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We're exploring the ways we find and bring joy into our lives. It’s about the things we do not because it’s a job or a necessity, but simply because we love to do them.

This Is My Thing: Upcycling Greeting Cards!

The photo shy Becky James shows off a card on September 23, 2025. Mike Lee/KUT News
Mike Lee
/
KUT News
The photo shy Becky James shows off a card on September 23, 2025. Mike Lee/KUT News

On This Is My Thing, we are continuing our mission to talk with people about the things they do just for themselves – not because it’s their job and not because it’s a responsibility, just because they love to do it. The stuff you do because it’s your thing.

The latest episode of This Is My Thing is about upcycling greeting cards, a hobby that Becky James stumbled upon after retiring. Downsizing to a smaller home, she ran across dozens of old greeting cards and, instead of recycling or discarding them, she decided to give them a second life by turning them into new cards and gift tags. Years later, she's still at it, sourcing cards from friends, family, and strangers alike.

We’ll talk about what this hobby does for her creatively, about the emotional journey one can go on while sorting through a lifetime's worth of greeting cards, and much more!

On this page, you can listen to the on-air version of this story, but if you check out the This Is My Thing podcast feed, you’ll find a longer version of this piece (as well as some older pieces you might have missed or might just want to listen to again). There’s some great stuff in there that couldn’t fit into the shorter on-air version, so check it out!

We’ve talked to a lot of other people about their things and those stories will be coming in future weeks. We’re working on stories about fountain pen collecting, whiffle ball, choral singing, and more! Stay tuned!

And we want to hear from you about the thing you do just because you love it! You’ll find an online form on the main This Is My Thing page where you can tell us about the thing that brings you joy, calms your mind, or feeds your soul in some way.

Mike is the production director at KUT, where he’s been working since his days as an English major at the University of Texas. He produces and hosts This Is My Thing and Arts Eclectic, and also produces Get Involved and the Sonic ID project. When pressed to do so, he’ll write short paragraphs about himself in the third person, but usually prefers not to.
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