Cheating on Christmas cards

I had a realization this weekend that I cannot make Christmas cards and write notes in them in the time that's left before I realistically need to mail the cards.  Last year I didn't deal with Christmas cards soon enough and this year I'm already cutting it close.

Enter my time saving idea.  Normally, I write a note to each person on my list and it's usually very similar from one card to the next.   Tonight, I typed up a Christmas letter.  Now, that's not a big deal because people have been sending typed Christmas letters for ages.  What I did that's a bit different is that I formatted my document with two columns and page margins 6" on the top and .5" on all other sides.  This gave me a card base that I could print out that already had the entire message inside except for the salutation and my signature.  I just put one per page for simplicity and as I cut them down, I'll keep the other half to build up a stack of card bases for OWH.  Yay! 

Here's a little diagram for you visual folks!

What do you do to make your holiday cards come together quickly?

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero (as of 10/9)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

Still here!

I guess I've been busy because I haven't posted in nearly three weeks.  :) 

Thanks to a couple of reminders on the OWH FB page, I finally got around to making my ODBD challenge card for the month of November.  We were asked to use a tool that we've neglected.  Immediately the Fastenator came to mind (what a stupid purchase that was) but the results weren't what I wanted.  I covered up the large staples on the first card with the sentiment and pretended that I didn't mess it up too badly.  Hehe!  These Cosmo Cricket papers are great, though, aren't they?  I was trying for masculine; do you think I succeeded?

The second card is my actual entry.  I used a Cuttlebug die/embossing folder set of Princess Belle.  I got the set for pennies on Oh My Crafts a while ago and this was the first time I'd used it. 

Please take some time to make a card for the ODBD challenge.  ODBD is so generous to offer shipping costs for two boxes of OWH cards per month but we have to post 50 cards to earn it!  Help out and post a card with this month's theme: unused tools.  :) 

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero (as of 10/9)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.

AnyHero challenge for November

Since Thanksgiving comes at the end of November, many of us make a concerted effort to express our gratitude for a number of our blessings this month.  Thanksgiving has long been my favorite holiday because it's not about presents and consumerism (as all of the others are), but it's about family and the aspects of our lives we hold most dear.  

As Hurricane Sandy swept through the East Coast this weekend, many of us realized once again how blessed we are.  This month, I'm going to channel that feeling of gratitude and abundant blessing into AnyHero cards for Operation Write Home.

I'm challenging myself to write one AnyHero card per day for the rest of the month.  Will you join me?  Leave a comment here letting me know you're in.  I'm going to work on a great prize for people who report back at the end of the month and let us know how many AnyHero cards they were able to do this month (even if that number isn't 30). 

So, leave a comment and get writing!  Our heroes will appreciate knowing just how much they are valued! 

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Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero (as of 10/9)
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Check out OWH at www.operationwritehome.org to learn more about its mission and how to get involved.