a lot of rambling about paper...

over the past few years i have become increasingly passionate about cooking.
it's fun for me and i think i am fairly decent at it.  i have a huge folder on my computer toolbar packed full with bookmarks of recipes to try (or that i have tried).  i love wasting an afternoon on gojee.com coming up with new and interesting things to try.  i even have an adorable little 4x6 wooden recipe box that i have been trying to build up for a while now.  i reserve the recipe box for two things:  recipes i have tried and perfected, and recipes that have been passed on to me from my family.  one year my sister and i passed around blank recipe cards to my aunts and had them fill out their favorite recipes for us to keep; something i need to be more diligent about because it was awesome!

i have one slight problem, the recipe cards i have are so ugly.  ok, i have two slight problems, actually, let's face it...i have a slew of them.  the cards are ugly.  if i make the slightest mistake in my handwriting or wording of an ingredient, the card goes straight in the trash.  someone dared to use a purple pen?  oh help me... now they don't match.  you see, i am a bit OCD.  these things prevent me from sleeping properly at night.  i like things to be simple, well-designed and functional.  at least that's how i want my recipe box.

if you're still with me i will quickly get to the point...

i was scouring etsy for some new, simple, pretty, nicely-designed recipe cards and i was really bummed out at the selection.  i couldn't believe people charge upwards of $12 for 10 blank recipe cards.  TEN?  i need at least three to get one perfect.  then you add shipping and the paper is costing more than the recipe would cost to make.  but some were cute.  like these.  or these.  (look how fucking stupid these are) and i am not sure if you guys are aware but people charge for a PDF so you can PRINT YOUR OWN.  you have got to be kidding me.  if you have a printer and thick card-stock (or whatever you would use), then make your own!  don't buy a PDF, you idiot! (i am very animated when i talk and i use my hands so this entire paragraph might be better read if you picture some wildly flailing arms and over-exaggerated facial expressions)

it goes without saying that etsy was ruled out.  i checked target and scrolled for at least a half hour on pinterest with no luck.  (side-note: please do not pin things straight from google image search.  holy shit, at least put the website from where you found it or WHAT IS THE POINT) so last night while i was drifting off to sleep the thought crossed my mind to just make my own.  i had the exact perfect recipe cards all figured out in my head.  i even sat up and set an alarm on my phone to remind myself to buy 4x6 unruled index cards in the morning.  is it weird that i drift off to sleep while thinking about recipe cards?  no? ok good.

so...these are what i made today:









i'm pretty much in love with them.  and i successfully transferred all of my old (ugly) cards onto these.  i have enough to last me a pretty long time.  i think i am going to make some more to pass around to my sister and mom and whoever else wants them.  if i get crazy enough, maybe i will do one of those give-aways like all the other fancy bloggers do!
all of the images are from google image search.  so, obviously i cannot sell them.  they will just have to be for personal use.  wait..can you do a give-away with something that has a stolen image on it?  it wouldn't be for profit, so who knows?
if not i will wait until i make my own designs.  or i will forget and never think of it again..

this whole thing cost me $5.49 total, which was solely for the index cards.  (side note: not sure why staples needs to sell index cards in only 500-count packs.  jesus.  i will have these forever)  i am thinking of making my own little designs and blowing the lid of the etsy market.  maybe even sell twenty cards for $12.  the other sellers will quickly be put out of business with my bargain-basement pricing.

anyway, this might be the longest post in history about recipe cards and i'm going to go to bed.
goodnight and sweet dreaming.

xo