Eco Church
When I was five years old I made a card for a good friend and he gave it back to me saying “I don’t want a homemade card, I want one from a shop”…
Jump forward many, many years to 2020 and ‘lockdown’. What was I to do when it was his birthday, I had run out of greeting cards in my box and the shops were shut? Make my own, of course!
Since then, I have had a lot of fun making birthday, get well, condolence, anniversary and even licensing cards. Here are some examples:
OK, they are simple, but they are personal and made with love, and with no cellophane wrappers, a ready supply of blank cards and permanent markers, they are certainly a lot cheaper and more ‘eco friendly’ than buying from a shop. It has also been rather therapeutic as it makes me sit as I draw as well as consider the person for whom I am making the card and reflect on our relationship.
So why not give it a try yourself? I have a couple of friends who make the most amazing cards; I cannot compete with them and their fantastic crafting techniques, but hope my simple creations are appreciated for the effort that goes into them. I have been inspired by my Mum who, in her 80s, makes all her own cards, as well as Philip, who at the age of 90 made his first ever card at a Christmas meeting of a group for older people that I used to run at our previous church. He was so very pleased with his card and vowed to send it to his sister.
Of course, we do want to support local businesses and sometimes a shop bought card is the only option. However, we can try to be more eco friendly by choosing cards made with recycled materials and biodegradable packaging as well as to avoid glitter and plastic decorations. An alternative is to send an e-card online, some of which you pay for and others which are charity e-cards for which you can choose to make a donation e.g. Macmillan, the Salvation Army. And, of course, nothing beats a phone call to wish someone special a Happy Birthday!
It would be lovely to share our ‘makes’ so if you do create a card please send a photo to Ellie at potr.alton@btinternet.com
Going back to the friend who returned his Christmas card all those years ago, here is a photo of the card I made for his birthday last year. Can you guess what his name is?? Email me at ruthmaryrandall@gmail.com or call me on 01420 549567. There will be a small surprise for the first person whose name is pulled out of my ‘hat’ … perhaps even a card, homemade of course!!
