I put so much time into my family's annual holiday greeting card: select the photo, compare design options and prices from a number of printers, decide on the text, address them, write a little message on each, seal, stamp and mail. This year I sent just over 100, then I started on sending the Think Organized cards out. It was a happy moment when I dropped the last ones into the post box!
I enjoy sending and receiving the cards. But now, as the season starts to wind down, and as I start de-cluttering my living room of all our decorations, I have these lovely cards with photos of my extended family and friends. I know that behind each card is all the effort that I put into my cards. So what do I do with them?
Of course, there is no right answer. Some people keep every single card they ever receive while others toss them as soon as they come in the mail. I don’t think anyone is obligated to keep, or not keep, anything – but what are your options if you want to keep them?
In 2017 I was organizing a client’s photos when I came across a bunch of envelops filled with cards the family had received each year. While my client wanted to keep them all, they were not in a format where someone could look through and reminisce. She asked me to make books that could be pulled out and enjoyed each holiday.
Even with my art degree I consulted some of my crafty clients (Thanks Sarah and Kim!) for some recommendations on making the covers. I used the roll-on double-sided sticky dots to layer paper on card stock. I printed the years out my computer in holiday colors, then just used a hole punch and some rings. I thoroughly enjoyed making these little books. I also took leftover family cards from the past years and made books for each of her children that included just the immediate family’s cards.
It might be fun to include kids in the making of each cover. The artwork alone would provide a history of its own.