Handmade from the heart
A thoughtful note, a card, a gift lifts the spirit. Whether recovering from surgery, celebrating a birthday, or a big event, knowing someone is thinking of you is a balm for the soul. When it comes time to wish others well, these St. Paul people create their words of sympathy, healing, and love from scratch. No two cards are the same and it’s the touch of personalization that makes them even more special.
Shirley’s crafty creations
Shirley Monkman began making her own greeting cards more than 30 years ago and hasn’t purchased a card in stores ever since. She bought her first stamps – one a small bear and another with three penguins – in 1982 while living in California. She mailed her first cards to her daughters in college but little did she know just how her hobby would expand.
“My husband Doug was in the military so we moved around a lot. In the 80s, while living in California, I was looking for a hobby. My daughters were in college back in the Midwest so I decided to make cards to send to them. It was just a plain card and I used some stamps to decorate them,” Shirley said. “My cardmaking skills have developed over time. The cards started fairly plain and traditional until I attended a cardmaking class called Stampin’ Up. Once a month, for the past 20 years, I’ve attended those classes and been inspired by what I’ve learned from the instructor. The cards have developed into what they are today because of them.”
Z fold, shaker cards, stand-up cards, and other designs give cards a unique look. Shirley’s creativity abounds and she’s creating memories for her family members that will last for years.
“While I make cards for all occasions, my favorite is making them for kids. I send an Easter card to my 11-year-old great-niece and her brother every year. Sometimes they’re a challenge too. I try to find something to make for the kids that’s unique to them,” Shirley said. “They appreciate them. They say, ‘I wonder what Aunt Shirley is going to send us this time.’ Two months ago, my granddaughter moved away from home. I’ve been sending her a card every week. It’s the only mail she gets. She picks up her mail each Wednesday from her apartment complex and texts me a picture of the card. I think it makes her feel closer to home.”
It’s not just cards that Shirley gifts these days. She makes her own dishcloths and scrapbooks and creates beautiful memories for her family through personalized, handmade calendars each Christmas.
The Arps’ artful designs
Nothing says ‘congratulations’ like a handmade graduation card. And it’s an added bonus if it comes from your elementary school teachers. That’s just how Steve and Cheryl Arp started making their own cards.
Steve and Cheryl, now both retired, were elementary school teachers in the Eldridge and Long Grove area. As their former students began to graduate from high school, the Arps wanted to celebrate the students they watched grow up.
“We started by making graduation cards for the students we had had as third and fourth graders or other kids we knew through their families,” Steve said. “Some years we create quite a few cards.”
That practice slowly grew and grew, expanding to cards of encouragement, get well soon, thinking of you, and just because. The two now have a list of people who receive regular, sometimes weekly, cards from the Arps.
“Growing up in the Eldridge area, we know quite a few people. We would hear when someone had an illness or was working through a difficult situation,” Cheryl said. “There is often little more you can do to help in that situation than to let them know you’re thinking of them.”
Cheryl uses a Hallmark computer program to help her find templates for the cards, then she personalizes each individual card for the recipient. Steve is the resources guy, purchasing all the supplies needed to outfit their card-making enterprise.
One of Cheryl’s favorite cards to create was a ‘You Can Do It’ card. A friend was working the Weight Watchers program, and after a rather less-than-encouraging week, Cheryl made her a card to lift her spirits. ‘We’re happy for you and are proud of your hard work,’ the card said.
“My friend and I had talked about ways to look beyond the scale when changing eating habits so on the card I listed all the ways we talked about to remind her that even on difficult days, she’s doing a great job and to keep going,” Cheryl said. “The card made a big impact on her and touched her heart. She took it to her next Weight Watchers meeting.”
A card in the mail can perk up anyone’s day and knowing that someone was thinking of you can make all the difference in someone’s journey.
Handmade from the heart by Jan
Retirement and crafting as a hobby seem to be a theme and it was no different for Jan Schweer. When she retired in 2012, she and a friend decided to try something new and enrolled in the Stampin’ Up card-making class. More than ten years later, Jan and her friend are still creating beautifully crafted cards.
“I could sit there all day and make cards. Some cards I spend more than 30 minutes on the design. I could work eight hours straight and not even get up to eat. That’s how focused I get and how much I love it,” Jan said. “It brings me so much joy that I can maybe make someone smile. When I get a card, it makes me smile and I hope it brings others joy as well.”
Many of Jan’s cards are sent to hospice patients to brighten their days. Each month, Jan sends about 30-35 cards to patients in hospice care.
“My husband Jay heard volunteers were needed to visit hospice patients and I immediately volunteered. I usually visit one or two a month. I enjoy visiting the people but, I also like to send these handmade cards to hospice patients as well,” Jan said. “I try to theme the cards for each month. For instance, if it’s Halloween, I’ll make something with pumpkins. Recently, a daughter sent me a nice note. I had mailed her mother a fall-themed card with leaves on the cover. The daughter wrote ‘The card you sent was my mother’s last card. I had just taken her for a ride to see the leaves and then she got that card.’ It meant a lot to her.”
Sharing these special cards with her family means a lot to Jan as well.
“Sometimes I’ll send my daughter a card out of the blue just to let her know I’m thinking of her. Cardmaking is going to become a lost art,” Jan said. “People don’t give cards like they used to.”
Jan seems to be able to make just about anything with paper. She crafts sticky note holders, pocket favors for holidays, and even likes to give handmade card sets as gifts.
“I tell people ‘Don’t worry about sending me a card,’” Jan said. “I get the privilege of sending these cards to others.”
Georgeannn Kreiter
Every year,since I was 13, (I’m now 84) I’ve made Christmas cards “gifts”for friends and family some printed with linoleum cut designs many paper cuts (scherenschnitte) Some designed to incorporate family pictures . It’s been a while since that’s been a pre-Christmas project, I believe I’m inspired to create again by adding many other occasion greetings! Thank you for helping me to get moving again!