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Kelly has hosted our AOCC Challenges for several years and is stepping down due to other responsibilities. She is still planning on joining us when she can and I want to take this time to thank her for all of her hard work on this challenge!
Thanks Kelly for your dedication and hard work in keeping this challenge going!!
For this year, I am planning on just having this one main thread (similar to how we conduct the USEIT Challenge thread). I think it will make it easier for some to find us as well as linking up your cards to the gallery.
For those that are new, this challenge is a personal one to encourage us to get those cards made and mailed!! For birthdays, anniversaries, get well, sympathy, etc.
I know for myself, I seem to find the time to make the cards but struggle to get them mailed on time! I think that it may be that the card making part of the process is therapeutic for me, but the mailing part is a bit more like work (I used to be an office manager in accounting). Not sure if that is the problem for me but maybe you can relate.
I am hoping that this year I will approach the mailing part of the process as a blessing to the recipient and look forward to actually getting those cards mailed!!
The challenge will be to make the cards (hopefully ahead of time) and get them mailed! We can be an accountability forum for one another, lol!!
I know some of you prefer having a theme for the month (to challenge you even further) and I will post an optional theme for each month in the forum thread. I know for myself, depending on the cards needed, that I was unable to create for a specific theme. I also know that many prefer a theme to help them focus, so again, this will be optional :-)
The guidelines for this challenge are simple:
1). If you are willing, please post to this forum, the number of cards that you need for the upcoming month (for ex: In January, I need at least 10 birthday cards, 2 Anniversary cards, 3 Thinking of you cards and 5 Sympathy.... or something like that :-)). Or if you prefer, you could post what you need for each month in one post. Whatever works for your creativity is fine with me- we are just trying to keep each other accountable to create the cards and mail them :-)
2). As you create and post to your gallery throughout the month, add AOCC20 to your keywords and if you are able, copy the URL for your card post to SCS and post to this forum so we can give you some comment "love" :-)
Thanks it!! Simple but an accountable way to help us get those cards out in the mail. Don't forget- use AOCC20 in your keywords when you post so we can all check on the gallery and leave a comment (I will need everyone's assistance in helping to comment :-))
I hope you will join us for 2020 and spread the word about our challenge so we can continue to encourage one another to bless others with love through our small pieces of art!
Julie, thanks so much for taking this on. I have enjoyed participating, and it helps me stay focused on cards that I need each month. I make myself a WORD table for each month with the cards that I need and keep it on my desktop, and as I make them and upload them to SCS, I add them to the AOCC. Unfortunately, health issues which prevented cardmaking have gotten in the way of keeping my card needs up-to-date AND participating in weekly challenges. But, now that I've gotten both knees replaced and both hands repaired, maybe these issues won't keep me away from my crafting table! Then, there's family needs that can interfere as well.
I know we all can relate to both health and family issues, but let's pray we all will have a better 2020 for our own health and those of our family as well!!
Clarification? I used to go into each individual challenge month and enter my type of card needed and how many right at the beginning of the new year. With this new format, do you want us to go in at the beginning of each month, when it rolls around, and enter that information on a monthly basis before we upload any cards for that month?
__________________ Carlene aka Chatterbox-1--My BLOG; My Pinterest;My SCS Gallery; FAVORITES Team Member; 2022 Christmas Card Challenge 75/105. My SCS Goal: Challenge Catch-up; Sketch Challenge Sample Card Team (August 2022--January 2023).
Carlene, I am so thrilled that you are feeling better from all of your surgeries!! You are such an inspiration to all of us and I love the idea of your WORD table (I will have to try this or EXCEL).
If you want to enter all of your monthly needs in one post, please feel free to do so or you could add a post at the beginning of the month for that month. Whatever your heart desires is fine with me :-)
I will have to have both of my knees replaced soon- did you have both done at the same time? I have been bone on bone for over 15 years and it is becoming excruciating....thankfully, I like to stamp and do things at a desk so I can keep both legs elevated, lol!
I am praying as well that we all have a healthy 2020!
Hugs and again, whatever works for you on posting your monthly card needs is fine.
Carlene, do you track the other SCS challenges in a Word document as well?
I use a notebook as a journal for the challenges but sometimes I forget to link to certain threads. I may have to convert that notebook to Excel as well (I am more comfortable with Excel than Word since I was in accounting for 40 years :-))
Or at least track as I create since my notebook "block" I created for supplies, etc, is getting too full to list all of the challenges.
You do inspire me so with how many you are able to incorporate! Hugs and thanks again!
Thank you, Julie for taking up the reigns. We are so blessed. I'm hoping to participate more this year. I know I need to revamp my card list but thst hasn't been a priority..
My focus the entire month of December was to dig out the studio and have a place to create again. I have the space to create but there's still lots of work to be done.
__________________ Kelly BlogYouTubeS2S $0.00
Scrapbook Layouts: April: 0/4
As I mentioned, I need to revamp how I keep track of things. The filing tin just wasn't working for me. I am better with a notebook/ planner set-up. I've downloaded a vintage planner page set that I'd like to use. Just need to get to the printer. That revamp is going to take some time..
For now.
January - 3 Family birthdays/ 3 group members
I will also be doing 10 Christmas cards.
I failed miserably in 2019 and didn't mail ANY out at all.
__________________ Kelly BlogYouTubeS2S $0.00
Scrapbook Layouts: April: 0/4
I failed miserably in 2019 as well - missed a lot of birthdays AND didn't send Christmas cards for the first time in about 10 years. :( I hope this Challenge will help to keep me on track this year!!
In January, I will need:
Christmas Thank You cards - 5 (one for me and 4 for my kids to use) [DONE]
Kelly, I fully understand! I have been re-organizing my craft room for months/seems like years and still am not done! I tend to "perfect" a system for a while but then, re-"perfect" over and over again, lol! I am slowly getting it to the place where is is working for me :-)
I have been working with a notebook type planner (a DIY notebook) as well and I like the idea of your vintage planner set. Sounds like you are on track with getting your new organization system set up and you will have to let us know how it works for you!
Nicole, so glad you are here! We understand the failing part for sure- I also missed several birthdays or they were very belated. Plus I did not mail as many Christmas cards as I had hoped either :-)
Some of my cards were too bulky to mail so this year I am going to try to focus on less layers and embellishments so I can actually mail them without having to go to the Post Office.
For January I will need:
Belated Birthday Cards- 6 Feminine Birthday (belated from late Nov- Dec) and 2 Masculine (from late Dec) Birthday Cards for January- 4 Masculine, 4 Feminine for a grand total of 10 Feminine, and 6 Masculine (may pull from my stash for a most of these) Thank You Cards-will pull from my stash for this month but need at least 4 Anniversary Cards- 1 (for my hubby :-)) Christmas Cards- 8-10 per month- committed to the CCC20 Challenge as well
My sympathy stash is also becoming depleted- not sure if I will have time to create more but will try ...
Julie it’s great to hear you are taking this on to keep us all on track, I did actually make and mail all my cards on time last year but didn’t upload many of them due to being away and family visiting.
This year we are sharing looking after our youngest GS who is three with his Polish Grandma, Mum is doing a year’s teaching course at the Uni, we will be traveling back and forwards to England from Spain for four to five week stretches so I will post when we are home.
Wonderful Jan- you are such an inspiration! Sounds like a busy schedule but we are looking forward to seeing your cards when you are able to upload :-) Hugs and Happy New Year!
Thanks Julie, I am trying not to make square cards as they are much more expensive to post, the Only thing is I am drawn to make them, they seem easier somehow.
I need 27 I think. I am not doing birthday cards to everyone but I do anniversary cards for the uncles and aunts and my nieces and nephews.
So far I have only made 1. I have all of the pieces cut for all 27 just waiting on the stamping. I can't make up my mind if I like it.
I'm loving the month's Paper Pumpkin kit- I made 5 cards so far and I should be able to get at least 10 more out of it .
I also made a sympathy card for my card stash, but I already have someone I need to give it to. :( I need to have more of those on hand because they are a lot easier to make when I don't actually need one.</o</o</o
VikkiJo, that is hilarious!! What a wonderful husband to recognize HM- my hubby says it is "all greek to him", lol!!
Misti- I do believe you must own almost all of the HM stamps! Love seeing what you create with them.
Nicole- you have been busy, great job! I am thankful that you had time to create a sympathy card for your stash but am sorry to hear that you had to use it so quickly. As I am getting older, I find that is happening to me a lot lately, plus I need so many "Praying for You" or "thinking of you " cards for illnesses, etc. Sometimes I just use a Scripture verse so the person could display year round.
Also, I plan on catching up this weekend with commenting and visiting everyone's creations :-) We are still having some contracting work done on our weekend home (which does not have internet at the moment) so I am a bit behind.
Both of the above were for the masculine cards that I needed. I think I will be able to pull from my stash for the rest of the masculine (if I do not have time to create them this month)
Thanks again for sharing your beautiful creations with us and I am so glad that all of you are participating this year!! Hugs and I hope you have a great weekend!
I would love to join in. I tend to keep a Word Document with all the projects I need or want to do for the year. Since some have already been done or pulled from stash, I will add the keyword to the new ones I upload.
For January, I needed:
3 feminine Birthday cards (all pulled from my stash) Just need to mail the last one.
1 baby boy card (did two b/c I didn't love the first)
1 Sympathy (pulled from stash)
1 Thank You for my sister to send out (done)
3 Christmas cards (1 done)
5 Valentines cards (2 done and uploaded)
Valentine treats for school co-workers from Ghiradelli Strawberry squares, Reeses Hearts & Dove chocolates (one set done but not uploaded)
I made a few more cards for January - I managed to make enough to send out for specific January occasions and a couple of the "have on hand" cards that I'm sure will stay on my challenge list every month.
Thinking of You/Get Well cards - 3 to have on hand
Sympathy - 2 to have on hand
I'm considering making Valentine treats for my employees (8 total), but we'll see if I can find something cute and relatively quick & easy. Also, my son (10) has his first "girlfriend" and he wants to make her something for V-day, so I will probably need to help him with that.
Vikki Jo- love that treat holder!! What a great idea!
Nicole, I am so excited for you that you are working ahead and what a wonderful idea for creating Valentine treats for your co-workers! Also, so sweet that your son wants to create a Valentine for his "girlfriend" - what a great memory for both of you:-)
I did get all of my January cards made and mailed, I just have not had the time to post to SCS or my blog yet (I find that posting takes more time than creating, sometimes :-))
Everyone's cards for January were fabulous as well!! Hugs and so thrilled that all of you are participating!!
For February, I will need:
7- Feminine BD
2- Anniversary
1- Thinking of You (Anniversary of Husband's Passing)
I also need to make more Sympathy and Thinking of You/Praying for you cards for my stash.
Happy to say I got most of my January list completed. I decided to not do some of my Valentine treats since two bags of candy seemed to cover what I needed. So I get to enjoy my third bag!
3-4 Christmas cards
4 Feminine Birthday with one an 18th (done)
mini album for 18th birthday gift using Graphic 45 album and Photoplay Like a Girl paper
1 Get Well card for stash
2 Sympathy cards (one for co-worker and one for stash)
1 Thank You card for stash
Scrapbook months of May-June 2019
I will be interested to see if I can get it all done!
__________________ Amy
Last edited by Kalla Walla; 02-22-2020 at 02:05 PM..
Carlene, do you track the other SCS challenges in a Word document as well?
I use a notebook as a journal for the challenges but sometimes I forget to link to certain threads. I may have to convert that notebook to Excel as well (I am more comfortable with Excel than Word since I was in accounting for 40 years :-))
Or at least track as I create since my notebook "block" I created for supplies, etc, is getting too full to list all of the challenges.
You do inspire me so with how many you are able to incorporate! Hugs and thanks again!
I have a running Challenge tracking WORD document in Table format, which I started in the fall of 2017. I have added some older ones as I have entered a specific challenge. I track almost all SCS Challenges in this my table format, though I don't participate in all of them...I have my favorites. I update it thoroughly once a week, or as I enter a particular challenge.
I am also familiar with Excel, as well. I initially set up my Staff Development and then my school budgets (when I transferred out to a school from administration) in Excel when there was no formal template to use for budgets. Around 2003, the school district finally set up a standardized budget template using Microsoft Access that we were all required to use...that was a real different learning curve.
I have a new and powerful computer, so it never gets bogged down in Word Tables. I remember, back in the day...1990s, when it was almost impossible to have very elaborate or lengthy Word tables. It would bog down because of its size and its content.
__________________ Carlene aka Chatterbox-1--My BLOG; My Pinterest;My SCS Gallery; FAVORITES Team Member; 2022 Christmas Card Challenge 75/105. My SCS Goal: Challenge Catch-up; Sketch Challenge Sample Card Team (August 2022--January 2023).
All Occasion Card Challenge 2020
