It was Mother’s Day in the UK on Sunday.
I didn’t buy my Mom a card. In fact I’m trying not to buy greeting cards at all.
This wasn’t always the case.
Above are the cards I sent my (now) Hubby in the early stages of dating. I believed myself to be a hopeless romantic at the time.
Retrospectively the term ‘bunny boiler’ comes to mind.
This card I sent him still makes me laugh.
Inside I wrote ‘I stood in Tesco’s reading this card laughing whilst surrounded by housewives’. Ironically the purchase of that card (among many other things!) led myself to be one in the same almost 20 years on.
So if I try not to buy greeting cards, what do I do?
Well, I encourage my Kids to make them, and I also make them if required. This one was made from cutting up a painting my 3-year-old Second-Born did.
Fortunately my Kids now make cards at school to send me so the Hubby doesn’t have to get glue or scissors out himself (it would be mayhem).
There’s nothing quite like a home-made card.
At the start of the post I mentioned I didn’t buy my Mom a card this Mother’s Day. That sounds awfully mean. She did get one. In fact it was an experiment.
Last year I posted about Mother’s Day. I sent my Mom a card from a local hand-made card-maker last year and was really pleased to find a card with Mom on it (uncommon in the UK). When my Mom took her cards down I asked her to give it me back rather than recycle it herself .
I resent it this year.
Guess what? She didn’t remember it. I told her later in the day what I had done. She found it amusing. In fact she’s told me to resend again next.
My plan this year is to make all cards we send. I’ll be posting a ‘How to’ over the next month or so.
What’s your take on greeting cards? Money well spent?
How do you and yours send a greeting?
Happy Belated Mother’s Day to all you Mum’s out there!
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I’m now updating daily on Facebook, all sorts of bits and bobs, so if Facebook’s your thing why not join the conversation? (word of warning I’m having a ‘music’ day!)
Agreed with the card thing.. home made is best, having said that I did buy a Mothers Day card for the kids to give. Off the shelf sentiment may well be cheaper in the end price wise but 20 years on how many smiles will a home made card give?
Hey Graham – well done in getting a card off the kids full stop. My 2nd Mother’s day I didn’t and it was a little embarrassing as we were away with family, and they all did get cards and gifts, which they opened over breakfast as I ate my cornflakes. Anyway…
My cards are cheaper than shop bought. Average price of a card must be £2 now for anything worth sending (higher I would imagine for anything special). None of the cards sent this year cost anything. Result!
p.s – the link doesn’t work to your blog?
I have a blog?????? Wow best I start writing 🙂 I did register a domain name but I am still too disorganised to have done anything with it. As the ultimate disorgansed male I hope to use it get organised.. not sure it will work but worth a try. Daughter (Lucy) organised everything (takes after her mum) my boy (15) is just like me – life on the wing. We willorganise, we will waste less, oh and we will make all our cards!
Graham
Wasn’t sure if you had a blog or not but as your name has come up in blue it indicates a link elsewhere. I also know from my stats that it has been clicked on. I clicked on it myself and was taken to an error page. It’s looking for you but can’t find you!
As for getting organised and having less waste, a great way to get motivated and stay on track is blogging. It’s worked for me. Because I’m not just saying it and doing it just for myself and my family – going public is an amazing way to keep your ‘head in the game’ – this stuff works. Word of caution, some days blogging makes you literally feel as though you are standing naked in public – well for me it does. You have no idea who the 90% of readers are who never comment and that can sometimes be slightly disconcerting. Regardless the personal rewards of blogging are immense, and it becomes addictive. It’s such a great feeling to know there are others that share a similar outlook on life…
If you get writing, I’ll read 😉
Agreed with the card thing.. home made is best, having said that I did buy a Mothers Day card for the kids to give. Off the shelf sentiment may well be cheaper in the end price wise but 20 years on how many smiles will a home made card give?
Hey Graham – well done in getting a card off the kids full stop. My 2nd Mother’s day I didn’t and it was a little embarrassing as we were away with family, and they all did get cards and gifts, which they opened over breakfast as I ate my cornflakes. Anyway…
My cards are cheaper than shop bought. Average price of a card must be £2 now for anything worth sending (higher I would imagine for anything special). None of the cards sent this year cost anything. Result!
p.s – the link doesn’t work to your blog?
I have a blog?????? Wow best I start writing 🙂 I did register a domain name but I am still too disorganised to have done anything with it. As the ultimate disorgansed male I hope to use it get organised.. not sure it will work but worth a try. Daughter (Lucy) organised everything (takes after her mum) my boy (15) is just like me – life on the wing. We willorganise, we will waste less, oh and we will make all our cards!
Graham
Wasn’t sure if you had a blog or not but as your name has come up in blue it indicates a link elsewhere. I also know from my stats that it has been clicked on. I clicked on it myself and was taken to an error page. It’s looking for you but can’t find you!
As for getting organised and having less waste, a great way to get motivated and stay on track is blogging. It’s worked for me. Because I’m not just saying it and doing it just for myself and my family – going public is an amazing way to keep your ‘head in the game’ – this stuff works. Word of caution, some days blogging makes you literally feel as though you are standing naked in public – well for me it does. You have no idea who the 90% of readers are who never comment and that can sometimes be slightly disconcerting. Regardless the personal rewards of blogging are immense, and it becomes addictive. It’s such a great feeling to know there are others that share a similar outlook on life…
If you get writing, I’ll read 😉
There’s a certain level of expectation to send cards and i’m generally rubbish at choosing them, infact i am known for choosing bad cards (wrong age, wrong occasion, i needn’t go on). But for me personally i wish nobody sent them. As a mother of teenage boys, i usually find that they are more interested in the paper notes inside them and then the card gets tossed aside, no that they are ungrateful, but i feel the spoken word means more than a card that will end up in the recycling bin, and ultimatly a use of resources. I tend not to send them to those who know i’m rubbish with cards and will make point of speaking to the person on the day of their birthday with a phonecall or a visit. To those who ‘expect’ i usually get my 9 year old daughter to choose a card!!
I think Valentines Day, mothers day, fathers day, were created by Card buisnesses so they can churn out gifts/cards for us to buy. Then make you feel guilty if you don’t. I don’t need to end a card to tell my nearest and dearest i Love and appreciate them.
Gosh all very cynical at this end but i do find it all such a faff!!
Sharron x
Hi Sharron – yes it’s marketing without a doubt. They tried to launch a grandparents day but it didn’t take off. One occasion we don’t send any cards for is Anniversaries, unless it’s a very special one and the recipient would be offended if we didn’t. We don’t celebrate our own, seems a bit daft as we were together so long before we tied the knot. However it’s our 10th this year, and now we have the Kids we may do something with them – not sure.
The cards we’re making tend to be from recycled bits and bobs, or are part of an activity for the Kids which they’d do anyway – so what they make gets used.
Totally understand the teenage boy thing. I’ve stuck £2 to a piece of card and gave it to my Nephew instead of a card one year. He’d rather have the money.
Not cynical at all – makes sense to me. I’m hoping not to buy another card, we’ll see how it goes!
There’s a certain level of expectation to send cards and i’m generally rubbish at choosing them, infact i am known for choosing bad cards (wrong age, wrong occasion, i needn’t go on). But for me personally i wish nobody sent them. As a mother of teenage boys, i usually find that they are more interested in the paper notes inside them and then the card gets tossed aside, no that they are ungrateful, but i feel the spoken word means more than a card that will end up in the recycling bin, and ultimatly a use of resources. I tend not to send them to those who know i’m rubbish with cards and will make point of speaking to the person on the day of their birthday with a phonecall or a visit. To those who ‘expect’ i usually get my 9 year old daughter to choose a card!!
I think Valentines Day, mothers day, fathers day, were created by Card buisnesses so they can churn out gifts/cards for us to buy. Then make you feel guilty if you don’t. I don’t need to end a card to tell my nearest and dearest i Love and appreciate them.
Gosh all very cynical at this end but i do find it all such a faff!!
Sharron x
Hi Sharron – yes it’s marketing without a doubt. They tried to launch a grandparents day but it didn’t take off. One occasion we don’t send any cards for is Anniversaries, unless it’s a very special one and the recipient would be offended if we didn’t. We don’t celebrate our own, seems a bit daft as we were together so long before we tied the knot. However it’s our 10th this year, and now we have the Kids we may do something with them – not sure.
The cards we’re making tend to be from recycled bits and bobs, or are part of an activity for the Kids which they’d do anyway – so what they make gets used.
Totally understand the teenage boy thing. I’ve stuck £2 to a piece of card and gave it to my Nephew instead of a card one year. He’d rather have the money.
Not cynical at all – makes sense to me. I’m hoping not to buy another card, we’ll see how it goes!
We buy cards from time to time, but I much prefer to make them. I’ve found a great medium ground by buying blank note cards in bulk and personalizing them to the occasion. I love how you resent the Mother’s Day card- brilliant!
Hi Megyn, if you can pick up some reasonably priced note cards it makes all the difference. the card tends to be thicker and so the card looks better. I’m always on the look out!
We buy cards from time to time, but I much prefer to make them. I’ve found a great medium ground by buying blank note cards in bulk and personalizing them to the occasion. I love how you resent the Mother’s Day card- brilliant!
Hi Megyn, if you can pick up some reasonably priced note cards it makes all the difference. the card tends to be thicker and so the card looks better. I’m always on the look out!
What’s a bunny boiler?
Hi Ann – I’ve copied and pasted the answer directly from Wikipedia
‘A bunny boiler is a slang term for a partner or former partner, particularly a female heterosexual partner, who shows obsessive behavior such as stalking.The term originated from the film Fatal Attraction, in which one of the main characters kills her adulterous lover’s daughter’s pet rabbit and leaves it boiling in a pot on the stove.The phrase’s first use in print was on December 6, 1990 in the Dallas Morning News, in which Glenn Close described her character in that film as a “bunny-boiler”.’ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunny_boiler
Ewwww! From the context of your picture heading I was imagining a bunny boiler to be a (too) amorous girlfriend – not the stalking variety but, um, the “loving” variety!!! Not sure if I’m glad to be better informed or not!!
And I’m quite sure you were never one 🙂
In hindsight – I may have been a little bit 😉 – I was quite determined to get my man… perseverance pays off! *laughing*
What’s a bunny boiler?
Hi Ann – I’ve copied and pasted the answer directly from Wikipedia
‘A bunny boiler is a slang term for a partner or former partner, particularly a female heterosexual partner, who shows obsessive behavior such as stalking.The term originated from the film Fatal Attraction, in which one of the main characters kills her adulterous lover’s daughter’s pet rabbit and leaves it boiling in a pot on the stove.The phrase’s first use in print was on December 6, 1990 in the Dallas Morning News, in which Glenn Close described her character in that film as a “bunny-boiler”.’ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunny_boiler
Ewwww! From the context of your picture heading I was imagining a bunny boiler to be a (too) amorous girlfriend – not the stalking variety but, um, the “loving” variety!!! Not sure if I’m glad to be better informed or not!!
And I’m quite sure you were never one 🙂
In hindsight – I may have been a little bit 😉 – I was quite determined to get my man… perseverance pays off! *laughing*
I love that you re-sent the card. I’ve read of penpals who exchanged the same card for decades. I wish I knew someone, who I already send cards to, who would enjoy this idea as much as I do!
Those hearts cut from your Second-Born’s painting are truly beautiful. What a unique way to use them; you have the eye of an artist.
At Valentine’s Day this year, I saw cards selling for over ten dollars (Canadian). They were nice but nothing extraordinary, and think of the chocolate you could buy for that much!
Your comment has made me think. Wouldn’t it be great to keep exchanging the same card and each year add a new sentiment, greeting or note to it. Hmm may try that!
I actually read this comment Wednesday night, but I’d had a couple of glasses of wine (very naughty on a school night) so didn’t reply – I never do if I may be slightly intoxicated! (you never know what might come out – I have to restrain my odd sense of humour at the best of times). I was very touched by the comment about an eye of an artist. Thank you it was a lovely thing to say.
If I recall, the way it worked with the penpals (who were elderly ladies by the time the piece was in the newspaper) was that it got sent once each year – lady #1 sent it one year, lady #2 sent it back the next, etc. Not sure if that’s too obvious, but thought I’d explain better what was done by them. Yes, I love that idea. I might ask my sister-in-law if she’d like to start that tradition.
I really do love that card with the hearts *sigh* …had to chuckle at your not posting after wine! Maybe it would have been quite entertaining for us!
I’m hoping to try another of your creative endeavors. My husband received a mug for Christmas in a very sturdy decorative box, but it was rather bland for my taste, and worse still, the giver had taped the tag across the top. When I removed it, it lifted the finish too. I’d like to have a try at decoupaging it.
Oh do give the decoupage a try! let me know how it goes if you do please! I’m starting on one this week. There’s a very special little girls’ first birthday coming up. I’m making a fairy toadstool cake, and also a keepsake box.
(taping a tag across the top – what a waste!)
I love that you re-sent the card. I’ve read of penpals who exchanged the same card for decades. I wish I knew someone, who I already send cards to, who would enjoy this idea as much as I do!
Those hearts cut from your Second-Born’s painting are truly beautiful. What a unique way to use them; you have the eye of an artist.
At Valentine’s Day this year, I saw cards selling for over ten dollars (Canadian). They were nice but nothing extraordinary, and think of the chocolate you could buy for that much!
Your comment has made me think. Wouldn’t it be great to keep exchanging the same card and each year add a new sentiment, greeting or note to it. Hmm may try that!
I actually read this comment Wednesday night, but I’d had a couple of glasses of wine (very naughty on a school night) so didn’t reply – I never do if I may be slightly intoxicated! (you never know what might come out – I have to restrain my odd sense of humour at the best of times). I was very touched by the comment about an eye of an artist. Thank you it was a lovely thing to say.
If I recall, the way it worked with the penpals (who were elderly ladies by the time the piece was in the newspaper) was that it got sent once each year – lady #1 sent it one year, lady #2 sent it back the next, etc. Not sure if that’s too obvious, but thought I’d explain better what was done by them. Yes, I love that idea. I might ask my sister-in-law if she’d like to start that tradition.
I really do love that card with the hearts *sigh* …had to chuckle at your not posting after wine! Maybe it would have been quite entertaining for us!
I’m hoping to try another of your creative endeavors. My husband received a mug for Christmas in a very sturdy decorative box, but it was rather bland for my taste, and worse still, the giver had taped the tag across the top. When I removed it, it lifted the finish too. I’d like to have a try at decoupaging it.
Oh do give the decoupage a try! let me know how it goes if you do please! I’m starting on one this week. There’s a very special little girls’ first birthday coming up. I’m making a fairy toadstool cake, and also a keepsake box.
(taping a tag across the top – what a waste!)