How to Curate Your Card Stash Drawer
It's August. It's warm and sunny and the whole month is a funny balance of relaxing, maybe enjoying a holiday or a couple of days out (keeping the children entertained) and filling up the summer calendar. Even if you don't have children there are barbecues to attend, birthday drinks and then comes the August micro-panic...
You've picked out a thoughtful birthday gift, carefully chosen a bottle of wine to take to the barbecue but ten minutes before you head out the door you realise: I forgot the card.
Cue the mad dash to the corner shop or supermarket for a glossy card with a cheesy message or a card 'that'll do'. Problem solved, except it's just ruined the aesthetic of your beautifully wrapped gift and it niggles at you that it's not as personal as you'd like.
If you're a natural planner who wants to avoid this last minute chaos and you appreciate stationery and having nice things ready to go, there's a surprisingly satisfying fix to the last minute scramble and it's wonderfully simple...a well stocked card stash drawer.
What Makes a Card Drawer Essential?
Versatility: When greeting cards are blank inside they become beautifully versatile, one design can work for thank you notes, late summer birthdays or even thoughtful notes just to say 'thinking of you'.
Aesthetics: You chose cards that mean something or you simply love. You're never stuck having to attach a shiny, generic card to a thoughtfully chosen gift again.
Always Prepared: A last minute invitation, a birthday that had slipped your mind, any spontaneous event where you want to give a card, with a well curated greeting card drawer you're always ready.
Bring the Seaside to Your Desk
Ok so I've convinced you and now you're thinking about the greeting card drawer, so where to start?
Well I don't think there's any better place to start in the summer than the coast with greeting cards that evoke feelings of sunny, relaxed days by the water. It definitely helps if the designs you chose are fresh, modern and have just a little touch of humour and a dash of cute.
Here I can help! My coastal mini card collection was created to help with just this kind of problem, a varied range of cards featuring a host of British coastal wildlife, each one with it's own personality and character shining through.
Featuring Lobster, Puffin, Oystercatcher, Hermit Crab and Grey Seal, each one will bring a modern coastal vibe to your card stash and provide a brilliantly versatile base to your collection.Risograph printed here in the UK and hand finished in my Yorkshire studio, each card has a rich tactile print texture that makes holding and receiving it feel deeply special.
Organise Your Drawer This Summer
Clear out the clutter: I know you're keeping that spare envelope because at some point you'll need it. I know you're doing that because I do it too and I've yet to find a card that actually fits it and the envelope is looking sort of bent and dog eared now...time to recycle it or better yet add it to the kid's craft box.
Chose blank, versatile designs: These kind of cards are great, if they're not aimed at specific age or gender then they work for so many occasions. They're much more likely to get used rather than sitting in the drawer until you wonder why you bought them in the first place.
Make greeting card writing a slow ritual:Â A card is so much more than just a piece of folded paper, it's something you touch and keep, look back on and read again but it's also a chance for you to step away from screens and enjoy the physical sensation of pen on heavy paper. It's a quiet moment to savour.
Ready Start Building Your Greeting Card Stash?
Do your future self a favour and start that card drawer. You can explore my coastal mini card collection here, available as individual cards or as a whole curated bundle. Get a head start on this one little thing and take satisfaction in being prepared and organised for the seasons ahead.