What's a Card Ministry?

I've seen a lot of posts on message boards saying "I've made these cards -- now what do I do with them?" If you are a person that only makes cards for specific occasions, then this would seem like a dumb question. But cards are often made with no special occasion, or even recipient, in mind. This could be the case for those on design teams who need to feature certain stamps or supplies as part of their requirements, or a person who loves to create, but maybe doesn't have family members who appreciate hand-made things. {Clutching my pearls!} Either case could result in a pile of cards with no intended destination.

My own card ministry serves my church, but a card ministry doesn't have to have religious implications.  The main idea is to make/provide/send cards to someone who will appreciate receiving them. It's that simple. Hospitals or rehabilitation centers are often receptive of cards for their patients -- both to receive, as well as to send out. Elderly care facilities might love donations. (The assisted-care facility where my in-laws live has a small "general store" where they sell these cards. Not only does it allow the residents to be able to find inexpensive cards to send, but the proceeds are added to a fund to buy games and things for the residents to enjoy.) Then you have the military option. While Operation Write Home is no longer collecting cards, you might find other agencies who will accept them for our troops. The main thing to keep in mind if you wish to donate cards is to keep your target audience in mind, and only send cards that would be appropriate for those recipients.  When in doubt, ask a representative of the organization or facility for guidelines as to what would work best.

My card-making tip for today is: when you have beautiful paper, don't fight it and don't cover it up! Such is the case for this water-colored design. It is so pretty that I hate to even use it! I would love to just put it in a frame on the wall so that I could admire it every day; luckily, this comes from a pack ("Aquarelle" by Love Nicole) that has more than one sheet of each design, so I have some to share. ;) I used the white space of the design for my scripture, which is from the Penny Black set "All Great Things." This set has scriptures in large sizes that are also great for making bookmarks. Though super simple to make, I'm quite satisfied with the end result of this one-layer card, and know it will be a hit (= immediately selected) in the card rack at church!