On personalised frugality

I would love to make every single card I give by hand, individually tailored to the special person who will receive it. Partly because I object to paying £3 for a mass-produced piece of paper with some sparkles added. And partly because the people I send cards to are very special indeed. But I live in the real world, with a husband, 2 children, 2 cats, a very untidy house and a verging on unhealthy need to play with paper & photos on a regular basis. (And I'm not that inspired when it comes to card-making.) So I have recently developed a compromise:

I make cards using scraps and sketches or lifts from cards I love (mostly taken from scrapbooking blogs). Sometimes I add a sentiment, sometimes I leave the front blank. I tend to make 2-4 of the same basic design at the same time. They live in a cupboard in my scrap storage until I need them. And then, when I suddenly remember that it's my nephew's birthday or I want to send a note to my daughter's godmother or I realise as I'm going out the door that I'm off to my friend's new house for the first time (all true examples), I run upstairs, grab a card and put a couple of personal finishing touches to it.
The photo above shows 3 cards that I'm in the process of making today. (My crafting gets done in small chunks around all the other activities that raising a family & running a home entail.) The left one is cut but not stuck yet. The middle one is stuck but not personalised. And the right hand one is finished & written, ready for my friend's daughter's second birthday this week.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

ETA: Those cards are a lift from this post on the American Crafts blog and I've used old Sassafrass Lass papers, some Paperchase washi tape and AC Dear Lizzy Thickers.