Review: Daily Whisper’s Inspirational Cards for All Ages

Thoughtful, heart-warming messages crafted into beautiful card sets.  These gorgeous inspirational cards make a lovely addition to the dinner table, lunch box, bathroom mirror, or night time routine.  They naturally inspire positive-thinking, self-esteem, and remind us of the importance of finding strength from our character within.

A few months ago I ran a giveaway for Daily Whisper Cards and today I’m happy to share an interview with their creator, Barbara Lemke.

The Interview

Chelsea: Will you tell us a little bit of the backstory behind your cards?

Barbara: The journey of developing Whisper Cards began to evolve in 2000 at a meeting of my book club. We were reading Sonia Choquette’s Creating Your Heart’s Desire. Upon chatting about the book, I realized how the women in my group – all strong, passionate, intelligent, and loving – were crippled by some of the beliefs they held onto about themselves. Wanting them to see about themselves what I saw, I made a customized bookmark for each, complete with personalized “I am” statements of their strengths. Upon receiving this small gift, I watched as the women took a new look at themselves, and how it deeply touched them. After this experience, I felt a renewed sense of energy to help others, so I began developing my Whisper Cards.

Currently, I’ve developed more than 3 sets of Whisper Cards, writing and creating all of the artwork by hand for each set. One set addresses the needs of children and the challenges they face growing up; the second set addresses the unique needs of adolescents, and the third is designed to help women. These cards are not specifically about thinking positively, although that is often a result, but instead they are designed to help people accept and love who they are no matter what conditions or problems they face in their lives.

Chelsea: What sort of feedback have you received from families?

Barbara: The feedback I have received has been heartwarming and they keep me going and excited about my product. I have had women say the whispers make them feel good about themselves. One testimony from a woman who just had a baby and she was feeing insignificant. My card deck helped her to sort out her feelings and reminded her of the value she brings to her family. Another woman with a career and family said the cards gave her the encouragement she needed and didn’t find anywhere else.

I will never forget the first feedback I received for my kid’s cards. A young mother gave the cards to her 2 year old who was much too young to read the cards herself. Her daughter carried the cards in her little purse. Whenever she was close to an adult she pulled a card out and asked him or her to read the card. Then she would take the card back, look at the image, giggle and smile. This makes me very happy because two people are getting the message this way. The kid’s cards were written for children but the messages can be for everyone.

Since then I have gotten many wonderful stories about how parents use the cards to help their child through the challenges they face. The most frequent story I hear is that the parent uses the cards to begin a dialogue during breakfast. They pull a card that is needed for the day, such as, “I am considerate of other peoples feelings,” and talk about it. It is a powerful way to teach lessons to children.

Chelsea: I’m sure there are many creative ways to use the cards. Can you share a few?

Barbara: There are many ways to use the cards. I like to think of the cards as individual pages of a small book. And when you love one of the pages you can carry it with you!

The women’s cards are written about the issues we face on a regular basis. I took the concerns we have that we usually complain about and turned them into positive messages. For instance, I used to always beat myself up for saying or doing something stupid. I spent many years of my life re-living past mistakes and that is not healthy. The card that most resonates with me is, “I believe in myself. Every moment of my life I am growing. I remain patient, kind and forgiving to myself as I learn life’s lessons.” Now, with this message as a constant reminder, I have learned to let my past mistakes go. I learn from them and move on.

Many of us complain about our birthdays. We can’t believe we are getting older but the truth is that too many beautiful women have left this earth too young and the only way to not have a birthday is to be dead. The card I created for women who don’t want to age is, “I love my body! I appreciate my age and I welcome my birthdays. I am aging with grace and ease and I am thankful for every day that I have.” By these examples you can see that the cards are not your typical inspirational card, nor are they an affirmation. This is why I call them daily whispers.

Here are a few ways to use the Women’s Deck:

• Choose a random card in the deck and read it out loud many times until you feel the impact of the words.
• Post a card that is important to you at your desk, on your refrigerator or tape it to your bathroom mirror. Anywhere you will see it often.
• Carry the cards with you in your purse and look at them when you have quiet time.
• Look at the cards any time you are feeling down and you need a pick-me-up.
• Give a card to a friend who is in need of a wise word.

The kid’s cards are designed to help build self-esteem and to teach your child how to be a kind and responsible person. As an example, if you are concerned about the way your son handles himself when he is angry, choose the card that opens his mind to the way he should be behaving. You may choose the card that says, “I can be angry without hurting people or things.” After you or your child reads the card out loud, ask him, “What does this mean to you?” Let your child tell you why hurting people or things when he is angry are poor behavior. Let him know everyone gets angry from time to time and what is important is how we handle our emotions.

Here are ways to use the Kid’s Card Deck:

• During quiet time, read a card with your child and talk about what it means to him or her.
• Create a game with the cards. Lay the cards upside down on the table and have your child choose a card and read it out loud. See if your child can find pictures that are the similar and which ones are different.
• Send a card with your child to school.
• Hide a card in your child’s lunchbox for a fun reminder while they are at school.
• Tape a card to your child’s bathroom mirror.
• Put a card in a fun picture holder for your child’s nightstand or dresser.
• For an older child, have him / her choose a card to talk about. You may find something out that they would not have spoken about on their own.

Question for Readers

How do you invite positive words into your life?  Can you see a way you or your children could benefit from cards such as these?

Visit the Daily Whisper website to learn more about the different sets of cards.  You can also stay in touch with Barbara via Twitter and Pinterest.

I received a set of cards to experience.  All opinions are my own.  To read more about advertising on my website, visit this page.