An Easy Card File to Stay Organized

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I am a fan of an old fashion hand written note, the kind that comes in the mail and brightens someone's day with words from the heart.  I love to make my own cards but lately it has been hard to find the time.  I decided this month to stock up on cards and keep them on hand for all the year's occasions.  I created an easy card file and filled it with cute Hallmark cards starting at 47 cents from Walmart.

I tend to keep cards, not all of them, but the pretty ones, the funny ones, the cute ones, and the ones that have a note inside that means something to me.  I have a Christmas card from my Uncle that he gave me when I was maybe 6.  It's dark green with a cute little bear on the front.  I'm not sure why I saved it way back then, but holding it now brings up a flood of emotion and I am so very glad I held onto it.  To me a card is more than an obligation, it's something special that can really move someone if you put forth a little effort.

Creating a card file is my way of making sure I am prepared for any occasion.  I started by creating a list of all the birthday's in my family, those that I love to send or give special cards and gifts to.  Then I made a fun little box to sort them in.  Here is what I used for my card file.

• Wood box
• Craft Paint
• Sticker Paper
  • Printer and scissors or Silhouette
• Cardstock
• Cards for all occasions

I picked up a wood box from a local craft store.  You could easily use a shoe box or other container  as long as it is big enough to hold a card.  I painted my box a bright pink and yellow and added a label to the top with sticker paper.  Labels like this are pretty easy to make, you can use a word processing software or an online photo editing site, nothing too fancy or complicated.

To sort the cards I came up with 8 categories; occasions when I typically send cards to close family and friends.

• Birthday
• Wedding
• Anniversary
• Baby
• Congratulations
• Get Well
• Sympathy
• Holiday

I cut dividers with tabs from white card stock to sort my cards.  To make it easy to read {and pretty} I created labels and printed them onto white sticker paper.  I made these labels the same way I created the box label.  To cut the labels I used my Silhouette electronic cutting machine but you can easily do this with a pair of scissors.

My biggest category is birthdays, not only do I need to have cards on hand but I need an easy way to remember everyone's birthday.  I chose to write all those important dates on the front of the birthday divider.  It's right in front and I can see each month at a glance.

Finally, I filled my box with enough cards to last a year. This was a fun shopping trip.  The girls and I stopped by the Hallmark aisle on a recent trip to Walmart.  There is a section of Hallmark cards starting at just 47 cents.  I was able to stock up on cards for every occasion in one trip.  I had my birthday list in hand as well as a few notes on weddings, babies, and other occasions on the horizon.  Little Lady loved picking out cards, she is really looking forward to signing and giving the cards she hand-picked for her cousins.

I love cards, giving and receiving them.  There is something about a special meaningful note that kind of makes my day.  Even though I don't make as many cards as I used to, I'm glad to have a stash that I can add my touch to.  It's also good to know I won't be scrambling tobuy a card at the last minute.

Have you ever received a special card?  Something you have held onto, or that holds a special memory for you?  I'd love to hear about it.

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