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Post by joblackford on Oct 4, 2019 15:40:07 GMT
The details of this year's Caring Hearts Card Drive are available: lingshappyplace.blogspot.com/2019/10/2019-caring-hearts-card-drive.html No limits on how many cards we can send this year, but after last year I limited myself to 100, just in case. Oh well. In case you don't know what the card drive is about: The purpose of our card drive is to collect handmade holiday cards for the elderly that live in nursing homes or live alone.The holidays are about family, kindness, and joy. During this time many of the elderly living in nursing homes may feel extra lonely or miss their families. We can bring a smile to their faces and brighten their holiday season simply by sharing our love of card making. A simple gesture to let them know that they are not forgotten. That someone is still thinking of them. We all love making cards and what’s better than knowing that our creations can bring a smile to others, right?Our team of helpful volunteers are all ready to assist us in delivering the cards to selected nursing homes.The rest of the details are in the blog post  UPDATE: deadline extended a week because of a shortage this year - accepting cards until Nov 15th |
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scrappington
Pearl Clutcher
in Canada
Posts: 3,139 
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Post by scrappington on Oct 6, 2019 4:09:32 GMT
Ok so I made 100 cards tonite.
Now I had stuff cut from last year. And 40 card bases ready . But I'm impressed. Not sure I will make more for it. But i made 100 .
I tried to find my own local places to donate. But no one was interested.
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Post by joblackford on Oct 6, 2019 5:09:49 GMT
Ok so I made 100 cards tonite. Now I had stuff cut from last year. And 40 card bases ready . But I'm impressed. Not sure I will make more for it. But i made 100 . I tried to find my own local places to donate. But no one was interested. Wow, nice job!! That's a lot of card making. I hope you're on a challenge team! Last year I delivered 100 cards to a local place after speaking to a contact there. She was really enthusiastic about the idea and we emailed a few times, but after I dropped them off I never even got an acknowledgement or a "we got them, thank you." I thought that was a bit weird and rude, and it really put me off donating there again. I have 100 for Caring Hearts and another 50 for Bring Smiles to Seniors (who always send a lovely thank you including a specific count of how many cards I send and how much I pay for postage). I added quick messages and signed all 100 cards tonight so I can box them up and send them out on Monday. I'll be glad to have them out of the way. I made most of them in January! |
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nylene
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,780
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Post by nylene on Oct 8, 2019 20:57:03 GMT
Thanks for this info joblackford. I would love to be involved. I will begin making cards right now. |
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Post by joblackford on Oct 8, 2019 21:18:19 GMT
Thanks for this info joblackford . I would love to be involved. I will begin making cards right now. Yay! I'm always excited to share card drives - for the longest time I didn't even know they existed or even what a card drive was. It's such a fun thing to be part of and such a good excuse to make mountains of cards! |
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Post by christinebk on Oct 8, 2019 22:45:05 GMT
Thank you for sharing Jo! I will definitely make a few |
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scrapnnana
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,451
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Post by scrapnnana on Oct 17, 2019 13:28:26 GMT
Thanks for posting this!
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gramma
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,121
Location: Sacramento, Ca
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Post by gramma on Oct 17, 2019 14:45:23 GMT
I'll send some that way also. I have the itch to make more Christmas cards.
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Post by gmcwife1 on Oct 25, 2019 17:03:53 GMT
Ok so I made 100 cards tonite. Now I had stuff cut from last year. And 40 card bases ready . But I'm impressed. Not sure I will make more for it. But i made 100 . I tried to find my own local places to donate. But no one was interested. Wow, nice job!! That's a lot of card making. I hope you're on a challenge team! Last year I delivered 100 cards to a local place after speaking to a contact there. She was really enthusiastic about the idea and we emailed a few times, but after I dropped them off I never even got an acknowledgement or a "we got them, thank you." I thought that was a bit weird and rude, and it really put me off donating there again. I have 100 for Caring Hearts and another 50 for Bring Smiles to Seniors (who always send a lovely thank you including a specific count of how many cards I send and how much I pay for postage). I added quick messages and signed all 100 cards tonight so I can box them up and send them out on Monday. I'll be glad to have them out of the way. I made most of them in January! I’ve never understood why the lack of a thank you for things like this. Often people communicate great beforehand but then forget the thank at receipt  |
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Post by gmcwife1 on Oct 25, 2019 17:06:36 GMT
I forgot to say, what a great card drive!! My dad moved to a low income senior apartment last year. I was going to put cards in their card box they have sitting out.
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Post by gale w on Oct 26, 2019 21:40:48 GMT
Wow, nice job!! That's a lot of card making. I hope you're on a challenge team! Last year I delivered 100 cards to a local place after speaking to a contact there. She was really enthusiastic about the idea and we emailed a few times, but after I dropped them off I never even got an acknowledgement or a "we got them, thank you." I thought that was a bit weird and rude, and it really put me off donating there again. I have 100 for Caring Hearts and another 50 for Bring Smiles to Seniors (who always send a lovely thank you including a specific count of how many cards I send and how much I pay for postage). I added quick messages and signed all 100 cards tonight so I can box them up and send them out on Monday. I'll be glad to have them out of the way. I made most of them in January! I’ve never understood why the lack of a thank you for things like this. Often people communicate great beforehand but then forget the thank at receipt  Seriously. I took about 50 cards to the nursing home where my MIL lived. I had notified the staff and asked them if it was okay and they seemed enthusiastic about it. The idea was to leave them in the activity room so that residents could use the cards to send to loved ones. My MIL told me that after I took them, they locked them up in the employee's area and they were never seen again. They never said a word to me about them either way. From now on I'm going to send my blank cards to one of the other organizations that collect them. I don't mind making for something like the Caring Hearts drive but I don't want to write in the cards. |
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Post by gmcwife1 on Oct 27, 2019 3:29:02 GMT
I’ve never understood why the lack of a thank you for things like this. Often people communicate great beforehand but then forget the thank at receipt Seriously. I took about 50 cards to the nursing home where my MIL lived. I had notified the staff and asked them if it was okay and they seemed enthusiastic about it. The idea was to leave them in the activity room so that residents could use the cards to send to loved ones. My MIL told me that after I took them, they locked them up in the employee's area and they were never seen again. They never said a word to me about them either way. From now on I'm going to send my blank cards to one of the other organizations that collect them. I don't mind making for something like the Caring Hearts drive but I don't want to write in the cards. Dang, that was rude of them! |
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Post by joblackford on Oct 27, 2019 16:29:48 GMT
I’ve never understood why the lack of a thank you for things like this. Often people communicate great beforehand but then forget the thank at receipt Seriously. I took about 50 cards to the nursing home where my MIL lived. I had notified the staff and asked them if it was okay and they seemed enthusiastic about it. The idea was to leave them in the activity room so that residents could use the cards to send to loved ones. My MIL told me that after I took them, they locked them up in the employee's area and they were never seen again. They never said a word to me about them either way. From now on I'm going to send my blank cards to one of the other organizations that collect them. I don't mind making for something like the Caring Hearts drive but I don't want to write in the cards. Very rude. I wonder sometimes if the staff ever handed out my cards or if it was too much trouble... Or if they kept them for themselves. If you want a hassle free way to donate cards, with major appreciation shown every time, donate to Bring Smiles to Seniors. They take holiday and general cheer cards, written in or not, and they send a thank you letter for every donation detailing how many cards, how much you paid for postage to get them there, and often with a handwritten note. They saw a cute card I was making that I shared on IG and they had commented that they loved it, so I said I'd send them my prototypes with my next donation (which I had already planned to do), and when I got the thank you letter Ron specifically mentioned how excited he was to receive that card and see it in person. That made me feel extra-appreciated. It doesn't take much! |
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Post by joblackford on Oct 30, 2019 5:10:35 GMT
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GiantsFan
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,508
Site Supporter
Jun 27, 2014 14:44:56 GMT
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Post by GiantsFan on Oct 30, 2019 15:22:56 GMT
I’ve never understood why the lack of a thank you for things like this. Often people communicate great beforehand but then forget the thank at receipt Seriously. I took about 50 cards to the nursing home where my MIL lived. I had notified the staff and asked them if it was okay and they seemed enthusiastic about it. The idea was to leave them in the activity room so that residents could use the cards to send to loved ones. My MIL told me that after I took them, they locked them up in the employee's area and they were never seen again. They never said a word to me about them either way. From now on I'm going to send my blank cards to one of the other organizations that collect them. I don't mind making for something like the Caring Hearts drive but I don't want to write in the cards. Aww man. I'm sorry about this. I take cards to my MIL's facility and leave them in the activity room on the FREE table. I don't know what happens to them after that. I just hope someone is using them especially since I put them in a plastic sleeve with an envelope. As for the Caring Hearts Card Drive, I stamp a sentiment on the inside (something like, May the spirit of Christmas bring you joy) and only sign my first name. I use a small alpha set to stamp my city and state. Sending 100 cards off to them this week. I bookmarked the Smiles to Seniors link that joblackford mentioned. I'll send some there next time. |
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Post by gmcwife1 on Nov 11, 2019 17:04:06 GMT
I signed most of my cards this weekend and will mail them tomorrow since I forgot about the holiday |
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Post by joblackford on Nov 11, 2019 19:38:55 GMT
I signed most of my cards this weekend and will mail them tomorrow since I forgot about the holiday Yay! Just getting them signed, sealed and delivered is hard work. I saw a post saying that they were still very short so they will be much appreciated |
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Post by gmcwife1 on Nov 11, 2019 21:37:57 GMT
I signed most of my cards this weekend and will mail them tomorrow since I forgot about the holiday Yay! Just getting them signed, sealed and delivered is hard work. I saw a post saying that they were still very short so they will be much appreciated Since you’ve done this before I read that we are supposed to include where we are from. I just stamped the space needle at the end of my signature, do you think that is ok or should I be more specific or write it out? Hmmmm, I wonder if I can sign a few more tonight. |
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Post by joblackford on Nov 11, 2019 22:23:56 GMT
Yay! Just getting them signed, sealed and delivered is hard work. I saw a post saying that they were still very short so they will be much appreciated Since you’ve done this before I read that we are supposed to include where we are from. I just stamped the space needle at the end of my signature, do you think that is ok or should I be more specific or write it out? Hmmmm, I wonder if I can sign a few more tonight. I don't really think it matters. I'm sure the Space Needle should be specific enough of a clue. I sign Jo:) from Bremerton but in my handwriting that's actually really messy/hard for me to write (I have issues with Rs) so I think I'd rather just sign them that I'm from Seattle or Gorst (lol) I don't think anyone really cares, but maybe some people look up the city their card came from. I think a stamped symbol would be cool. |
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Post by gmcwife1 on Nov 11, 2019 23:25:10 GMT
Since you’ve done this before I read that we are supposed to include where we are from. I just stamped the space needle at the end of my signature, do you think that is ok or should I be more specific or write it out? Hmmmm, I wonder if I can sign a few more tonight. I don't really think it matters. I'm sure the Space Needle should be specific enough of a clue. I sign Jo:) from Bremerton but in my handwriting that's actually really messy/hard for me to write (I have issues with Rs) so I think I'd rather just sign them that I'm from Seattle or Gorst (lol) I don't think anyone really cares, but maybe some people look up the city their card came from. I think a stamped symbol would be cool. I was hoping the Space Needle would be interesting and different And my handwriting sucks too and signing Mountlake Terrace would be even worse  I was thinking next year I’ll have friends and family sign them with or for me |
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Post by gmcwife1 on Nov 12, 2019 23:56:51 GMT
Whew, my cards will be delivered the 14th or 15th! At least I know now for next year |
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Post by joblackford on Nov 13, 2019 0:38:23 GMT
I'll try to remember to post a thread again next year when it's announced. So glad to be able to connect this info to new people who haven't heard of it |
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GiantsFan
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Posts: 8,508
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Jun 27, 2014 14:44:56 GMT
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Post by GiantsFan on Nov 13, 2019 16:27:57 GMT
gmcwife1 I think the space needle stamp is a fun idea. As I mentioned above, I used an alpha set in my stamp platform and stamped my city name. If I lived in an area with a specific landmark I would look into a stamp like yours.
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Post by gmcwife1 on Nov 13, 2019 16:40:32 GMT
gmcwife1 I think the space needle stamp is a fun idea. As I mentioned above, I used an alpha set in my stamp platform and stamped my city name. If I lived in an area with a specific landmark I would look into a stamp like yours. Thank you I did end up using my handmade in Washington stamp on the back of each card too. I don’t want to write out my city, it’s two words, 16 letters total  My handwriting looks horrible when I write it! |
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Post by joblackford on Nov 15, 2019 0:54:19 GMT
Vera Yates, the organizer, was showing on IG Stories how she hand sorts all the cards she receives into piles for the rest-homes they serve (a HUGE job) and she was saying how she tries to distribute each contributor's cards across lots of different homes because a great part of the fun for the residents is comparing cards and where they came from. gmcwife1 GiantsFan It sounds like they may have gotten enough cards in the end |
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Post by paperaddict on Nov 15, 2019 22:02:18 GMT
I dropped off my cards last night. Proud of myself that I did not wait until tonight to do it. Thanks for updating on the card drive, joblackford.
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azcrafty
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,955
Jun 28, 2019 20:24:21 GMT
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Post by azcrafty on Nov 15, 2019 22:36:26 GMT
I'll try to remember to post a thread again next year when it's announced. So glad to be able to connect this info to new people who haven't heard of it Yes, thank you for sharing this. I love to make Christmas cards,but I don't want to end up with a bunch in a box. This card drive will keep me going all year. I made 65 quick cards this year. Thank you again. Btw how many did you end up sending them? |
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Post by joblackford on Nov 15, 2019 23:57:42 GMT
Btw how many did you end up sending them? 141 I think. I think I sent 125 in the first box. I was going to send 100 but the flat rate box was a bit empty so I added some more. And then I sent another 16 after she thought she wasn't going to have enough. Random number but it's what I had and what I could fit in the envelope. I haven't counted how many Christmas cards I've made this year but between this, Bring Smiles to Seniors, the Pea swap, cards to sell, and (eventually) cards for people I know and love it's a LOT! But I love to make cards too, and it makes me happy to send them out so I can make more. Thanks everyone for the enthusiasm |
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Post by gmcwife1 on Feb 12, 2020 21:03:50 GMT
Btw how many did you end up sending them? 141 I think. I think I sent 125 in the first box. I was going to send 100 but the flat rate box was a bit empty so I added some more. And then I sent another 16 after she thought she wasn't going to have enough. Random number but it's what I had and what I could fit in the envelope. I haven't counted how many Christmas cards I've made this year but between this, Bring Smiles to Seniors, the Pea swap, cards to sell, and (eventually) cards for people I know and love it's a LOT! But I love to make cards too, and it makes me happy to send them out so I can make more. Thanks everyone for the enthusiasm I know this is an older thread and a different charity, but For Cards for Soldiers, I think you do that one too. Can anyone post question in the Facebook group or does just the organizer make posts? I’m curious, and you might be able to answer for me How many A2 cards with envelopes do people usually put in a medium flat rate box? I don’t want to stop creating, pack the box, need more and then have to maybe repack the box. |
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Post by freeatlast on Feb 12, 2020 23:35:05 GMT
141 I think. I think I sent 125 in the first box. I was going to send 100 but the flat rate box was a bit empty so I added some more. And then I sent another 16 after she thought she wasn't going to have enough. Random number but it's what I had and what I could fit in the envelope. I haven't counted how many Christmas cards I've made this year but between this, Bring Smiles to Seniors, the Pea swap, cards to sell, and (eventually) cards for people I know and love it's a LOT! But I love to make cards too, and it makes me happy to send them out so I can make more. Thanks everyone for the enthusiasm I know this is an older thread and a different charity, but For Cards for Soldiers, I think you do that one too. Can anyone post question in the Facebook group or does just the organizer make posts? I’m curious, and you might be able to answer for me How many A2 cards with envelopes do people usually put in a medium flat rate box? I don’t want to stop creating, pack the box, need more and then have to maybe repack the box. I'm not joblackford but I do support Cards for Soldiers. My last box was packed in a medium flat rate box and contained about 80 cards plus a box of 60 Bic pens. |
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My handwriting looks horrible when I write it!
