Getting Personal

                Birthday Cards Thatll Really Show You Care | Personalised Cards from GettingPersonal.co.uk
            
                Growing up, we've all done it; we've all come home from school with personalised cards that we made with our little hands. Their construction usually involved glitter and too much PVA glue and they may or may not have been fully dry when we slid them, greasily in to their wonky folded envelopes.

Chances are your parents still have a few of these stashed somewhere and you know why? They love them; personalised cards that have been stuck together by kids are adorable. However, it's not just the cute factor which is the reason your parents love those ancient Christmas cards though; it's the fact that when you made them you were imagining their smiling faces. They know you wanted the cards to impress them. 

You were doing something creative to make someone else happy and it's that precise principle which still applies to personalised cards well in to adulthood. You might think that no-one wants your personalised cards or handmade monstrosities, but they still do! The good news is, if you're no longer a dab hand with the 'zig-zag scissors' you can buy personalised cards instead!

Buying Personalised Cards
It's not that hard to buy personalised cards on the internet and typically you can get hold of them for about £2.99 a pop. There are lots of designs and they're tailored to different occasions, genders and age ranges. That makes it pretty effortless to find a birthday card or thank you card for pretty much anyone.

All to do then, is pick a card you like, add the name using a little typing box on the site (and sometimes an age too) and then you can buy it and it will be printed by the company. Some sites also include delivery in the price of the card which makes it more affordable than buying a card from a shop and sending it yourself! 

In cases like these all you need to do is type in the message you want to be printed inside the card and the company will do the rest for you, making sure the final card has the right name and age on the front and your message written or printed neatly inside. Then, it's sent to your requested address whenever you set it to send. Alternatively, if you like to write your own cards by hand you can get personalised cards printed and sent to your own home (with the envelope separate) to pass on to the recipient yourself.

Making Your Own
Some people are brilliant at making their own personalised cards and if you're interested in trying your hand at it, go for it! You can experiment with different textures and colours of card and make some great designs if you have an eye and flair for design. 

However, if you're anything like me (I tend to glue my fingers together) you're probably better off buying personalised cards from websites instead.

Sometimes making your own handcrafted cards does cost more than buying professionally printed ones anyway. Then again, maybe you're a genius on a computer paint program such as adobe Photoshop and could print your own cards with a desktop printer. It's always worth a try and if it turns out looking less than great personalised cards will always be available on the internet for a few quid each, anyway!

Why People Love Them
It can be such a great thrill to get a personalised card in the post! Initially, the reason that people love personalised cards is the surprise factor. They expect something generic and when they get something very directly meant for them it's a shock and a treat both at once. 

I remember the first time I ever received one. My brother lives in Yorkshire and I live in London so I don't get to see him as often as I like, it was my birthday and I opened the envelope without really being sure what to expect because it didn't have his handwriting on the front. Then, I blinked and blinked again because I couldn't believe that I was reading the silly nickname that my brother uses for me on the front of a brightly coloured, glossy birthday card. 

I actually thought he'd managed to find a card on the mass market which featured my nickname, until of course I realised that he'd gone to the trouble of getting me a personalised cards instead! I was highly impressed and that's why I know that they truly make people happy.

People often don't expect someone to go to the trouble of personalising a greetings card for them and more often than not they think its hard work, but it's obviously easy as pie. How easy is pie, anyway?

Related article: Getting More Personal With Your Birthday Cards (Personalised Cards)