I've got plenty of card blanks so did some straight away - those on the right - and just need to iron the rest and get them mounted.
But then what?
Can I really pass them off as my own? There's hours and hours (and Hours) of work there and I wouldn't ever choose to stitch penguins and polar bears they are not 'me'.
So I thought I'd donate them to a charity but............ most of the chain charity shops sell their own Christmas cards anyway and I'm not sure these would be put out for sale.
So I'm still puzzling over what to do with them, maybe the Macmillan Cancer Information Centre at the hospital could sell them for fundraising - I shall ask but they might not be allowed to.
I'll let you know.
And thank you for most of the comments yesterday!
Back Tomorrow
Sue
Could you sell them via your own Etsy shop online? Then up to you if you donate the money to charity or use it elsewhere: https://www.etsy.com/uk/search?q=xmas%20cross%20stitch%20cards
ReplyDeleteThank you but No, don't need the hassle of selling, posting etc
DeleteCould you forget about them as cards and maybe make a sort of patchwork Christmas runner?
ReplyDeleteThey are now all in card blanks. I wouldn't know how to do anything else with them and couldn't keep them anyway
DeleteDo you have a local school - if so, maybe you could do them up nicely and donate them for the Christmas Fair raffle?
ReplyDeleteJ x
But the person who won them might not want them. After someone did so much work on them I want them to be wanted!
DeleteYou are right Sue, there is a huge amount of work in the stitching. It is hard to know where they would be best, I have stitched loads, and still have some not sent. I once made a difficult bird design for a friends birthday, thinking she would keep it, but she ditched it, I was upset, because of the time it took me.
ReplyDeleteIt's a quandary. I think I'd just send them out myself, if people thought I'd sewn them then ok! You can buy cards of that style already, so it's no different to if you'd been out and bought them. If you see what I mean!
ReplyDeleteI mean this in the nicest possible way, I think you're over thinking it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sadie, there's nothing wrong with sending them out to people, you bought them, they are yours whether you did the stitching or not.
Oh what a lovely find Sue. I make cards in various art form and give them to our local hospice to raise a few pennies they are always grateful. I stamp handmade by Hazel on the back but sometimes people give me some they have made and I just hand them over as they are. I put a little sticker on £1.00 each. People sometimes turn my little cross stitch cards into pictures for a child's bedroom or it has been know to take them from the card and decorate a bag with them it dies not matter that they are Christmas.
ReplyDeleteGood luck, Hazel c uk.
What a wonderful bundle you picked up. I understand how you feel about wanting them to be appreciated, so much work must have been put into them. I'm sure a charity would be thrilled to have them to sell.
ReplyDeleteYou could ask at a charity shop if they are able to sell them, that way you would know for sure that they were useful to the charity. I've seen charity shops sell their own cards & also sell handmade or other donated cards - it all generates income for them after all. Vee x
ReplyDeleteFrom my first hand experience they are told not to refuse anything instead they say they can accept them then throw them away , The reason behind this is that the same person might bring in a higher value item at a later date , We had to throw anything away that was hand made could not even sell them to the volunteers , It was disgusting x
DeleteI had a feeling this is something that happens with the chain charity shops. I knew they don't sell lots of things that are not packaged. I asked someone I knew who worked in a charity shop if they ever got odds and ends of card making stuff and she said they have to throw them out unless they are brand new and in original packaging.
DeleteAnd I know Oxfam book shops pulp more books than they sell!
We filled large bins of stuff donated each week that we could not sell , it was out of my hands as head offices checked our shops weekly for what was on our do not sell list , I felt so guilty , This was one of the reasons i left my job xxx
DeleteSell them on eBay?
ReplyDeleteIt's like a little mystery, isn't it? Who stitched them? What were their plans for them? Why did they get rid of them? In a way, poignant and sad.
ReplyDeleteThey are so neatly stitched, the back looks as good as the front - not like mine when I stitch!
Deletetree decorations sell better than cards , but i do know what you mean about charities not wanting stuff
ReplyDeleteCan you not echange it for something you like...
ReplyDelete?
DeleteI was given similar stuff, Sue, and my friend finished them and I made them into cards. Our friend has a charity stall at Glasgow Children's hospital next week and they will be sold there. There may be other charities at the hospital who would be grateful to have them. If you want to use them, why not write " upcycled with love" and use as your own. They really are beautiful and I understand why you want to honour the person who stitched them Catriona
ReplyDeleteJust to let you know i worked for three different charity chains and everyone of them they literally would go in the bin , Because the shop staff are set targets to sell the cards each week , It would be such a shame, I would use them and if anybody asked just tell them the truth about how you created them. xxx
ReplyDeleteSue, I think it would be better to take the cards to a hospice, hospital or care hone these usually have a Friends group and I am sure they would be really please to sell them. I worked in our local hospice shop - not a big chain - they would have sold them but would only get a few pence whereas the actual hospice would certainly get a £1.00 each at there coffee mornings or other events. Hazel c uk
ReplyDeleteMy stitched cards are 'everlasting' ones. I send them and the recipient is requested to send it back to me the next year. That way there are no more cards to waste and the stitched ones are admired every year.
ReplyDeletexx
Here's the link to one of my posts about 'everlasting Christmas cards.'
ReplyDeletehttps://mumssimplylivingblogat.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/mums-advent-calendar-22-days-left-3.html
I am sure there are many lonely elderly people out there who never receive even a card at Christmas because they have no relatives what a shame your cards couldn't be 'married' up in some way - the Salvation Army used to know of such people.
ReplyDeleteOur village charity shop is for the people of our village and not a chain so don't have their own cards to sell so would have welcomed these.
I help raise money with our church Crisis Coffee morning and Christmas gift fair each year - proceeds going to the Homeless at Christmas - these would fly of the gift stall. You might find that there are similar events near you.
Having said all that as other bloggers have said there is nothing wrong with using them yourself - it is only like buying a card.
There's nothing wrong with you using them yourself. But even if you feel that you shouldn't benefit, you can still enjoy making them, Then either give them to a Christmas fair so that they can sell them or use them yourself, letting the recipients enjoy receiving them and make a small donation to a charity.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy putting them together and then perhaps your church could use them for fund raising at Christmas.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
what a fun find. I'd give them away instead of selling them. Send them to friends and write "not stitched by Sue" on the back of the card!
ReplyDeleteThe little cross stitches are a great find, Sue. They'll be lovely in whatever you decide to do with them. Meg:)
ReplyDelete