WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — There’s something about receiving a handmade card.
It doesn’t matter how young or how old you are or what medium you use, whether you’re a 3-year-old with brightly colored crayons or a skilled artist with a felt-tipped marker.
“We need to bring sending cards back,” Karen McNall said recently as she laid out an assortment of paper, stamps, ink pads and other supplies on a table at the Hartford Parks and Recreation Department, where she has worked as an administrative assistant since December 2016.
McNall had always loved to craft, but her interest picked up after her youngest son graduated from high school in 2012.
“We had empty nest syndrome,” she said. McNall quickly took to cardmaking and stamping, which she had first learned from her grandmother when she was younger. “I kind of fell in love with it.”
Since McNall and her husband moved from Fairfax, Vt., to Sharon, “cardmaking has actually helped me make friends,” she said. “We didn’t know a soul down here.
“It’s more than just making cards.”
McNall now teaches cardmaking classes for the recreation department. Her next course is from 5:30-8 p.m. on Wednesday, with a registration deadline of Monday. She will teach additional classes, which are recommended for ages 13 and above, on May 29, June 26 and July 31. All classes take place at Hartford Town Hall and cost $15.
“I try to gear them more toward a beginner class,” said McNall, who has a cardmaking and crafting business called Inspired by Gram (named for her grandmother) and also sells supplies for a stamping company. “When new people come to class, they’re so intimidated by the table.”
Once I saw that table, it was easy to understand why. Spread before us on the table were all types of crafting tools I’d never heard of and many small pieces of paper in preparation for the beginner’s lesson McNall was going to give me.
“When I didn’t know anyone here, holding classes helped me adjust,” she said.
I could relate: One of the first things I did when I moved to the Upper Valley nearly seven years ago was to attend a knitting group. Having a common passion helps ignite friendships.
During one of McNall’s cardmaking classes, each participant makes four cards, which all share a similar color scheme. I started with a thank-you card to send to my grandparents after receiving a package of Easter treats. McNall creates kits including all the supplies ahead of time. She walked me through the steps, which included carefully layering the pieces of paper on top of one another and learning how to ink and use a stamp properly, applying the right pressure to get the best result.
“I think it’s very important that people write thank-you notes instead of sending a text message,” she said, adding that she thinks technology has intruded too far into personal communication. Phone calls replace handwritten notes, emails replace phone calls and text messages replace email, each requiring less and less effort. “I think we do need to take extra time to stop for a minute.”
McNall regularly sends her cards to friends and family.
“I send them always at the end of the month,” she said. “They’ll get them early or right on time or sometime in between.”
After about a half-hour, my card was nearly complete and ready for the finishing touch: three rhinestones.
Even if everyone follows the same general instructions, “not one card is going to be the same,” McNall said.
It is not so much about making a card for someone as it is taking the time to make a card for someone. A phone call may only be a few minutes, an email even less. A text can take mere seconds.
A handmade card gives a gift that’s less tangible than card stock and glitter: your time.
A couple days after our interview, I received a beautiful card in the mail from McNall. A stamp on the front read, “How beautiful a day can be when kindness touches it.”
The next evening, with McNall’s card sitting beside me, I started writing out a message to my grandparents, the first handwritten thank-you note I will send in years.
Editor’s note: For more information about McNall’s classes or to register, call 802-295-5036 or visit hartfordrec.com. Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
