Guilt and Stress-free Christmas card swap

Don't panic - this really is what it says!

I've been reading how everyone is fretting about not being able to make even some, let alone all of their cards this Christmas. A lot of you have said you're going to have to buy cards rather than make - and I've also realised that our Christmas card lists from the Forum is probably growing year by year as we get to know each other better, especially after the Craft Weekend this year. So I've come up with this idea for a swap.

You sign up for the swap and make just one card, with a message inside intended for not only the recipient but everyone on the Forum. Once the sign-up date is passed, I will let you know who you should send your card to. The person who receives the card then posts a picture of it on the Forum, together with the message that was inside. This way, you will be sending your Christmas card and message to everyone on here and you won't then feel you have to send cards to loads of others in the group.

Of course, if anyone who takes part still wants to send a card to special friends on here, or to someone they think could do with cheering up, or even everyone, they can still do so.

Sign-up date: November 24th

Post by: December 8th

If I've missed anything or you have any questions (very likely, as my brain doesn't function properly these days) please ask.

Lynda

SIGN-UPS

lyndaejane (Lynda)
Bobs
Patty
kt_dragonfly (Kate)
Scatty (Alison)
mistyrat (Cynthia)
kimb (Kim)
Maria
cb (Cath)
Lorraine
Di Masters
misty (Jan)
Steph
thriftycrafter (Karelyn)
WeirdCat (Ruth)
joy
Claire
supergran (Billie)
karinlouise (Karin)
Helen
Mrsfeefee (Dawn)
Amulree
Teabag (Nona)
Gillian

Me too, please!

Oh Lynda this is just perfect for me, so please sign me up. You have probably seen my post about not making this year but donating to my MacMillan Nurse instead, so this covers it all. Thanks for organising it!

Have added your names, Bobs and Patty.

Yes, I did remember your post about donating rather than sending cards, Patty: that was one of the things that made me think of this swap. Everyone seemed to be getting so stressed-out about not having time to make cards, it seemed to be an ideal solution!

Lynda

Add me please!

Add me please Lynda, great idea by the way.

Yes please add me to the list

Have added you all - thanks for joining!

Lynda

Come on, you lot - this is probably the cushiest swap ever! There I was, thinking everyone would sign up - where are you all?

Lynda

i shall be sending out christmas cards so will not be joining in sorry lynda

I am going to be sending them out too Lynda... thats why i havent joined this.....I send plenty of cards to people I dont give a hoot about (long lost relatives, friends I no longer know etc) , so for sure I am going to send to you lot who have all been such a a big part of my life this year. Plus if I inject a little bit of craftiness into Christmas then maybe it wont be so bad, I enjoyed making the christmas cards at Pattys.

I'm still thinking, it's a good idea, but I think I'd feel a bit cheated if I didn't make as many cards as I want to. Although I don't have as much time as I wish I had. If that doesn't makes sense I'm not surprised, there's not much logic in Christmas, especially where I'm concerned.

lyndaejane wrote: Of course, if anyone who takes part still wants to send a card to special friends on here, or to someone they think could do with cheering up, or even everyone, they can still do so.

^^^^^
Read this bit from Lynda's original post!


So, you can join in the fun of this swap and still send cards too if you want.

Bobs wrote:

lyndaejane wrote: Of course, if anyone who takes part still wants to send a card to special friends on here, or to someone they think could do with cheering up, or even everyone, they can still do so.

^^^^^
Read this bit from Lynda's original post!


So, you can join in the fun of this swap and still send cards too if you want.

oooh go on then ,,,count me in

yes ok then, point taken - i will do this as an 'as well', that way if i dont get to send EVERYONE a card, i will have covered it.

count me in then.

Me too please

Believe it or not...me too.

But, it's the ONLY one I'm going to make, OK?

Yay!

Add me to the list, the nearer December comes the less I seem to be doing!
Will still be sending some others too

Lorraine wrote:Believe it or not...me too.

But, it's the ONLY one I'm going to make, OK?

Picks self off floor!

Karelyn - why not join anyway? If you don't get time to make the cards, then you're covered: if you get enough time to make all the ones you want, you can send them anyway. If you only get time to make some of the cards and so don't have enough to send to the Forum members, do what I do: pack them up in 10s, give them to your friends to use and ask them to make a donation to their favourite charity.

Thanks, Bobs, for re-emphasising that part of my original post - seems to have done the trick.

Will put you all on the list - and thanks for joining. This is going to be such fun!

Lynda

Who knows Lorraine, you might so enjoy making that one special card that you get into the swing of the C word before you know it, and make hundreds and hundreds!!!!! (ducking from the poison arrow coming winging its way through the air towards me from Lincolnshire to Essex!!!)

Patty wrote:Who knows Lorraine, you might so enjoy making that one special card that you get into the swing of the C word before you know it, and make hundreds and hundreds!!!!! (ducking from the poison arrow coming winging its way through the air towards me from Lincolnshire to Essex!!!)

da you wanna bet??????????????????.........no thought not!

Patty wrote:(ducking from the poison arrow coming winging its way through the air towards me from Lincolnshire to Essex!!!)

Too late!!!!!

Now, we'll have no poison arrows on this thread, thankyou!

Lynda

Me too please. Will still be sending some out as well though. TBH it's one of the highlights of my Christmas, having cards from you lovely people on here

Have added your name, Jan - thanks for joining. I suspect I shall be sending some out, too, but it's comforting to know that if anything crops up to spoil my plans I can still send my "universal" card in the swap. I'm afraid that, since I had that stomach bug and wiped out virtually the whole of September, I don't want to be committed to too much, just in case.

Lynda

Please include me too - like others I have made some more as well.

lyndaejane wrote:
Karelyn - why not join anyway? If you don't get time to make the cards, then you're covered: if you get enough time to make all the ones you want, you can send them anyway. If you only get time to make some of the cards and so don't have enough to send to the Forum members, do what I do: pack them up in 10s, give them to your friends to use and ask them to make a donation to their favourite charity.

The forum friends will come first with the hand made cards, others will get mass produced ones. Go on then, so now I have to make only one amazing card instead of several ok ones, inspiration will come I'm sure.

thriftycrafter wrote:
The forum friends will come first with the hand made cards, others will get mass produced ones. Go on then, so now I have to make only one amazing card instead of several ok ones, inspiration will come I'm sure.

Quite agree with that Karelyn - other crafters will appreciate them more
than non crafters. I do have some friends and family who will be cross if they
don't get hand made cards, but like you, the rest will get bought ones.

Oh, good, Karelyn - have added your name.

Have also just added yours, Steph: must have missed your post from Friday, sorry. Have been having some aggro with AVG/AOL: each time I click on "view posts since last visit" it tells me there aren't any so I have to search through the home page. Probably missed it then. Got wise to that now, and view forum through IE!

Lynda