Challenge: Part 1 of 3 in Make a year’s worth of greeting cards for £20

I recently did the maths to work out how much I actually spend on greeting cards in a 12-month period. I love pretty cards so I usually spend around £3.50 on each one, and I purchase on average 33 a year. My total annual spend? £115.50. I was actually shocked to see the total in black and white.

Now, I hear what you’re saying. Don’t bother with cards. Send an e-card instead. But, in some ways I’m an old-fashioned kinda girl and E-cards just aren’t the same. I really miss getting something other than bills every time I check the letter box. And since I moved to London from Australia over two years ago, sending a card to family and friends is a nice way to keep in touch. So ruling out cards altogether is not an option right now.

In the meantime, I got a lovely book for my birthday: Handmade Hellos: Fresh Greeting Card Projects from First-Rate Crafters (hint: I actually had it listed on my Amazon wishlist, which my husband passed on to a few family and friends who were wondering what to get me!). This book is full of brilliant (and totally non-naff) cards with detailed step-by-step instructions on how to make them.

So I’m going to use the book for inspiration, and choose a couple of projects to get me started. I’ve decided to make the “Owl-y friend” card on page 17, which is described as “moderate” in terms of difficulty, and the “Paper portrait friendship card” on page 23, which is described as “difficult”. Eek.

Now, the key to the financial “success”of this project is to ensure I make enough cards to cover a 12 month period. That means I have to make at least 33 cards. Gulp. But it’s no use spending £20 on art supplies only to get four cards out of it. So I’ve got a mammoth task ahead of me.

Next up is a trip to the art shop. I check the list of stuff I’ll need in the book, and work out that on top of the stuff I’ve already got at home, I’ll need to get some craft glue, coloured card, coloured paper, Origami-patterned paper and googly eyes. In total, it costs exactly £21, which pushes me one pound over my budget. Oh well, I’ll just have to make up for it in extra cards.

I’m planning to get super-crafty and make the cards on Saturday – wish me luck!