i love making cards, but am beginning to think, what is the point?

[stitch]

absolutely love doing little crafty things. making cards is the best as can sit down and finish something in one sitting.
but am wondering about the time , energy and money i am spending doing this. im not making enough to sell, but far too many to use. and everytime i log on, there is something else i 'need/want'
anyone got any advice for getting out of this dilemma?

try scrapbooking instead? That way you are making something to keep deliberately.

i made cards to sell to raise money for cf.but i was just spending far too much money on it all.in one shopping spree i spent £195!!i sold the cards for £1 each,and hardly made any money for cf.i didnt even take my expenses out of it as i thought that would be my donation to the trust.ive stopped now though!i just didnt see the point in all my time going into it.

no idea hun!

I did my first car boot today and sold some of mine, 8 to one customer! It wasnt the best of days today though - so cold out that i thought i was going to die!

I know what you mean about new bits and bobs - ive spent a fortune, but i love it.

Im getting my dad to take some into work with him, he buys any he needs off me, as will my bro and SIL when I get my arse into gear and take them round to them!

friends and family are the way to go i think.

Im also going to start scrapbooking soon.... got a few ideas in the pipeline, but totally sympathise!

buffy, thats me, but im not even giving to charity!
problem with scrapbooking is that i havent even got my five year old pics in an album yet, let alone organised. and for the last four years havent had a proper camera, so no hard copies of pics. plus the endproduct doesnt appeal very much.

jarm, did you make enough to cover the cost of the stand?

yeah, we covered costs but we were also selling some of the baby stuff which went like hotcakes - £60 in total today, about £15 on cards

Not a great day but it was our first one and it was FREEZING outside - i had 5 layers on and was still freezing!!!

wow, well done!

yeah it was ok, but i would have liked to have done better.

roll on the better weather so more people come!

stitch .... I am a bit like you ... in that I am not very keen on the fact that the scrapbooking pages are more embellishments and pretty paper rather than photos ( just my opinion - please don't shoot me down ) ...

SO I have decided to take some of the the ideas to my photo ablums ... I have done digital photography in the past, so have too many nice photos to throw away.

I think the thing about A&C is that you can tailor it to your own preference ... even though I call it scrapbooking - technically it's not ... but I am really loving it ...

I think my trouble is that I am not "prefessional" enough and therefore prefer my photos to do the talking.

Ask the folks here for new ideas and look at their galleries as it's a great way to copy their ideas as I have no imagination !!

stitch, think of what you would spend on cards per year if you didn't make them. It's colossal. Just make fewer if it's not worth it.

thing is anorak, that i have alwasy been real stingy about spending money on cards. i would buy christmas cards the week after christmas, for next year, and friends never got cards if an email would do
but since i last posted, i have made two beautiful cards. so i am sticking with it for now.

Stitch - get a few cards together in a box and hoick them round all the village shops near you. I did that, and sold quite a few. Some were on a Sale or Return basis, but that's OK.

Hold a card party for a few friends, especially near an occasion like Fathers' Day (June). You might sell quite a few then. I always have over 100 cards in my card box, but I still can't stop making them! My hobby has paid for itself though, so I do know what you mean about the funds issue!

friend at works mom does cards, frind bring them in and sells them to the office ( about 150 in office) do you know anybody that could do this for you?

I have recently started card making and I just get so much pleasure from making them although I do need inspiration!

I have just recently made 4 birth cards, 2 mothering sunday cards and a Sympathy - that last one I was especially pleased to be able to make my message to my friends personal

I am doing a car boot sale next month & am busily making cardfs in the hope I can sell some too....

I think with scrapbooking you have do do what suits your style. I was given the challange of making up an album for my FIL's 60th birthday. I put the pics in a normal album and it just looked like a cheap attempt at a holiday album.

I started again using a scrap book album and nice backing papers. I used a few embelishments and things but mostly I just mounted the photos on co-ordinating papers ans put on a few titles. No offence but the sentimental comments and extra bits don't appeal so I kept it very simple. Here is one of the \link{http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=1700&threadid=154994&stamp=060322163630\fanciest pages}.

I enjoy crafts but had avoided making cards as I too thought it was a bit pointless due to costs and time when most don't even keep cards and they don't sell that well. I think I will do more scrapbooking in a similar style to the one i have done. Next project is the kids pictures.

I did it for a while and spent LOADS on stuff - too much really. I then found I didn't really have time and sold all my stuff. I really do not have the time what with looking after my daughter, being pregnant, housework and trying to spend much needed time as a family. I certainly won't have time after the new baby is born. I don't know how mothers who do it a lot manage to fit it all in.

Have taken up reading again. Its easier to do in bed at the end of a hard day.

I have to admitt the 60th birthday project cost a fortune. MIL was quite happy to pay as she wanted it to look special.

If you get a good pack or kit it wouldn't be so bad. For my own projects I will do a lot more myself instead of buying premade bits and bobs.

it's nice though, bet he loved it.

What we have to remember is
IT'S A HOBBY

Does the guy who pays thousands of pounds for his golf stuff have to sell his used golf balls to justify his hobby

How does the person who goes on a couple of nights out, spending according to my DD £50.00 a night justify that.

If you sell your cards great if you don't so what
IT'S A HOBBY and it's as expensive as you make it.

I've started making my own gingham/spotty/lined backing papers using WORD I can print them in hundreds of colours and only printing one at a time
LIFE'S TOO SHORT, HAVE FUN

Hear Hear!!

well said caroline.
ive spent a lovely evening doing a few cards. and i am even thinking about doing a few scrapbooking things now. all just for me.