When I was in high school, I made my first hand-made greeting cards.
On the back of them, I drew a little hairy guy with long fangs, and I wrote under him, “Because I care enough to send the hairy beast.” I’m sure it wasn’t an original idea, but, with my sick sense of humor, I thought it was funny.
You know the Hallmark card slogan? “When you care enough to send the very best”? It’s a great slogan – those are pretty powerful words that have worked well for years in the marketing of greeting cards.
But a long time ago, I realized that I could show that I cared enough to send the very best (or the hairy beast), a different way – and that’s by making my own cards.
If you embroider even just a little bit, your stitching skill is a terrific medium for creating cards that are personal, pretty, festive, and a gift in themselves.
The only real investment you have to make when you want to embroider cards – assuming you have even just a little bit of embroidery stash and some card stock – is the investment of time. And that’s when you demonstrate that you real do care enough to send the very best, because you’re sending a piece of yourself!
Embroidery on paper has been around for a while. There are All Kinds of Ways you can go about embroidering your own Christmas and greeting cards.
Recently, I wrote an article for Commonthread by DMC, highlighting several different approaches to stitching your own cards.
All of them are easy. Some of them are a little different, some more complex than others, but all are easy.
If you’re interested in really adding a personal touch to your greeting cards this Christmas, why not spend a few leisurely weekends between now and then, stitching up some cards? If you have kids, it’s a great activity for them, too!
More Information on Embroidery on Paper
You can find a lot more information about embroidery on paper and stitching your own Christmas cards here on Needle ‘n Thread already, because I’ve touched on the subject off and on over the years. Here are some links you might find helpful for further information:
Embroidery on Paper is Fun – a hand embroidered card with beads (and resources)
Designing your Own Embroidered Cards
A hand embroidered card with ribbon embroidery
Schwalm-ish Chicken on Paper
Embroidery on Paper – Book Reviews (books with tips and patterns)
A wee bit of stitching on Christmas Cards
A Christmas Card, Embroidered, with Bling
More Christmas Cards, embroidered and assembled, with tips
Embroidery and Paper Cutting: Lacy Name Cards
What About You?
Do you ever embroider your own cards? Or do you think it’s too much of a hassle? Do you have any tips or ideas that you could share with other readers who might be interested in stitching up some Christmas cards this year? Feel free to chime in below with your thoughts!
