Heartfelt Messages Matter!
Something amazing happens when you receive a personalized, handmade card created just for you. It’s not just the handcrafted card but also the heartfelt, sincere message that makes a person feel special and loved.
At Stampin’ Up!, we firmly believe that creating meaningful cards inscribed with heartfelt messages can have a far-reaching effect, strengthening our relationships and communities.
Receiving a hand-crafted card is rare these days. When you receive a card, your connection with the other person grows, and you are more likely to reach out to that person to connect. This is the impact that creating cards with heartfelt messages can have on your family, friends, and communities—it reinforces our bonds while bringing joy to others.
The Importance of Heartfelt Messages in Card Making
Taking the time to write a personalized message can brighten someone’s day and life. And research proves it!
In a recent New York Times article, Amit Kumar, a University of Texas professor who studies well-being, conducted a study about the effects of giving and receiving gratitude cards. Upon receiving their cards, Kumar found that many recipients were “ecstatic” and rated their happiness score a 4 out of 5.
It’s interesting to note that it wasn’t just that the recipient received a card; the sincere message written inside is what was most meaningful to them. The 100+ participants in each of the four experiments were asked to write personalized, short messages of gratitude to a person who had affected them in some way. When they did this, Kumar showed that the practice of writing heartfelt notes of gratitude yielded amazing results of connectedness and happiness.
Sara’s Message: Inspiring Creativity and Community
For many years, Stampin’ Up! CEO Sara Douglass and her husband have been inspiring connections through creativity in their community by hosting a Valentine’s card-making night for the guys in their neighborhood. They keep things simple (they only use one ink pad!), and Sara says that the night always starts out a little slow, but once the guys ink their first stamp, she’s often surprised by how quickly their creativity kicks into high gear.
Once the cards are complete, Sara and her husband encourage the guys to do the most important thing: write a heartfelt message on the inside. The written words inside the card are THE most important aspect of any home-crafted card at Stampin’ Up!. We often hear about how a relationship was strengthened by making, sending, and receiving a card. Creative activities like these can bring people together!
Sara invites you to give it a try. If you’re up for it, you can host a Valentine’s craft night of your own or try a birthday card party or Mother’s Day craft night. You can enjoy any of these themed gatherings with family and friends and help get your community started on connecting through cards and heartfelt notes. Feeling inspired? You can connect with a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator—they’ve got lots of ideas for how to help connect with the crafting community in your area.