Who the heck is Jennifer, with all the SASS?

I am currently a stay-at-home-mom to a very active 5 year old boy, but I previously taught special education for 13 years.  Pause and think about that “resume” for a second. Both of those things require the patience of a saint. Sometimes I felt like I needed to express myself after spending so much time being patient and professional. That is how my idea for making cards with Sweary Affirmations and Snarky Sentiments (SASS) came to life.  I needed a way to express myself in a colorful manner without my sponge of an offspring picking up on those sassy, cussy words (for now, until he learns to read!). I love the idea of someone excitedly spying a pretty handmade card, then finding it says the exact words they really want to say. They get the perfect card to convey their sentiments and I get to express myself through the handmade process.

Why CARDS?

I chose to express myself with cards because my mom sent cards for every occasion imaginable. I remember her sending cards to our relatives in other states, but she would always include a lengthy handwritten letter with them.  She wanted to make sure she added a very personal touch to a typical store bought card. I feel like the days of sending physical cards and handwritten notes have past - I want to help to make sending unique greetings easy and fun again. While I can’t force you to handwrite an entire letter each time you send one of my cards, I have left the inside blank to encourage more personalization and connection from you to your special recipient. 

I always thought I would be that person sending cards to everyone for everything, but motherhood happened. I have such admiration for my mom because she somehow managed to send all those cards (on time) while rearing my brother and I, who could sometimes be absolute assholes. I started making my own cards to send to my most treasured people because by the time I realized an event (birthday) or holiday was coming up, I ran out of time or energy to head to the store to pick out a thoughtfully chosen card. I’m a perfectionist, so I always spent too much time browsing the cards in a store to find the perfect one. And most of the time, that perfect card didn’t actually exist - so I started avoiding the overwhelming amount of mass printed crap I was forcing myself to choose from. Plus, have you ever tried going to the store to read boring pieces of cardboard while a toddler does laps around you, and interrupts your train of thought at least 36 times?  

Why HANDMADE?

I do not dislike technology (it has its place in the world, for sure!), but I have found that if I spend too much time with a laptop or phone in front of my face, my sweet, darling son starts to act like an absolute asshole (I wonder where he gets it?). That being said, I could have easily utilized my tech skills to design, cut, and print mass quantities of the same cards with one of those popular computer-controlled cutting machines, but I chose to focus on remaining “hands on”, and “screens off,” for this particular endeavor.  Therefore, I use a manual die cutting machine and hand stamping techniques. Eventually, I would love to focus on using only recycled/upcycled papers and sustainable eco-friendly inks, which would be difficult to do if I used a machine that requires specialized ink cartridges for printing or use of specific printing mediums.

So...

Let’s fill those mailboxes with some handcrafted SASS!

And for those just generally curious people, I currently live in Ogden, Utah, but grew up in Bloomfield, Indiana. Yes, the mountains are definitely keeping us here! As a family, we love to hike, bike, and generally spend time outdoors. As an adult couple, we enjoy sampling the local brewery scene. Once upon a time, in my pre-child life, I was an ultra distance trail runner. Never in my life did I think I would be a SAHM making crafts in her free time, but here we are...  Might as well make the best of it, huh?

Thank you so much for taking the time to check out my shop and browse what I have to offer. Hopefully your browsing experience will be much more enjoyable and fruitful than if you shopped in a loud, crowded store with limited options. Cheers!