some thoughts about cards...on my birthday

Today is my birthday! I'm officially a quarter of a century...which makes me sound old; so I think I'll just say I'm 25!

I love birthdays because, for a day, I reconnect with so many people via Facebook messages... and birthday cards. I love getting and giving cards for all different occasions, but I have to be careful because it is so easy to accumulate an enormous amount of "card clutter".

You know; card clutter...when you continue to buy more cards every time you see one that would be perfect for so-and-so...but then you completely forget to give the card to so-and-so when that time comes. Even with the best of intension and the most organized card files, it's still easy to accumulate card clutter.

One thing that I have done to eliminate the amount of cards I have to purchase (and store) is to simplify my categories. I no longer purchase cards for every occasion. Now, I only have 3 categories:

1. Thank-You
2. Congratulations
3. Blank

I feel that Thank-You cards are a must. Whether you are thanking someone for a gift or for a job interview, a card is 10 times nicer than an e-mail or e-card.

These Thank-You cards are one of my favorites.

I just bought them at the grocery store: 10 for $5.00.

These are a little more professional looking...

again, just from the grocery store!

More Thank-You cards from Night Owl Paper Goods...so pretty!

I also keep a bunch of "congratulations" cards around. Of course, I use these cards for graduations, but I also use them instead of having lots of different cards for weddings, engagements, baby showers, new jobs, new homes, etc. etc. All these occasions are reasons for congratulations...right!

This super cute card can be purchased from The Haystack Needle.

Egg Press also has a HUGE selection of gorgeous custom cards.

And finally, I keep a lot of blank cards handy.

I have a variety of colors and patterns, and I use these cards for everything else. I find that people often enjoy a hand written message versus a generic Hallmark greeting. Blank cards are also much less expensive and usually come in packs of 10-20 cards.

Of course, if you want to eliminate all your cards, here are some fun websites you might want to check out. You can create the cards online, and then mail or e-mail them to the recipients... meaning you never have to store another card again!

• American Greetings:
• Hallmark E-cards:
• DaySprings E-cards:
• Blue Mountian E-cards:
• Care2 E-cards:

Want to create personalized photo cards or stationary? These sites can do that!

• Shutterfly.com
• Snapfish.com
• PearTreeGreetings
• Photoworks.com
• Winkflash.com
• PhotoAffections.com

And those sites are just a few of the many online card resources. They are the ones that I have used and like!

What about you? Do you have a store or website you get cards from? Let me know...and I'll add it to my list.