Guidelines
Operation Write Home Guidelines fit into three categories:
1. Safety
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 please check your cards by rubbing it on a sweater. If it flakes off, it cannot be used. Small gems are fine. Before emailing with questions, please read this post to see if it’s already answered.
2. Efficiency
4.25″ x 5.5″ - half a sheet of cardstock – fit the boxes most economically. Two rows of A2 cards work best to get the most cards in each box….more for our heroes to write home on! You can even buy discounted envelopes as an OWH volunteer! Wondering about the change in envelope policy? Read this blog post.
Stamp the backs of your cards with our name.
We stamp the backs of cards with our organization name so families know where the card came from. We need your help stamping . . . so much that we’ll send you a stamp for free!
Line cards made with dark cardstock.
If a pencil won’t show up, add a liner so your cards stay out of the hospital. (Some kraft papers need a liner, light ones do not.) One side or two sides – just make sure there’s room to write.
Limit multiples.
For holiday cards, send large batches of the same/near-same design (25 max) about 4 weeks ahead of the posted deadline. Max quantity for multiples of a card is 30 or less, including ones that “look” similar (just changing out the paper doesn’t make it ‘different’ – go get creative!) Holiday cards in multiples MUST ARRIVE 2 WEEKS BEFORE DEADLINES or will be stored for the following year.
Even a small quantity of cards is ok.
One card, a handful, or a box full; but please remember – our heroes are requesting quality. Your card may be the last piece of communication with a family – and remember that many scrapbook these letters. We want them to stand the test of time. Our heroes are worth our very best! Your shipping cost is likely less if you save up small packages and mail in a flat rate box.
Watch the deadlines!
Observing deadlines for holiday cards ensures we can get seasonal cards to our heroes in time to mail them back home – sometimes an 8 week round trip! Squeaking in at or after deadlines may mean your cards will not ship that year. General cards can be sent at any time.
Include a packing slip.
Please include either our packing slip, or a note with the same information. Please write the card count on the slip! Our shippers must enter your donation into our system for IRS purposes even if you don’t need an emailed receipt.
Watch for your E-receipt.
Your shipper will email a receipt within a short time; during holiday seasons, we reserve the right to get it completed within two weeks, as our priority is packing boxes.
3. Specific requests by heroes 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 for your card bases. Do not use foamies, ittybitty stickers, or gluesticks – they don’t hold up to the rigors of the battlefront. It’s perfectly fine to make fewer cards with better supplies – every card counts! (Children’s AnyHero cards are the exception; foamies are just fine for those!)
Some dimension is okay – and is loved.
Our heroes don’t have to pay for lettermail, but that doesn’t mean we can go wild with thick layers and embellishments. Save the big vintage buttons and deep 3D embellishments for AnyHero mail that doesn’t have to go through the postal system…we want to be sure your cards make it to their intended destination. Our heroes do comment on the tactile cards, so it’s a balance between reasonable dimension and overdoing it; please do take that into consideration.
Card themes.
Remember who’s sending these cards: adults. Please do not send cards with sentiments “to” Daddy or Mommy, no “wish you were here,” or party invitations; and no explicit images or sentiments out of respect for cultures and sensitivities. Halloween cards should be cheerful ones, not scary – lest a card with a skull end up as the final communication by a fallen hero. The best cards for our heroes’ use are actually general ones – they can customize them for any occasion by writing their note inside. NO get well, sympathy, or other specific themes are needed, please! See a list of themes here.
Kids MUST make AnyHero cards ONLY.
Most children have the “want-to” but not the “able-to” when it comes to making cards that our heroes will want to write home on. Please work with schools and scouts to create AnyHero cards in which they can write letters…our heroes love to receive those!
Absolutely NO storebought cards.
Neither complete cards, NOR cards repurposing parts of them. For one, our heroes come to us for handmade cards – any storebought ones get set aside, so we no longer include them and reserve our postage costs for handmade creations. Using copyrighted material also endangers our trademark, and we are not able to risk that; use all materials that are made for crafting (no napkins, ads, brochures, catalogs, magazine photos, etc.)
Limit photo cards.
Your photos may be beautiful, but we’re being overloaded with photo cards, which a number of our heroes have said do not get used. It’s not their photo, so they just aren’t as interested in them – they like the crafty kinds. So please limit any box to no more than 20 photo cards.
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* So we no longer send cards with handwritten sentiments on the outside or inside of the card, to keep even one heart from panicking. Your name on the back may be handwritten, and anything on your AnyHero cards may be handwritten.
Download a guidelines brochure
Questions? Read through the comments below and the answers provided, your question may have been addressed there.
Looking for shipping addresses? Click here!
Received the stamp I requested, thank you. I can’t wait to participate in this great program. I hope to be sending a shipment of cards soon!!!
Thank you for this information. Some of your links aren’t working.
Thanks Rebecca – finally had a chance to go through all the links, and they seem to be working now. Let me know if there are ones I missed
One link that doesn’t work- “do comment on the tactile cards”
Thanks for the catch, Kathy- just fixed that link. It’s worth clicking on
I have a stamp that has my name and then the copyright for Stampin’ Up!, the stamp company I use most often. Is it OK to put this on the back of the cards along with the OWH stamp?
It sure is, Sandra! Thanks for asking!
My friend and I use to make blank cards and send them to Landsthul Medical Center for the wounded soldiers to send home to their families. They recently said that they have enough cards. I have been searching the web trying to find another avenue to send them to and found your website. We certainly would like to be part of sending the cards to the military.
We welcome you, Virginia!
I just made a bunch of cards and some aren’t A2 but when I read the new guidelines is seems to say that you want A2 only…is that right? I included envelopes with all of my cards, whatever the size.
A few large ones are fine – we put them on top of the other cards, and include half a dozen in a box. Focusing on A2 really helps though! Thanks for including envelopes, Jean!
How about 4-bar sized cards? [They are 3.5x5] I have a bunch that I’d love to donate, but I want to make sure the cards I send will be accepted.
Hi Kerry! In case you didn’t get your answer yet, I thought I would pop in to help you. Those 4-bar cards would be fine too. Anything up to 4.25 x 5.5 is ideal because we can fit two rows of that size (or smaller) in a flat-rate box from the post office. It’s the most efficient way to get lots of cards to our heroes! Thanks for thinking of OWH for your donations!
I am new and ordered the OWH stamp set for stamping the back of my cards. Some have the OWH logo – your guidelines say no initials if I read it right? Can I use those from the set too? Also, I was going to then hand-write my first name under the logo – is that okay? Want to do this right from the very beginning. Thanks, Ro or Kittie
Yes, Kittie, you can sign your name or initials on the back by the OWH logo. You can even write your city and state, if you’d like! The “no handwriting” guideline refers to the front and inside of the cards that they would use to send home. Thanks for checking and thanks for stamping the backs of your cards too!
I think the one with just “OWH” is meant to fit inside the circle that says the whole name spelled out, right?
Hi, I’M excited to start making my cards, I have a grandson in the Marines so I know how much these cards mean to them. Thankyou Nancy McMenamy
When you say “quality” as in cardstock what brands do you mean? Can we use card stock with the same weight as Stampin Up, American Crafts or Bazzill, but made by a different company? And what are foamies??
Thanks:)
Kathy
Hi Kathy, quality just means good heavy stock bases that don’t bend when you stand them up. Foamies are those fun foam stickers usually sold in the kid’s craft section.
Hi Kathy! Yes, SU etc is good – the absolute minimum is the GP110 you can get at Walmart, but only because it’s one cardstock everyone can find.
Foamies are those little shapes diecut from craft foam – some are adhesive-backed. Most are – yikes – neon! lol.
Oh, no worries! I don’t do those nor do I like neon!! Really can’t embrace this comback at all. This is the third cycle of those colors that were called “psychedelic” in my day. LOL. Thanks for explaining, Sandy:)
Hi, I teach card-making workshops to senior citizens. I’m a total craft addict. Can I make a sticky label for the back of each card with our group name and address (just in case the soldier wants to write to us)?
Yes, you can, Madline! Thanks for asking
Another questions, Sandy. I have been making cards for over 20 years. Since I’m been in Florida for 9 years, I have used good quality glue sticks (not from the dollar store) and have never, ever had a problem. Since funds are tight and I buy all the suppies we use, I really question the use of glue sticks. What glue form do you suggest and how much does it cost???? Cannot ask my seniors to buy their own supplies.
Madeline, gluesticks are made with a water base. When that water evaporates, the glue is no longer sticky. Even in Florida heat, you may retain more of the water because of the humidity, perhaps, but even when cards travel across the mail to our shippers, we open a box and all the card parts are falling off. So we do ask for no gluesticks, we don’t have time to reglue everything back together.
Gluesticks, for the number of cards each one makes, are not even actually a good buy.
Tombow tape runners are also a reasonable option – the runner itself is under $3 at this link, and the refills are only $1.75:
http://www.discountofficeitems.com/office-supplies/general-supplies/tape-glue-adhesives/adhesive-film-dispensers/tombow-mono-permanent-adhesive-with-dispenser/p13930.html
Invest in an ATG gun for $25 and a bunch of refills, and you’ll get way more cards out of it than the comparable expenditure in gluesticks.
Okay……..no glue sticks. I have a few Scotch double-sided tape dispensers that we can use. I think I read that we don’t “have” to include the envelopes, but I can’t find where I read that. Let me know.
Envelopes aren’t required – but it takes our shippers a lot of time to tuck thousands of cards. When it gets busy, cards with no envelopes are set aside til there is time, and that could mean the cards won’t go out til the following season (if holiday) or may wait weeks or months til we get to them.
Sandy, I was told by one of my local shops that sends cards that the best glue is Zip Dry by Becon because it holds up to the heat. Is this true and are there any other liquid glues that are good? I also am using a double sided tape from Scrapbook Adhesives called Crafty Power Tape. Can you tell me if this is good. I have looked for an ATG gun in my area and can’t find one that has double sided tape.
Thanks,
Also, I sent 400 cards last Monday to the Midwestern shipper and have not heard if the cards were received. How long does it take to get confirmation and the donation letter?
Lucy Solberg
I generally don’t recommend any liquid adhesive for paper. It’s fine for embellishments, or a little fine detail on a diecut, but between crinkling things up and then letting go when the liquid in the adhesive dries out, it just doesn’t stick. See the comments above for answers about tape runners and ATGs.
Both in your reply here and in the adhesives tutorial, you talk about liquid glue crinkling paper. Zip Dry does NOT crinkle. I’ve used every adhesive out there for a church cardmaking ministry – we make hundreds every month and they are very roughly handled as people pull them out of the card sales racks and shove them back in again. We’ve actually tracked which cards use which adhesives and how well they last. Zip Dry has been our answer. We are in the dry air of Colorado and it hasn’t dried out – cards from a year ago are still adhered.
Honestly, I am thrilled to have found you and have already ordered my stamp, envelopes and I’ve learned the tuck. I’ll be sending a box soon, but…
1. Are you absolutely sure about Zip Dry in terms of its ability to last? (Because I guarantee that it doesn’t wrinkle paper.) I am in mourning if that is the case as I truly have come to hate tape. Tape is totally unforgiving – you can’t move something around if it’s a little crooked. But I’ll abide by your rules if you truly know that it doesn’t last.
2. I have a few hundred cards made with Zip Dry – can I still send them?
(A small caveat: the only paper that I have found that doesn’t do well with Zip Dry is the Stampin’ UP white and vanilla – for some reason, the glue shows through!)
Thank you for everything you do. This is a truly amazing, well-organized and meaningful endeavor!
Water isn’t what makes glue sticks sticky. The chemical components of the glue is what makes it sticky.
But water in most glue sticks is what makes the chemicals not dry out. And when the water is gone, the chemicals are no longer sticky.
What does it mean for the cards to be tucked in the envelopes?
See the tuck in the video here: http://operationwritehome.org/prepare
I’m a ding a ling! I felt so sure I lopked all around for something like that. Thanks!
Are torn pictures, photos from magazines / ads that are incorporated with quality scrap booking items ok? Sometimes just a snippet of a magazine picture conveys so much. My sister and I are artists, so we are not just cutting out ads or photos and slapping them on to card stock. We are creating meaningful vignette/collages of which a magazine photo is one part.
Unfortunately, no. Once we stamp Operation Write Home on it, we’re claiming rights to the art – and magazine imagery is not legally released to be used. Please stick with materials made for papercrafting. Thanks!
Sandy-
Thanks so much for the quick reply. One more question. what about magazine photos from old National Geographic, Sears catalogs, old textbooks? They are very retro, nostalgic. I think the soldiers would get a kick out of them. and I don’t think anyone would still be pursuing copywrites after 50 years? but whatever you say-you’re the expert.
Do you have any advice for findng pix’s of people, houses, animals, landscapes that are ok to use? My computer is shot for printing in color, so the Internet clip art is out for me for now.
But can you buy books of of clip art that is free to use with out copywrite concerns?
Thanks for answering and thanks for all the massive amounts of work you do to keep OWH up and running.
Mary
Please just don’t, Mary. We have no way of knowing where to draw the lines, so we’ve decided for legal purposes to say no to magazines and catalog images. Please. Some scrapbook papers have images on them, or you can look in our card gallery to see examples of cards that don’t have images on them too.
Is it okay to use wallpaper samples on the cards?
No, Rita, please do NOT use wallpaper samples. Stick to cardmaking and scrapbooking materials only.
Actually textiles, including fabrics and wallpapers fall into the category of “copyrighted’ materials so use would be prohibited.
Are you able to use glue dots on the cards? Or just stick to the glue tape stuff? I’m still new to card making but this is something I’m extremely interested especially since my husband is also deployed.
Make sure they stick well, Amy – old ones lose their stickiness. And also make sure they’re smaller than what you’re gluing; we have a lot of ribbons held on by gluedots, then the ribbon slides and the gluedot secures the card to the one next to it.
I have your OWH stamp which it use but I also have a made by stamp that has my name and email address on it. Can I use that on the back of the cards?
You sure can, Kandy! Just keep them both near each other at the bottom, in case our hero’s letter runs long
Thanks for the info. Appreciate it.
Is there somewhere I can find a file for the logo to use for printing labels on my printer or printing directly onto the cards? I would love to use your well-designed logo, but don’t want to be in violation of copyright laws if I cut and paste it from somewhere on your site.
Also, graphics for websites tend to be a poor quality for printing.
http://operationwritehome.org/flyers/ has a sheet you can print out.
OK. Sounds good! Thanks!
Hi, is it okay to stamp sentiments on the front of the cards – like happy birthday, thinking of you, etc?
Of course, yes – see the card galleries for ideas – http://operationwritehome.org/cards
I did not see this addressed in the comments. I was told when I first started to make cards that using Scor-tape would be acceptable and that was what I used when I was on a design team and they needed samples to display in their shows. It was a great way to hold the card projects together. I don’t have the ATG gun and would prefer to continue to use my Scor Tape or similar type tape like that which I have purchased at Sparkle N Sprinkle. Thanks so much for all the informatiion though.
Sure, Verna! ScorTape is awesome, I use it a lot for ribbons etc. It’s pricey compared to the other types, so I typically use ATG tape or tombow runners, but ScorTape is fine if that’s what you like. They make great products!
What size or label number do you
use with this?
Are staples okay to use?
Are embossing powders ok? Gotcha on the glitter but wondering about using versamark ink and embossing powder on top. Let me know. We have a card party planned in NH on Oct 6 and our goal is 500 holiday cards!! So excited! Janet
If it stays put – it’s fine.
i am new to OWH and am excited to send my first box of cards next week. All my cards include envelopes and are tucked. Is it ok to place tucked cards in individual clear poly envelopes? This adds to the cost but insures the cards are received undamaged.
Please do not include sleeves; we remove those. Our heroes sometimes need to burn or carry out their garbage from remote locations and we don’t want to add to their trash. Thanks!
How can I get the stamp OWH and is there a charge for it? Is this a necessity on the back of the cards OR can I just use my personal stamp or label?
I checked through all the comments and didn’t find any mention of this. I would like to know if we need to put a POSTAGE stamp on the envelopes? I doubt it, but with the “STAMP” word flowing around, I just want to make sure. As I see it, we simply do a proper ‘tuck’ in an envelope, pack ‘em up, add packing slip, and ship to shippers. Right?
Correct, no postage needed on individual cards; they mail letters home for free! They do have to fill out customs forms if they’re big fat cards, so that’s one reason we ask they not get too thick. But no regular postal stamps needed – the inky-stamped (or printed) Operation Write Home one goes on the back.
Good question Jackie!
For the deadlines, can we send holiday-specific cards way before the deadline (I have a great summer card idea but unfortunately, summer is now over
)
We’d love your seasonal cards to start about 3-4 months before the holiday if possible so we don’t hang onto them all year. But that said, new folks often send their entire stash to us, so we end up storing anyway. Our shippers store cards in their homes, so assisting them with waiting is a big help – I have a guest bathtub that fills up with off season cards.
Wow what have I been missing?!? I cannot wait to get started. You mentioned that we are to use quality supplies because computer paper or thin designer paper is not adequate. When lining a dark card are we allowed to use computer paper or thin designer paper?
Hi Nicole! Yes, you can use them for lining for sure. They just make bad card bases
Thanks!
got my stamo and have 25 cards made and hope to have them sent in December. Thanks to all the participate in this great cause
I have a supply of colored envelopes. Are colored envelopes alright to use, or do you require white only?
White isn’t required – just remember they don’t have white pens. So they have to be light enough to write on. Thanks Diana!
Are we allowed to make cards using digital software like Stampin’ Up!’s My Digital Studio? It’s the same artwork and user policy as the actual stamps, but everything is created on the computer.
Yes, as long as they “look” handmade. Some folks want to do it all on one layer with digital embellishments, and our heroes think they’re storebought and only use the handmade.
Well, that would totally defeat the purpose. Handmade or hybrid it is. Thanks!
Can we use a glue gun on the embellishments to adhere them to the card?
I guess you could, but there’s plenty of less clunky adhesives that work great – glue guns would be overkill, I think…Tombow has a liquid adhesive that’s great, and the Scotch Quick Dry is great too and has a nice tiny nib.
I was thinking if I were to use those very tiny flowers(are those allowed:)? I would use a very small amount of hotglue on them, but don’t necessarily have to use hotglue, just used to using that sometimes on my embellishments instead of glue dots. So can I use Aleenes tacky glue to adhere those as well as other embellishments instead of the hotglue? Thanks
Yes Aleenes works fine too. Just make sure they’re pretty flat flowers; some folks send the ones that are hard, like little rocks – and those punch holes in envelopes as they go through the post office. Thanks Katie!
Just FYI:
Glue from a hot glue gun remelts when it gets hot. Living in the Arizona heat (and the Middle East can be hotter), I almost never use a glue gun because of this. When that glue melts and then re-cools, it can make an awful mess.
I know glitter is not allowed but what about heat embossing?
Heat embossing is fine, Evelyn, as long as the embossing powder you choose doesn’t contain glitter.
I am new to this, am about to mail off my first batch of cards, hope they are acceptable. There are some with a little glitter glue (good quality, only use Stickles or Martha Stewart), did the rub off test, before packing. One question, what does “properly tucked” mean, does that mean fully in the envelope? Again, hope all of my cards are acceptable, but, if not, please let me know, I will correct for next time. Thank you for this opportunity to participated in this wonderful effort and pursue one of my passions at the same time.
There’s a video here that shows the Tuck: http://operationwritehome.org/prepare
This is fantastic. We just sent a bunch of card in the Christmas boxes but are on our way to making many more. We will follow the guidelines and my whole card making class will participate!! Fantastic!
I received a message from OWH that Valentine Cards were the project at this time. Not aware that you were still accepting Christmas cards. Please advise what cards that are needed at this time.
Thank you
We stopped accepting Christmas cards October 31. Please see the deadlines calendar here: http://operationwritehome.org/deadlines Thanks!
My son is in Afghanistan and three of the letters he has sent home are on the beautiful cards with your stamp on the back. Thanks so much. I have made cards for over 20 years and will be sending some your way soon. I already ordered the stamp–and have learned much from reading all the correspondence on this page.
Diane
Orange, Texas
Hi Sandy!
I found your website through Pinterest. I’m a consultant for Close to My Heart and I’m so excited to share this project with my customers! I’m ordering the stamp and envelopes and will collect cards from my customers at regular intervals. I’m also a teacher, so I can collect AnyHero letters from them. To learn everything I could about OWH, I’m reading everything on your website! I wanted to let know about a broken link on the “Our Heroes” page. It’s the link at the very bottom of the page. Thanks so much for your dedication!
Jacquelynn
Centennial, CO
Hello Sandy, I just heard about this site over my winter break and I’m working on getting a group of college girls together to make cards. I’ve read that it is not ok to use magazine/catalog photos in our cards, but is it ok to use photos we have taken ourselves? I do a lot of traveling and enjoy using my own photos of landscapes as postcards and such for my friends. If it is possible for me to incorporate such photos into the cards I make I would love to. Thanks for your time!
As long as they’re adhered onto cardstock, layered, embellished or something. If they’re just printed on cardstock our heroes don’t recognize them as handmade. In general when using travel photos, cards would be from someone going to that location and sending a “postcard” type of card home. Our heroes won’t be sending cards from the Grand Canyon or Washington Monument, so please don’t use those types of vacation images.
Can you please tell me what label template size you use. When I print mine out the first few are fine but then they don’t print in the label correctly for the rest of the sheet? Thanking you in advance for your response.
I just googled for it – there’s a whole list of ones that work for 30 labels here. http://www.avery.com/avery/en_us/Templates-&-Software/Templates/Labels/Address-Labels/Address-Label-30-per-sheet_Microsoft-Word.htm
Thanks, I figured it out today. I did add my first name, email, and city and state under the OWH logo. Is that ok?
I’m new and so excited to participate. My question is that I have told all my students and customers to never have a naked envelope. So, are we allowed to stamp on the lower left of the envelopes?
Decorate away!
I have been given a lot of 4″ x 5 1/2″ blank cards with envelopes. Are these ok to use?
The cards need to fit in an A2 envelope. If your card is a little big you can always trim it a little.
My understanding is that any hero mail does not need envelopes, just placed in a ziplock bag. Is this still true. I am happy to add envelopes.
No envelope needed.
Uh Oh! I don’t know if I should have posted a reply here. Sorry Sandy. I can’t see where I can delete my responses.
No problem Cora! I love when other people help me keep up with answering.
I have the DEADLINES printed out but is there any rule about how AHEAD I can send a themed card? I have some Christmas that missed the deadline…when can I send those for next Christmas?
We prefer Christmas to arrive during summertime – I store early ones in the guest bathtub, so would rather not overflow it if I don’t have to
I used the Sakura clear star pen. It looks like glitter but it isn’t, but it does wipe off a little. Can I send those cards or not?
If it comes off, no – but lots of folks put a little Glossy Accents over a flower center with whatever glitter product they use, and that seals it in just perfect.
I, too, prefer to put my cards in sleeves, as it keeps them clean and together. A soldier I sent cards to picked out 12, one for each month he was deployed, and mentioned how nice that was. The cards can be mailed home in the sleeves as well, correct?
We remove all sleeves. Many of our units are remote and have to pack out or burn their trash, so we do not wish to create problems for them. It takes our shippers a lot of time to remove sleeves, so we ask you not to send cards in with them.
Ok I haven’t seen this addressed yet. Besides paper crafting I also do cross-stitch and I have several patterns for cards. As long as they are A2 sized are they OK? I don’t think they’d be so bulky with the fabric than some of the other scrappy embellishments.
While they wouldn’t be bulky, we have had cards with fabric fall apart – fabric’s not really made to glue onto cards, and with all the handling they get, we don’t recommend it.
SANDY. I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THE INFO. LISTED ABOVE BUT I AM BEDRIDDEN. WITH SEVERE MIGRAINES AND SO I CAN ONLY DO A FEW CARDS AT A TIME AND I AM ONLY ABLE TO READ A SMALL AMT. AT A TIME… I AM NOT SURE WHAT YOU MEAN BY PACKING SLIPS WITH THE CARDS. IS IT OKAY JUST TO WRITE THE NUMBER OF CARDS AND TO WHOM? I AM AS NEW MEMBER AND AM STILL WAITING FOR MY STAMP…. ALSO I THOUGHT I HEARD SOMETHING ABOUT ADDING THE MONEY FOR SOMETHING WITH TH ED CARDS…WE DON.T NEED TO SEND MONEY WITH THE CARDS DO WE? AND ONE MORE . ? FOR NOW DO YOU STILL HAVE FREE STAMPS? THANK YOU AND BLESS YOU I CAN.T WAIT TO SEND SOME…SHOOT ONE MORE.CA.N WE SEND LIKE 10 CARDS OR SO AND CAN THEY BE MAILED IN ANYTHING WE HAV F2F E AVAILABL? THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU. LISA
You can send any quantity at any time. Funds are helpful but not required. A packing slip is needed so we can credit you with cards, but you can write the same info on a piece of paper – name, address, email, quantity of cards. If you ordered the stamp from the free tab, that’s the only free one we have available.
hi there i would love to be a part of this would love one of your
Stamps
The form is here for the free stamp: http://operationwritehome.org/free
I was wondering if brads from Stampin Up can be used or are they too bulky?
Brads should be the normal flat-topped kind – the big rounded gem kind don’t work. I don’t know which brads you’re referring to.
I thought I read somewhere that I would hear when you receive my cards. I have now sent 2 packages of cards and nothing. Just hoping they got where they belonged. One was in for the Mar. 30th deadline and the next was for Apr. 30th. Just wondering.
If your email address wasn’t readable on the packing slip, that could be why – please email your shipper with the correct address and she can re-send.
I was reading the guidelines regarding embellishments and was wondering about pop-dots (dimensionals) and if I could make some spinner cards (they have pop dots and a little thing that spins). Also wondering if I could make cards with action wobbles. I have made both the spinner and action wobble cards for many children, and they just love them. I have had no issues with the post office getting them to their destinations but wanted to double check with you before I make them.
Please be very careful with things like spinners and adding lots of dimension. We always stay shirt-button thick, not vintage-button thick. While some POs process thick mail fine, some do not – and then our hero’s card may not get to the family. That’s more important than getting lots of dimension on a card
Along with the very-understandable need to avoid glitter – what about the new trend of sequins? I adhere with Glossy Accents – but I am still thinking it would be safer NOT to use sequins? What do you think?
Anything shiny that could come off onto a hero’s uniform would be bad, potentially; so maybe not?
I have cards ready to send, but don’t have a stamp to stamp the back. Do I need to wait until I receive it? also I live 100 miles from KS, but I’m to send to WA since I am on the West side of the Miss. River? Just want to make sure I am doing this right. It’s been a LONG time since I’ve sent cards and the rules are a lot different, so don’t want to make more work for you all.
Your stamp is going to get to you pretty quick, Dixie’s good! And you can send to Kris if you need to, we’re not legalisitic about it. Flat rate goes the same price to whereever, but if it’s a smaller or larger package it would cost more for WA.
I love this idea and would like to help out, but I have a few questions. If I buy a digital scrapbooking kit, can I use that? I would print the papers and maybe some flowers or whatever the kit them is. Also, do you know if the brand Colorcopia Colored Pencils work with your baby oil technique for coloring? I have a few stamps that I would like to color and thinking of picking up some baby oil. I’m waiting for my stamp and getting very excited!
I just sent my first box of cards. I fit them into a small flat rate box, but I had to wrap tape around the box to make sure it would stay closed. (I really filled it!) As my daughter looked at it, she pointed out that I was making it hard for you to get into the box. Sorry for that in advance, Sandy! You guys are the best. I’m loving everything I’m learning on OWHtv.
Can we use honeycomb paper for a pop up on the inside of a card for a hero to send back home?
It has to fold down really flat – so no dimension besides the honeycomb on the outside, probably.
Exactly what kind of glue is acceptable for use? Which brand works best?
Most OWHers rely on either ATG or tape runners – in either case be sure everything gets burnished down well.