It's in the Cards!

A "Food for the Spirit" Project

"O thou heavenly, brilliant and precious pearl! I greet thee from this Holy Land with a fragrance from God and I desire that thy heart become animated through the gentle breeze of God, thy bosom dilated with joy by the miracles of the gifts of God, thine eye consoled by seeing the lights of God, thy tongue by uttering the mention of Baha'u'llah, and thy taste to become sweet through the divine table descending from heaven. Verily, I say unto thee that the gifts of thy Lord are encircling thee in a similar way as the spirit encircles the body at the beginning of the amalgamation of the elements and natures in the womb; the power of the spirit begins then to appear in the body gradually and successively according to the preparation and capacity to receive that everlasting abundance. I ask God to help thee that the spirit will carry out its power in thee as desired and wished." -- 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 156-7

Would you like to create your own daily affirmation cards, build up your vocabulary, focus on virtues? Or maybe you need to find a gift for either someone who’s moving away and doesn’t want to pack anything else, or a kid who likes jokes and riddles? These also make great cards to carry with you in your wallet to give to people you meet in the course of your day. Have you ever wanted to share a prayer card or uplifiting quote – Well, it’s “In the Cards,” make your own!

Helpful hint: Unless you are going to make these by hand, you will need access to a computer and printer with a word processing program that can print business card forms. (I used Microsoft Word and an HP Laser Jet III printer.)

Preparation:

You will need 3-5 Blank sheets of business cards for your laser or inkjet printer, there should be 10 cards to a sheet. And you will need to set aside some time to locate text or type in text.

First you will need to decide what type of cards you are going to create. Who are they for? What occasion? Are they for you, or to give as a gift? You might want just plain cards to remind you to be more focused, or to learn new words. Select fancier cardstock for gifts. Or buy plain and rubber stamp light colored images on the background after printing. Or, add stickers or drawings later.

Next you will need to decide where you are going to get the text for your cards. Online resources abound! When a friend was moving to Africa I created cards for him with images of Adinkra symbols and definitions on one side and a corresponding Baha’i quote on the other. For my girlfriend and her new baby I chose rainbow colored cards and positive affirmation quotes on one side and short greeting from mutual friends on the other. When you find information on the topic you have chosen copy and paste the info into a new blank document. Don’t worry about formatting the text yet, just collect enough to fill 30-50 cards.

After you have collected enough information open a new blank document in the business-card format (In MS Word look under tools – envelopes and labels – choose business cards). Insert text into to card format, change the font type and size as needed, and print out test versions on white paper before printing final draft on the business card stock.

After the cards are printed, separate them by bending the perforations back and forwards gently. Wrap the cards in tissue paper or other appropriate container. Consider purchasing a small acrylic frame for displaying the cards, or make a little fabric drawstring pouch.

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