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Operation Write Home Challenge And Guidelines


Sherry Lynn

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Operation Write Home OWH) mission --- Helping heroes keep in touch with home. Please join the Hybrid Team in creating hand-made cards for out troops.

 

Once you create your cards please send them to:

Scrap Girls

(For OWH)

4110 SE Hawthorne #753

Portland, OR 97214

We will bundle them all up and send them on to OWH!

 

Please complete and mail your cards by November 7th to be entered into a drawing for the following prizes:

1 $10 Gift Certificate

2 $5 Gift Certificates

1 Nano Collection

1 Template set

The more cards you send the more chances you have of winning a Scrap Girls gift certificate or product!

 

Here are some of the guidelines --- please if you have any questions, post them here in this thread and we will get back to you with an answer!

*No glitter. Really! Glitter is a safety hazard for our heroes, so no cards with any glitter that will flake off the card are accepted. Stickles or pens that apply glitter that will NOT rub off can be acceptable but test them.

*A2 sized cards (4.25 x 5.5”) only and include envelopes. Do not send handmade envelopes.

*Stamp or write your name on the backs of your cards.

 

*They stamp the backs of cards with our organization name so families know where the card came from. To help them with stamping they will send you a stamp for free. We will stamp any without the OWH stamp.

*Line cards made with dark cardstock so they can be written on.

*Limit multiples --- Max quantity for multiples of a card is 25 or less, including ones that “look” similar (just changing out the paper doesn’t make it ‘different’ – go get creative!)

 

*Deadlines for special holiday cards --- I will update this information for 2014 when it is available:

Nov 30 – AnyHero Christmas

Dec 31 – Valentines

 

*Heroes are requesting quality. Your card may be the last piece of communication with a family – and remember that many scrapbook these letters.

*The next guidelines are requests from soldiers and their families. Use quality supplies. Computer paper or thin designer paper is not adequate for letterwriting when a hero might be using the sand as a “table” . . . so please use good, heavy cardstock (80 weight) for your card bases.

 

*Do not use foamies, ittybitty stickers, or gluesticks – they don’t hold up to the rigors of the battlefront. Some dimension is okay – and is loved – but don’t use big vintage buttons and deep 3D embellishments

 

*Remember who’s sending these cards: adults. Please do not use explicit images or sentiments out of respect for cultures and sensitivities. The best cards for our heroes’ use are actually general ones.

 

Acceptable Card Themes:

Birthday

Love

Thank you

Missing you

Thinking of you

Blank (no sentiment)

 

Please do NOT send:

Get Well

Sympathy

Wish you were here

Party invitations

Baby shower cards

Bridal announcements

Wedding cards

To mommy/daddy

Retirement, other rare themes

Blank AnyHero cards (write your own note in them, we don’t need blanks)

 

*Absolutely NO store bought cards. Neither complete cards, NOR cards repurposing parts of them

*Limit photo cards. Your photos may be beautiful, but they are being overloaded with photo cards, which a number of our heroes have said do not get used.

*NO handwritten sentiments. Some of our military wives have shared with us their instant angst when they opened a card, and the first handwriting they saw was the sentiment on the front – by another woman. *gasp*

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Great info, Sherry! I hope to work on more cards this weekend. I just wanted to mention that if you don't have the stamp for the back already, don't worry about it. They'll get a stamp before they are mailed to OWH.

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Just wanted to make sure this thread stays in the forefront with the November 7th deadline. PLEASE make a card (or 2 or 3 or 4 or more) and get them to the address in the first post of this thread so we can show our troops that ScrapGirls support them!! Thanks!!

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I'm having trouble finding A2 envelopes. The ones I find labeled A2 are off in dimensions from the specs hereby a quarter inch. This is an area in which I am totally ignorant. Can some one steer me in the right direction?

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I'm having trouble finding A2 envelopes. The ones I find labeled A2 are off in dimensions from the specs hereby a quarter inch. This is an area in which I am totally ignorant. Can some one steer me in the right direction?

Hi Ann,

 

The info on the OWH site had a place you can get envelopes from. I have found them at staples, paperandmore.com, and the Kelly paper store. Please do not worry about the envelopes. I have plenty and will happily provide them for you or anyone who makes cards and sends them. Please don't let that stop you. The cards are the most important thing.

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I'll check with Staples tomorrow...if they don't have them, I'll send cards without envelopes if that's OK. The source given in the OWH web site sells in LARGE quantities, I don't need 1000 envelopes laying around!

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I'll check with Staples tomorrow...if they don't have them, I'll send cards without envelopes if that's OK. The source given in the OWH web site sells in LARGE quantities, I don't need 1000 envelopes laying around!

 

Both JoAnn's and Michaels also sell A-2 envelopes if that helps, Ann.

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Found a box at Staples...what was confusing me is that they weren't labeled "A2"...just the actual dimensions, which I finally figured out are the right size. DUH!! Now, I have two cards completed, exactly alike, and VERY simple. And more questions: I printed the back of these in the same pattern as the background on the front. Is that OK, or should I leave the backs blank? Sorry to be slow in catching on here, I always struggle with cards.

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Found a box at Staples...what was confusing me is that they weren't labeled "A2"...just the actual dimensions, which I finally figured out are the right size. DUH!! Now, I have two cards completed, exactly alike, and VERY simple. And more questions: I printed the back of these in the same pattern as the background on the front. Is that OK, or should I leave the backs blank? Sorry to be slow in catching on here, I always struggle with cards.

 

Glad you found the envelopes Ann --- sorry about not clarifying the A2.

 

No need to apologize Ann, it is awesome that you are participating in this charitable project. I think if I read the guidelines correctly the backs should be blank for the soldiers to continue their writing on, if they choose. For the ones that you have completed --- is the print light enough so that they could write on them?

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Found a box at Staples...what was confusing me is that they weren't labeled "A2"...just the actual dimensions, which I finally figured out are the right size. DUH!! Now, I have two cards completed, exactly alike, and VERY simple. And more questions: I printed the back of these in the same pattern as the background on the front. Is that OK, or should I leave the backs blank? Sorry to be slow in catching on here, I always struggle with cards.

 

Glad you found the envelopes Ann --- sorry about not clarifying the A2.

 

No need to apologize Ann, it is awesome that you are participating in this charitable project. I think if I read the guidelines correctly the backs should be blank for the soldiers to continue their writing on, if they choose. For the ones that you have completed --- is the print light enough so that they could write on them?

 

Probably not. I'll just reprint them and leave the backs blank. I am way too deep into ATC thinking mode! Glad I got an answer before I added the minimal embellishments that I'm planning. Thanks, Sherry!

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I'm heading out on a girls weekend up north at a favorite B&B and we are stopping at Hobby Lobby AND Arnie's on the way ... I think Arnie's is just in Michigan - Houghton Lake to be exact ... but they carry EVERYTHING under the sun!

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1383007371[/url]' post='1096263']

I'm heading out on a girls weekend up north at a favorite B&B and we are stopping at Hobby Lobby AND Arnie's on the way ... I think Arnie's is just in Michigan - Houghton Lake to be exact ... but they carry EVERYTHING under the sun!

 

Can I come along??? I'll be very quiet and I don't eat much!

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I'm heading out on a girls weekend up north at a favorite B&B and we are stopping at Hobby Lobby AND Arnie's on the way ... I think Arnie's is just in Michigan - Houghton Lake to be exact ... but they carry EVERYTHING under the sun!

 

Can I come along??? I'll be very quiet and I don't eat much!

 

Oh dear Ann ... you would be more than welcome ... but eating, talking and laughing A LOT is required!!

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I'm heading out on a girls weekend up north at a favorite B&B and we are stopping at Hobby Lobby AND Arnie's on the way ... I think Arnie's is just in Michigan - Houghton Lake to be exact ... but they carry EVERYTHING under the sun!

 

Can I come along??? I'll be very quiet and I don't eat much!

 

Oh dear Ann ... you would be more than welcome ... but eating, talking and laughing A LOT is required!!

 

For you guys, I'll make an exception!

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I got a groove on and just finished 12 different cards and am packing them up to send off to our ScrapGirl handler!! Going out in tomorrow's mail!

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Gads, Lei! I was so proud of myself for getting four done, I did have printer issues. And I will try to get a couple more done before they go into the post tomorrow. I struggle with these.

 

Ann, I'm so proud of you!! I know you struggle with making cards, but you take the bull by the horns and you keep on wrestling! Sometimes I just get carried away and when I get on a roll I just go with the flow. Four cards is great ... and an additional 2 even more so! Thank you for caring for this project and for pushing yourself when uncomfortable. I so appreciate your efforts!! ((hugs))

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Gads, Lei! I was so proud of myself for getting four done, I did have printer issues. And I will try to get a couple more done before they go into the post tomorrow. I struggle with these.

 

Don't feel bad Ann - I struggle with cards too; it seems they always just look like mush. I'm trying though. I'll be very happy if I can get four done in time. :)

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I got 4 started last night, and had to put them aside to let thing dry. They are all the same, though. I'll have a total of 5 so far to send off. I like the cards, but don't know if a hero will, lol!

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You know ...... some of us excel with ATC's .... well ... just think of a card as a slightly larger ATC ... does that help? Another idea ... sometimes I have used an ATC as a dimensional on the front of the card ... just use some coordinating card stock or printed papers for several mats underneath the ATC.

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Hi All

I am so sorry, I have not felt well and have too much going on to make cards by this deadline. Added to that my printer is not working.... BUT, I do have a few sample cards printed at Staples from National Card Making Day. None of them have writing inside.

CARDS

I am happy to send the birthday, Thanksgiving and Thank You cards with envelopes if you think they are appropriate. None of them have writing inside.

The only issues are - from reading the thread, all of the backs of mine are printed with the design, too dark for writing on unless with a sharpie. Also, the Thanksgiving one is a photo card and none of them are blinged.

 

Would any of these be of help?

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Carla, I am sure they will! I just started looking at OWH website about 2 weeks ago(and watching the videos on YT!).

So happy to find this post, thank-you Sherry, for doing this for our service men and women.

 

I actually inquired about getting a box sent to my DS's unit in Okinawa and they responded they are working on it. For a unit of 30 they will send a 150 card box(a different cards)

I asked a friend who spent three tours in Afghanistan if she new about theses cards and she said *Yes* and used them a lot!

 

I will work on getting some done to send as well!

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