Mailing your handmade cards?

I attended a cardmaking workshop at Archiver's last weekend and a few ladies were having a discussion about how you should mail what we were working on, since there were a lot of 3-D flower embellishments and gems. The instructor recommended that they be hand-processed...meaning you have to hand them directly to the person at the post office and tell them you want it hand processed, then pay the extra 17 cents or whatever the surcharge is nowadays.

So, my question is this...at what point do you think you would do this? Only if it has gems or 3-D embellishments, or would you do it for any card? When you mail your handmade cards (with or without embellishments), if you send them regular mail, do you find they come out unscathed?

If it has one lumpy thing like a ribbon knot, large pearl or rhinestone, I usually put a piece of scrap cardstock or lightweight cardboard on the front of the card.

If it's really too thick or lopsided, the machinery can tear the envelope and ruin the card, so you should pay the extra money. I read somewhere that the slot on the Fiskars paper trimmer is a good indicator...if it slips through OK, then you should be good to go.

This one that I will be mailing (which isn't one from the workshop) just has 2 pop-dotted flowers on the front but they are cardstock and flat, other than the popdot. You can't even tell them are in there when it's in the envelope so I think this one will probably be okay. For the ones from the workshop, a piece of cardstock would probably be a good idea. They aren't really thick but are thicker than "regular" cards.

I mail thick embellished cards all the time and have never asked for hand processed. Maybe I am tempting fate ... but I've had no problems. However I always put a heavy index card on both sides of the card in the envelope. You can barely tell there are any embellies on the card when I do this.

I usually put mine into a bubble envelopes. Just my 2 cents

If mine has metal embellishments like clips or something, I will use a bubble mailer. If it isn't raised up more than like a glue dot or if I put gems on it, I will go to the old cardboard recycling box and cut a piece to fit the front of the card as a protector. When I send to my Grandmother, she always laughs because she knows what we eat by the cut up boxes to protect her card!

I just sent out a gazillion cards & all of them had soemthing poking out. I did cut an extra piece of card stock & placed it oin front of the card & put it into the envelope. When I got to the P.O. the clerk had a form & he tried to pass my cards through this slot if it didn't fit I paid the extra. most of the cards cost 61 cents to mail anyways. But it was worthy it. If it fit throught the slot I paid 42 cents

It's more expensive when they return the cards to U. U have to put new postage all over again. If not sure,ask the clerk if it has a lot of 3-d or is odd size. I save my cereal boxes@ cracker boxes to use the c/bd as protetector.

I always walk my cards in and have the person at the counter decide if it needs more postage or not. My valentines were kinda thick this year (ribbon, cs, felt heart, cs arrow) and she had to check to see if it needed additional postage. Turns out they were good to go. Always a good idea to check tho!

I'm 99% sure that the slot they pass it through is 1/4 of a inch thick. That's the max thickness that the automatic sorting machines can handle (that's what cards go through if you just put a stamp on them and put them in your mailbox.)

If I have a card that there's any question about I will go to the post office and either stand in line or use the do it yourself kiosk. If an envelope has pre-paid postage on it the letter won't have to go through the automatic sorting machines.

That being said is there anywhere to buy designer bubble mailers?

• ScrappinSage Said:

Just get some plain white or kraft ones and stamp them!

I made Easter cards for my family and friends. One friend said
the pearls I used for embellishments fell off. Another friend said
she had to pay extra postage to receive the card. I'm doing
something wrong. With the amount of cards I send, it is not
feasible to hand deliver to the postal clerk. What to do???