What do you do with all those cards?

If you're a card maker, this question is inevitable.  The most obvious answer is, send them to friends and family.  Of course, most of us make cards for specific people. Any sort of special event is a reason to make a card.  Any time someone needs a bit of encouragement, I like to send them a card.  Most of the time, my cards are made specifically for an event or situation, like these cards. 

Make Cards for (and Give it to) Someone Special

Special Birthday Shaker Card

I made this card for my Aunty who loves the colour Purple! 

I used a stitched rectangle die set to make the frames on this card and I stamped and die cut my own shaker elements. Stamps (with matching dies) are available at Catherine Pooler Designs. 

Swiped Sympathy Card

This card was made for a work colleague. 

She sadly, lost her mother a few months ago. 

This card uses a stamp set from Catherine Pooler and a swipe stamping technique that I learned from Jennifer McGuire.  It came together quite quickly and I was very happy with how it came out, despite the sad reason I had for making it.  I don't often make sympathy cards this way.  I prefer to keep a set of sympathy cards made up, which makes it a little easier to make them, but I didn't have any and I wanted to make this just for her. I love this design.  The swipe stamping is a great way to get a different look from those solid stamps.  

Fathers' Day Card

My Mum asked me to make a card for my grandfather for Fathers' Day this year.  As he is visually impaired, I tried to keep my card simple with a stacked sentiment and different textures. The Blue Stone drops from Nuvo were perfect for this card, although I need lots more practice at squeezing them out. 

Patterned Paper is from a packet of leftover scraps given to me by a friend. 

Made to Order Selling

Sometimes, a friend will ask me to make a card for them for a special occasion such as a birthday or wedding.  They often insist on paying me something, which is nice.  I usually use the money I am given to purchase more craft supplies!  Check out these cards. 

Wedding

A wedding card that a friend commissioned as they are going to family wedding.  

Birthday 

A pretty birthday card I made by order using some perfect pearls and products from a range of companies.  

Selling in a Stall

While lots of people sell their handmade projects online using platforms such as Etsy, many choose to sell their papercrafts in market stalls.  When my church held a Car Boot Sale as an outreach fundraising event, I thought I might try my hand at selling.  I knew I couldn't make enough cards to fill a stall, not in the time frame I had, so I asked my friends to join me.  One of my friends makes the cutest hair bows and has successfully sold many of these at various markets.  The BFF paints with watercolours and ink.  She creates beautiful pictures and does hand lettering. I love everything she creates and I have run out of room on my walls because I love to display her work.  The three of us put together a "handmade haven" at the car boot sale and we all managed to sell enough product to cover the cost of our stall space and have some money to spend on new supplies.  Happy Face! 

The small display of my cards at the Car Boot sale. 

 It was so much fun doing this together and we are exploring the idea of working together at markets in the future.  Excited Much! When I prepared for selling these cards,  I decided to make sets of cards as well as having a few one of a kind cards available.  Check out these sets of cards. 

Keeping them on Hand

I also make cards just because it's fun and I keep them on hand.  My mum, some of my friends, my Nan and my sister all ask me for cards.  They love to 'go shopping' for cards in my Card Stash and usually they find something they like.  If they like something about a card, but it's not quite right, I can usually make another one with changes to make it just right.  Sometimes, I gather a selection of my handmade cards and give them as a gift set.  Each set would include a few birthday, thank you, sympathy, encouragement and congratulations cards.  I don't give these to everyone but there are some friends who like to send out cards and they love having their own stash of handmade cards to choose from.  

That's that then. 

What do you do with all the cards you make?