Creating GRAND Cards

BY ARLENE HARDER, MA, MFT

Discover how easy it is to create cards for friends from simple, recycled cards and objects.

Part Two of Three Parts

Following these easy GRAND (for "Gifts Recycled and Numerous Delights") suggestions will help you bring cheer and comfort to your loved one.

1. The very first thing you have to do is to remember that you're not Martha Stewart. The second thing to remember is that you're not to compare yourself with Martha Stewart!!! Otherwise the creativity and joy of doing this GRAND project would go right down the drain. The person who will get your greetings doesn't care a fig about how precisely they are done. Take it from a recovering perfectionist.

2. One way to create greeting cards is to make computer-generated cards. But if you find software too time-consuming for the creation of lots of cards, continue reading.

3. Go to the stationery store. You'll find a zillion different kinds of get well cards. Buy a few to use while you're making your own. You probably want to buy some anyway. I didn't say you COULDN'T buy any. That would contradict the rule that GRAND doesn't have any rules. Besides, if you read number twelve below, you'll see that even purchased cards can become GRAND cards. Besides, looking through the cards on display just might give you some ideas for what to write inside (more of that in Part Three).

4. Address and stamp the ones you've bought and send the first one right away. It will get you started. Put the others on a pile on your desk in the order you want to send them.

5. Go to a discount office supply store or paper warehouse. Buy a package of 8 ½" x 11" heavy white paper, though off-white can work well, too, and a box of 5" by 7" envelopes. However, you might want to buy folded card stock that is the correct size for the envelopes, but that will be more expensive per card. In addition, you may want to buy a package of bright mixed colors, although that's not essential if you're really cutting corners. To keep costs down further, however, if you've got a friend who's into rubber stamps and crafts, you may be able to make a deal and split the cost. Buying in bulk makes everything cheaper!

6. Get out your old calendars. You might even want to buy a new calendar on the after-January 50% discount table. Since you can get as many as twenty-four pictures from a single calendar (and fifty-two from weekly calendars), this a real bargain compared with store-bought cards. How can you get twenty-four from twelve months? Look on the back and there will often be twelve small pictures to show what each month will be like, a packaging strategy so buyers can see what each month's picture looks like without opening the wrapping. Then look at all the larger pictures. Don't worry if the pictures are too large to fit onto the card you will make. Just remember that the photographer simply chose to frame one part of a larger scene. When you crop the part of the picture you like, you're just choosing a smaller section of what the photographer chose.

7. Cut off the front of cards you're received. This really makes your cards a GRAND project. Our growing landfills include millions and millions of cards with beautiful photographs, clever drawings, prose and poetry that have been created by the designer, chosen by the thoughtful giver, and enjoyed by the receiver. Why should all that talent and ability to bring pleasure to others lie under garbage? Why not recycle those cards? But what, you ask, should happen if the card you are creating originally came from the person to whom you are sending it? Well, do you remember the pictures on all the cards you send? I don't. Even if I did, I'd love to get a card made by someone to whom I had sent a card. It means the person who received it liked it enough to keep it!

8. Another source of pictures are those found in magazines and in newspapers of things in which your friend has a particular interest. For example, she may have an Irish grandmother and pictures with green in them could make an interesting collage. And how about going through that stack of photos you've been meaning to sort? I'll bet there are several that would remind your friend of the good times you've had.

9. Next, if you bought 8 ½ x 11 paper rather than the folded stock, you'll need to fold the heavy paper you've bought and cut off the side and bottom. I have recently bought an absolutely marvelous tool for this purpose. It's an inexpensive paper trimmer made by Fiskars. Does the neatest job with the least amount of fuss I've ever seen. But remember, if you don't have one and your edge is a little crooked, that's perfectly all right.

10. Now you're ready to assemble all your separate pieces into creations of love. So get out a glue stick and start sticking things together. To make the simplest card, just glue a picture onto the front. To add a little pizzazz, you can first glue the picture onto a piece of bright colored paper slightly larger than the picture. This creates a frame and can highlight a color within the picture. Then, too, you could use a pen and draw a line frame around it.

11. There are, of course, lots and lots of other ways you can create GRAND cards. For example, there are a zillion rubber stamps on the market and one of them might represent something important to your friend. If he likes dogs, you could get a small dog stamp and somewhere on every card could be a dog. Another creative idea is to use old wrapping paper or scraps of colorful material and cut them into interesting designs. Remember, it's the thought that counts. Perfection doesn't.

12. Finally, write the inside greeting. (See Writing Your Own Verse). And if you really, really, really want to make this a GRAND, you can do like I sometimes do. Write your message on a post-it note and stick it on the inside of the card. This will give your loved one a chance to re-use the card (especially if it's a pretty picture) and send it to someone else. I especially recommend you do this with store-bought cards. Of course, if you're going to do this, you will want to also write the person's name on a post-it note on the envelope and put everything in a larger envelope for mailing.

13. Since giving frequent cards is much easier if you do a bunch at a time (I did about one or two months in each batch), address and stamp the envelopes and put them on a pile on your desk. However, I suggest you don't lick the envelope until you mail it. That way you can change the wording of your greeting if circumstances have changed since you first assembled these GRAND gifts.

14. The last thing I want to suggest is that you might want to have the cards received in a certain order (as the case would be if you asked a riddle in one card and sent the answer the next day). To handle this problem, I either wrote a number lightly with pencil on the back where I could erase it later or used a small post-it on which to write the number. You may think this an unnecessary step, but believe me, when the stack of envelopes gets accidentally knocked over, you'll be glad you did.

I hope I haven't made the creation of GRAND cards seem too complicated. That would defeat its purpose. You're supposed to have fun doing this because your enjoyment in the project will be felt by your friend.

Cards That Cheer and Comfort CONTINUES in Part Three: Writing Your Own GRAND Verse