2016. I keep the copies until the binder gets too full and then take out the older copies unless it's a special card that I might want to make again. I've been doing this for over 15 years and it has worked especially when someone says they've loved the card and I can look in my binder and see what I sent them. Until this year almost all my cards have been one-of-a-kind but now I'm making 2-4 of each so I'll have more room in my binder and won't have to clean out as often.

I keep a copy and who it went to in Evernote. If it is someone I send a lot of cards to, DH,DD, DM, I have a notebook for each, otherwise I just keep it in a My Cards notebook.

Love hearing all your ideas! I too am a Chemo Angel and Senior Angel so I send out cards every week to the same 2 people. I use a generic hardback journal with lined pages to keep things straight. Each person has their own page in the journal where I write a very brief description of the card with the color scheme, image used and stamped greeting (i.e. green, mouse, hello), a brief note about what my letter said and what gift I sent. I don't spend too much time on the card description because like others, I don't mind reusing the same stamp or sentiment, but I would want them in a different combination.

Kathy, I think Ann is the one who told me how she did hers and her Christmas cards especially! Because I have had people email or write a letter how much the loved my card at Christmas or for their birthday, and I had no clue what I sent them, since I rarely make more than one of the same card, at Christmas sometimes more than more.

So we take our photo to upload to SCS anyway. I set up a Sent in 2016 folder, and as I send the card out, I move it to that file and rename it the date and their name.
I also set up a 2016 Christmas folder and will do the same as I mail them out this year.
So , I have just moved the photo to the right file. I always kept those photos on my computer anyway after I upload them.


This is first year for this. I will see how it goes. But one thing, I can see how many cards I have sent and to who. So far I have sent over 125 cards out this year! I had no idea. My DH knew we were going through the stamps, but he was surprised, too.

This is a fabulous idea!

I don't think I want to take pictures of every card I make and I don't always upload them to SCS. I think I'm just going to make a birthday list each year and allow space to write in a description. That should take less space than all those cards. I am now having to consider the cards that I put in church mailboxes so probably 500 a year? That includes christmas and birthday since I don't buy a lot of new Christmas sets seeing how I have so many of those.

Wow! 500 cards a year? You make that many? Wow!
I would say counting Christmas, if I do 200 regular and another 50 at Christmas. So 250 a year made and sent.
That doesn't count ones made and sent tri the Encouragement Ministry, though. But I don't track those.but I make probably another 100 year for that ministry.

500 includes my donated cards at church, cards I personally give at church, birthday cards to friends and family and Christmas cards. Only a few for Halloween and Easter. I got that count by how many envelopes I went through because I buy them by the 500's. That number may be a little high....I send about 150 at Christmas, donate about 150, then the birthdays and church boxes about 100-150. I've been through a box of 500 and about ready to open the next one. I buy them when the office supply has 10% off everything in the store in august.

I.m wondering, do you blog? If so, you could pin them to special boards you create on Pinterest?

No, I don't blog and rarely on pinterest. SCS and YouTube are my vices!

My method is completely old-school, and seems similar to wave jumper's in terms of organization. When I started stamping around 2002, I bought a pretty file box (think recipe box) with alphabetical dividers. I use an index card for each person I regularly send cards to. Each time I send a card I add a line to the recipient's card with the date or occasion and a brief description (colors, image and sentiment used). If it's been uploaded here, I make a notation of that so I can look it up if I feel I need to. That's it; quick, simple, and I can see at a glance on a person's card what images and greetings I have sent them.

A file box would be awesome! Then I could also add the persons address so I wouldn't have to go look it up! I guess I really don't need to track the ones I put in church boxes.

Susy I love your way...but here's my Q...how many of these binders do you have now after 20 years?? I started like that, but I really dont have the space.

I tailored my answer for the OP...personally, I have a hybrid system. I do what Susy does, although I just tape prototypes to a page, no pockets-even more low tech :). I have the advantage that I bulk make for holidays so I only have one for Christmas, etc. One page back and front generally covers a year in holidays.

Once I started to make for specific people -that I take pics of and goes into a computer file like I said above. Ie stationary, baby cards, etc. If I do 4 Valentines for DH, that's only one pic to me. And believe me when I say they are not great pics, but enough I can see it. Certainly not good enough for the gallery here. You dont want to see me fighting with the camera b/c I cant remember how to access the memory or whatever. Ugly I tell you. LOL

I have the luxury that since I dont post, I dont need to keep exact recipes. Most people I give to are not carders and the couple who are are much advanced over me, so they know without asking what I did. As long as I can see it, I pretty much know. Except paper. And honestly I dont care about that. Given how much else I torque myself about-I am happy for one less thing. LOL

It's so funny you posted this thread!! I was just getting a card ready for my MIL, and I thought -- oh my gosh, did I give her the same exact one last year? I usually make doubles (especially if I'm making a video on how to make the card, as I'd done for this one).

I decided that I'm keeping a file in Evernote (gotta love that ap) to list the cards I send to my family so I don't send them duplicates. It would be tooooo embarassing!

In Evernote, I'll just list the person's name and a brief description of the card. I don't think a picture is necessary. Just so I get a feel for what I sent so no repeats!

Rina