From Our Hearts

Fincastle, VA and Gilbert, AZ Stampers Contribute

A brand new contributor from Fincastle, VA, Amy C sent us this package:

Inside, we found 104 cards, each one sorted by type and with an envelope.

ladybug cards!!! (and we have a very special lady -Martie and Tom's daughter - who stationed in Iraq who loves ladybug cards - some of these will be going into the box that is going to her chaplain!)

love you, get well, hi/hello, celebrate, friendship, Christmas and more.

Amy writes: "I heard about your ministry through a friend of mine and wanted to contribute some cards that I had lying around my house.  Enjoy!"  Wow - 104 cards "lying around her house?"  Thank you, Amy!!

Ruth F is our next contributor from Gilbert, AZ.  Ruth contributes to From Our Hearts on a regular basis and we are so glad she does!

This time, 173 cards is what she created and mailed our way.  It is always amazing to us when we receive such a large contribution and know they were made by one individual!

Packed tightly, they arrived in great shape.

Thinking of you, thank you, Halloween, Thanksgiving, birthday and all occasion cards and a few sympathy cards were in her box.

nicely crafted!

Each card "box ready" and we do appreciate being able to simply admire the cards and place them in their appropriate holding boxes!

We thank our new contributor, Amy and Ruth, our loyal stamper for their contributions.

Their contributions, combined, fill up an entire box that will be shipped over!

From Al Asad, Iraq

Hello From Our Hearts,

I just want to thank you and your organization for making us your loving greeting cards.

I am from the TF 804 MED in Al ASAD Iraq.  Somehow a box of your cards dropped into our hands. 

The cards disappeared rapidly.  Again, I want to thank you and your group for our time and dedication in supporting the troops.

MSG Q

More Cards Arrive From California and WI!

The duo from Sacramento, CA have been stamping again!

Bev W and Susan McB mailed us ANOTHER box!  This time, 182 cards - each one "box ready" - and they noted that all dark card based cards have white liners - so we didn't have to check (thank you!)

A few of Bev's cards are photographed here - how do we know?  They each include a personalized slip with each card.

These are a few of Susan's cards - and we think they both do a FABULOUS job!  Thank you, once more, ladies!

Jean Z is another one of our "frequent" contributors, like Bev and Susan.  She is from Dane, WI.

Opening her boxes is like opening a gift... wrapped in tissue paper.  We feel like it is our birthday when we open her packages!  And it is certainly a gift.

All the cards are "tucked in" with tissue paper and each card type is tied with a ribbon.

Each one of her 70 cards have an "extra touch".  It is no wonder that our cards are so well received overseas!

So well made.

Jean also sent us a cash contribution.  Thank you, Jean!

Special People - the Ladies of Guardian Lutheran Church

"Dear Members of the Guardian Lutheran Church,

I would like to thank you for the beautiful cards your organization has made and sent to us.  It's special people like you who make a deployment more bearable.

God bless.

SFC Susan R

R1 Army National Guard"

Note from the home front:  Sharon C heads up the effort with the ladies of the Guardian Lutheran Church in Dearborn, MI.  They stamp on a regular basis and mail packages to us just about every month and their cards are distributed to the many locations in the war zone.  Their July contribution arrived, the box photographed . . .

...and alas, no photos of the cards were found when we went to post it on the blog.  Our apologies to you, ladies!  We thank you for the 180 cards that were made and shipped our way!

Friends From Bethel Baptist Church, Jackson MI Contribute Again

Dianne B and her friends, Jan, Carol, Harriet, Margaret, and Mary from Bethel Baptist Church in Jackson, MI sent us a nice note inside this box they mailed to us.  They wrote: "A big thank you to all of you who have a hand in getting the cards shipped overseas."

You are welcome!  WE thank all of YOU for all of your contributions.  Without them, we would not have the cards or the funds to make all of this happen!

This time (Diane contributes regularly), a box of 174 arrived.  Unique cards!

We have not seen any such as these...

and we thought, wow!  They are really thinking of our service men and women in both Iraq and Afghanistan!

In addition, thinking of you, miss you, love you and many more.

They also sent us a cash contribution, too.  We appreciate it!

Over 175,000 Cards Mailed!

Stats, stats, stats . . . From Our Hearts is doing great thanks to ALL OF OUR CONTRIBUTORS!

When we look at what we have accomplished, we are amazed!

175,570 cards mailed since From our Hearts became a Not For Profit.

68,939 cards mailed year to date (January through August 24).

245 boxes mailed year to date (January through August 24).

We are on target to far exceed the number of cards that we mailed out last year (85,791) as our BIGGEST shipments are yet to come - Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Last year, From Our Hearts mailed 129 boxes in the months of Sept-Dec and a total of 42,073 cards.  We hope to double that amount, if possible!

Looking at what we have on hand RIGHT NOW, we are hoping that we will match what we mailed out last year BUT we need your help!  More cards are needed...

Halloween cards are due Sept 15 - Thanksgiving cards on Oct 1 (we have extended our ship dates as our boxes have been arriving quickly) and our Christmas shipment will be going over on Halloween to miss the Christmas rush.  Please plan accordingly.  We need many, many cards as we support 40 locations and we ship over, on average, 280 cards in each box to each location.  And many locations need more than one box.

Please consider helping our cause.  And consider helping with a monetary contribution, too.  We accept checks mailed to our PO box and through Paypal (link is on the right side bar) - Each box mailed costs us $12.95 to ship and our costs go up with every new contact we receive - we mail boxes to each one every 4-6 weeks as our cards come in and as our funds allow.

We thank you in advance for all the support of our effort and most importantly, for the support of all of our service men and women who receive our beautiful cards!  They appreciate receiving our cards and having the ability to write home in style -

Martie

 

 

 

Patriotic Stamping Diva's of California

On July 13, Kathy F and the Stamping Diva's from Salida, CA produced an amazing 256 greeting cards for our troops.  This bulging box arrived on our doorstep!

Kathy enclosed some photos of her group (and they are AWESOME pictures!) and we appreciate seeing all the smiling faces!  They stamped on tablecloths that were the American Flag!!!  She writes:  "A big shout out for each and everyone of them.  Alice, our 88 year old diva was awesome!  Our Modesto and Salida group stamped their little hearts out."  And it shows - just see for yourselves . . .

. . . just look at some of the beautiful cards they made.

All occasion, birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas cards -

and birthday, too. 

Just beautifully crafted.  We appreciate all of the time, effort and the support the Stamping Diva's put into this effort!

oops...almost forgot!  The Diva's also sent 122 card fronts and cash to ship over a box!

Thank you, ladies!

 

From MN to AL, the Contributions Arrive

This box arrived from Richfield, MN and the contributor, Vicki E, is a familiar name to From Our Hearts.  She contributes on a regular basis.

Enclosed?  51 cards and a nice check, too!

She writes:  "Not all of my cards are stamped but they all are hand created from my heart.  Please use the enclosed donation where it is most needed."  We appreciate the "non" stamped cards - our requirement is "handcrafted" - nowhere do we say they have to be "handstamped"!  And we have used the contribution to help pay for our accountant fees...yes, we do have those expenses, too as we have to report to the IRS every year!

Take a look at Vicki's cards:

Some of about every type.  Anniversary, best wishes, congratulations, get well, love you, miss you, thank you... the list goes on!  Beautiful cards.  Thank you, Vicki!

Anne S is from Killen, AL and has become another one of our "frequent" contributors.

This box of 242 cards included pens - we place these inside each box that we ship over . . .

And her cards include hi/hello, love you, sympathy, thinking of you, thank you and so many more.

Nice, nice cards.  Anne's customized slip touched our hearts:  "made with love in memory of Sammy Mann - Desert Storm & Operation Iraqi Freedom".  We know this will touch the hearts of so many who pick out her cards.

Ann even stamped each envelope - what a nice, extra touch!

Our thanks to Anne, for all the care and attention and LOVE in this box of 242 cards!

Zanesville, OH Free Card Making Event Sept 17

What:  Card Making event for the troops - in support of From Our Hearts

When:  Saturday, September 17 from 1030 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Where:  John McIntire Library in Zanesville, Ohio

This event is open to the public, ages 16 and older and everyone, stampers and non-stampers who want to learn to stamp are invited to come and stamp and assemble cards for the troops.  All supplies are provided and door prizes will be given out.

The goal:  1,000 cards for our servicemen and women - each and every one will be donated to From Our Hearts!

If you are in the Zanesville area, plan on attending.

April and Suzanne in CA Contribute

From Chino Hills, CA, our newest official volunteer, April S has been contributing to From Our Hearts since we began sending cards, even before From Our Hearts became incorporated.  April contributes on a regular basis and is an avid supporter of our cause.  We thank you, April, for ALL you do for From Our Hearts!

April sent us another big box and included a check to help us out with expenses... as she knows that we operate entirely on contributions.  Funds are needed to purchase envelopes, clear envelopes, paper and ink for the printer (making slips, the letter we include in each box), packing tape, scotch tape, pens, double sided tape and card stock, too - this is needed to turn those donated cards into cards and for putting white/off white inside dark-based cards we receive.  And of course, POSTAGE to mail those cards over!  We thank April and our other contributors who include a contribution inside their boxes of cards!

April's box, this time, contained 226 cards.  85 Christmas cards (she is giving us a head start!), birthday, love you, thank you and more.

She has a signature style, and I can pick her cards out of the boxes as we prepare the cards for shipment.  Thank you, April!

Suzanne C is another contributor from California - the city of Lompac.  Suzanne sent this package:

47 cards, with envelopes and clear envelopes.  Suzanne left the clear envelopes open so that we could add our slip to them (and this is a time saver for us as we then didn't have to open up each and every one!)

Mother's Day and Easter were included - and we do accept all types of holiday cards year round - we simply place them in "holding" boxes until it is time to ship them.

Birthday, thinking of you, "for you" and more is what we found.  Beautifully crafted...

We appreciate our California stampers for their works of art!