Card-Making Mania and a *Giveaway*

For several years now, I've been boycotting the over-priced Hallmark aisle in favor of homemade cards. My anniversary card for Rick is the most recent example:

I enjoy making them, but what often happens is that it will be the day before a card-worthy occasion (my sister's birthday, someone's wedding, a graduation...) and I'll be rushing to finish. When that happens, I no longer enjoy doing it, mainly because there are generally about 10 other things that I also need to do. Therefore, one of my goals for this summer was to make cards when I wasn't under any sort of time crunch, with the idea that I would have them to use during the busy school year. So this past week, when it was too hot to do anything but sit and sweat (as opposed to move and completely melt into a puddle), I parked myself in front of a fan and made over 20 cards. They're simple, but they do the trick.

As I was doing this, I was inspired to make some extra thank-you notes that I could offer as a giveaway to my readers.

Blank inside, approximately 4"x5", will be sent with appropriate envelopes.

Why thank-you notes?

1. You so often make me smile, and I am thankful for that! I literally laughed out loud at many of the hilarious comments left regarding my recent imperfect homeowner confession. :)

2. One of our personal goals is to be grateful for and content with everything we've been blessed with, and I plan to send more thank-you notes this coming school year, whether to the secretary who takes care of addressing letters home, or the teacher who shares some of her ideas with me, or the custodian who dutifully cleans up after the students, day after day. You know, those things that people do without expecting a follow-up note to appear in the mail. That small act of gratitude is such a nice way to just say "I appreciate you," and I'm afraid many of us--me included--are guilty of not telling other people that enough.

So here's the deal: I give you the four cards you saw above. You give each one to someone else. You make their day. Want to have this opportunity? Here's what you have to do:

1. Leave a comment on this post, even if you've never commented before! I'd love it if you shared something or someone you were grateful for, but of course you can also just think that to yourself. :)

2. OPTIONAL: Earn an extra entry by linking to this giveaway on your blog. Make sure you leave an additional comment when you do this!

3. Sit back, relax, and try not to melt. I'm trying to be grateful for the warmth that I know I'll miss as soon as it starts snowing. :)

The particulars:
This giveaway is open to residents of US and Canada only and will end at midnight EDT on Friday, July 29. The winner will be chosen by Random.org and will be notified via a follow-up post on Monday, August 1. (Or make your email address visible in your Blogger profile so that I can contact you directly, as well!) The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the notification and claim their cards. If they aren't claimed within 48 hours, another winner will be chosen via Random.org.


The cards will be shipped by me. The chosen winner will be required to provide their full name and address, which I will promptly flush down the toilet after sending the package on its merry way. (What? Isn't that what you do with all of your private documents?)

And that's all you need to know! Have a fabulous weekend! :)