Call me “sentimental.” I have an emotional attachment to greeting cards, especially the ones with handwritten notes. I have collected joyous baby shower cards, hilarious birthday cards, jolly Christmas cards, inspiring milestone cards, sorrowful bereavement cards, just-thinking-of-you cards, and everything in between. Chances are, if you’ve ever given or mailed me a greeting card, I’ve held on to it. When it comes to greeting cards, I’ve always felt they were too meaningful to simply toss in the trash.
Unlike emails, texts, Facebook and Instagram messages, greeting cards and letters are handwritten treasures that take time to draft and are often filled with incredible messages intended to encourage, inspire, or celebrate. They carry thoughts and feelings that really matter. And that’s ultimately why I have an overflowing amount of greeting cards—because words of kindness and appreciation make me happy.
Recently I’d been thinking: what good are all these greeting cards if they’re stashed away in a storage bin? I wanted to do something special with them. I wanted to finally put the hidden collection to better use. With that in mind, I searched for an idea for how to store my cherished memories with all the heartfelt messages from family and friends in a creative way. That’s when I stumbled upon a company that’ll consolidate my most sentimental greeting cards into a beautiful custom hardcover book.
Here’s what I learned after conducting a research for keepsake books. A professional photographer at Cards by Artkive will take pictures of my favorite greeting cards. The photographer, with a trained set of eyes, will edit and then create a hardcover book. Inside the book, they’ll highlight the cover of a greeting card and place it on the left-hand page and the inside greeting on the right-hand page. After my book is finished, Cards by Artkive will email me an opportunity to preview it. I’ll be able to make changes to the order of the pages or add some captions before I approve the book for print. How awesome is that?! When the book is finished, they’ll mail it to me, so I can cherish it for life. That sounds like a win in my book. So, I decided to do it.
After I placed my order, I received a sturdy cardboard box in the mail with a prepaid label. I was allowed to send as many greeting cards as I could fit in the box. Since I had over 40-years worth of cards, it took me quite a while to go through each and every one of them. It felt like I was walking down memory lane. Reading some of the sentiments made me smile, a few provided laughter, and yet others almost made me cry. I could stuff as many cards as I wanted in the box. I soon discovered only 50 cards fit in the box. Cards by Artkive books can hold up to a maximum of 200 pages, which is equivalent to 100 greeting cards. Since I had carefully chosen 100 greeting cards, I ordered another box. Before I returned the two boxes, I made notes to Artkive that my wishes were to keep both boxes of cards in one book. And get this: my greeting cards will be in the order in which I placed them in the boxes, from top to bottom! Before I sealed the boxes with tape, I filled out an enclosed card with my name, email, and a title name for the book.
Yes, I know it can be tough to come up at the right title for any book. But in this case, it was easy-peasy. My greeting card collection spans 43 years! I know, I know! I couldn’t believe it either! What’s the book’s title? A great question! I chose “Over the Years” which I felt is a perfect name for a book that covers the course of four decades.
Will I get my cards returned back to me after the book is made? I’m glad you asked. Yes, there was an option to have my cards returned when I placed my order. I opted to have Artkive return all my cards because I’m not ready to let them go…not just yet.
And there you have it. On our coffee table sits my beautiful book to flip through, reminisce, and read again and again.
Perhaps any one of you readers would like a greeting card book of your own. Or perhaps you’d like to have a special gift made for someone who has recently married, or had a baby shower, or celebrated a milestone birthday. This would be a lovely gift for them! Here’s a link to Artkive if you would like to order a book: “Transform your greeting cards into a keepsake book!” And get this: if you type MICHELEROSE in the discount box, you’ll receive $20 off your order!
There’s no limit on how many times you use the discount code. That’s another win in my book
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