On Monday I shared some online greeting card shops and promised to give you some tips today that will help you become a regular at sending cards (if you want to, that is). The more you send the more likely you will inspire your friends to give it a whirl too and return the favor which always feels so good. Who doesn’t love a funny card now and then or something that just says "You Rock". (I actually have a set of You Rock cards.) Wouldn’t it be nice to receive regular mail from the people in life that you cherish? Why not start the trend of giving?
I have friends that I can divide into three categories: the card senders, the sporadic card senders, and the non-card senders. The first group never misses a beat. I have dinner at their house and two days later there’s a card in my mailbox thanking me for the cookies I brought. The second group is a bit less predictable. One year they remember my anniversary, the following three years it slips their minds, and then an anniversary card shows up again on the 5th year. It’s certainly fine because I appreciate any gesture of kindness but I know they always feel bad about it because I often hear apologies whenever we get together that they meant to send me a card but it totally slipped their mind. The third group I call the non-card senders, which is perfectly fine unless those in this group actually want to send cards but don’t really know how to get into the groove of it.
If you want to become a card sender, either sporadic or the never-miss-a-beat kind, here are some tips I applied in my own life that worked for me:
1) Purchase cards in advance, a variety of them, and keep them in one place. If certain people come to mind as you shop, note that on the outside of the envelope using a small post-it note. I purchase cards at random, basically when I see something I love, but when I first started my card file I purchased a few for all categories, new baby, new house, congrats, thanks, etc.
2) Purchase a card file. In the file you can organize your cards by occasion/thought or even person. Here are a few below from The Container Store. You can also make your own with a sturdy shoe box. Cover it with wallpaper or gift wrap and make your own paper dividers inside.
White greeting card organizer $15, Clear greeting card case with handle $10, Clear card keeper $12, Semikolon multimedia box $22. All from The Container Store.
3) Keep need supplies close like a book of stamps, your return address labels (those peel and stick kind), address storage (Rolodex, book, etc.) and a pen. Keeping it all in the same place helps a lot. I have my cards in a file box and then on my desk I have a Rolodex. Inside my desk drawer I keep my address labels, business cards, stamps, and pens. On my computer I have a calendar with special dates listed that pop up. When I need to send a card, I take the card file off of the shelf and place it on my desk, write out the card, refer to my Rolodex for the address, pop on a return address label, write down their address, press on a stamp and viola! Done.Then it goes into the mailbox for delivery.
4) Remember special dates either by using an old-fashioned date book (honestly I never cracked mine open), the calendar on your PC, or an application online like Birthday Alarm or these 5 covered in a previous article here on RealSimple.com.
With a simple card file, supplies nearby and a place to reference for easily locating special dates and addresses, you will become a card sender in no time that your friends will greatly appreciate especially in this economy when all we seem to get lately is bad news. This is a nice way to really show our support and friendship!
(images top: real simple and bottom: the container store.)
There’s actually a wonderful site called SendOutCards that I just discovered. You can send Hallmark-quality cards for about a dollar each plus postage, and they handle the printing and the mailing. All you need to do is pick the card and write a personal message inside. You can even set up a computer font that’s in your own handwriting! And it’ll keep track of addresses and birthdays for you.
If you want to try it out with a few free cards, you can go to http://www.yourcardshark.com/
I just sent a few cards for free to try it out, and I’m SO addicted now. I’m definitely going to get an account!
Cheers,
Julie
I’d add to those suggestions. First, I have birthdays and anniversaries on my google calendar and they all recur annually. I don’t have to copy them to next year or a new date book. At the beginning of the month, pull out cards for everyone you want to send a birthday or anniversary card (obviously a card to say thanks for dinner won’t work like this). Write them all, address, stamp, and put them in a pile by the computer with a stick-note for the date to mail them out.
Loved this article. I’m in the first category. Love sending all types of cards. I have software to make my own.
I have been looking for card boxes FOREVER and could not find any- and you show a whole bunch, ha! Love this! Thank you so much. Now I can have my cards in one place, whew.
I am seriously guilty of being in the second category. I have no excuse since I make and sell cards. So I feel really guilty when I miss a birthday or don’t send a thank you note. This past holiday season I didn’t even send out Christmas cards! That’s the first time I’ve ever done that and I love making Christmas cards and receiving them too. I really should get my act together! This article has inspired me. Thank you!
I’m another in the second category, and as I sell cards on etsy, I really should be more consistent about sending them. I’m good with family birthdays, thankyous, and christmas. But I do wish I was better at sending cards to my friends just for no reason. I think your best tip is having a stash of cards ready to go (which I always do). If you have to go out and buy a card, then it becomes a big chore.
I’m guilty…second/third category. I would love to be in the first, and as I get older I see the beauty of being in the first category, so this is a little inspiration for me (plus I’m working on re-organizing my office/craft room so I’ll have to add a card station!).
Thanks again, Holly!
Great article. One thing I’m surprised isn’t addressed (ha! no pun intended) is how to keep record of WHICH cards were sent to WHOM so that that person doesn’t receive the same card design twice.
For example, I know I have a set of holiday cards that I’ve had for years, and have attempted to keep track of the addressed name and year sent, but to no avail. I’ve ended up keeping dozen leftover cards in fear of committing a repeat send!
How would you solve this organizational problem?
Milan – GREAT question. I usually keep a list in a moleskin notebook of names with a check mark and the date near them if I’ve sent a card. I keep that little book in the drawer with everything else so it’s handy too.
Thank you for this article! I fall into number two, but I think having the cards on hand will make it easier to stay on top of things.
My little sister was born a card sender and I’ve always thought it was just genetic. As the baby of our family, she’d leave little love notes (and chocolates) on the older siblings’ pillows when we’d go out on Saturday night so that she didn’t miss saying good night. Now, so much as a sunny day could warrant a card from her – often with a basket full of themed goodies! Even with all this organization I don’t think I could compare to that…
Great article! I love sending and receiving cards. I buy ahead and have a sizable stockpile of lovely cards ready.
A related idea that readers might like to consider is postcards. Yes… the lowly old postcard! I travel a lot and always try to send postcards from my destination to my family. I preprint a set of address labels and take them with me. My grandparents, nieces and nephews enjoy the cards the most. In fact, I know from other members of the family, that my grandmother loves receiving my postcards and can’t wait to show them off to everyone else!
i’m guilty of being a sporadic card sender. the thing is, i love buying cards and have actually built up a decent card file! it’s just that i often don’t have or make time to write out a nice personal message for my recipients and i don’t like sending out cards that simply have a to & from signature.
also, i am guilty of losing my friends addresses so i often cannot send them a card in time!
@Milan: to address the leftover holiday cards issue, i’ve buddied up with a friend who is a holiday card sender too (and preferably has a different list of people than you do). after the holidays are over, we swap our leftover cards. this at least ensures that you don’t send the same card to the same people two years in a row!
I wanted to start a new habit, so I challenged myself to write a thank you note every day for a month. When I told people this they were puzzled that I had that many people to thank. Initially, I did have a back log – that dinner party, bday present, etc. that I hadn’t written a thank you for just yet (I fall into the middle group of people – I sometimes send cards and feel super guilty whenever I don’t). But after I ran out of the obligatory thank you’s, I started finding all of these other things I was thankful for. I started writing my mother a letter to say thank you for being such a great mom, and then I sent a thank you to someone who I’m on a board with who always does such a fabulous job… and for a month I kept popping out these thank you’s. I did them right before I went to bed and it was a wonderful month. In addition to the great feeling I get from sending out cards, it was a reminder of how fortunate I am that I have so many people to thank.
I see that one of your readers mentioned SendOutCards – that is how I send cards as well. If you’d like to try it out, you can actually go to sandy-shepard.com and send some cards on me. (Don’t forget the dash or you will get an Alaskan artist!) SendOutCards not only keeps a copy of every single card that you send on that person’s “rolodex card” online (so that you know not only what card you sent, but when and to whom), but it also has a birthday/anniversary/notes “alarm” that will let you know when it’s time to send one. You type – the company prints, stuffs, and stamps and sends (yes, with a real stamp). You can also send gifts, etc. – and a card is about a dollar and yes, they are Hallmark-quality cards. I started using this in my law firm (I am an attorney) to send “You Rock” cards (there are a whole set of them online!) to clients, friends, etc. As there are over 15,000 cards online there are a lot to choose from! But then I started uploading my own photos, and putting little thought bubbles, etc. – it’s just a blast. You can also upload your own handwriting, so as you type, it comes out in your handwriting, with your own signature. Anyway – I’ve turned from a “sporadic” card sender to someone who sends 1-5 cards A DAY. It has changed my relationships, and it has certainly changed my business model. People keep cards that were sent to them…when was the last time you printed out an email, folded it, and kept it on your desk?
I just love it.
Love it- I so enjoy going to the post office, seeing the lovely stamps that are out there, and sending cards. My tip revolves around “get it in the mailbox” I use clothes pins to hold together like minded “tasks” ie out going mail, go to the bank etc. I keep the lovely paper bags from stores that I frequent (chocolate shop, paper shops etc.) and these are my “grab and go” of choice.
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Alessandra
http://www.craigslisttool.info
My Priest is leaving to go to another Parish. I want to get him a special card, but I am at odds as to what kind and what to say. He has been an inspiration to me and my Granddaughter Promise.
Felicia
Great tips Holly! You forgot one however. GreetQ.com sends out paper greeting cards for you making it impossible for you to forget to send a card again. It’s kind of like the Netflix for greeting cards in that you can personalize, schedule and queue you cards for the entire year in one sitting. Then just sit back and let GreetQ do the work for you. They’ll send out your personalized cards all year on the date you’ve scheduled and you never have to worry about remembering or organizing cards again. Plus, the cards are really posh and affordable. In fact, GreetQ’s been described as “a haven away from Hallmark!”