Customizing Your Postcards
A short-lived DIY show called She’s Crafty remains one of my all-time favorites. A Canadian show that came on an obscure cable channel in the US at off-peak times, it featured delightfully fun host Wendy Russell having her pals over to make wacky crafts. A chandelier of hot-glued clear plastic cups comes to mind.
A couple of nights ago, two friends and I discussed how unfortunate it is that as adults, we shy away from things we don’t do well. This shouldn’t be part of our activity-choosing criteria; it certainly wasn’t for Wendy and her girl gang, who made weird stuff and had a blast doing it.
I have a lot of fun making things with my hands - including, of course, handwriting postcards. I’m not particularly skilled, and sometimes I let this get in the way. Let’s all just decide we’re going to do fun stuff anyway, ok? If hot-gluing plastic cups brings you joy, DO IT.
I have a great time picking out postcards for each subscriber. I so appreciate when a member of the S&K fam tells me exactly what they like. Laura likes sunny days, renovation shows, Dolly Parton, 90’s teen dramas, procrastinating, and Mexican food. Dan lists water skiing, being a grandpa, visiting Alaska and Montana, Airedales, classic cars, and July 4th among his favorites. Betsy’s into mermaids, 80’s movies, Coca-Cola, haunted mansions, science, German Shepherds, and Hawaii. (See how fun this “job” is?)
What makes me even happier is knowing that they’ll take their lovingly selected cards and create something unique.
@trash_postcards_stl makes one-of-a-kind masterpieces; follow him in Instagram for a wealth of creative inspiration
Your words make your card unique, but you need not stop there. The coloring book craze has hit the postcard world, and we have a stock of coloring postcards for subscribers. Sometimes we send out postcards with funny checkboxes (who remembers the Sibling’s Day postcard?) or fill-in-the-blank formats.
Ready to take it up a notch? Add a talk bubble, a sticker, a doodle, whatever would make it just right for you and the connection you have with your recipient. I’ve used magazine cutouts and ModPodge, magic markers, washi tape, and any number of things that catch my eye.
Have fun out there, darlings, and share your personalization ideas below!