Surprise! Surprise!

I’ve been making cards for about 12 years now and I have never had a problem mailing them. I’ve learned over the years what is regular mail and what requires special processing – meaning “extra postage.”

     So, imagine my surprise when I tried to mail two cards the other day. I didn’t have any stamps, so I had to go to the Post Office. Apparently the person waiting on me does not like handmade cards. I deduced this after she repeatedly said “why do people have to make their own cards.” I bit my tongue rather than reply.

     I was told the first card (flat except for 4 little 1/8” puffies I used to puff up the sentiment) required extra postage because there was a slight “bump” to the package—“it has to be absolutely flat” I was told as she laid it down and squished it with her hand so I would understand what ‘absolutely flat’ meant. Because it wasn’t, it would cost 66 cents. Fine...mail it.

 

     Then she said since the other card had more bumps in the envelope (the bow and more puffies), it would require hand-stamping which meant “Parcel Post”…at a cost of over $2. I didn't argue, since I didn't want her to throw away my cards after I left. She actually charged me less (92 cents) and hopefully both cards will get to their new home.

     With the above in mind, I will probably only make cards from now on using no ribbon, no brads, no puffies, no flowers, no die-cuts, no multi-layers…nah, who am I kidding? Those are the things I love about a card. I’ll just put LOTS of cardboard around the card so it appears flat!  And, at least 66 cents postage on my little puffie cards and 92 cents if they're more than 1/4" thick.

 

Here's a card for one of our male friends that I'm hoping can be mailed for 46 cents. No puffies and no bows. I think it's flat enough and hopefully not too plain. But then men don't require a lot of frills.

 

 

Instructions: designer paper on metallic burgundy cardstock; wrap ivory grosgrain ribbon around and place it on an ivory card base. Print the image on ivory cardstock, cut it to size and place it on metallic burgundy cardstock (don't use dimensional puffies if you want to mail it). Quick, easy and, hopefully, mailable.