Card making: A cautionary tale.

[Moth]

Thanks everyone for your comments, I'm going to show these to auntie and hopefully it'll cheer her up and encourage her to carry on with them. I will suggest Crafttelly too, she might really like that.

I did forget to mention in the OP that said nephew also just bundles up his cheap shop bought cards into one big packet, sends the whole lot to auntie and expects her to deliver them to the rest of the family as she lives nearer than he does! She doesn't live that near and several years now has just put stamps on and posted them and not said a word about it. This year though, she did get her own back a little as, when his father (another nephew?) related the sorry tale she did have the temerity to retort that his son (the nephew) takes the biscuit for being Scrooge-like because of the years of getting others to handle his post!

 

[yazrose]

Thanks everyone for your comments, I'm going to show these to auntie and hopefully it'll cheer her up and encourage her to carry on with them. I will suggest Crafttelly too, she might really like that.

I did forget to mention in the OP that said nephew also just bundles up his cheap shop bought cards into one big packet, sends the whole lot to auntie and expects her to deliver them to the rest of the family as she lives nearer than he does! She doesn't live that near and several years now has just put stamps on and posted them and not said a word about it. This year though, she did get her own back a little as, when his father (another nephew?) related the sorry tale she did have the temerity to retort that his son (the nephew) takes the biscuit for being Scrooge-like because of the years of getting others to handle his post!

How cheeky is that? She should send them back to him with a note saying she will need stamps to send them all.

Well I would sod him altogether and not send a card to him that is handmade or even a 99p one. cheeky sod to let her do all the hard work THEN insult her over a lovely handmade card.

 

[backstreetgirl]

Buy him a 89p card for his birthday and leave the price on :mysmilie_17:

Now come on, that's not good very advice, you can get cards from Card Factory for 59p! :mysmilie_17:

 

[backstreetgirl]

Actually, they have the odd one at 29p - even better! :mysmilie_61:

 

[yazrose]

Now come on, that's not good very advice, you can get cards from Card Factory for 59p! :mysmilie_17:

Well slap my thighs, so you can. :mysmilie_701:

 

[Lucy-loo]

I make cards, but only for special people because of the time effort and expense which goes in tgo them, and I try to make them special for the person they are for, not mass produced for any one like shop ones.

I always made them for my brother and his wife Birthdays anniversarys Christmas etc, until last year when we were visiting, (she my brothers wife works for printing company with eqipment worth thousands)
She actually said the card was ok but the cutting of the card wasn't straight enough and it would have been thrown out at her company.

This year they got cheap card from a value box, which went through me as I hate sending cheap cards

But I do wonder some times if its worth the effort.

 

[mitziemog]

Thanks everyone for your comments, I'm going to show these to auntie and hopefully it'll cheer her up and encourage her to carry on with them. I will suggest Crafttelly too, she might really like that.

I did forget to mention in the OP that said nephew also just bundles up his cheap shop bought cards into one big packet, sends the whole lot to auntie and expects her to deliver them to the rest of the family as she lives nearer than he does! She doesn't live that near and several years now has just put stamps on and posted them and not said a word about it. This year though, she did get her own back a little as, when his father (another nephew?) related the sorry tale she did have the temerity to retort that his son (the nephew) takes the biscuit for being Scrooge-like because of the years of getting others to handle his post!

He sounds a bit spoilt to me and needs to be told. Next time tell your aunt to not bother sending him a card and send it to me instead I'll put it in pride of place.

 

[mitziemog]

I'd just like to add 2 different views I had once when my husband made me a valentine card. One person said thats a bit mean the other person said I think thats the nicest thingas it comes from the heart.

 

[vampyre]

I make cards, but only for special people because of the time effort and expense which goes in tgo them, and I try to make them special for the person they are for, not mass produced for any one like shop ones.

I always made them for my brother and his wife Birthdays anniversarys Christmas etc, until last year when we were visiting, (she my brothers wife works for printing company with eqipment worth thousands)
She actually said the card was ok but the cutting of the card wasn't straight enough and it would have been thrown out at her company.

This year they got cheap card from a value box, which went through me as I hate sending cheap cards

But I do wonder some times if its worth the effort.

And people wonder why many of us prefer the company of animals to that of people:mysmilie_73:

 

[sugarplum]

Hope your auntie joins craft telly where she will find lots of like minded crafters and she can join in swaps (if she wants to) where she can send and receive hand made cards safe in the knowledge that hers will be as greatly appreciated as the ones she receives. As for her nephew she should have sent out his cards for him unstamped I'm sure his family would soon let him know what they think if they had to fork out to royal mail for the priviledge of receiving his cheap machine made tat!

 

[NoMoreSpendsEva]

That must have been very upsetting for your aunt. In the past I've done some Christmas cross stitch and made it into cards but luckily the peeps I sent them to appreciated them. I hope she keeps on with the hobby she enjoys, and in truth, I'd buy the cheapest, naffest cards for those who didn't appreciate the time, effort and money your aunt spent on her unique cards! x

 

[neonpuss]

Vrey rude of nephew - he should learn to receive gifts and cards graceously. And how unthinking to deliberately hurt someone's feelings. I don't do cards myself but they are more expensive than buying a cheap box. Also they give pleasure twice - once when the person makes them and then (hopefullly) when the are given. So tell your aunt not to let this stop her form her hobby. I don't get many hand-made cards but do keep them - so no - its not wasted effort.

 

[Beady Belle]

Buy him a 89p card for his birthday and leave the price on :mysmilie_17:

I wouldn't even spend that much on the ungrateful, ignorant little sod!

 

[clevercat]

I have just read this thread with the handmade Thank You cards I have made for my close friends drying off next to me. Had to use a bit of wet glue on a finishing touch. I am apalled at the ungrateful attitudes revealed by a minority of people but not surprised having lived long enough to realise that some people function on a very basic level without warmth or appreciation of the things that really matter in life and are all too often very materialistic hence the "home-made" put down. My grandmother was a good cook amongst other talents and she had nothing worse to describe things than "shop bought" especially about cake. Everyone should take pride in their efforts and ingnore the ignorant and their comments. I feel sorry for people who have such a narrow view of life.

 

[neonpuss]

My grandmother was a good cook amongst other talents and she had nothing worse to describe things than "shop bought" especially about cake.

Yes my sister is the same - yrs ago for school functions and sales with her kids she'd always do 'home-made' as to take along shop bought stuff was looked down on. Not being much of a cook I used to buy stuff!

I read somewhere about how important it is to receive a gift (or compliment) graceously - seems its a lesson lost on some.

 

[SueG]

It seems that many people think that people make cards because they can't afford to buy "a proper one in a shop". I've never forgotten when Ellis Ward was presenting a craft show and the demonstrator said of the card she had made "People would never think that you'd made that!" (meaning that they wouldn't think you could make it because it was so elaborate and professional), and Ellis replied "Don't tell 'em!" as if giving a handmade card was not something you owned up to! She thought you were meant to pretend it was a shop-bought one.

Talk about missing the bleeping point.

 

[SueG]

Incidentally, re the OP, I think that next Christmas, the aunt should fold a sheet of copy paper in half, scrawl "Happy Christmas" on it, and send that to the nephew.

 

[mariecat]

I think the guy was being so rude - this can be typical of how a bloke can say something and not think how cutting it can be! Maybe the family could encourage him to apologise.

I'm not a crafter, but I certainly appreciate a hand-made card and all the work and sheer 'craft' put into making them. In fact, when I shop for cards, it's the special hand-made cards that draw my attention: I buy these cards for friends and consider them part gift/part card (if you know what I mean!) because of the very fact that they are a crafted card, and their 'extra specialness' is not lost on anyone I've ever given them to! Any I receive, I keep - no way could I throw them out!