tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008375791436102784.post8731918457689933644..comments2024-03-28T03:23:23.959-04:00Comments on Simplicity by Lateblossom: A Personal Note; Design Discussion; A Question; More Questions; A Shockingly Long PostSusan Raihalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03018860599601419989noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008375791436102784.post-41739211599090628502011-08-17T22:09:17.037-04:002011-08-17T22:09:17.037-04:00I seldom make a card specifically for a person. I ...I seldom make a card specifically for a person. I make cards on a regular basis, store them in a basket, and when I'm ready to send a card, I choose the one that seems to suit the recipient. Some of my cards incorporate my own handpainted paper in the design. Those are extra special to me, as each piece of paper is one of a kind and the process of painting a layered, multi-colored design is a significant time investment. I will only send those to recipients that I think will notice that the paper is handpainted and appreciate it. I'm far less attached to cards that I stamp and that use mass-produced paper or elements. I enjoy creating them and sending them, but they're easier to part with. I know some of my cards have been framed and some are put in albums but I'm sure many are thrown away. I don't think too much about my cards' fates. I do like when people notice that I sent them a handmade card or comment on how well it suited them.<br /><br />I save all the cards I receive--commercial and handmade. I save nearly all the letters people send me too.V-Grrrl @ Compost Studioshttp://www.v-grrrl.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008375791436102784.post-26458864809998366152011-08-17T20:41:42.472-04:002011-08-17T20:41:42.472-04:00I really liked the 2nd card better - gotta use tha...I really liked the 2nd card better - gotta use that for a sketch! Here are my answers to your questions:<br /><br />"Do you consider the amount of time/money/product you put into a Christmas/holiday card when you make one for a specific person? " Sorta, I do take into consideration how the person I'm making the card for will appreciate it. My immediate family loves and saves my cards so I make more detailed and specific ones for them. For my "mass list" of people I make a CAS card that I mass produce with changes to papers or sentiments but the sketch is the same. <br /><br />"How do you feel about your cards' fates at the hands of recipients?" I'm pretty sure the mass-produced cards get recycled so I keep that in mind. I know who keeps my cards and make detailed ones for them to add to their collection!<br /><br /> "What do you do with handmade cards you receive?" Keep them - I have a box for my "special" cards.Liz (wifelady)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008375791436102784.post-51823549647117855402011-08-16T21:24:08.636-04:002011-08-16T21:24:08.636-04:00While your first card is fine, your second card is...While your first card is fine, your second card is definitely the one! (At first, I was surprised you were showing the first one with a discussion about unity; fortunately, I kept reading :P) <br />I make mostly one-offs of Christmas cards; some that my husb and/or I really like might get one or two more made. Then it's all about who we're sending them to, not about time/effort/cost involved.Lindseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01688865610078938129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008375791436102784.post-26994880045150748732011-08-16T14:04:41.079-04:002011-08-16T14:04:41.079-04:00I make "special" cards for certain peopl...I make "special" cards for certain people in my family - cards that I may spend hours getting "just right". Other cards are less detailed. I don't object to extra postage and padded envelopes. Christmas cards - I buy Hallmark!Helennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008375791436102784.post-71846243495790598882011-08-16T02:17:28.688-04:002011-08-16T02:17:28.688-04:00Special cards go to each grandhild and to my Mom a...Special cards go to each grandhild and to my Mom at Christmas. I have seen my DIL toss one of my cards immediately after opening it - I just wish she would wait until my visit is over before she trashes it!<br /><br />I keep all of the handmade cards I've received. I know each one has been made with me in mind, and I love pulling them back out and getting the same feeling as when I originally opened it.Linda Enoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008375791436102784.post-35755342692950158462011-08-15T20:36:30.482-04:002011-08-15T20:36:30.482-04:00Oh Susan, you are a laugh riot! One (of the many)...Oh Susan, you are a laugh riot! One (of the many) reason(s) I check out your site is to get a clue. If I had to make 120 different cards for Christmas I would give up my stamping room. I usually only make 1 style for each holiday or event. Yes, it does sometimes get a little boring BUT they get done on time... mostly. I do pay attention to who gets a card with a lot of bling - I don't have unlimited funds and I would be upset to spend a lot of money and have someone trash it. Most of the recipients save my cards forever - a trifle extreme but appreciated. :0) I once sent a store-bought card to a guy friend due to press of time and he immediately complained about it not being handmade. Have never made that mistake with him again - it does put the pressure on. I only have one friend who makes her cards and they are all much appreciated and all are saved. I hope you never get bored with making cards or sharing them with all of us out here - I do learn a lot and get many chuckles from your blog. Thanks for all you wonderful tips and lessons.<br />LuraAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008375791436102784.post-57552463793114092282011-08-15T16:57:24.280-04:002011-08-15T16:57:24.280-04:00I have a system. No, really! :)
Mostly I make sin...I have a system. No, really! :)<br />Mostly I make singles, but on occasion I find something I really like and make a couple. Maybe 3. Once I've written up my list I break it down into groups of people - dh's family, my family, my/his/our friends. Then I sort out the cards. Certainly some special friends/family get specially made cards (the perfect sentiment, color scheme, image), but the rest are divided so that nobody will see an identical card made by me! That means that my MIL and my dad can get the same card (if there was two of it) but my MIL and my SIL can't. <br />Isn't that ridiculous? One would think that a handmade card is a handmade card - this is just my little quirk!<br />Much like you, I never consider the 'cost' of each card - paper, embellishments, etc. - in my criteria of who gets which. After all, I bought all that stuff anyway. Like I told my dh when he insisted on using TP during allergy season, the most expensive tissue in the world is the one you don't use! ;DMarihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13194762573301423887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008375791436102784.post-84793362728195282122011-08-15T13:44:26.900-04:002011-08-15T13:44:26.900-04:00I've only been papercrafting for a short time ...I've only been papercrafting for a short time and so far when I've made cards for any holiday "mass" mailing I have chosen to make them all the same. I would have a terrible time deciding which card to send to which person if they were all different! That would take me longer than making the cards! LOL!! But, I am hoping to start a blog, so if I had a blog, I'd be making more cards and would have all different cards, so I guess I'd have to change my ways. <br /><br />As for how I feel about the fate of my cards after I mail them. I think about that every now and then, but it has never been a factor in what kind of card I make or how long I spend on the card. I don't really do CAS cards and my cards are my own little pieces of art so I would love it if those who receive them would feel the same way about them as I do, but I know that's not realistic. I know that there are more people out there who toss things like cards than keep them. I, on the other hand, have been a sentimental card keeper all my life, but I know most people aren't that way even when they receive a handmade card. I've never asked those who have received my cards what they do with them... I guess I'd rather not really know! LOL!! Only one person has told me... so I know my aunt keeps all of my cards.<br /><br />I've never received a handmade card... none of my friends are papercrafters like I am. But, since I keep most of the cards I receive anyway I know I'd keep the handmade cards, too.Colorado Crafterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01595373334246443398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008375791436102784.post-81891631422387005312011-08-15T13:29:51.867-04:002011-08-15T13:29:51.867-04:00I so enjoy your willingness to use the 'misses...I so enjoy your willingness to use the 'misses' to illistrate a design flaw. I didn't know why the first didn't appeal to me, but it all made sense with your description and the second card. I do feel that my cards have improved since finding your blog. I tend to make a bit more detailed cards - but the principals that I am learning are easily adapted. <br /><br />For my Christmas cards I have done it both ways.All the same for the ease of not having to choose which one goes to who(m)? and inevitably the next year I will make several different designs with the memory of how bored I became the previous year. Also, I am finding that I really enjoy the process much more when I take the time to do different cards. Like most, there are some family and frends that recieve cards geared specifically to their likes. As to the keeping of the cards...once it is in their hands, it is up to them. I have received my joy in the making. I do keep all my cards from husband and children and others that touch me in some special way. I fully intend to keep doing so and leave it up to the kids to dispose of them after my time on this earth is up. <br />Isn't that why we have children, to clean up after us?? (grin)<br />Lu CAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008375791436102784.post-52246525448499079982011-08-15T12:21:59.719-04:002011-08-15T12:21:59.719-04:00I am so pleased I found your blog - I learn SOOOO ...I am so pleased I found your blog - I learn SOOOO much just from reading your posts and do use your tips to improve my CAS cards.<br /><br />I do make my cards specific to people, but this is the first year I'm attempting christmas cards, and do think I will have "variations on a theme" so I use the same set of stamps to make the same but different cards - more for speed of production than speed of thinking who gets what, so apart from my close family and a few friends, they will all be generic.<br /><br />I do like to know what people do with my handmade cards - I do know some of my friends keep them, and others chuck them (one even gave me one back to see if I wanted to recycle the stuff off it). This does affect what I will make them next time - if I put hours of time and lots of product into a card and the recipient gives it back (as was the case with the recycled one) then next time, they are going to get a much quicker and cheaper make! One of my friends keeps all the cards she likes, handmade or not, and frames them in ikea frames in her hallway and just changes them each year - great way to get free art on your walls and to let your friends now you appreciate their choices!<br /><br />I don't have any crafty friends so don't get handmade cards so can't say what I've done with them - but if I do get a handmade one, I would keep it. I do keep some regular cards from family and friends if its particuarly fitting and apt. Others I do cut up and recycle any useable elements.Tara Cardwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09323902839923352075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008375791436102784.post-14757114945820476162011-08-15T11:45:05.358-04:002011-08-15T11:45:05.358-04:00Do you consider the amount of time/money/product y...Do you consider the amount of time/money/product you put into a Christmas/holiday card when you make one for a specific person? How do you feel about your cards' fates at the hands of recipients? What do you do with handmade cards you receive? <br /><br />I never mass produce cards (I did it once for a friend who paid me to make her 20 cards to send out announcing her change of address - I was so bored doing the same thing 20 times). Sometimes I plan cards for specific people - I always make really special ones for my parents, and then I have one sister who is a real minimalist so she gets the most CAS card I can make. I know she keeps them all, and I know my mother keeps them all. And recently my best friend told me she keeps all my cards and at Christmas puts up all the previous years' cards I sent her (I was so flattered) - hers are all made specifically for her as she loves cards with a dove and a "peace" sentiment.<br /><br />Otherwise, I don't worry about what people do with the cards I make for them.<br /><br />When I receive a handmade card, I keep it. And I keep some commercial cards too - either for inspiration or for re-making in some way or another.<br /><br />Loved the design lesson you gave us today, and was pleased to notice that when I opened your post and saw the first card, I didn't like it much so I figure my critcal eye is getting more fine-tuned!Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07741064223875062517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008375791436102784.post-10222000525998565872011-08-15T11:35:27.448-04:002011-08-15T11:35:27.448-04:00Well, yes i do consider time/money/product because...Well, yes i do consider time/money/product because for me, cards are like presents.I would buy a nice but not so expensive gift for someone i don t know that well.But i would spend more time and money to buy a present for someone closer to me.That is what i think when i make cards.<br />Some of the recepients keep my cards in boxes, others put them in the living room where everyone can see them.The rest of them...i don t know and i don t want to.I would hate it if i knew that they through them away.<br />Funny thing is, i hardly ever receive any cards.How weird is this?eleftherianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008375791436102784.post-13391504210210838742011-08-15T11:11:23.438-04:002011-08-15T11:11:23.438-04:00I prefer not to know what others do with my cards....I prefer not to know what others do with my cards. For awhile there, I completely stopped making cards preferring to do ATC's and altered books. But now I'm back to making cards, and you've been a great inspiration for me. I have received a lot of cards over the years and kept them all, but just recently I went thru them and kept the card fronts for repurposing into new cards. It's my form of recycling, and I wasn't doing anything with them, so why not repurpose them? Oh, and I also sent a bunch of card fronts to someone who is an activity director at a nursing home. The residents used them to make cards.cheryl l.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008375791436102784.post-50430715600384628262011-08-15T10:53:47.671-04:002011-08-15T10:53:47.671-04:00I recognize that most people look at cards as disp...I recognize that most people look at cards as disposable objects. Which is one of the reasons I don't like to spend hours creating mini works of art. I do send cards I particularly like (whether they took a long time to make or not) to people who I know will at least recognize that it's one of my better creations. However, once I send it on, I let it go and what happens to it is none of my business. (I feel the same way about books and baby stuff.)<br /><br />I actually don't receive too many hand made cards and those I do receive are from like-minded individuals. In fact, usually, the note inside is slipped in on a separate piece of cardstock, implying the user would like me to re-use it. If it's a card not to my taste, I will send it on to Operation Write Home. Killer cards I keep thinking I'll CASE them but usually I just take a walk through my card stash from time to time and enjoy them that way.Super Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00961314677178559261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008375791436102784.post-52061300002837083192011-08-15T10:49:02.801-04:002011-08-15T10:49:02.801-04:00For many years I have sent out a lot of Holiday Gr...For many years I have sent out a lot of Holiday Greeting cards (125+), all handmade. If I I don't get them all made by Christmas I send a Happy New Year card or a Happy Winter Card or even a Valentine card. Some years I have started with Happy Fall or Happy Thanksgiving. I make 10-20 of each design with at least one or two religious designs. It makes me happy when someone comments on my cards and I may send them a more complicated one the next year, but mostly the fun, for me, is making the card.Lueyeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16672365377189695864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008375791436102784.post-2194744798108070722011-08-15T10:34:39.339-04:002011-08-15T10:34:39.339-04:00I try not to worry about what happens to the cards...I try not to worry about what happens to the cards I send out. Some people tell me that they keep them. I keep cards from other people for a while, not so much because they were hand made or not. I keep them, because they might have a nice hand written note in them, that might have touched me.<br />Sometimes I recycle parts of cards I received to make something later.<br />Cards I send in the mail usually don't have much bling on it and if they do, it's probably relatively small bling. If the person on the receiving end throws it out later on, so be it!<br />My joy is in the making of it, so either way, I win:)<br /><br />PetraAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008375791436102784.post-14582461495814509602011-08-15T10:04:21.190-04:002011-08-15T10:04:21.190-04:00P.S. Here's an idea for keeping cards I recei...P.S. Here's an idea for keeping cards I receive: Keep only the front panel and the person's name on the back. Takes up half the space!Dorishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03365905998420493841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008375791436102784.post-67780264822490885382011-08-15T10:04:12.136-04:002011-08-15T10:04:12.136-04:00Loved the unity discussion, and that you also post...Loved the unity discussion, and that you also post your "maybe not" cards like I do. :) I'll keep unity in mind when I create my next "maybe not" card and see about fixing it. <br /><br />As for holiday cards, if I actually get them made before Dec 24th, I don't worry about who gets what. I used to mass-produce, but it made me a bit crazy, so this year I have been doing the Jingle Belles Rock weekly challenges, and I'll have 48 unique cards by the end of November. Sweet. <br /><br />Once I send a card, I relinquish all feelings for it. I have to, or I'd be upset to know that someone threw it away. That's also why I don't invest in 50-cent charms and things that I know could end up in the trash. My joy is in the making of the card. (For this same reason, I will never stamp "this better not go in the trash" on the backs of my cards.)<br /><br />Some people who buy my cards at the market tell me they plan to frame them. That is such a personal rush for me. :) But that's for regular cards - not Christmas so much.<br /><br />I do keep most hand-made cards I've received, though over the years, they are piling up to where I'm out of room. I may need to re-think this.leslie (crookedstamper)http://thecrookedstamper.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008375791436102784.post-67409166211541512222011-08-15T10:02:15.500-04:002011-08-15T10:02:15.500-04:00I just posted a do-over card on my blog--great min...I just posted a do-over card on my blog--great minds think alike! Since I send out 100 Christmas cards, I try to keep them simple; in other words, not too many steps. It helps to start in August before the Fall routine kicks in. Like you, I end up doing more than one or two designs to keep it interesting.Dorishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03365905998420493841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008375791436102784.post-59757702831530359502011-08-15T10:01:14.822-04:002011-08-15T10:01:14.822-04:00Ahhhh, some great questions! For me, the joy/thri...Ahhhh, some great questions! For me, the joy/thrill/love of making the card is what matters most. I do not fret about who gets what and I certainly do not have a price/time limit for specific individuals! I also do not worry about the fate of my cards once it goes because it is the making and picking and sending that is special for me! I know that most get thrown away (my mother and in-laws keep all my cards ... LOL ... I think it is in their contract!!) and that is okay with me. I know one individual who was all worried about using distress ink on cards because it reacts with water and how that would not be good if the recipient handled the card with wet hands, etc. I'm thinking who cares ... not really the point. I keep some of the home-made cards I recieve ... in fact, a CAS snowflake card hangs in my stamping roome that I received from one Susan R. ... great inspiration and too beautiful to throw away!! <br /><br />And since we are talking about this type of thing I'm just going to throw this out there ... I don't really care how much it costs to mail a card to someone. If I am taking the time and care to pick out one of my home-made cards and give it to someone for some reason, then clearly it is worth whatever the cost is. Now, don't get me wrong, I certainly wouldn't want to spend $10.00 to mail a card to someone or anything crazy like that, but a few dollars to mail a "bumpy" card is totally okay with me!! Sheesh, finally got that one off my chest!! I know that not everyone feels the same way for one reason or another ... that is just how I feel about it. <br /><br />Great card and lesson Susan!!! Maybe today will be my Christmas card making day!Doneldahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11656093000344585375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008375791436102784.post-26619308754515430502011-08-15T09:22:53.017-04:002011-08-15T09:22:53.017-04:00I really enjoyed your 'tutorial' on unity....I really enjoyed your 'tutorial' on unity. When you described the changes it all made sense. Thank you. I am, also like you in a way. I don't spend a great deal of time on the cards but I do make special ones for family and a few friends. Of the others,I often make 3-5 with a similar design and I do decide which style will be suitable for the recipient. Your other question is easy. I keep all the hand made cards that I receive (that isn't too many as I am the only one that makes cards). My mother and a very dear friend save all my cards and they then give them back to me every few years. It is very interesting to see how my creative juices change over the years.Marghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04694993517152935937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008375791436102784.post-29166893111138250292011-08-15T07:53:04.559-04:002011-08-15T07:53:04.559-04:00I love your comparison! Your first card looks lik...I love your comparison! Your first card looks like a postcard to me, so obviously I like the second much more. Nope, don't worry about how much I spend on putting the cards together --- but CAS cards don't really cost much, do they. I'm just so pleased when I make a A+ card I don't care how much I've spent on it. Like Susie said, I consider my cards almost mini-gifts, and have never really thought of, or minded, what recipients might have done with them. My sisters and daughters-in-law DO tell me how beautiful they are (and I know they save them), and I consider that a gift back to me. In summary, as Pat J above me said, I'm enjoying this addiction so much, who cares?! LOVE your blog, Susan, and also the thoughts of everyone who writes in!Suenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008375791436102784.post-14032616051882668242011-08-15T07:45:21.834-04:002011-08-15T07:45:21.834-04:00It is 4:40 a.m. at my house now, so it is interest...It is 4:40 a.m. at my house now, so it is interesting to me to see the 6:38 a.m. on the prior poster's message. Time flies!<br />I love your second card, and so appreciate your explanation on why it works. I learn so much from you, and so does my whole card making club.<br />I tend to make 2 or 3 of each style of card for Christmas, but then my ADHD kicks in and I am off to another style. And I only need 30 - 40 cards! My daugher keeps every card I make her (which are all custom), but I am sure other recipients toss their cards. Fine with me. Thanks for starting my Monday off in such a great way!Charlottenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008375791436102784.post-5619807915714335692011-08-15T06:38:41.028-04:002011-08-15T06:38:41.028-04:00I love reading your blog Susan. It "makes&qu...I love reading your blog Susan. It "makes" me think and also gives me reassurance I'm not alone in my card making decisions.<br />I never think about the time when I'm making a card for someone special -nor do I think/care if they keep it. <br />I'm getting so much enjoyment out of this little addiction of mine... who cares!Pat Jnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008375791436102784.post-35257761379100594332011-08-15T05:05:08.086-04:002011-08-15T05:05:08.086-04:00I love the gorgeous colors and the cute cards.
Pl...I love the gorgeous colors and the cute cards.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.alltimeprint.com" rel="nofollow">Plastic Card</a>Alihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13171699516302880802noreply@blogger.com