I did something last minute today. I bought a gift card and a wedding card for my friend’s wedding. I admittedly meant to go and pick something off of her registry, but time got away from me. I went to my local Kroger and got her a card from that tall wall of gift cards. I usually like to be a little more personable with a gift and put a little swell touch on it, but sometimes life just doesn’t allow it.

My rant is not so much the gift card thing as it is about the wedding card. Since I went to a small Kroger, there wasn’t that great of a selection to choose from and they totally didn’t have the 99¢ section to choose from either. I’m not big on the idea of buying a $4 card when you just bought a nice gift. I’m not much on buying a $4 gift bag either. It seems like a lot of times we spend more money on the gift card and packaging accessories than we do on the item itself! I looked over the selection and it was very slim pickings. I eventually settled on one that I thought was cute, but then I decided I would just run by the local Hallmark store instead and pick one up…then I thought, “Hey, why don’t I craft one?” I got all the way down the aisle, stopped, and made my way back and snatched the card. These days just going to the extra effort of going to a card store would cost gas money and it would take even more time out of my getting ready time, and I only have an hour to get ready…how can I expect to craft something in that time too? Geez, Hallmark and American Greetings get that $4 for a card, cause there’s no other option for me. I guess I could be smart and craft some beforehand or buy a boxed card set with a variety of celebrations, but I am just soooooo picky about my cards and wanting them to be fine tuned to the right person. It just seems like in most cases cards are the type of thing people look at and toss…now, I know this isn’t always true…that some people actually are sentimental and keep such things (I have a box of them to go through, actually), but what do people usually do after they get a signed card?? They put it in a box and perhaps look at it some 10 years later when they are cleaning – or – they throw it away. The exceptions are hand made cards or cards that truly speak to people (you know the ones).

Anyway, it just seems the card industry has their claws in me too. I just wish they were less expensive!!!

Until tomorrow Swellions!!

Alexa