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National Stationery Week

In celebration of National Stationery Week, I am re-posting a blog post from a little while back, on the importance of traditional means of communication. In case you didn't know, it is currently the national event is on until the 3rd of May. Why not send a letter, card or postcard using traditional 'snail mail' instead of a text or tweet?

CARDS AND COMMUNICATION


Here is a sneak peek at one of my latest card designs available at the Fi&Me shop


Last Saturday morning a postcard addressed to my 2 year daughter fluttered onto our door mat. It was from her Aunty and Uncle (or Aunty and Ankle as she calls them!) How exciting!

Although not addressed to me, this card was right up my street – the star of the postcard being a teddy bear in various locations around Cornwall (check out my Monkey Tour blog post). This image whisked me back to my childhood, remembering that Lucy always used to like sending these kinds of postcards to her school friends.

During her holiday, Lucy and I have been in regular text-message contact, but what could have been said in a text message was lovingly and carefully written onto paper instead and this is what is so important.

What’s more, it gave my daughter an exciting surprise. It was probably only the 3rd piece of mail addressed solely to her. She has had an introduction to the importance of written social communication!

I hoard my old cards, postcards and letters, because they are so special to me and this is why I began creating my own greetings cards originally.
It is also why at Fi & Me we choose to leave our greetings cards blank inside because quite frankly, the more white space the better, think how much (or how little) you could say? It’s up to you and that’s the beauty.

Having said that, I am not against verse in cards at all. Many greetings card manufacturers and designers choose to include verse, because sometimes you just don’t have time to spend penning a mini work of Shakespeare in a 125mm x 125mm space! Sometimes you just can’t find the right words to say and that’s what’s great about buying a card where someone has already taken the time to do it for you.

An interesting resource that is available in association with the Greeting Card Association (GCA) is a project they have set up in conjunction with the Royal Mail. Worth checking out, especially if you are a teacher. It’s designed for 5 – 11 year olds and encourages key English skills, nurtures knowledge of other beliefs and cultures and compliments the art and design curriculum.

www.teacherspost.co.uk/free.html

And this brilliant timeline illustrates just how important cards are for ‘communicating knowledge over distance or time.’

www.greetingcardassociation.org.uk/info-resource/3d-cards/short-history

In conclusion, in whatever form they come in, I think greetings cards are like chicken soup, good for the soul!

For more images you can visit my website www.fionameakin.weebly.com

http://www.nationalstationeryweek.com/


 

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