Usually I like to make my own Christmas cards, with differing degrees of success it has to be said. This year I seem to be rapidly running out of time and instead decided it would be a good opportunity to support the ‘Just a Card’ Campaign. I came across ‘Just a Card’ on twitter. It was coming up on the feeds of lots of the lovely crafters and makers I follow. If you haven’t come across it your self let me tell you how it works.
Just a Card aims to encourage people to buy from Designer/Makers and Independent Galleries and Shops by reinforcing the message that all purchases, however small, even ‘just a card’ are so vital to the prosperity and survival of small businesses. The campaign came about when Artist & Designer Sarah Hamilton saw the quote “If everyone who’d complimented our beautiful gallery had bought ‘just a card’ we’d still be open” by store keepers who’d recently closed their gallery. This prompted a call to action!
It seems that people often feel embarrassed or mean buying just one card in a small independent store. Why? None of us would feel embarrassed doing that in a large chain store or supermarket. If everyone bought just one card from an independent store, what a difference that could make. And if you really do feel embarrassed you can shop on line. So many small independent retailers or designers sell their wares on line. I have made some recent purchases from small local sellers on line and the joy of receiving a lovingly packaged parcel with a handwritten note does not even begin to compare to the anonymity of buying from a website named after a particularly well known South American river
Now I’m never going to not go into Paperchase or M&S or even shop on that website named after the South American river but this is a great alternative, and a way of supporting the local businesses we all want to see on our high streets and in our neighbourhoods. It may mean paying a little more, but what you are paying for is something unique which has been lovingly designed and made, something which contains the spirit of the maker and will in turn make you feel warm and cosy inside. Surely thats worth paying a little bit extra for.
And it doesn’t have to be just cards. From where I’m sitting in my dining / writing room right now I can see 4 Pictures on my walls (well one isn’t technically on the wall yet but we have only had it 8 months!) and all of them have been bought locally from local artists and designers. I love that I know where each was created, and that I have forged a connection, if only a brief one with the person who made each picture.
So go on, why not have a look at the Just a Card Website. You can find it right here, and they also have a rather handy gift guide you may want to take a peek at.