By Valerie Housley
Students save money when they opt to make their own greeting cards ? and their creativity grows as well.
Campus Craft and Floral has a monthly card club, which facilitates a creative outlet for students either as a hobby or way to de-stress.
?If you went to the store for a card, the average price range is any-where from $2 to $5, but you can make one yourself for 20 cents to 50 cents, depending on what size you make or what supplies you use,? said Michelle Virtue, manager of Campus Craft and Floral in the bottom of the Wilkinson Student Center.
Jennifer Davey, a demonstrator for Stampin? Up! Club, a local card-making club, said making cards helps her feel more creative.
?It?s a creative outlet for me, which helps me relax with three kids at home,? she said. ?And once I finish a card I feel a sense of achievement.?
Completing personal projects, such as crafts, can lead to a sense of personal achievement and focusing more on personal achievement produces innovative ideas, according to a study performed by the University of California at Berkley.
One of the purposes of card making is the freedom and independence one has in the limits and techniques used to complete a card. Barry Staw, co-author of the study, said so much of creativity is being willing to deviate and take chances, according to an ABC news report.
?Making cards is a completely different genre for students which in turn increases creativity,? Virtue said. ?Being able to design and make your own cards stimulates creativity that no doubt pours into your school work.?
Kelsie Law, a junior majoring in plant and animal sciences, happened to wander into Campus Craft and Floral one day and said she could not resist buying some of the cardstock on display. She went home and made about 40 cards to send to family and friends.
?I think when your mind is able to expand in different aspects of creativity it helps to develop other creative thinking patterns that can and will express itself in other forms such as writing papers or analyzing books,? Law said.
Another added benefit of making cards is the personalized touch one can add to their own cards.
?I love giving away cards I have made,? Virtue said. ?To give someone a card I?ve made also tells that person that I?ve taken the time to make something for them, and that personalization is something I really like.?
Campus Craft and Floral offers a once-a-month Card Club where four groups of 15 people get together to enjoy an evening of making cards.
All you need to get started is paper, adhesive and scissors, said Adrienne Davis, an employee at Cam-pus Craft and Floral and a BYU graduate in audiology and speech-language pathology.
?The possibilities are endless,? she said. ?Start small and you can get to wherever you want to be.?