GIU 6/23/25 to 6/27/25

Hello everyone!  I had the pleasure of being the Unity Stamp Company Growing in Unity gal this week.  I posted my creations to Facebook because there are more people over there to see them, but I wanted to capture them here as well.  

 

Monday 6/23/25

Happy Monday! It’s my GIU week, a chance for me to share some recent creations and a chance for you to win some store credit to Unity by being a lucky commenter. Two winners will be drawn at the end of the week.

For today’s card, I wanted a beach background for an anniversary card for a couple who married on the beach. I didn’t exactly have one, so I selectively inked “Realize” to create my background and layered die cuts of cardstock and mulberry paper to finish off the card. The sentiment is from “Love is a Magical Thing.” 

 

 

Tuesday 6/24/25 

I’m sharing posts this week as a GIU gal for Unity. Be sure to leave a comment for your chance to win one of two $20 store credits from Unity!

 

Today’s cards feature the recent kit “Kindness Unfolded.” These stamps helped me easily make dozens of thank you cards for the many friends and family who supported me while I was undergoing cancer treatment and Unity was awesome enough to make the kit from a set of sentiment ideas I shared with them. Thanks, Unity, for helping bring my vision to red rubber!

 

On the first card, I stamped mini ink pads directly on paper to make the background. On the second, I inked up a square acrylic stamping block and then pressed it to the paper to give a slightly different effect. There are so many fun ways to play with inks!

 

 

 

 

Wednesday 6/25/25

Happy Wednesday! Today’s card combines several Unity kits: Party Mix, Slowly Turning Classic, and Urban Chevron. Papers are by Basic Grey, so you know they have been in my stash for ages!

If you haven’t noticed the Christy Tomlinson stamps at Unity, please go check them out. The Urban Chevron stamp is one of my all time favorite backgrounds. Here I stamped it both vertically and horizontally to add additional visual texture to my background.

We are all always looking for masculine card designs. I hope this gives you some inspiration!

Remember that at the end of the week, I’ll be drawing the names of two lucky commenters to win a $20 Unity store credit. Thanks, Unity, for sponsoring the GIU program!  

 

 

Thursday 6/26/25

Happy Thursday! Today’s card features a sentiment from “Grateful for All” and a whole bunch of patterned paper scraps from a 6x6 pad!

The gems on this card are from what was essentially a bedazzling kit for fabric, but I love how low profile they are for cards to make it through the mail using only one postage stamp. What are some items you have used on cards that weren’t originally intended for cards?

Remember to leave comments on my GIU posts this week for your chance to win a $20 store credit from Unity! 

 

 

Friday 6/27/25 

Happy Friday! It’s my last day as the Growing in Unity poster, so be sure to leave a comment here and on my four earlier posts this week. Unity generously provides a $20 store credit to two random commenters each week.

“Coolest Chick Ever” takes center stage in today’s card. I just love the sassy chickens in this set! These paper flowers were all the rage 15 years ago and I wouldn’t mind seeing them make a comeback because they are such an easy way to bring some texture to a card. Is there an older supply or technique you’d like to see regain popularity?

Thanks for your kind comments this week.  

 

 

I hope you enjoyed coming along for the ride this week.  Looking back, I think it's clear I love crafting with teals and oranges!    

Be sure to check out the fine stamps and other supplies that Unity Stamp Company offers.   

GIU 8/30/2024

It's Friday already.  Do you have any exciting weekend plans?  Here in the US, many people are off work on Monday for Labor Day so it's even a long weekend!

All this week, I've been posting projects featuring Unity Stamp Company projects as I'm the Growing in Unity poster for this week.  Before I started making my projects, I decided to finally use an idea that's been brewing ever since I was first a GIU poster several years ago and that is to reuse the same kits all week. Let me share my reasons:

First of all, I have been a less-than-engaged crafter for the past 2-3 years.  Ever since I moved houses in 2022, I've found it harder to work and focus in my new space. My primary issue is that the lighting isn't quite right for evening crafting; we have on our to-do list to add a ceiling light to the room.   The room is larger than my space in my old home and I think that is a contributing factor, along with the fact that I switched out some furniture which meant nothing was in the same place as it was in the old house and less items are within arm's reach. To combat this, I decided to focus on making less decisions in my crafting so I could be more productive.  Therefore, this week I've only used these two stamp kits and papers or scraps of paper from my desk top.  This was actually a massive time saver as I have just left these kits on my desk all week and haven't been searching for "the perfect" stamp for a project.

https://www.unitystampco.com/its-going-to-be-beautiful-kom-7-17/

https://www.unitystampco.com/blessed-happy-everything-stamp-die-set/ 

My other reason for sticking with two kits all week is to demonstrate that you can make lots of great projects from one Kit of the Month.  The Unity designers do an amazing job at mixing styles in this kit so there's something for everyone.  You can see in the kit I used from 2017 that there are some solid stamps and some that can be colored.  There are a variety of sentiments, in different styles and fonts.  I've made 5 projects this week and I've only used about half of the stamps, so there is a lot more I could do!  

So, if you're looking to up your crafting output, my lesson from this week is to choose a smaller subset of material to work with than your entire collection. You could limit your stamps, or your papers, or your coloring media- whatever would increase your efficiency and remove decision paralysis.  

With all of that said, here's my final card of the week.  I used some more partial stamping (in this case masking) to only stamp selected letters of the "to have a friend like you" sentiment.  Then I used a small circle punch to cut the individual letters and some colored circles, placing them like a friendship bracelet.  The heart stamp from the kit of the month made a simple background.  Have you ever used the individual letters in a stamp to spell a different word? 

If you've missed any posts earlier in the week, be sure to go back and leave comments on them as well as a comment below. Each comment is a chance to win a prize generously provided by Unity Stamp Co!  Thank you for your kind comments all week.

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Proud Operation Write Home Alumni
Cards shipped to OWH in 2014: 21
Cards shipped to OWH in 2013: 829 blank and 301 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

GIU 8/29/2024

Happy Thursday, friends.  All this week, I've been honored to share some creations featuring products from Unity Stamp Company.  Did you know they manufacture their red rubber stamps in house at their headquarters in Minnesota?  How cool is that?

My goal this week was to show how to stretch a kit.  I have a tendency to buy a stamp kit for one stamp or sentiment and not do a great job utilizing the whole package.  So, for this week, I've been working off of one Unity Kit of the Month and a simple sentiment and die kit.  Here they are:

https://www.unitystampco.com/its-going-to-be-beautiful-kom-7-17/

https://www.unitystampco.com/blessed-happy-everything-stamp-die-set/ 

I wanted to feature another technique today to show how I can stretch my stamps.  As I was making my card, I knew I wanted some tone-on-tone papers in the background behind my focal image.  I had such a piece of pink patterned paper and I used a sentiment stamp from the kit to add some texture to kraft paper by repeated stamping.  Normally, I would have chosen a stamp with a generic texture design for the background, but as I'm challenging myself to only use these two kits this week, I thought text would work.  What do you think, was it successful?

Do you have any smaller stamps you can use for text backgrounds?

Remember that at the end of the week, two random commenters will receive prizes from Unity, so be sure to leave a note below!  

 

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Proud Operation Write Home Alumni
Cards shipped to OWH in 2014: 21
Cards shipped to OWH in 2013: 829 blank and 301 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

GIU 8/28/2024

It's the middle of the week already!  If you are coming back for another Unity Stamp Company Growing in Unity post, you are in the right place.  

For my GIU week, I decided to challenge myself to make projects using just two kits.  I love the variety of stamps that come in each Kit of the Month.  I also tend to choose more simple sentiments, so I paired this KOTM with a kit that comes with two sentiment dies and matching sentiments. 

https://www.unitystampco.com/its-going-to-be-beautiful-kom-7-17/

https://www.unitystampco.com/blessed-happy-everything-stamp-die-set/ 

Today's technique is partial stamping.  Can you count how many partial stamps I used on this card?

Did you count 3 or 4? I'd consider either the correct answer, depending on whether you count fussy cutting.  I used a heart stamp to make a scalloped border.  One of my favorite techniques is to make backgrounds out of things that aren't intended as backgrounds.  Then I stamped the bowl image on the card and stamped a second one on extra cardstock which I fussy cut after I colored it with Copics.  I attached the colored bowls with foam tape.  Finally, I used two partial stamps to make the sentiment flag.

Have you tried to stretch your stamps this week?  Tell me about it in the comments below and remember that each comment is a chance to win a prize from Unity!

Happy Wednesday! 

 

 

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Proud Operation Write Home Alumni
Cards shipped to OWH in 2014: 21
Cards shipped to OWH in 2013: 829 blank and 301 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

GIU 8/27/2024

Happy Tuesday! If you are coming back for another Unity Stamp Company Growing in Unity post, you are in the right place.  

For my GIU week, I decided to challenge myself to make projects using just two kits.  I love the variety of stamps that come in each Kit of the Month.  I also tend to choose more simple sentiments, so I paired this KOTM with a kit that comes with two sentiment dies and matching sentiments. 

https://www.unitystampco.com/its-going-to-be-beautiful-kom-7-17/

https://www.unitystampco.com/blessed-happy-everything-stamp-die-set/ 

Today's technique is to use a sketch and to show off your patterned paper.  Lots of times, I will make cards with no stamped image at all and will rely on my (ridiculously large) patterned paper selection with a stamped sentiment to make a clean and simple card.  Why?  I am not a major fan of coloring, in spite of trying several media.  This sketch was one in a monthly series I designed and gave to my mom for Christmas back in 2020. During 2021, we each completed the monthly sketch challenge and sent each other the cards we made.  It was a great way to stay connected while we lived far apart.  

Do you use sketches or patterned paper in your cardmaking?

Be sure to come back each day this week and leave a comment; two lucky commenters will win a prize from Unity.  How cool is that?!?

 

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Proud Operation Write Home Alumni
Cards shipped to OWH in 2014: 21
Cards shipped to OWH in 2013: 829 blank and 301 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

GIU 8/26/24

Welcome to my Growing in Unity week for Unity Stamp Company!  This week, I'm featuring Unity stamps in all of my creations.  I've been stamping with Unity for well over a decade now; I think I got my first stamps from them in 2011 or 2012!

This card is for a friend of mine whose birthday is later in the week. She is a yoga instructor whose favorite color is purple. Time to pop it in the mail! 

I used two inks and a stamp (that was already dirty with blue ink, a happy accident) to create the variety of colors you see on this card.  By stamping twice, I was able to get a dark and a light version of each color; this is a great way to stretch your ink collection if you don't have a huge selection of colors.  What is your favorite ink to work with?  Of the ones I've tried, I really enjoy Ranger Archival, which is what I used on this card.

 

Image stamp: https://www.unitystampco.com/its-going-to-be-beautiful-kom-7-17/

Sentiment: https://www.unitystampco.com/blessed-happy-everything-stamp-die-set/ 

Inks: Ranger Archival Vibrant Fuchsia and Majestic Violet

Be sure to come back each day this week and leave a comment; two lucky commenters will win a prize from Unity.  How cool is that?!?

 

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Proud Operation Write Home Alumni
Cards shipped to OWH in 2014: 21
Cards shipped to OWH in 2013: 829 blank and 301 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

GIU 6/23

Happy Friday!  Do you have exciting weekend plans?  I can honestly say I don't.  If it stops raining, I'll get back to gardening.  If it's rainy, we'll find an indoor house project because that's a never-ending list!  We bought our house a year ago and today's card is celebrating a friend who is buying their first house and relocating to a different state for work, all at once!  

I used the cute house from Devoted, one of my most favorite images from Unity, and a sentiment from You Can and You Will. I finished up with some Copic coloring and paper punched clouds and a tree. 

Thank you for joining me for my GIU week with Unity Stamp Co!

GIU 6/22

Last weekend was Father's Day and I needed to make cards for my dad and my father in law.  They enjoy different hobbies, so personalized cards were in order.  

My dad has been an avid golfer for most of my life, so I grabbed some argyle-inspired pattered paper to play on the theme and stamped out the cute golf cart from FORE!!!  I went with a slimline style card so I had more area to show off the patterned paper.  To jazz up the blue cardstock layer, I stamped with one of my most-used Unity backgrounds, Love Life As Is.  It gives a subtle nod to the texture of a golf ball on this card, but it is very versatile!

I grabbed the same Cuttlebug "Harmony" die cut letters to make a card for my father-in-law, who loves bird watching.  I'm not sure if he picked up on what I tried to do with this card, but I took the cute image from the July 2017 Kit of the Month and used my Micron pen to make it look more like a cardinal by adjusting the feathers on the head.  Then I colored the birds to be the color of a male cardinal and a baby cardinal.  The background is an original Brutus Monroe and Unity collaboration, barn wall. 

Thank you for your kind comments this week.  When the week is through, two commenters will win store credit from Unity, so be sure to leave comments on any post that you might have missed to increase your chances!

GIU 6/21

Happy Wednesday and first day of summer!

When I saw this fishbowl in the March 2022 Kit of the Month, I knew it would make an amazing wedding card for an aquarium-themed wedding I'd been invited to.  I embellished the fish with a veil and bow tie and added some shiny cardstock and patterned cardstock bubbles as a background.  I almost always make A2 cards but whenever I make a wedding card, I make it a 5x7 or 6x6.  This was a 6x6.

Sentiments are from the November 2015 sentiment kit and the May 2016 sentiment kit.  

Thanks for joining me here this week.  Remember to leave a comment for your chance to win store credit from Unity!  Winners will be announced next week from all the comments left this week. 

GIU 6/20

Happy Tuesday!

Today's card is perhaps the strangest anniversary card I've ever made, but bear with me.  My two egg-trordinary friends recently celebrated 12 years of marriage.  When I hear "twelve" I think about a dozen...and then I think of eggs!  This is a great versatile Itty Bitty set from Unity!

Be sure to stop by and comment all week for a chance to win a prize from Unity!

GIU 6/19

Happy Monday!  How did you spend your weekend? One of the best parts of my weekend was celebrating a family member’s graduation.  You Did Good is one of my go-to graduation sets. I just grab some inks and cardstock in school colors and whip this up in minutes! 

Unity Stamp Company has been running an excellent sale. Head over today to see if you can snag any great deals before the sale ends tonight. I’ll be back all this week sharing Growing in Unity projects. Remember to comment because at the end of the week two commenters will win a generous prize from Unity. 

GIU 4/8 Project

Thank you for joining me this week while I've had the pleasure of being your Growing in Unity gal! As I shared earlier this week, I was working from limited supplies while my craft room was packed up. I scrounged around to find some unexpected tools for today's card.

I haven't used decorative scissors in years, but this pair was hanging out in my tool caddy. Good thing, because I wanted a border punch and they were all boxed up. I also grabbed my trusty desk stapler for some "bling" on the card front. I had pre-stamped and colored the image and sentiment and grabbed scraps for the rest.

Don't forget to comment on each post this week and I will plan to draw winners on Sunday. Thanks again to Unity and thanks to each of you for your kind comments! ------
Proud Operation Write Home Alumni
Cards shipped to OWH in 2014: 21
Cards shipped to OWH in 2013: 829 blank and 301 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

4/7 GIU Project

Do you ever find yourself reaching for some sets again and again? For me, Whispy Prairie is a no-brainer because you can color it or stamp it in colored ink and get great results either way. Blossomy Condolences was the source of the sentiment, and is another great go-to!

I tried my hand at watercolor for this card, a medium I'm not as practiced with as others. it was fun to try and is fast compared to Copic coloring. Thanks again to Unity Stamp Co for their continued support of the Growing in Unity group. It's always fun to see what everyone is making! Remember to leave comments on my blog all week for your chance to win one of the gift certificates provided by Unity. ------
Proud Operation Write Home Alumni
Cards shipped to OWH in 2014: 21
Cards shipped to OWH in 2013: 829 blank and 301 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

4/6 GIU project

My mother-in-law expressed interest in cardmaking in 2020, but because she lives far away and we werent visiting during the pandemic, there wasn't much I could do to get her started. At Christmas, I gave her kits that were pre-stamped and only required assembly. When we finally got to visit, I packed a few stamps, coordinating inks, and pre-cut papers.

At home, I still like to turn to pre-cut kits like these. Do you ever make your own kits?
For today's project, I grabbed an extra of these kits and this adorable owl stamp kit to make a quick card. The die cutting machine was packed away, but an old paper crimper added some texture to the design.

Remember to comment below for a chance to win one of two gift cards generously provided by Unity Stamp Co! thanks for being here! ------
Proud Operation Write Home Alumni
Cards shipped to OWH in 2014: 21
Cards shipped to OWH in 2013: 829 blank and 301 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

4/5 GIU project

Happy Tuesday! Did you know that the generous Unity Stamp Co offers two $20 gift certificates to lucky commenters from each GIU week's posts? Don't forget to leave your thoughts below for a chance to win this week. Although most of my craft room is packed up, I did find a few ATCs I made a while back. Today's project uses one on a card along with some Nuvo drops. These stamps are from four different kits- don't hesitate to mix and match!

Here's a tip if you haven't tried it before: make your drops ahead on an old sticker backing (this is from postage stamps) and let them cure, then attach with glue. I much prefer this to squeezing the bottle over my card and hoping for a good result!

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Proud Operation Write Home Alumni
Cards shipped to OWH in 2014: 21
Cards shipped to OWH in 2013: 829 blank and 301 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Unity GIU 4/4

Thanks for stopping by my Growing in Unity week with Unity Stamp Co! My cards this week are going to follow a rather unconventional theme- what can you make when you've packed up most of your craft room? We are getting ready to paint my room so most everything is in storage.

This card was made with my newest acquisition. My great aunt is 95 and loves chickens and roosters, so I had to get this to make her a card! ------
Proud Operation Write Home Alumni
Cards shipped to OWH in 2014: 21
Cards shipped to OWH in 2013: 829 blank and 301 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

GIU Blog Hop

Hello everyone!  Welcome to my stop on the Unity Stamp Company Growing in Unity Blog Hop.  Everyone sharing on this hop was a featured GIU creator in March or April.  Be sure to visit each blog linked at the bottom of this post and leave a comment so that you're entered to wish a great prize from Unity!

I have a couple of projects to share with you today. I hope these help you feel like summer; our weather here in Maryland just crept into the 80s this past week and likely won’t let up until September!

I inked an embossing folder for this background and paired it with a bee stamp from a past Kit of the Month (https://www.unitystampco.com/eyes-of-the-beholder-kom-4-18/) to make an A2 sized card. The die word is by Tim Holtz.

This card is also made with stamps from a past KOTM! (https://www.unitystampco.com/ridiculously-amazing-kom-2-19/). I made this card 5x7 so I’d have more room to write. 

I’m not a KOTM member but I have a few of the kits. There are so many fun stamps in each kit and they are great for many occasions. When you are a GIU creator, Unity will send you a kit as a thank you for showcasing Unity on your blog. I have received a few of the KOTM I own that way and I am always tempted to join!

Speaking of joining, please join the rest of the bloggers on this hop!

 
Be sure to catch all the posts on this hop:  

Tenia : https://jazzypaper.blogspot.com/

Miwa: https://miwannascrap.blogspot.com/

Kathryn: https://kathrynscards.blogspot.com/ (You're here!)

Kim: https://mykraftkloset.weebly.com/blog

Jessica: https://polkadotorchard.com/polka-dot-orchard-blog/

Stephanie: https://ingeniousinkling.typepad.com/

GIU winners

Thank you all for your kind comments during my Growing in Unity week.  Unity Stamp Company is so kind as to provide grab bags of 25 stamps to two random commenters each week.  I decided to add a third prize to the mix.  Congrats to these winner!

GlennisF and jennyoh3 win prize packs from Unity.

Becca Yahrling wins a prize from me.  

 

Please reach out to me (easiest for you on Facebook- I've tagged those I could) so I can get your mailing address and have the prizes in the mail ASAP.  

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Proud Operation Write Home Alumni
Cards shipped to OWH in 2014: 21
Cards shipped to OWH in 2013: 829 blank and 301 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Unity Stamp Co Growing in Unity (GIU) Friday

Happy Friday!  I have one last project to share.   This one will go to a friend who has been having some life changes on top of the transition to working from home. 

I stamped Clara Girl and was lucky to find a tiny sentiment from Succulent Salutations that just barely fit on her laptop!  Do you see her cute slippers?  This girl understands daytime pajamas and nighttime pajamas, right?  :)  If you don't have Succulent Salutations, do take a look.  It is one of my most-used kits.  I think that's in part because the sentiments are compact so they fit on many cards.  I sometimes don't plan my whole design out and then find my sentiments don't quite fit.  Oops!    

After my stamping, I inked around her.  Then I attached the layer with foam tape, tied on a gold bow, and used some white and gold Nuvo drops for decoration.  I cannot recommend highly enough that you pre-make your dots.  I'd been avoiding this for ages and I finally saved the backing from some postage stamps to make some dots on.  Once they've dried for several days they really hold up so much better than when you put them directly on your project. No fear of them squishing onto the envelope this way.  I do recommend tweezers for placement, however. 

Remember to leave a comment on this post, and on every post this week.  Unity Stamp Company graciously provides a grab bag of 25 stamps to two random commenters this week and every GIU week!   I'll have a prize that I'll personally send out to someone who comments and answers the question at the bottom of the post. 

What will you do this weekend?  I think it's time for me to start mowing the grass for the season.  Usually I try to wait for April 1st and so if it's dry this weekend, it's time to start.   

I hope you are staying safe and well during this challenging time.


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Proud Operation Write Home Alumni
Cards shipped to OWH in 2014: 21
Cards shipped to OWH in 2013: 829 blank and 301 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695

Unity Stamp Co Growing in Unity (GIU) Thursday

It's Thursday already and this week is surely flying by!

Can you spot the 4 Unity Stamp sets used in this card? 

Background: Barn Wall is a must-have background stamp.  I used a medium brown ink to stamp it and sponged on a lighter brown.
Main image: My Heart Trusts
Sentiment: Steps of Courage.  I was lucky enough to get this one in a grab bag ages ago!
Frame around sentiment: Sports Squares. Bonus points to you if you picked up on this one.  I used the outside of the Football stamp by covering the football image with scotch tape when I inked the stamp and then removing the tape before stamping on my project. 

Remember to leave a comment on this post, and on every post this week.  Unity Stamp Company graciously provides a grab bag of 25 stamps to two random commenters this week and every GIU week!   I'll have a prize that I'll personally send out to someone who comments and answers the question at the bottom of the post. 

A project-related question today: Should I have colored the girl's shirt? I hesitated a long time and left it monochromatic, but I'm wondering if you would have chosen differently. 

I hope you are staying safe and well during this challenging time.


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Proud Operation Write Home Alumni
Cards shipped to OWH in 2014: 21
Cards shipped to OWH in 2013: 829 blank and 301 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2012: 1284 blank and 218 AnyHero
Cards shipped to OWH in 2011: 1695