Gift a Handmade Collection of Cards

As much as I can, I like to make the gifts I give.  This card catalogue is something that I made for my mom.  She loves sending cards so I tried to make her a little of everything: thinking of you, congratulations, welcome baby, thank you, birthday wishes, in sympathy ....

I chose this plastic expandable file (that I found at the dollar store) because I loved the patterned circles on it and it had the right number of tabs inside.  I had actually spent a bit of time looking around for a really nice folder couldn't believe it when I found it at the dollar store!
















I labeled the inside tabs so the cards would be easy to find.

















I searched around online to find the most simple, image free calender I could find (similar to this one) and then printed it on heavy white card stock.  I filed it at the front of the folder so that my mom could quickly reference it if she needed to.   

I also took the time to compile a list of all family members and close friends and typed out a list, highlighted by month, of all their birth dates and anniversaries.  I had to be little sneaky because I had to borrow my mom's address book and get it back without her knowing it had ever been gone - stressful, but successful :o)

The last part was creating the cards.  This took many evenings of cutting up old cards and fun scrapbooking paper, stamping, chalking, sparkling (probably not a word) and mounting to my heart's content.  I had never chalked stamped cards before and they actually turned out really neat!  I also dusted off and experimented with many of the paper cutters and scissors that had been sitting idle and forgotten for eons on a bookcase in the basement. 

As part of the presentation of the cards and their envelopes, I stuffed them into plastic sleeves (biodegradable ones made of corn) that I had bought to keep the cards clean and to lend them a more "professional" look :o)  I slotted the cards into the corresponding file divider and wrapped it up.  Needless to say she was very pleased and spent time looking at each "work of art" :o)  

Now to make one for myself ... 

- Kristin -