Once upon a time, the postcard’s primary purpose was to let your friends or family know what you were seeing and to let them know you were thinking of them – or possibly thinking about how jealous they would be if they knew how much fun you were having. But postcards are good for so many more things, here are just a few.
Travel Journal: have you ever thought that it would be great to remember some of the little details of your trip? One way of doing this is to make notes on the postcards from the places you visit. Then, when you get home, you can either bind them together to make a small book, or incorporate them into a scrapbook of your trip. And, the benefit of keeping your notes on postcards is that you can mail them home and then they will be there waiting for you when you get back.
Art prints: postcards from your favorite places can make great art for your walls. Rather than purchasing a framed photograph, why not purchase a postcard and have it matted and framed when you get home after your trip? That way, you can choose a color that looks great with your home décor, and showcases your memories your way.
Day to day communication: why not send postcards to your friends, just as a way of saying hi? No one likes going to pick up the mail and finding only bills, and sending a postcard is as quick as an email – and a far more personal touch.
Journaling: so many people want to keep a journal but feel that they just don’t have the time for it. Similar to keeping a travel journal, you can keep track of your thoughts and memories in short bursts on the backs of postcards. With boxed sets of cards available at bookstores, you can choose a theme that suits your personality and makes writing more fun.
Coasters: everyone wants to preserve their memories. One fantastic way of doing this is to create coasters from your postcards. You can make the choice to keep them in the original size and shape, or cut them down to squares. Then, mount them on a thin piece of cardboard and add a layer of sealing resin to the top to keep them from being damaged by the moisture of the glass.
Inspiration: if you scrapbook or paint, a scenic postcard can give you countless ideas to get your creative juices flowing. Perhaps you can try to create a similar scene with pastels or acrylics, or you can use the postcard as a focal point on a scrapbook page. Other possibilities include using the colors on the card to give you ideas for color combinations that you might otherwise not have tried.
Reminders: is there somewhere you have always wanted to visit? It’s possible to get postcards from those places and to form a collage based on monuments you want to see or beaches that you hope to lounge on. And, keeping a visual guide to them handy, you will be more motivated to make sure that you get there someday – maybe even sooner than you otherwise would.
8. Relaxation: keep postcards from your most relaxing vacations handy so that, in times of stress, you can look back on them, remember the experience and be soothed by it.
Hopefully, these eight suggestions have inspired you to think of ways to keep your memories fresh using postcards. But by keeping your memories alive with this inexpensive tool, you’ll have found a more entertaining ways to share your memories with friends.
