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I am sitting here looking at all my stuff and wondering why I do this? I have no one to send the cards to and if I did they wouldn't appreciate them the way I do so they sit in a box forever. I guess I am wondering if I should just chuck it all and find another hobby. Makes me sad.
Dee
Oh, but if you enjoy making them, that's a good reason to make them. If you want to send them, there are opportunities for that here through SCS; sometimes there are requests in the Need a Lift forum, and there's also Cards for a Cause. And the BRAK (birthday RAK) is always looking for volunteers to send birthday cards to SCS members; you can send just a couple of cards a month or more.
Don't be sad, keep on making your cards and find a place that would love to have them!
Right off hand, I'll bet where you live there are senior living places and nursing homes. Take a box of your cards there and give them to some of the folks. If the staff takes a few for themselves, that's okay, too. They are usually overworked and underpaid and deserve a little cheer.
Even older people in pretty good health who live in assisted living have a hard time getting out to shop. I'll bet your cards would really be appreciated.
And as far as the cards being appreciated, I really don't think about that when I send my cards in the mail, sometimes to minor acquaintances, not really close friends. I know that my thoughts were good ones when I sent the cards, and that's enough for me.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
I don't have people to send cards to either. But that doesn't stop me from making them.
Consider making a bunch and donating them to your local hospital or senior center. Or pull together those cards that will fit requests in the SCS Cards for a Cause forum. Every month there is a charity to send cards to. Some might want children's cards, others will want thank-you cards for veterans, still others will need uplifting cards of encouragement.
When I first started scrapbooking, I thought it would be a cheap hobby. After all, the pages were made from scraps of paper, right? Later, when the scrapbooking trend turned to heavy layers of costly flowers, lace and metal items, I switched to making cards. After all, the cards use less paper and are much simpler as they need to fit into an envelope. Okay, so my thinking was right but the implementation requires so many more stamps than scrapbooking ever did!
And yet ... making cards is cheaper than golf, travel, boating, and a lot more hobbies that people choose. Best of all, it's something we can do whenever the mood strikes and, when involved with a place like SCS, there's a social aspect that can't be beat!
Don't chuck the hobby if you love it. Just spend more time here on SCS chatting with others who also enjoy this crazy craft.
I get what you mean. I have had bouts of that kind of thinking at times. But then I tell myself that the point of a hobby is for pure enjoyment, with no other purpose in mind. Even if I make something that I just throw out, the point was to enjoy the creating of it, not necessarily the end result. That is how a child creates! It is a very in-the-moment experience.
On the other hand, if you are someone who gets enjoyment from not only the process of creating but also from having a purpose to it, then I echo the others' suggestions of donating your cards to places. Some ideas:
- church
- your local library
- Cards for a Cause here on SCS
- RAKs here
- do you have any local shops that would sell your cards?
- nursing homes and senior centers
- gifting them to neighbors, family, and friends
- we have sponsor kids that I like to send cards to
- check Jennifer McGuire's blog. She has a Sharing Handmade Kindness challenge where she tells you where you can donate cards.
- In October here on SCS, there is the Hope You Can Cling To challenge where all the cards made go to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas
Bottom line.... if you enjoy stamping, keep doing it! A use for what you have made will ultimately present itself, so just enjoy the process in the meantime!
I make them because it's fun - sending them is a bonus. Maybe you should join our RAK group here on Splitcoast and brighten some members' days! We also have a BRAK (Birthday Random Act of Kindness) group, a cards for a cause challenge and a Receive a card/Send a card thread.
Yes, I agree with all the previous posts. I look at my thousands of dollars worth of stuff and sometimes think "what is the point". I'm lucky enough to sell crafted items occasionally, but when I'm beyond that stage, I plan to donate. If it's another crafty hobby you're considering, you'll run into the same problem. If you knit/crochet, who will you give your creations to? How many of your paintings could you keep at your place? If you've made the investment and you enjoy card-making, find a cause to donate to. I love it when I find an event - it inspires me. I've made a few things recently to help a friend who's fundraising. I think donating will totally change your outlook!
I agree with all the previous posters. One option that wasn't mentioned was the Tuesday Teaparty challenge. We send a card to a person in need (due to illness, grief, difficult situations) and also celebrate things like 80th or 100th birthdays. These folks are brought to our attention through other SCSers. I like the idea of having a destination for my card. You can do it once or every week or whatever fits your schedule. It's a good group and once a month we send cards to each other...kind of fun..would love to have you join us. :p
I started because I just loved making them and learning new techniques. I had a huge amount and donated them twice to organizations and then I got the bright idea of selling them at local farmers markets. I have definitely evolved since then and now I make and sell over 1200 cards each season. I am on people's redial for picking up a card or two during the off season. I am also a scrapbooker so I can do more of that with stamping as well. I work so much during the summer that I need a break during the winter. Good luck in finding your niche. Donating is a great way to pay it forward.
Friends and family keep urging me to sell my cards. For me, it then becomes a job. I enjoy making them and get satisfaction when I send them knowing the recipient will have something to open other than bills, junk mail and political garbage.
Recently I received my first commission to do a mixed media tag. I got it done, but it was a struggle. My art is for ME. Doing cards for sale takes away from the little time I already to have to create what I enjoy. So, Dee, you keep on making them if you enjoy them. Other posters have great ideas about what to do with them!
__________________ Debbie "Make it work, people." - Tim Gunn My Gallery
Friends and family keep urging me to sell my cards. For me, it then becomes a job.
That is my feeling also. I don't want to have to meet a deadline. This is a hobby. I make cards because I enjoy it. When October rolls around, I fill up a box for MD Anderson. I have also donated cards to an assisted living facility while my mom was living there.
I don't have a lot of people that I send cards to also, but I just enjoy making them. When I get a bunch, I give them away to either co-workers or to assisted living facilities. They always seem to appreciate them and it makes me feel good to give them to people who will use them if I can't/don't.
Cards, cards, cards--I make them for me. Love the process and tchniques. Creativity is never a waste of time. I watch my stacks and donate them for various causes. If you enjoy the hobby, keep it up. Everything in life does not have to have a use to be appreciated. All the above advice is good. Find what works for you. Creative hours can be used for enjoyment or wasted on things like TV, computer games, excessive housework, made up chores or being with people who are not fun. Now which would you choose? Remember a hobby is cheaper than therapy. Good luck in your creations and fun.
If I had to buy cards for the 30 people I make bday cards for in a year...at even 3 bucks a card at the store, I'd be in for 90 bucks plus tax.
For a 9 buck(or whatever) stamp and my work, I make 30 cards. The little bit more for the paper, inks, envelope...add another buck. (It isnt that much but that covers ribbons, or whatevertoo So there you have it. I am saving good money every time I do a run.
I love those ideas of donation for the assisted living places, etc.
I don't have many people to send cards too either, but I do two card classes a month so they start to pile up. I was also feeling similarly last year. So I set myself a challenge.
My local community house (in Australia these are local houses with classes, book groups, community lunches etc, all run by volunteers) has a yearly market where people sell handmade goods of all kinds. So I decided to have a stall and donate all the proceeds back to the community house - they do an amazing job for our community. Everytime I made a card I stashed it in a box for the market. My goal was to make 100 cards. When I did a card class, I made a pile of extra cards in a similar style from the leftover papers. By a month out from the market, I had 100 cards on hand. So I made a few more, just when I felt like it.
Come market day I had about 120 cards. My plan was to sell as many as I could and donate the rest. In 4 hours I sold about 70 cards. I was absolutely delighted as I'd never done a market before and didn't know what to expect. And then I ended up donating the leftover cards to another market that sells handmade goods on your behalf with the proceeds to charity.
I had such a fun year making cards, planning what to make, and just being free to make cards I didn't have to love myself but which others might. It was so freeing and gave me 6 months of total crafting joy. I am much busier at work this year but am still considering doing the market again as I had so much fun and got my card making mojo back!
As others have said, there are so many avenues to donate your cards to. Good luck!
I make cards for practical use, but I also recognize that stamping is a hobby I enjoy doing, and that is worthwhile. Definitely, most other people do not enjoy the cards as much as I do, and that is why I take photos of most of them and I keep my very favorites.
If you aren't enjoying the hobby anymore, I can see stopping, but otherwise, I think you have been given lots of ideas on what to do with all your cards. Hope this helps!
I am sitting here looking at all my stuff and wondering why I do this? I have no one to send the cards to and if I did they wouldn't appreciate them the way I do so they sit in a box forever. I guess I am wondering if I should just chuck it all and find another hobby. Makes me sad.
Dee
Maybe donate them to nursing homes, etc...
I always give my mom a huge box of cards and she puts them in the lobby of the senior apartment building where she lives. The seniors are all on a fixed income and they love being able to grab a birthday card or sympathy card when they need one. Many can't drive so it's an extra blessings. Don't quit if you enjoy it. It can be a win-win! :smile:
__________________ Be polite to those who are rude to you. Not because they are nice, but because you are.
Owner- Gina K. Designs
FYI ... I did NOT link that book or that site to my post!
It just happened all on it's own.
Lydia, please assure me that this is a glitch and not SCS's new way to earn revenue.
FYI ... I did NOT link that book or that site to my post!
It just happened all on it's own.
Lydia, please assure me that this is a glitch and not SCS's new way to earn revenue.
Sigh....
It's a bug. There's a thread about it in site suggestions.
This question comes up so often. I brought it up myself not long ago.
I don't have lots of people to send cards to, either. I haven't found anywhere I want to donate to yet. So my cards pile up. Slowly, because I am so slow and inconsistent, but they do pile up.
I have decided that I make cards because they are my form of "visual art." And that when the time comes that I am no longer here I will leave behind a box (or boxes) of cards which my descendants will call my "body of work." ;)
That said, I think I am going to get some plastic boxes and start giving mixed "sets" to people as gifts. Somehow that feels better than sending someone a card that they will probably look at and then throw away. It's hard to make art that you know will become trash.
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
Oh Dee! Are you still enjoying making cards or has the joy gone out of it? What got you excited in the first place? I know for me I loved feeling 'artistic' in a very safe small square of cardstock heaven. and then I thought I'd save sooooo much time and $$ making my own cards. and then I thought maybe someday I'd sell cards to recoup some of the $$ I was pouring into this mad hobby. Well, some of that turned out to be a lie, but at the core, I still love feeling artistic in my very safe small square of heaven.
I hope you really mostly love the creative experience and you're just dealing with card constipation. Lots of great ideas posted above to relieve that problem. I'd second the idea of sharing with a local assisted living or nursing home, but I'd encourage you to find one that appreciates and looks forward to receiving your cards. There are two nursing homes near me. One was lukewarm when I called to ask if they'd like some hand stamped cards. The other was most welcoming. So welcoming and encouraging that now I'm going in once a month to help the art therapist make cards with a small group of ladies. It is such a gas to see those smiles of joy as these ladies fall in love with the craft I adore.
__________________ If you don't want your tax dollars to help the poor, then stop saying you want a country based on Christian values, because you don't. ~ Jimmy Carter
I posted something very similar recently. Not having many people to send cards too and also knowing the people I sent to probably don't appreciate them much. I do send fequent cards to my 24 yr old daughter who lives In another state.I usually include gift cards as she is a struggling student and is always in need. She always thanks me but sAys nothing else (and she's kind of an artsy kid)which kind of hurt me. However, I went to visit her at Christmas and she had all my cards displayed on her bulletin board. Whereas the gift cards are just in a pile that she always forgets to use. So that did my heart good. Other than her I have very few and when I called a local nursing home they weren't interested. I'm still looking though and haven't given up since I love the cresting so much.
It would be so much fun for you if you could find a couple ladies in your area who stamp. I wouldnt trade the sweet ladies or great times we have together stamping, talking and eating for anything in the world. Both the ladies ad the experiences are so precious!
I donate thusands of cards every year. It brings me joy!
__________________ Amber Shaw
Last edited by sprtchick; 02-19-2016 at 06:56 PM..
Reason: This girl cant spell!
I still work full time so finding time to make cards is tough. I love making cards. It's just fun. It's MY hobby, and I love creating. It's my tension and stress reliever. I don't always send mine out. I collect a good stack then I donate them to a Nursing Home with envelopes. They appreciate them so much! I love organizing my stuff and rearrange things all the time. I think hobbyists do that all the time. From time to time I get asked to make special things at work and I really enjoy doing that too. The card making craft has also helped me to branch out into other areas. Mixed Media and other related art forms. I love that too! Mostly though, I make cards because it makes me happy and it's fun.
I've read this whole thread and I found it encouraging. But I too have a similar problem. I have very few people to give cards too that I have cut down a lot.
I think what I might do is make a list of people no matter how small and ask them if the know where I can donate them too,
I don't drive and its difficult to do things when you hope to depend on someone who does.
For instance... I have a disaster of a mess that needs to be cleaned in my room when I craft and did indeed needed to do it and there was a play date today. I have opportunities all the time with my friend to go on play dates, like today for instance. These ladies are funny and great people. I always want to go and something comes up or I'm not feeling well or something. I'm sure that my friend will probably no longer ask me to go as many times as I've had to cancel. But my friend would pick me up and take with her if I ever need too. I still need to depend on someone just so I can have a little stamping fun. I also get very timid around other stampers just because I used to get judged. Even if its not spoken out loud. These sorts of things have slowed down my card making.
So I know about feeling how it can be a waste of time when you look at your supplies and think...what am I suppose to do with all my cards. To be quite honest I am always all over the place. I call it a love hate relationship with the craft.
I have found a new hobby art journaling that I can still use my stamping supplies with. So sometimes I will go to that. Like I said I'm all over the place lol
This Lent season, instead of giving something up as usual I decided to give. And that gift is the cards I make. I am sending them out to people I keep in touch with, even if it may be sporadic. Everyone can use some happy mail.
Cindy
Maybe by April I will put more effort into it. I'm on sleeping meds because I don't sleep. So concentration too is a factor and frustration which effects the creative juices which falls into lack of interest. And staring at the vast amount of supplies I have sometimes just depresses me LOL Hence the reason I started art journaling because its mine. I can draw, color, paint, stamp and its for no one else's eyes but my own.
Maybe by April I will put more effort into it. I'm on sleeping meds because I don't sleep. So concentration too is a factor and frustration which effects the creative juices which falls into lack of interest. And staring at the vast amount of supplies I have sometimes just depresses me LOL Hence the reason I started art journaling because its mine. I can draw, color, paint, stamp and its for no one else's eyes but my own.
Michelle, I'm in a similar boat and I can tell you that if you can find a way to declutter and cycle things through (maybe donate to Goodwill or an arts center or creative reuse center in your area � I'm betting a friend wouldn't mind dropping a bag off for you) and allow yourself to buy just a few things that you are in love with, inspiration returns!
I also art journal with my supplies to explore ideas and practice techniques, and just love it. When I practice techniques, I also die-cut and rip up and otherwise use these pieces in my journal, and I find that fun and challenging as well. That way, I'm not spending additional money but I'm getting additional "ephemera" and items out of my stash.
Mostly, I would say that even if you're only able to spend 15 minutes with your crafting, that's enough to get the benefit. There aren't any rules except the ones we make up in our heads. Especially if we have health challenges, we should do what feels good, even if it's imperfect.
Im definitely de cluttering my room. All of personal stuff is in there too. I have managed to get rid of things I thought I needed to hold onto and craft stuff either. I'm opening up more space. Its helping me sort out what supplies for what craft I do where.
My art journaling stuff I made sure I had easier access too so I can just scribble and color and things like that. I bought a gelli plate that I like to use also.
Tim holtz is a staple in my room lol along with Stamp' Up.
I sometimes look at everything and just give up and walk away feeling the way Dee does from her first post.
and when I have a lot of them I box them up and give them away!
I don't worry about what happens to them or if they're appreciated - I try to look at the good side - I created something and had fund doing it. It's my thing.
That being said I do have my days when something doesn't turn out right and it gets thrown out.
Can I ask what might seem like an impertinent question, but is not meant to be at all, not in the least.
What do you get out of art journalling? (Not you specifically, Michelle, your post just encouraged me to ask something of everyone that I've been wanting to ask.)
I already feel like I have too many cards stashed in my studio that no one sees. An art journal is even more hidden than that. Maybe it's because in my other creative life I am a writer, so I've always done regular journals, but I can't seem to see the reason for putting all that effort into a page and then it gets closed up in a book. I suppose some would say that they express themselves in their art journals, much as I might in my regular words-only journals.
Just really curious. Part of me wants to try art journaling, but every time I get a book for it and set out to start, I think "Oh, I'll just make something I can send/show/give to someone instead."
Really. I am asking because I want to know!
__________________ I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies. RachelRose Designs by Robin... GALLERY
Honestly... I tried zentangle and I liked it because its just random shapes and scribbles. Then I saw Dyan Reavely Art Jounaling youtube videos.
Because I am a Tim Holtz addict they have videos of her work. Then started searching more on youtube about the subject and the idea behind it. I gave it a shot! I love it. I can use different mediums and be imperfect and it'll somehow still turn out nice.
Some people like to put quotes on theirs. Instead of writing a journal I use my imagination ( when I have on ) hahaha with art supplies. I started off with inks and stamps and a brayer. I pretended I was making a 5x7 card.
When I go back and look at my journal I find myself smiling not realizing it. Mostly because I can appreciate what I've done. It's mine to be proud of I guess... Others have different reasons I'm sure..but for me its an outlet when card making got slow for me...or when no one is home and I can open my mind a bit more. Go and check out Reavely
From there you will get to see her other video others more
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rachelrose
Can I ask what might seem like an impertinent question, but is not meant to be at all, not in the least.
What do you get out of art journalling? (Not you specifically, Michelle, your post just encouraged me to ask something of everyone that I've been wanting to ask.)
I already feel like I have too many cards stashed in my studio that no one sees. An art journal is even more hidden than that. Maybe it's because in my other creative life I am a writer, so I've always done regular journals, but I can't seem to see the reason for putting all that effort into a page and then it gets closed up in a book. I suppose some would say that they express themselves in their art journals, much as I might in my regular words-only journals.
Just really curious. Part of me wants to try art journaling, but every time I get a book for it and set out to start, I think "Oh, I'll just make something I can send/show/give to someone instead."
Just started doing Shannon West's #Imbringingbirthdaysback - I think there are a lot of people out there who never receive a birthday card - EVER. Seniors, foster kids, former foster kids, etc. So far, I have 38 people on my card list but Shannon has over 1200! I'll bet if you'd post the offer of a handmade card to anyone who sends you their birthday and address on Facebook or other social media or the church bulletin board even, you'd get a ton of takers!
I send a box of birthday / way to go cards to Urban Peak in Denver - they're an organization dedicated to providing support/services to kids who have aged out of the foster system.
Helping Hands of St. John's Florida is another recipient. They work with a nursing home and migrant workers, as well as have a sale to support training of therapy dogs.
Why make cards?
