Thank You Cards!

Ladies,

Here are the September Thank You Cards. Hopefully you all have received them! I mailed them Tuesday the 22nd. Everyone did such a great job! I just want to say Thanks to Marilee! We had 2 people drop out last minute, and Marilee offered to make an extra card. I also made an extra card so you all would receive the 15 that you were expecting. We are sorry about all the kinks and delays that keep happening. We are still figuring out how to make it run smoothly! We just wanted to let you know that we are very understanding people. If something does come up please just shoot us an email and let us know. Waiting until last minute or not letting us know your situation is very frustrating, and everyone suffers. We would like to know who would still like to participate in the next swap (Christmas Cards). Just leave a comment or you can email one of us. I have had a lot of fun making my cards and receiving yours, and I hope that you have been pleased with your selection that you get back!

If you would like to leave a comment on your card and let us know any details in how you made it, or if you have questions for anyone else, please do so!

Thanks again and I'm looking forward to November 1st!

Taina

Katie

Laura

Marilee

Karen

Beth

Anne

Melanie

Nicole

Colette

Erin

Jamie

Jamie's MIL

Anonymous #5

Anonymous #4 Card

Anonymous #3 Card

Anonymous #2 Card

Anonymous #1 Card

Beth's Card

Thanks for putting your name on the back!

Cathy's Card

Thanks for putting your name on the back!

Nicole's Card

Colette's 2 Cards

Yes, she volunteered to make two to fill that empty spot we had- thanks for helping us out!

Jamie's Card

(It might be supposed to go the other way- either way it is so cute!)

Melanie's Card

Taina's Card

Katie's Card

This one is mine. I didn't put my name on them because after running into a few snags while making them- running out of library pockets, then running out of brads, then flowers, I didn't want to have to buy a white pen just to put my name on them.

July Cards are finally getting posted...

So I finally have time to scan all of these cards in and post them. I know who made some of the cards, but not all of them, so I'm going to do one post per card that way if it's your card you can post a comment about it! Even if I know you made it, feel free to post a comment about how you made it or something like that. I thought it might help so we could all leave comments about the cards individually too. Enjoy!

PS- I did notice that the more dimensional your card, the worse the scan- sorry about that!

Cards Mailed Out!

Your cards left Queen Creek on Thursday! You should be seeing them in your mail sometime next week. Every time we do this, Taina and I figure a few more things out. (Just think, by November, we should be pros!) Here is our new decision, if we do not have your cards by the 15^th, we will send cards out without yours in it. Which pretty much means, if we don’t get them by the 15^th and you haven’t told us they should be here by then, you won’t be getting any.

Next swap needs to be posted by September 1 and the theme is thank you cards. We can’t wait!

Please let me know if you want to remain in the swap for September. We have had a few people express interest and we’re trying to see what that would put our numbers at. Thank you!

July Cards Should Be Posted Soon

We are looking forward to getting all of the cards next week. We've already received a few of them and applaud you on your early punctuality! Otherwise, they should be posted by Wednesday, July 1st. If you were planning on dropping them by our houses, we will both be out of town until next Thursday night (or you can leave them with the husbands). Thanks!

Card Candy #1: Summer

Taina and I were talking today and decided to start posting some sample cards with tutorials that we make to get your creativity going and to keep the blog moving, too.

Here's the first one I'd like to share. I like to send cards to the girls I work with at church (my Beehives). I usually send one with the holidays, but since Memorial Day isn't really a card holiday, I made cards for summer. I like how well they turned out, plus, I used paper and scraps I already had (hence, they all look a little bit different). I love the colors I used too- totally fun!

(sorry about the busy background- it's my summer tablecloth)
Here's one up close.
How To:
1. I used my Fiskars running water border punch on the orange and green. (a new toy that I first used from one of the ladies in my scrapbook club and then had to run out and purchase.) Some of the cards have more than two strips, some have three, maybe four, I can't remember....
2. Then used another new toy, my Fiskars daisy punch to punch out the flower twice. I layered the flower and put a green sparkly brad in the center (sorry the photo doesn't show the sparkle, but it's pretty, trust me).
3. Attach red paper and green and orange strips to the card.
4. I used a Scenic Route border paper for a lot of the cards, so I had the strips of summer sayings that I trimmed down and attached about an inch from the bottom.
5. Ink and attach flower.
6. Round corners on card and voila!

Cards for July

Here are a few things we wanted you to know about the card swap for next month:

• You can pick the theme for your cards. Anything goes! Have fun with what you decide.
• All cards should be postmarked by Wednesday, July 1st. Taina is going out of town July 9th and I go out of town July 6th. So, this is what this means to you. As long as all cards are in Taina's possession by the 9th (which should be easy if they are all mailed on time), all cards will get mailed out before she goes to the family reunion. If any cards have not arrived by the 9th though, she will hold off on mailing them until she returns after the 13th. We'll let you know when they get mailed.
• Please send 14 cards. That includes your card and one for the 13 other participants.
• Make sure your SASE has enough postage for the cards coming back to you. Also, make sure it is larger than 5x7 to fit all of your cards coming back.

I think that's everything! Thanks! We're excited to see these cards.

Update on Birthday Cards

Cards were mailed out from Arizona on Monday. You should be receiving them sometime this week.

Taina and I learned a few things from this first swap that we want to share with you:

1. Please make sure to send an envelope that is at least 6 inches wide. We had problems getting the wider square shaped cards in those smaller 5x7 envelopes.
2. Apparently, postage went up last week, so when Taina mailed them she had to spend $.70 getting them all up to cost. So just be aware of that for next time. It might not be a bad idea to round your postage up that way you know for sure it will get back to you okay.
3. Also, if you post your envelopes on your own at the post office at those self-help counters, it won't work to mail it back to you. Since they date your postage, it has to be mailed within a few days. However, if you actually go to the counter and they stamp your postage, that is fine.
4. It was great fun and we can't wait for July!

Here's one more card to share, too.
Made by Laura from Tennessee.

Birthday Cards are In!

Due to a busy week for Taina's family, they haven't been mailed out yet, but they should be mailed out early next week. Since we're sure you can hardly bear to wait, we'll post some pictures before they arrive in your mailbox.

Please be patient with my scanning skills, I didn't have the patience to be a perfectionist tonight. Also, I'm going to give a bit of background about the artists while I post. It'll be pretty simple, but if you want to add more, just put it in the comments. These are in ABC order.This one is April's from Washington. She has to take a break after this swap due to a pregnancy and full house of kids. (bummer!)
This is Ashley's (I'm not sure where she's from- sorry Ashley- she's Taina's friend). Ashley just got engaged!
This is Beth's from Tennessee. She had a busy month with her brother's wedding, so hers came in a few weeks early.
This is Cathy's from Arizona. I don't know much about her, she's friends of one of my friends... (sorry!)

This is Colette's from California. She's a high school biology teacher.So, I'm not sure whose is whose, but one is Anne's from California and one is Erin's. I don't know much about either lady...sorry about that.

This is Jamie's from Arizona. She just had a baby boy, uh, two days ago! Good thing she got these made first, they're adorable!

This is Katie's from Arizona (yes, I'm talking in the 3rd person). I'm a junior high English and social studies teacher and nothing major has happened recently- just normal too dang busy stuff.

This is Marilee's from Arizona. She just moved about a month ago.
This is Melanie's from Arizona. She just bought a house so she's getting ready to move. She teaches 1st grade.
This is Nicole's from California. She's a high school biology teacher too and she just moved too!
This is Taina's from Arizona. She's been busy with all of these cards and envelopes and a few other swaps too.

Final Count

We are at 14 total participants! 7 Arizonans, 2 Californians, 1 Washingtoner, 1 Arkansan, and 3 Tennesseens.

So, you will need to create and mail 13 cards. (You can make 14 if you want to keep one for yourself.) The theme for May is birthday cards. It is up to you, but you are welcome to include your name and blog on the back of your cards, kind of like your hallmark stamp. We anticipate our count staying the same throughout 2009, but if there is a change, we will let you know.

Your cards need to be postmarked with a SASE with the same postage as your total package by the 1st of May. Those of you Arizonans are more than welcome to run your items to Taina's or Katie’s house, but you’ll have to run to pick them up too when you want your cards back.

Thanks! We're excited!

Card Swap!

We are hosting our first ever Card Swap, and we are super excited!
If you would like to sign up, leave a comment.
The deadline for sign-ups will be March 15th. On the 16th we will post the amount of cards you will need to make each time. If you know someone who would like to sign up please send them our link! The more the merrier!

Here are the basic details:
You will mail your completed cards with an enclosed envelope addressed to yourself with the same postage to Taina. They need to be postmarked by the first of the month. By the 15th of the month, we will divvy them up, pack them up and send them back to you. We’ll also post them on the blog.
You will not need to send envelopes with your cards unless they are a specialty size.

We’ve decided to run this through the end of 2009 and at that point we can reevaluate what we want to do.

Here are the themes we’ve decided on.

May- Birthday Cards
July- Any occasion (You can either do a blank card or pick an occasion you prefer)
September- Thank you
November- Christmas

(Those of you local ladies are more than welcome to run your items to Taina's house, but you’ll have to run to pick them up too when you want your cards back.)