with your cards?
I've seriously made myself fed up this morning and wondering what the point is of this hobby.
I've made cards now for getting on for 10 years, happily playing with stamps and colouring, gorgeous little bits of paper, embellishments (various!), embossing - in fact anything that took my fancy.
Of the cards I've made, some have gone to family, fewer to friends and I've sold a handful (apart from sending some to Abi - and thank you for doing that for me! - to sell for me).
But what have I done with the rest? Well put them in boxes!! Over the years I've gone back and looked at my early ones and chucked them (I had a ginormous clear out a year or so ago). The ones that hubby wouldn't let me chuck are now sat in a bin bag waiting for him to forget about them so I can either bin them or give them to a charity shop.
But what about the rest? Well I have 3 boxes full of cards - and I just counted them. What a mistake!
The box of heavily embellished ones are bending and some of the DST is no longer working and the cards are falling apart. But who wants really thick, expensive to send cards? There are 35 in there
Box two has flatter ones in - these aren't too bad, most of them I've made in the last year. There are 31 in there.
Box three (a box that I'd even forgotten I had) - flatter and flat cards. 116!!!! in there.
What do I do with them? I want to give them to charity - hubby won't let me. I tried SHMbO school - they put them in the office at £1 a go! I'm sorry but I'd rather give them to charity. They don't do 'craft fairs' neither do I think the Head would let me sell them at their summer fete. Hubby reckons not enough people go to make it worth it anyway.
I make them for my friends kids / my friends (all 4 of them!) / family / friends of family - only two people have ever asked to buy any from me. Are my cards that bad?
I don't know many people, and the people I do know don't want to buy. I'm not the sort to wander into a shop and ask them if they want to try and sell my cards (I'd die of embarrassment!). So I can't see me putting them in a shop.
So tell me what do I do with them? Apart from just chuck them in the recycling, which is what I feel like doing at the moment.
Anyone want 182 cards of varying quality????
I'm going now before I get even fedder up than I already am. Maybe I'll stick to baking, at least a cake gets eaten.
Sarah
16 comments:
Oh Sarah Im exactly the same, I have loads and loads but nothing or nowhere for them to go. I did a Craft Fair before Christmas but hardly sold any. Ive got an Etsy store and have sold 1 card in 2 and a bit years.
I dont know what to suggest, sorry, Least you know its not just you though, Hope alls ok, Love Hazelxo
Hello Sarah, I will be your friend, because I am the same. I just make cards for the fun of it and to enter challenges. Have given loads to family members, no-one offers any money, so like you, they are stuck in boxes, what a waste of out talents, but you are not alone my friend. Sometimes, I take the older ones to bits and see if I can recycle any part of them.
Love Sandra xxx
oh no! i have the same problem hahaha! i have the racks that they use at the shops for scrapbooking 12x12 paper and i just pop 4 cards to a layer. i now have four of these and several drawers full. last week i starting picking off a few of them to steal the flowers back ;) if you come up with a great idea let me know! :)
Like the others said Sarah, you're not alone! I've got a box full of cards! I was just thinking a similar thing last night, and planning to sort them out and take a box full up to our local animal charity shop and see if they'd like them to sell. I don't want to know what they'd charge (probably best I don't know!) but there's no point in them gathering dust. I think I accepted a while ago that it was never going to be a hobby that made me rich - just poorer!
Kim x
Oh now this sounds familiar! I had three A4 carton boxes under the stairs at one point full of cards.
Right now I've a box to send to a friend for two charities that we both support - Macmillan and animal rescue.
I'm lucky in that I give a box of birthday cards twice a year to two of my aunts plus the general ones I make go to my mum.
I've a box to give to my friend Helen for the Hospice near where she lives, not far from us.
I've got to try and get to PO to send some to OBWS and an A4 box for our nearest hospice shop too.
I did go through mine a couple of years ago and through out the ones that were (a) awful and (b) the DST/glue no longer worked. I did remove any nice embellishments from them though to use again - I did that when DH wasn't around as he would have done the same as yours lol!
Hope that helps and gives you some ideas hun Karen x
I do know what you mean, Sarah! I have a different problem as I don't really make cards and don't have enough when a birthday comes round, and the 'stuff' I make takes up too much space and no-one would want it. Your cards are beautiful and anyone would love them. If you have an older person in your family/street who can't get out much why don't you give them a selection for their next birthday with postage stamps too, so they always have a card for someone without having to go out? Housebound people would really appreciate this,
Lucy x
I have a large box full of cards I've made. Some folk buy cards from me - but I usually make them another rather than going to the box and if it's anyone's birthday or whatever I make another rather than going to the box....
Sorry, that wasn't any help was it?!
xxx
Sounds familiar to me too :) ha ha I've got loads of cards too which I want to keep just for me to look at and for inspiration, but I do sell a few and give out to friends or family as well .. so the boxes hopefully don't get anymore than they are :) xx
Hi, I'm afraid I not b much help, I seem to use my cards quicker than I make them, I have half a box of cards, but my mum, mother in law & a couple of friends get their cards from me. Also I sometimes make up a little bag or box of cards as a gift to someone ...... That has always gone down well & they may come back and ask u 4 more when they run out. Also I casually mentioned it to my hairdresser & 4 a while she had a box of cards in the salon & she loved it, often people would flick through them all when they were in foils ect. I only stopped that cause I don't have as much time 4 crafting now, with a one year old my time is limited. Don't kno if that's any help at all. Hugs Juls xxx
Thank God I haven't had this problem yet! I guess that must mean I don't make as many cards as you guys. It must be that!
I have a small box of cards. There are about 10 cards in it. When I make cards I always make sure that I will only make cards that I will use or give away. So I usually only make birthday cards and Xmas cards as I know that they will definitely get used. I also took some cards to my work place. Place them in a box, behind my desk and a jar next to it for people to put money in it. I don't have a set price for them, people just pay whatever they think the card is worth. I guess I may have some generous colleagues. Won't say that I am earning loads and become rich but it is enough to buy some more crafty items to keep this hobby going.
Sorry I don't think I am helping much here. Hope you will find a way to sort all your catds out soon! ^_^
oh sarah.you are not the only one.mine are doing my head in.i now have 3 large boxes full and need to buy another one :S
i was getting down them a little when i was doing the craft fairs but thats not going anymore.i am probably going to box some up and send to charity which is what i did before when i had loads.not much help are we.
xx coops xx
I've been fairly lucky in that I keep a box of cards in my canteen at work (but this is on the proviso that I donate some of the proceeds to the charity that we support, Alzheimers awareness. My Mum also has a box that she sells at church coffee mornings and a mums & tots group she helps at.
We're coming up to the time of the year for village fetes and that sort of thing, so its worth looking in local press/parish newsletters for an event that might give an opportunity to have a stall. Your cards are gorgeous, Sarah and deserve the opportunity to be sold xx
Me too Sarah.... makes you wonder why we do it doesn't it?? And these are seriously expensive cards when you look at the stuff we buy for our stash... But then again... just think of the fun we get out of it... what other hobby could keep us amused for such a long time.. If you come up with one, I'd like to know!
Hugs
Christine x
Aww bless Sarah, I don't have too much of a problem, I tend to get through cards quickly. I have friends and family who buy from me and I use what I make for friends and family too. I also have an Etsy shop, I don't sell alot on there, but I have sales, I tend to sell the older cards in job lots on ebay and have got quite a bit for them and I also sell at craft fairs too. Please don't give up, if you enjoy it, do it. Hugs, Claire xx
I recently went through all my cards. The ones I didn't want to keep for birthdays etc I gave to my mother in law. She sells them to raise money for a charity she supports. Have you thought about a car boot sale? Or what about eBay? It would be a shame to just throw them all away.
Sarah-Jane xx
Ohhh...don't throw them away! I will give you some ideas.
I have only two shoe boxs worth at the moment as I tend to know who or what I am making the card for so they go fairly quickly.
DD has the 2 little ones. Most kids here get invited to all the parties from their class mates. Plus DD and SIL have a lot of friends in their group...20 families or more maybe. They camp together, take holidays at the lake together etc. All the birthdays in that group of friends are shared so lots of cards are needed for the Moms, Dads, and kids birthdays. SIL's parents are divorced and remarried. The step parent had kids previously...so now there are cards needed for those families and their kids etc. She goes though well over 120 cards a year. That is not even counting our family, mothers day or fathers day or Xmas.
Even with Little Miss C and Mr P making cards, I still make a ton of cards for her each year.
I also like to give a little acrylic box hostess gift, with 5 or 6 cards and envelopes in their wee cello envelope thingys. But Candaian cardmakers make much flatter cards than our British friends. So maybe you could fit two cards into it...but it still would be a lovely hostess gift.
DD helps with Operation Red Nose which is a ride home at the Xmas season when you have had too much to drink (more than one drink here). The volunteers that answer the phones get prize draws all night...I make a couple of those acrylic boxes giftpacks for that too.
My Mom and my sister buy cards from me at times...I feel funny about taking the money though!
What about if you made cards that the guests in your self catered acomodation might buy. Could you have a wee display rack that held a dozen cards set up in the suite.
Perhaps they could be ocean themed if you are near the sea,,,or nature themed if you are located in a forest...etc. You could have a pricetag on each and see how they sell.
I know you make cards for the birthday parties your little girl goes too. Your cards are so lovely that I am so surprised that the other Mums don't approach you to purchase some. I know that if i did not know how to make my own cards...and my child received one of your gorgeous cards, I would be pulling you aside to ask you if you sold them and could make me one!!!
I sell a few at the lake each year. There is a patio sale that the resort sponsors. They open the gates that day and let the public in. Many people set up tables on their patio (me included). It runds from 9am till 1pm so i just sit out there and colour images under the gazebo This year Little Miss C and Little Mr P are selling their cards there. They hope to make $100.00 I think they have a good chance of reaching their goal! I usually sell anything with wine glasses or wine bottles on it as there is awinery just up the way in the next village. People pick up bottles for hostess gifts and will buy a card to go with. I usally manage to sett anything water themed as it is at the lake after all. I need to get cracking on with some guy themed boating or golf cards as those well well there too..there is a golf club and a boating/fishing club at the resort.
This year I am hoping to get some quilting./sewing themed cards made as there is a club for that too.
So sorry about the long answer but just some ideas for you...your cards are too lovely to bin!
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