Also, personalized notecards can be used for any type of correspondence. One that reads, “Thank You,” on the front can only be used for, well, thank you notes.
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This! If you buy anything personalized make sure you know the person’s preferred name. I did change my last name but have never used “Mrs. Husbands Name”.
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I haven’t read the whole thing.
Shock horror, yes, young people do still send notecards. My kid being one of them. Not often, of course, but who doesn’t like a handwritten note? Answer: no one.
Should the notecard be personalized? Frankly, any notecard is nice! But, I would only send a personalized notecard to a relative, very good friend, or a mentor of some sort. I would not send a personalized notecard to a college interviewer or admissions officer, for sure. Seems like overkill.
That said, would I encourage a kid to send a notecard, non-personalized, to a teacher or someone they want to thank. It’s a nice, thoughtful touch.
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Definitely a regional thing as Hoggirl pointed out. This Yankee has used personalized notes her entire life-- as have my kids- and I cannot imagine making a distinction between a printed “Thank you note” from the Hallmark store vs. a subtle monogram with the kids initials which says “Thank you” written out in ink!
Why would a teacher need a non-personalized note card? If folks think it smacks of elitism/expensive, that’s a perception not borne by reality. Personalized cards bought in bulk are significantly cheaper than what you buy in the stationary store. I had to convince a neighbor of mine that “The family of John Doe appreciates your kindness” cards (with room for a personal note inside) were actually cheaper than a box of generic “Thank you for your condolences” cards… and she was surprised to discover it was true. And since she wanted plain black ink on ivory-- not pictures of angels and doves-- the customization was a nice touch!
But a Yankee thing for sure.
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I don’t know if it is regional or not. Certainly lots of monograms of all kinds of things in the South, too, but I don’t like them for myself. I don’t receive much correspondence these days (mostly just too much email), but if I do receive a paper card in the mail it rarely if ever has a monogram or personal name embossed on it. Seems like the people who have monogrammed handbags and monogrammed pocket squares might have monogrammed stationary too, but that’s not my crowd.
I don’t do monogrammed ANYTHING except for note cards! And the handbags etc. are definitely not a thing in my neck of the woods!! You will see the occasional LL Bean tote with someone’s initials but it’s usually not their own initials- a beat up bag which belonged to mom which has sentimental value!
Big country. I love to be reminded of that!!! I did a Southern circuit last year for work (first travel since Covid) and was pretty psyched to see that Southerners have gone back to their pre-pandemic wardrobes. Up North it seems like black sweatpants are now appropriate for every setting!
Personalized notecards with handwritten notes are common in my circles and in my 30-something kids’ circles. (Hand-printed instead of handwritten messages for the under 40s). Our kids have even ordered personalized notecards for themselves. I have received dozens in the past few years for gifts and favors and from houseguests, younger and older, and love getting them. I also send thank you notes regularly.
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If you guys are ordering and paying for cards, what do you do with the dozens that come in the mail every day from Disabled Vets, Boys Town, Foundation for the Blind, Catholic Charities? They keep coming and coming and I can’t make them stop. My mother died last year but they keep coming. Christmas cards, birthday cards, thank you cards, blank cards. Little doggies, birdies, children playing, flowers, butterflies…
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My town’s library has a used bookstore (a significant source of funds for them). In addition to books and CD’s, they accept all those greeting cards AND calendars-- the cards sell for 10 for a dollar or something like that, I have no idea what the calendars go for! But every so often when I’m dropping off cartons of books for donation, I’ll throw in the huge pile of the little doggies cards (and pictures of cute cottages surrounded by hydrangeas) that accumulate and know they’ll be purchased by someone who wants them!!!
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I don’t get too many of those, but I do get some. If they are bad they go in the recycling. If they are good (like some of the Sierra Club ones) I keep them for when I need a quick note for something, but I don’t do the monograms or personalized ones.
If I need to send a nice note card (as opposed to a quick note) I usually go buy one for the occasion like when my good friend’s dog died, or my great nieces’ birthday, or a wedding, or a death. I get one that is specific to the occasion.
If I just need a blank nice one I often get one from the local bookshop down the street that has some cool illustrations. Sometimes I get one from a local artist.
My D22 was doing some online used clothes selling for awhile and it was a thing in that community to include a card so I told her to help herself to my stash of Sierra Club and Nature Conservancy, etc, cards. She used a bunch of butterfly ones.
I am never going to use some of those cards that are poorly designed clipart.
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A yankee thing??? In my upscale Midwest suburb kids often start with personalized stationary young since away camp is a thing here (an elderly Southern friend was startled when my kids told her they’d written and addressed at least a hundred letters over the years (“have you ever written a REAL letter dearie?”) since at their 8 years of camp they wrote us several times a week as well as their grandparents and friends. And there were several local “ stationary ladies” when they were growing up who used to sell all sorts of personalized sets. Now of course that’s all online.
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Thinking about this issue more. I assume the OP is talking about cards like these. Simple with just a name on it. Casual Personalized Raised Ink Stationery Flat Cards | EG7094 | StationeryXpress I think they can be useful, but they also seem a bit old fashioned. Even my rather formal mother, I think, used her letterhead paper not cards for writing thank-yous or condolence notes. I tend to use cards that I print out with my watercolors on the front, or I have some nice ones with photos (Vermont scenes, and New York scenes) that I also use occasionally.
The choice of personalized cards is wide ranging–from those you can buy in bulk to those you can create yourself on Minted or other sites to the very expensive formal cards on 80lb card stock with embossed or engraved printing from places like Crane’s Stationery or Mrs.John L Strong Stationery (used to have a store on Madison Ave in NYC) with engraved or embossed printing. I think it’s a personal choice. What I like others might not.
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Several years ago I had someone on Etsy do a “whimsical” watercolor of my house. When she was done she offered copies of the print on notecards. I often use those fir thank you’s and housewarming/hostess gifts.
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