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Hey, guys! Just a monthly update here, to let you know how I and ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) cheerycraft are doing as a whole.
I'm pretty busy myself lately. I just had a birthday not too long ago and so I wasn't on the computer as much as I would like to have been! So today or tomorrow I'm going to be full-out updating the profile page, as well as recognizing our first Cheeriest of Them All! I will also be putting that Livejournal calendar to use, to let you know when I won't be as available as I normally would (such as when school kicks in).
Cheery Craft itself is doing great! We're a bit slow, but that's just fine. We've actually got 70+ members! Is that not truly amazing? I'm so proud! We seem to have a big load of lurkers though, so I would just like to prod you guys right now into some action. I know you're all just itching to participate.
So, to all of you cheery crafters out there, I give you a big e-hug! Thanks for joining, thanks for lurking, thanks for participating, and thanks for your time reading this announcement. Have a great day, you guys. Happy crafting!
♥ Joa
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My name (Note: First names only!): Jessi
Their name (Note: First names only!): Mark "Wags" and Kathy
Their relation to you (i.e. best friends of five years, bummed co-worker, stepmother, etc.): former swim coach and all-around good egg & his wife
Age/gender/location (state/province/country): 50's?/ m & f/ Iowa, USA
Their story: Wags was the coach of our swim teams in high school. I never swam for him, but I managed the boys' team for three years. Wags is the guy who inspires everyone- he gets high school boys to swim & run & lift at 5am, convinces the slowest, fattest person on the team they can win their race, and reminds everyone they're swimmin gbecause they love it. Wags constantly said "IIITBIUTM" (if it is to be, it's up to me), "if it were easy, everyone would be good," etc.
In high school, having Wags dissapointed in me was more devastating than my parents' dissapproval. Conversly, when he was proud, I might have well won the Olympics, Nobel Prize, and Tonys all at once. Wags is now fighting a rare cancer on his spine. It's scary to see someone I always considered so strong strucl down. He's traveling from Iowa to University of Nebraska for new treatments, with Kathy, his wife, at his side. They are devout Christians who continue to see God in all of this, but could really use some cheeering up!
Favorite hobbies: Wags-anything to do with water or his children/grandkids. Kathy, I don't know.
" color(s): Our school colors were orange and black. He's coached a couple of other schools, too, but I don't know their colors off hand.
" music type/artist(s): ?
" animal(s)/pet(s):again, our school was the Tigers.
" candy/snack(s): Wags loves ice cream- in fact, he eats a bowl almost everynight! And, peanut butter/ mayo/ dill pickle & lettuce sandwichs.
Do they have a "style"?: ?
What you think they would really appreciate: anything sincere and uplifting. I'd love to see Kathy get something to pamper herself. Not only does she care for Wags during all this, she works and keeps all his friends and former students updated online!
What you think they would absolutely hate: nothing I can think of.
Any allergies or pet peeves: ?
Clothing size (measurements are not necessary but appreciated): probably a L or XL shirt for Wags.
Shoe size: ?
Any wishlist(s): anything that says BOO cancer YEA you! (you get my drift)
Any blog(s): http://www.caringbridge.org/cb/inputSiteName.do?method=search&siteName=markwagner1
Mailing address (do not change this): Comment with your e-mail and I will send it to you
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So I've finally gotten everything assembled for the first package I'm sending out. It will go to Kelly's grandmother Lois. I really hope she enjoys it.
As I said in my posts, I am not the most crafty person but I do my best. I mostly scrapbook and have dabbled at making cards in the last year on and off. I am horrible at knitting or sewing and I cannot draw to save my life, so it makes coming up with some ideas a little harder sometimes.
This will go out in the mail tomorrow morning :)
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Awww... this is such a great community!
My sister received the first of her cheery mail today (I'm in Canada and it's a lil slow but it gets here ;)
It was from ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) thatonegurl and it rocked!!!
Kayleigh loved the stickers, and having her own envelope and it made my sister smile to see someone cared enough to try to add a little sunshine to their day! Definitely surprised her and Kay loved the PowerPuff Coloring book as well!
Thanks so much again!
(I almost crazy glued my fingers together this evening working on my packages... I will be sure to post as soon as I am ready to send them out, I'm not the most crafty person, but I am sure any bit helps :)
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Their story: My mother is an amazing woman with a beautiful smile, which I haven’t seen much of in 2 years.
2 years ago the company she had worked at for 30+ years shut down, her and my father (they met there! aw) lost their jobs. My mom was hit hard by this sudden change and has been having a very hard time dealing with this large change
in her life. She has been finding it hard to get another job and gets very frustrated quickly, even though she has had many interviews she believes she is too old now to be hired. .
She has been very stressed and has become very depressed.
know this would lift her spirits and help in bringing back the smile to her face.
My name: Krystle Their name : Linda Their relation to you : Mother Age/gender/location (state/province/country): 56 (on July 31st), ONT, Canada Favorite hobbies: reading she enjoys beach themed books, 18th-19th century tales, stories of the underground railroad and slaves making it to freedom, bird books color(s): Blue and Purple music type/artist(s): Elvis, Reggae, anything upbeat animal(s)/pet(s): Cats candy/snack(s): Tootsie Rolls, Licorice(red & black), anything Gummy, Chocolate Do they have a "style"?: she loves turquoise jewellery.. Other than that no, she doesn’t spend for her self to have a style What you think they would really appreciate: anything with a Butterfly or Cat (orange, or white and fluffy in particular), Angels, Lighthouses, seashells, humming birds, cardinals, bluejays(bird not sport team) ,fairies, Tiger lilies, Lilacs, lavender. Relaxing/Serene/de-stressing things. What you think they would absolutely hate: she would enjoy anything at all. Any allergies or pet peeves: nothing Clothing size :shirts L-XL, prefer XL Shoe size: 7-8 Any wishlist(s):</b>no Any blog(s):no Mailing address :Comment with your e-mail and I will send it to you.
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My name: Naomi
Their name: Jenn
Their relation to you: Little sister
Age/gender/locatiion: 20/female/London
Their story: The poor thing is so stressed. She has decided to take a year out from uni and she's all confused and stressed out about her life. I know it's not a proper problem so don't feel you have to send anything! I'm sending her as much as I can to try and cheer her up because I don't like my little sister to be sad!
Favorite hobbies: She's really into travelling, and crafty stuff especially with felt, and she loves one off hair slides and necklaces and big chunky badges and stripey things
" color(s): all colours
" music type/artist(s): folly stuff mostly with a tiny bit of rocky stuff
" animal(s)/pet(s): Dogs
" candy/snack(s): She's a vegetarian but she loves american sweets
Do they have a "style"?: hippy, funky, very laid back style
What you think they would really appreciate: she has really long hair so I think she'd love quirky hair things, she loves japanese and chinese things, she's mad for hats! she also loves Chuck Palahniuks books so if anyones got an old copy of Survivor lying around I know she'd love it
What you think they would absolutely hate: not much
Any allergies or pet peeves: no
Clothing size (measurements are not necessary but appreciated): small to medium but I don't think she needs any more clothes!
Shoe size: british 7 i think
Any wishlist(s): not as far as i know
Any blog(s): no
Mailing address (do not change this): Comment with your e-mail and I will send it to you.
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Hey! So I just joined recently, and I figured I could try to help in the promoting business, so I made us a banner. I hope you like it~
I'm thinking it might be a little big for not being under a cut, but if anyone has a problem with it, please tell me so I can edit the post ^_^;
I hope to be crafting for many of your friends and family very soon~ xD
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I promise I'm not trying to hijack this community. I just have a wonderful friend who could use some positivity in her life. ( Info behind the cut . . . )
Thanks, everyone!
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I also sent a package to Alex, thatonegurl_'s sister-in-law-to-be.
It shall contain the following items: ( follow me! )
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I'm sending a package to Lois, sexymuffintins' grandmother, today at lunch (in, like, 30 minutes).
Behold what it shall contain: ( click me! )
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sexymuffintins,
I will be sending your grandma her gift today after I get myself some stamps.
I got her a stationery set I found at half price books yesterday.
I would post pictures, but I wrapped it before I realized that I should've taken one.
I hope she likes it!
♥ jen-i-fuhr
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I thought this group was a great idea, I love being crafty although I am still a beginner in that aspect. I can't wait to send out my first cheery craft... but when I joined this group I also had someone in mind who I thought would be touched to receive some positive cheer...
My name: Carolyn
Their name: Barbara, Kayleigh & Zack
Their relation to you: Younger sister, niece and nephew
Age/gender/location: 30, 5 and 6 months old
Their story: Favorite hobbies: My sister likes to scrapbook, she's taken it up mostly from my supplies as I've been scrapping for a few years, she's been trying to finish a book for Kayleigh and then start another for Zack although I'm in the process of finishing his baby book. She doesn't have much time for many other hobbies but she loves music and taking photos of her children. Kayleigh loves to craft, draw, colour and make up stories. She can't read yet, but she memorizes the story once it's been told to her once, so I can't try to speed them up sometimes... And Zack loves cars, piglet, and lions... " color(s): any colors " music type/artist(s): reggae, pop, mostly upbeat tunes " animal(s)/pet(s): Kay has 2 goldfish " candy/snack(s): Zack may have a milk allergy, as Kay did when she was a baby and we limit them to soy products for milk but no other I know of. Do they have a "style"?: Kay is a major fashion girl, she loves to pose, Zack is smiling a lot but doesn't have a style, and my sister is pretty laid back about fashion and style although she does like to look nice... She always wears jewellery when she goes out but nothing flashy. What you think they would really appreciate: caring thoughts, Kay loves to get mail addressed to her instead of the grownups. What you think they would absolutely hate: although pretty spiritual she is not overly religious, so possibly this might offend Any allergies or pet peeves: like I said, milk products, her pet peeve is racism and prejudice Clothing size (measurements are not necessary but appreciate): xl, xxl depending on the clothes Shoe size: 10 or 11 w Any wishlist(s): not that i know of.. Any blog(s): I thought she might enjoy lj so although she doesn't post much she has a lj - laycceeI believe Mailing address (do not change this): Comment with your e-mail and I will send it to you.
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I'm Eliza, good to meet you all, and I think this is a wonderful idea. Just a quick promo banner I made, hope it's okay to post it without a cut. If not, or if changes need to be made, let me know. A larger version should be visible here: http://pics.livejournal.com/learningtoread/pic/0000caq7/g2 Free to use if approved by our mod!
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Wow, people! We've got a total of 30 members so far. Isn't that great?
Usually announcement posts will not be this frequent. In fact, I expect that they will be very infrequent.
I just wanted to make a cautionary note that everyone should keep an mind before making any story post on this community (and it will be added to our profile page).
My promotion was rejected from a community because they did not want to support a community that encouraged people to post full names and addresses of others without permission. Please think about who you are posting about, and if you believe that they might be disgruntled by the fact that their personal information is somewhere out there on the Internet, DO NOT post about them!
Of course, being a happy, healthy surprise is what Cheery Craft is all about! We are hoping that the positive of receiving something in mail will outweigh the negative at having a stranger know how to contact you. If your friend or family member is upset upon receiving, please contact me so that I can both delete your post and remove it from our profile page.
So from now on, please only post FIRST NAMES and nothing else. Since everyone has to comment to request an address, I am not requiring and posts to be Friends Only (this way, guests can clearly see what Cheery Craft is really like).
Thank you!
♥ JOA
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I found this community this morning. It is an amazing idea and I hope it will help a lot of people feel better!
I immediately thought of my grandmother and how much I want to show her that she is so amazing. And also for my grandfather, to whom I wish a super speedy recovery.
My name: Kelly Chapman
Their name: Lois Chapman (and Howard, too)
Their relation to you :My grandparents
Age/gender/location : Late 60s, early 70s... Southern Tier of New York State
Their story: My grandfather has had diabetes for most of his life. He was forced to retire early due to the illness - his poor circulation made it nearly impossible for him to stand up and do the work he was doing before. He sort of let himself go after retirement...
He's had numerous surgeries including two open heart sugeries, a kidney transplant, and most recently an amputation of his left leg just below the knee. My grandmother has been there for him from the beginning and always taking care of him when he got really bad. She is absolutely amazing.
Grampa has been in the hospital since March and my gramma has traveled the two-hour roudtrip drive to the city to see him every single day. Because she was constantly up there, she never once thought about herself or took a day off. (she's retired as well... but living on such a meager income, that this is all she could afford to do)
For my birthday present, I tricked her into letting me buy her an outfit for my little brother's wedding. She's been wearing jeans that are two sizes too big! On the day of the wedding, she came downstairs where the bride was getting dressed and made a comment about how my grampa wanted to be there, but couldn't leave the hospital at that time. She then started to cry. I have NEVER in all of my 25 years seen this woman cry out of sadness and with such emotion.
This woman is by far the strongest, most selfless person I have ever met. She's a breast cancer survivor, a mother of three and grandmother of four. She takes care of my 8 year old cousin constantly because her son and daughter-in-law don't really want to deal with her.
My grampa has recently been moved into a recovery center in a nursing home a little closer to their house, but it is still about a half hour each way. His attitude has sort of improved since his amputation - which is amazing.
Favorite hobbies: I'm not really sure. Isn't that sad? She likes to read romance novels, a lot but seriously, I've never seen her do anything else besides take care of us...
" color(s): She doesn't really have one. A lot of the things in her house are blue, though. Or deep jewel tones.
" music type/artist(s): Country music - no specific artist to speak of. I'm not sure if she has a CD player anymore...
" animal(s)/pet(s): There aren't any.
" candy/snack(s): Some chocolates perhaps. When I was little she would always have M&Ms in a candy dish on her coffee table or a Whitman's Sampler. (if you send candy, it might be a good idea to throw in some sugar free stuff because she WILL share it with my grampa!)
What you think they would really appreciate: Absolutely anything. No matter how little, you will get a thank you note. She threw in a thank you note with my birthday card for the outfit I got her. She's so cute and has old-fashioned Emily Post-type manners. Every place I have gone, I've gotten her a little something - a little figure from Hershey, a little Eiffel Tower, an Eiffel Tower tree ornament... Something cute for her to display on her coffee table, for her front yard, anything.
What you think they would absolutely hate: Probably nothing.
Any allergies or pet peeves: None that I know of.
Clothing size : Size L shirts (even though she's not really that big, she thinks she is...)
Shoe size: N/A
Any wishlist(s): N/A
Any blog(s): HA! She doesn't even know how to turn on a computer. hehe
Mailing address : Comment with your e-mail and I will send it to you.
Thank you in advance. This will just make her day. You all are amazing. I hope someone else posts so I can get in on this, too! If you have any other questions, just ask!
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It's great! It's wonderful! It's superb!
We've got four members so far, and that's only after a few hours of being open to the public, so I'm really psyched and I'm sure you four are too. Be sure to tell your friends, family, swap partners, and blog readers about Cheery Craft, and soon everyone will be skipping and whistling on their way to their mailbox everyday!
I'm hoping to get some banners made (for community promotion), as well as business cards (to throw into packages to swap partners, leave at restaurants, and that sort of thing). However, I'm going to definitely need some help with that, as I am Photoshop-handicap. If anyone can come up with a cute and cheery logo, or even a photograph design such as the one used in our community icon (search Wikipedia.org for "rainbow"), just contact me and we'll get the ball rolling.
Be sure to check out the profile page from time to time, as I'm editing it all the time (being my first community, and being the first few weeks of this community). Of course, any edits will be posted in an announcement such as this one. It's easy to notice which posts are announcements because they're the only ones in green (or in color, for that matter). Plus, they have an " _fcksavedurl="">here), just contact me and we'll get the ball rolling.
Be sure to check out the profile page from time to time, as I'm editing it all the time (being my first community, and being the first few weeks of this community). Of course, any edits will be posted in an announcement such as this one. It's easy to notice which posts are announcements because they're the only ones in green (or in color, for that matter). Plus, they have an "announcements" tag.
Edits to profile:
- Added links to other LJ communities having to do with craft and/or charity. If you have any suggestions, contact me with them. You can look to these communities for help, inspiration, or to buy a gift for someone to brighten their day.
- There is now a form that you should use as a guideline for a note that needs to be added to every package you send. It tells the recipient who you are, that you're from Cheery Craft, and who posted about them (or just that someone did).
♥ JOA
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Well, it was made at beginning of today and its opening shall commence at the end of today. Sort of proud of myself, I am, for completing this all in one day! But now I'm off to do more work: PROMOTE! Otherwise, we might not be very well off. I hope many people end up interested in and joining this community, because it truly is a lovely idea, in my opinion.
The reason I made this community is because I realised how much I loved making things for people in the craft swaps on Craftster. It was awesome to get cool stuff too, but the real thrill was having someone be genuinely pleased with what they had received, whether it was rotten or outstanding, since it was ultimately the person and the thought that counted. And who could more appreciate a gift from a stranger than someone in need of love, encouragement, and healing?
Okay, so that's my little speech. I hope you enjoyed it and I hope it touched your heart and I hope it has compelled you to join and put forth some action and effort into this community.
You too must PROMOTE to breath some air into this community and then keep doing so, so that it may go on for a very long time. Because there's always someone who needs a helping hand.
♥ JOA
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anxious
thoughtful
thankful