For men and women alike, anniversary cards represent a somewhat unique pain in the proverbial. Not that the adult population is bereft of thoughts and emotion, but rather to do with the fact that year after year it gets harder and harder to find, write and offer a card that actually means anything at all. Why? Well, quite simply because after a year or two those store-bought cards with cliché images and generic greetings on the inside start to look a little on the tacky side. After all, it’s not as if they were made especially for you or for the person you’ll be giving them to, were they?

There is of course a second option which despite being incredibly accessible and simple to go about is more often than not overlooked entirely. The idea of making your own anniversary cards might sound a little cheesy or even far-fetched, but credited with a little common sense though it actually does make a great deal of sense after all.

Here’s on overview of just five reasons why you should make this year the year you reach for the art and craft supplies to make your own cards at home:

1 – It’s Fun

First of all, there’s simply no denying the fact that getting down and dirty with the craft supplies at home can be fun…and lots of it at that. Most adults of course won’t have gone near things like colourful cardboard and sticky bits and pieces since they were kids, so have probably forgotten how much fun it can be. It’s one of those perfect illustrations of how rewarding it can be to put in just a little effort in order to be able to say “I made that” when it’s all said and done. Of course, you’re not making the cards for yourself, but there’s no reason why you can’t score some brownie points in the process.

2 – It Means So Much More

Speaking of brownie points, it really doesn’t matter how great or terrible the final result of your efforts may be, you’re guaranteed to score big with your other half. The reason being that to head out to the local shop and pick up a card from the shelf means really very little…you could train a monkey or dog to do the same. But to actually get your hands dirty and go about making the card yourself from scratch, the very gesture alone means more than a store-bought card ever could. In fact, it’s often safe to say that when homemade cards look like a complete and total mess they’re even more effective – cute points are guaranteed!

3 – Your Own Words

Aside from the actual thought and effort that goes into designing the card as a whole, let’s not forget that when you choose a card from the shop you’re usually choosing a card that’s got someone else’s words in it. Those corny rhymes and slogans you find in so many cards might sound pretty enough, but when you think about how they’re drawn up in stuffy offices and printed on cards by the thousands in big industrial production environments, how can you expect the words to mean really anything at all? Of course you can’t, which is why the very best way to go is to make your own cards and to put your own feelings inside in your own words – it just makes so much more sense!

4 – Uniqueness and Originality

Something else to bear in mind is that any card you receive that you’ve seen on the shelves a dozen times before is neither surprising nor inspiring. So many cards these days just seem to blend into one homogenised standard as cards tend to follow the same set of patterns in order to sell in the biggest possible numbers. By contrast, any card you make by hand is a 100% unique one-off that’s totally original and unlike any other work of art on Earth – pure pricelessness.

5 – You’ll Save Money

Last but not least, frugality may not of course be your number one concern when going about a gift as thoughtful as this, but at the same time there’s no point spending more than you need to. And let’s face it – the nicest cards on the shelves these days don’t come cheap…not even close. By contrast, arm yourself with a stockpile of arts and crafts supplies and chances are you could knock up a dozen or so cards for the price of a single store bought card, safe in the knowledge that a single one of your own cards is worth more than a million sold on the High Street.