Holding All The (Poorly-Designed) Cards

Over the past few weeks a gaggle of Dotters had the chance to create and send letters to the charity Post Pals — which connects creative (or, as it turned out, not so creative) card makers with ill children who could use a pick-me-up.

A group of Dotters gathered in Wilton’s Music Hall two weeks ago, while another gang at Robin Hood Gardens did the same in the past week — all with the goal of providing colourful, friendly and occasionally psychotic-looking cards that would cheer up some of the children.

The process is charmingly simple. You go on the Post Pals website and select from a list of more than 45 children who are dealing with a variety of illnesses, and then you write them a letter to send along (or indeed less two-dimensional presents, if you like). Each child’s profile has details about their history, their favourite TV shows, books and pastimes, so there’s plenty of fodder that will have you crafting a bunny rabbit that defies the laws of physics and good taste in no time. There’s also information about the kids’ siblings, so you can send cards to their brothers or sisters and make it a family affair.

At both sessions the emphasis seemed to be “more is more”, with anything from pop-up cards to hand-made wallets to glittery explosions. The process is surprisingly soothing, and allows you to really personalize a gift for someone in need. We have a bunch of card, glue and pens left over from the last time, so keep an eye out for more evenings of crafting!

Below are some of the cards we worked on, proof that arts and crafts knows no age (and, in many cases, no talent).