my "thank you" notes

I usually try to include a little "thanks for the trade" note when I send out return cards to my trader buds. Sometimes it's just on a little piece of blank scratch paper, but sometimes I use custom misprints or the like if I've got something interesting in grabbing distance when I'm packing up the cards.

So just a heads up that if you trade with me and my "thank you" note is a "card" that has writing on back, I don't consider it a "real" custom of mine.. just scratch paper that you won't hurt my feelings if you throw away. But sure, keep it if you wanna. And feel free to request a "real" version of the custom, and once my desktop computer gets fixed (looks like I need to buy a copy of Windows 10 because my Windows 7 on that computer that I use for making customs went kaput), feel free to ask and I'll likely hook you up on our next trade.

Too Many Verlanders recently got such a note on the back of a Frank Drebin. I figured I'd get a post out of a little backstory there.

I recently celebrated the 5-year anniversary at my current place of employment. The slacker that I am, this is easily the longest I've worked at any one company. I recently got a bonus and a raise, and if eBay will do another "eBay Bucks" promo one of these days, I might pull the trigger on some celebratory cardboard. Feels good to be appreciated, yada yada yada

I only mention it because it was at my previous job where I printed out a few "cards" on standard printer paper with the intention of using them for notes, but then I lost interest in that plan and they were cast aside until recently revisiting them when I moved last year.

At first I thought it was cool, but then I started worrying that people might think I was trying to counterfeit cards. But again, these are on regular ol' paper and no one would think they were real in-hand, but still.

I'd feel bad about these going to waste, so I recently started cutting them into card-sized pieces. So if you trade with me sometime in 2021, heads up you might get a bonus "card" printout along for the ride.. with a little note on the back.

Again, just a fun bonus, don't feel like you need to hang onto them.

The worst is when I use a rejected custom where my printer crapped out and the blogger is like "look at this bonus custom Gavin sent me!" and I'm thinking like... "No! That's a reject! Just a note! My customs are usually better looking than that!" LOL

So yeah, just for the record my thank you notes shouldn't be treated like real cards, but I guess that's up to everyone to decide what's worth keeping.

Me? I appreciate thank you notes with trades, but I'm not one of those traders who keeps them. (though I do save [collect] "blogger cards" and more recently also "blogger business cards".) I admit I have a hard time throwing away greeting cards from loved ones. Like when my mom sends me a birthday card, I wrestle with hanging onto it or not. 

Hey, I cherish this card I got from my Aunt Karen around the time I moved up to Portland. I digitalized a bunch of old family photos (so I wouldn't have to move them) and sent DVD copies to the family, and this was a thank-you she sent me.

She's currently battling pancreatic cancer, so it'd be nice if you could send her your prayers / good thoughts. Despite the name "Karen" becoming a bad word in recent years, she's a wonderful person!

Howabout you guys, do you save all greeting cards you get? Maybe just a few special ones? Or do they all end up in the trash?