You Don’t Need a Card Store to Show You Care
by Keith Gatling | 4 years ago
A reminder came in my email a few days ago, telling me that it was time to get to work on a Mother’s Day card so I’d have it in time to send to my mother in Jersey.
What does this mean?
Well, even before we were doing this whole social distancing thing, I had taken to creating my own custom cards for special occasions like Mother’s Day, Valentines Day, anniversaries, and birthdays.
Why?
First of all, because even with the seemingly limitless selection of cards out there, there are only but so many of them that I like, and I’m not organized enough to have kept a list of which card I’ve sent to whom over the years. Making my own card ensures that I don’t send the same card twice.
Second, because making my own card means that it’s pretty much a one-of-a-kind card that was specially made for that person, and might be seen by them as something a little more special than your basic off the rack card.
Third, because I can.
Now let me be clear, when I say that I make my own cards, I don’t mean that I get on the computer, make up something, and then print it out myself. No, my printer isn’t quite good enough for that.
What I do mean is that I design the card through a website like Zazzle, and have them do the fancy, professional-style printing. Then they send it to me, and I send it off to the recipient.
So how hard is this to do? It’s really quite easy. If you go to www.zazzle.com, you’ll find a number of different card templates. You can even do postcards. You upload the graphic you want to use, add the appropriate text in a font of your choosing, and voila! You’ve created a custom card.
But wait...what about those graphics? Where do you get them from?
Well, maybe you have some really good photos on your computer or mobile device that you think would be good. Maybe you have a program on your computer or mobile device that lets you create your own graphics from scratch. I’ve done it both ways.
But there’s another way you can do this. A relatively new website called Unsplash gives you access to thousands of photos you can download and use for projects like this for free.
Yes...absolutely free. All they ask is that you give the original photographer credit.
I’ve already found the photo I want to use for this year’s Mother's Day card, and by the time you read this, I should have completed my order.
