aunt peaches

On French Fries and Flowers

The one and only time I have ever been to Brussels it was in a train station for 35 minutes, 20 years ago, and the only thing I remember is that when I went to buy a croissant at the train station french fry stand, I accidentally yanked my wallet out too hard and all of my money + the contents of my backpack (books, dirty socks, a Cosmo magazine, 13 pounds of spare change and about 74,000 tampons) went flying everywhere. Everywhere. It was mortifying. Especially because no less than four people -all of them total strangers- rushed to help me, each of them speaking a different language, none of which understood.

Three things about this:

1. Did you hear the part where I mentioned FRENCH FRY STAND IN THE TRAIN STATION and it sold CROISSANTS?
These people know how to live.

2. If that happened to me today, here, would four people rush to help me?
Not likely. It would not be fair to say all Belgian people are equally so kind, but that is how they remain in my mind. Also – the symbol of their capital is a statue of a rebellious boy peeing into a fountain. And he has outfits. So, you know I’m a fan.

3. Why were these people, these kind, smart, french fry-loving, weirdly-open-minded and multicultural people made a target for hate and destruction yesterday?
Coming up short on this one.

This is the part where I’m supposed to say I’m sending prayers and good thoughts to the 30+ people who died yesterday, and their families, and all those effected by the bombing, and I’m going to get there, but first I’m going to be mad as a hornet.

And I don’t know what to do about it.

Terrorism is not new, nor is this a unique incident, but what do you do about it? For all the time, money and attention spent on this, it still happens. All the time. And the point of terrorism cause fear and drive blame…and what are we doing? We all get afraid and look for someone to blame.

Boom – they win.

We let them win.

….Guhhh. Okay. Sorry. I don’t mean to bitch. I really don’t. I created this site as a forum to share ideas and sometimes the ideas aren’t of the hot glue and sequin variety. It irritates me that I can turn on a dozen news channels right now and hear endless experts talking about what happened yesterday, but nobody is saying what we can do about it to prevent it from happening again, or how to help those rippling through the aftermath. This bugs me. I’m a fixer. I don’t like allotting brain space to problems without allotting equal space to a solutions. Anything less comes off as whining, and listening to it, however compelling or sympathetic, eventually starts to sound like nails on a chalkboard.

But I digress.

Hey! Let’s shift gears and talk about something important: flowers.

…and speaking of Brussels, in addition to french fries, croissants, and ability to overcome terrorism, they do this awesome thing the flower carpet. I have admired it for years. Have you heard of it? Look at this thing!

It takes place in late summer every two years in the Grand-Place in the center of Brussels. This open plaza is one of the most beautiful in the world already, and then 120 volunteers fill it with one million begonias. I told you I liked these people.

Shut up.

Credit: Images and video provided by the City of Brussels office of Tourism. You need to watch the video.

The 2016 carpet is scheduled to be in tribute to diplomatic relations with Japan, but I doubt Japan would mind if they altered or integrated the theme to remember yesterday’s events. Or not. Maybe that is not necessary. Public art has weird healing powers when it comes to injured communities, regardless of content or context. A thing of beauty is never a waste of time. I suppose, in a small way, making beautiful things is it’s own strange form of counter-terrorism. It’s a living demonstration of survival. Making something with your hands says you will create good things in spite of a bad surrounding. You will create light in the dark. And isn’t that the most enviable skill of all?

Welp. That’s what I know about that.

I’m off. Today is one of those rare days I scheduled for nothing but painting, which is such a treat, but today, perhaps it comes with a slightly heavier heart.

Hugs.

-A

The Naomi Campbell of Appliances

by aunt peaches 9 Comments

Happy Friday Possums!

I am feeling extra happy today. For not only did I cross a bunch of finish lines, I went two whole mothertruckin’ weeks on nothing but salads and omelets and green things I don’t even want to talk about because they sound like something you have to treat with special shampoo from the pharmacist. No sugar. No carbs. No booze. Not even a cracker or a diet soda. -People who know me in real life just read that sentence and gasped. I know! Folks, we’re going deep.

And, not only is today my cheat day, today kicks off St. Patrick’s day weekend in Chicago. Not only do we go crazy, we DYE THE RIVER GREEN!

It’s a big deal around here. Weird fact about me: my grandfather was Chicago’s fireboat captain for many years and so when I was but a tiny tatertot, I actually got to ride ON THE BOAT chugging up the river tossing out the dye. For real. Want to know a secret? The dye isn’t green, it’s orange. But actually looks like radioactive neon yellow powder. Now the dyeing is done by fancy speed boats in a parade, but there was a time when it was just a bunch of kids on a tug boat, eating jellybeans and feeling cool. When I tell that to Chicago people they either don’t believe me, or they look at me like I’m Miss America and nobody bothered to tell them. I know. I’m special like that.

Speaking of special, my refrigerator is in yet another magazine!

I think this is the fourth it’s been featured in print? Fifth time? I’m telling you, this fridge is like the Naomi Campbell of appliances.

You can get the details on how I wallpapered the fridge with help from Chasing paper here, or pick up a copy of this month’s HGTV magazine. You’ll see all sorts of awesome ideas from other nifty blogging friends as well.

So that is what I will be doing this weekend; HGTV magazine, a green glitter leprechaun hat, and a six pack of Reece’s peanut butter eggs. WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE!

Happy weekend!

Happy Monday: Chocolate Bunnies, Cat Music, Political Goat Rodeo

by aunt peaches 14 Comments

Dear Sweetums,

Greetings from the hobbit hole! I stand before you, a bewildered groundhog, peeping her head from below the warmth of my tree stump bunker, timidly sniffing the air while looking for signs of spring. And you know what? I think it might be here. Praise Dolly!

News from the glitter front: I’m closing in on the home stretch of my book, which is a good reason to stay away from the distractions of social media. That, and the populace has gone and lost its damn mind. I just spent 10 minutes on Facebook and everybody and their brother Wayne is angry about something. Did you notice this too?

Peyton Manning retired – let’s be mad he had the nerve to grow old!
Nancy Raegan is dead – let’s be mad that she tried to stop drugs and it didn’t work!
Donald Trump is going to be the Republican nominee – let’s be mad people are voting for him!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating for Donald Trump. Whoa Nelly, let’s get that straight. But I’m not in the business of telling people how to vote. Bad politicians are the direct result of bad voters (that’s on us, America) and half of us don’t even vote. Ever. So yeah, it’s no wonder someone started pandering to the lowest common denominator and the formula worked real well. Just the same, it’s just kinda gross when you know people for years -people who never vote and couldn’t tell you their congressman’s name to save their life- then one day you are talking about Easter candy and out of the clear blue sky they are lecturing you on government and telling you “I LIKE TRUMP BECAUSE HE SAYS IT LIKE IT IS.” And you know full well what they mean is “I LIKE TRUMP BECAUSE HE SAYS ALL THE HATEFUL, IGNORANT HORSESHIT I’M NOT RICH ENOUGH TO SAY MYSELF.”

…and he also likes to go on TV and talk about his genitals. Did you see that? WTF kind of goat rodeo was that? Not one man, but three grown men. And two of them are already elected and living on the tax-payer’s dime. How the hell do you explain that behavior to your kids? I’m honestly wondering how some of you parentals are handling this. That is one problem I am grateful to not be handling right now. Or do kids not watch the debates anymore? I used to love watching the debates with my dad when I was a kid and we’d talk about in school and stuff. It was just what you did. Not so much cable options then, I guess. Remember when Dan Quayle got his ass handed to him by Lloyd Bentsen? The whole country was like Oooooooooooo Burn! but that was a wet noodle compared this situation we got going on here. Y’all: WTF happened?

And yet, we can’t all go around writing off people because they follow a different set of political principals. That’s the kind of attitude that leads to oligarchy problems, and ain’t nobody got time for that. Where am I going here? Don’t know. They say it isn’t good for business to talk politics in public because people may have a different perspective, but I wonder; what good has come from a whole country that only discusses their views with like-minded people? Isn’t that where we are right now? Couldn’t we all benefit from hearing a different perspective and weighing conclusions for ourselves?

Well, that was way too philosophical for Monday morning. I’m thinking the safety of my hobbit hole of cat hair and paper flowers is looking pretty good right now. In cheerier news, this is some other nifty/uplifting/not-related-to-republican-genitals things I found on the interwebs in recent weeks….

Two things I love more than chocolate which is saying a lot: David Sedaris and Ru Paul’s Drag Race. And for one shining moment, they collided together.

The mansions of the reclusive heirless, Huguette Clark. Nobody, even people who worked for her for years, knew what she looked like. I’m adding this book to my reading list.

Marikmekko is coming to Target! Marimekko is coming to Target! Breathe. Breathe.

These wire wrapped bangles are the tits! Also, a really good excuse to start collecting chunky beads. Like I needed another thing to collect?

This is what reading is like when you have dyslexia.

Going through a breakup? Say it in pie.

OH HELL YES IN ALL CAPS: The adult coloring book to end all adult coloring books is here! Ruth Bader Ginsberg.

Can you even believe they don’t ship to the US? Benedict Cumberbatch as a chocolate bunny.

Eat your heart out, Mozart: A real, genuine orchestra playing along to a cat playing on a piano.

Dorothy Zbornak screaming “CONDOMS!” for five hours. If the internet existed for this alone, it’s worth it.

Did y’all watch the Downton Abbey Final last night? So good! Not even going to pretend I didn’t cry ten times. Here’s the NYT’s mini retrospective.

Favorite thing I have watched this month: Darby Forever. Aidy Bryant from SNL is the cutest and here she is talking and crafting about it. Why can’t more interviews involve tissue paper flowers?

^Legit question.

Michaels Makers Spring Florals: Baby Shower Boot Swag

by aunt peaches 6 Comments

Let’s me get this off my chest: I have never been big on silk flowers. We don’t vibe. This is a me thing, so don’t get offended if you are a fan – I see their function, they just don’t scratch my itch. I blame this on being a child of the ’80s, the heyday of faux floral exuberance, and was tasked with dusting silk flowers one-too-many occasions (I’m looking at you neighbor lady Mrs. Krenshaw: fifty cents to dust 300 gladiolas on a piano was NOT a fair wage.)

In fairness, from a sculptural standpoint, silk flowers are pretty. And I’m nuts about paper flowers, though, so go figure? Maybe I’m coming around. Maybe…

Anyway, so, when Michael’s asked me and the other makers to highlight a new way to use their new Floral Market, I was at a loss. They tell me they have over 500 new styles, but it’s alllll new to me. Ruh roh! But then, it turns out I’m helping to host a baby shower and goshdarnit isn’t this the cutest thing you have ever seen?!

Get it? Rainboots. Shower? Baby shower?

Okay. Now that it’s been officially over explained, let me show you how I did it because it could not be easier. Zero flower arranging skills required.

Materials
Silk flowers
Pipe cleaners ( You can call them chenille stems but we all know you know better – they’re pipe cleaners!)
Ribbon
Rubber boots (You can use your own or pick up some at any thrift store. Note, if you use kids boots you’ll need less flowers)

The old expression for flower arangements and plantings goes; “Something to fill , something to thrill, something to spill.”

This is how I broke it down…
Thrill: Tall and delicate cherry blossom branches. I also bought a couple of jumbo peonies to anchor the front.
Spill: Celery green dangler things. Not sure the name. If I was doing this with a non-pink scheme I would have gone with an ivy but I wasn’t digging it this day.
Fill: A whole lotta pink and white flowers, mostly the inexpensive mini-bunches.

This arrangement took five minutes. All I did was bundle the ‘fill’ flowers into two bouquets with a pipe cleaner. Then dropped one in each boot top and hung on the door just so I could get a sense of space.

How are they hung? Just a piece of wide ribbon tied around the buckle of each boot. No harm on the boot front – thank goodness. I know you were all worried.

Now back to the flowers. Next, I inserted the cherry blossoms in the back and the dangly pieces in front.

And there we have it. A precious door front floral arrangement fit to welcome a new baby in style. Or, no baby needed! It’s prefect for the whole spring season. If I had my druthers, I might go back and make it with yellow boots and blue paper flowers but let’s be honest, I’m not that ambitious. And paper flowers won’t last a day outdoors in March in the Midwest. So, you win, silk flowers. I’ll see you again!

Interested in seeing some other ideas of what can be made with faux flowers? Check it out!

An InLinkz Link-up

Make Upcycled Bins From Paper Bags

by aunt peaches 2 Comments

Raise your hand if you have ever decided to “get organized” (<airquotes warranted) by going to the store to buy stuff to store stuff, and then you get to the store and the cute storage containers cost as much as a new pair of shoes, so you go over to the shoe section, then pick up a pair of espadrilles, try them on, then walk back over the storage container department and decide to buy the cheaper-but-uglier storage containers, then you come home with ugly containers and cute shoes and zero interest in organizing anything.

Yeah. Both hands raised here.

According to Marie Kondo, the best way to avoid this is to not buy anything fancy for organizing purposes, just simple and readily available stuff from the recycling bin, and you only do that after you do the hard part. Uuuuurgh. I hate it when they annoying people are right.

Anyway: Hello paper bags!

These babies are crazy easy to make, and a good excuse to ~~buy~~ use up all those cute and colorful tapes. Plus, you can customize the dimensions to fit an awkward space or a narrow shelf. And they look darn cute too, right? I don’t normally keep my yarn stash up on my bookshelf but I just might start. Easy grabbin’ makes fro easy craftin’ – and I am alllllll about it.

Want the directions? Pop on over to Etsy’s official blog and see what’s what!

Happy Valentines. An Update. Some news. And Chocolate?

by aunt peaches 26 Comments

Happy Valentines Day my peoples. Hope you are staying warm and snuggly with your loved one(s), may they be of the two-legged or four-legged variety. I’m spending today at home with my favorite traditional love meal of heart shaped meat by-products on a frozen pizza. Because I’m classy like that. Also, lazy. Which reminds me to mention, please forgive my slowness in posts lately, but it is with good reason…

Good news: It’s taken four years, countless late nights, and a healthy heap of rejection…but I got myself a book deal. Huzzah!

Bad news: The turnaround will be less than two months. Big deadline in early March with a scheduled publication in September. That’s real, reauuul fast by commercial publishing standards.

I can’t say a whole lot more than that at this time, but you can bet I’ll share details with you guys as soon as I can. This book wouldn’t be happening without you, so y’all will be the first to know. Pinky swear. In the meantime, between the book stuff and work stuff that pays the bills, I’m a little behind. Not just here on the blog but in the general scheme of life. Don’t tell anyone, but my Christmas tree is still up, my house is a mess, and last night I ate dinner off of a small paper plate usually used for cat food because I haven’t done dishes in a week. Maybe longer. Not sure. Even the cat was not impressed with my lack of get-it-togetherness. Mother of God, why she is so judgmental?

In better news, I’m doing a really good job of battling through my annual round of seasonal depression by scheduling time to paint a little each day. I can’t find the words to tell you how much it is helping. I used to dread February each year because of what it meant for my mental health…now I’m only sad it’s half way over. How about that?! Hoping to share (and maybe even sell?) some of the results soon. I’m saying it’s great stuff, but it’s there. And it’s growing. There might have been a llama involved. And a lot of flowers. A whole lot of flowers. This morning I went to 7Eleven and the checkout counter was loaded with flowers and chocolate (it’s valentines day after all) so now I’m thinking chocolate might be my next subject du-jour. That’s just a alogical transition, right? Right. So stay tuned.

And speaking of chocolate and sweet things…

Thank you to everyone who participated in the annual valentine swap! I was just on Facebook looking at the photos you guys are uploading. WHOA! Every year the creative bar gets raised a little bit higher. Organizing gets a little more complicated as well. This year I set up a very sophisticated randomizing formula in my spreadsheet to shuffle all the names…apparently I shuffled it so that 1 in 15 people got their own name back. Doh! So that was fun for everyone. Thanks to you all for being patient with me. There is no text book on how to run these things, mistakes happen, but it warms my heart to see people sharing their creative outcomes with total strangers. You guys are the best!

Happy Valentines to you and yours.

Best,

Peaches

Happy Monday: Gambling Valentines

by aunt peaches 11 Comments

Happy Monday Y’all. Did you survive Snowzilla? Thought so.

Hay. New game for you: Google your first name immediately followed by “glamour shot” and see what comes up then share the first image on social media. Dare you! You’re welcome.

Note. If the first one is bad but not not real-bad just somebodys-mom-wore-too-much-makeup-in-the-90s-bad, you can pick from the first five. This one was my favorite. Serious sequin action. I call her, The Gambler.

You got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, know when to walk away…know when to run.

…Apparently she ran right down to the mall and got herself some sass. Get it girl!

***

Other highlights from this week in internet news:

City skyline as jewelry. Yes please!

Best vacation album ever.

The story of why my mom threw out all of my Barbies.

What is that tiny pocket inside the regular pocket in jeans for? Finally: the answer.

The craziest milkshakes you will ever see. New Yorkers, I’m jealous!

LOOK AT THE CHAIR I FOUND IN THE ALLEY.

The best job in existence is hiring.

This was so inspiring: One woman’s story of creating a million dollar business from her kitchen table.

Are you still in need of a homemade valentine idea?

Thought so. Subversive Cross Stitch to the rescue!

Also, below is a video I made last year with an idea for batch valentines that you can make at home. They look reullll cute on their own with a little tag tie, or added to a small gift or parcel of baked goods. Cookies in particular. Not that I would know, cookies haven’t successfully left my house in years as they get eaten as they were intended – on the confetti littered floor while drinking margaritas and singing love songs to the cat.

Happy Valenines!!!

Personalized Key Hook

by aunt peaches 2 Comments

The folks at Michael’s asked me to take a look at their new Make Market line and pick something to personalize. So that was hard. I mean, craft shopping for fun? *YAWN.

*Snoopy dance.

The idea was to pick something that I could dress up, but I liked the product line so much I didn’t want to mess with it to much. So what did I do? I make something decorative functional. *YAWN.

*That was a real yawn this time. Except, it came out really cute!

All you need is one of their decorative letters and a couple of cup hooks.

The letters I chose have extra sturdy cardboard bottoms, so screwing the hook in was easy. This is only going to hold a few keys so I’m not worried about falling out, but if you wanted to hang something heavier it would be easy to cut an incision in back and reinforce the hook with a washer and a small nut.

Cute. Functional. And something I actually need. And guess what? They have like forty three different types of letters! It’s part of their Make Market™ products – a collection of surfaces, letters, frames and more come in modern, eclectic or rustic styles. You’ll find everything from wood to metal to fabric patterns (my favorite!) – plenty of stuff to love as is, or add your own special spin.

Looking for more ideas? Check out more projects on Michaels.com or the other 49 Makers’ ideas on The Glue String for to see how they personalized their crafts!

An InLinkz Link-up

Quick and Easy Pompom Lampshade

by aunt peaches 3 Comments

One of these days I get tired of pompoms.

Is it today? NOT LIKELY.

One of my goals for 2016 is to quit taking my phone to bed. It’s so bad for you, but I have become so dependent on it. It’s the last thing I see before I go to bed, and the first thing I see when I wake up. That is sooooo not how I want o start my day! Anyway. Getting past this means giving myself an assortment of bedside reading options, which means a really good reading lamp. Not to bright, not too dark, and not too tall. I like a short and squatty, ambient lamp for reading light. And dontchaknow I found one at the thrift store, and dontchaknow it needed some dazzle dazzle to fit in with its new family. Enter pompoms.

It took ten minutes. You gotta see it for yourself over at IlovetoCreate!

Valentine Swap 2016

by aunt peaches

Update: Entrance to the annual valentine swap is now closed. Thank you to everyone who filled out the form – as of Feb 2nd, all addresses have been collected, shuffled, and sent back out. If you do not see your email, first *please check your spam filter*, and if that does not work, email me directly at valentines@auntpeaches.com. Please keep all contact to that email address only as it allows me a direct reply and it is very difficult for me to keep track of everyone’s info/inquiries over multiple social media platforms (I’m sure you understand). Thanks!

****

It’s that time of year: THE VALENTINES EXCHANGE!

For the sixth year in a row, I am inviting my readers to participate in the biggest, most snazztastic valentine swap of all! Last year more than 600 folks participated from all around the world. That means more than 1,800 Valentines were exchanged between total strangers. Keeping track of all this can get dicey, so I’m making the sign up slightly different. The sign-up window is shorter and you will need to email me to request access to the signup form.

I know it’s a small hurdle but I want to ensure only the most dedicated Valentine makers will participate. All are welcome – but this is not for folks interested in getting some free cards. Long story short: Do not bother reading the rest of this post if you not equally enthused about making valentines as you are about receiving them. I have loved watching this swap expand every year, but I am okay with it getting smaller if it means all participants do just that: participate. Okay? Okay.

Now. Y’all ready for this?

I know what you are thinking….

Gee, I love the sound of this valentine swap. How does it work?

Well friend, I am glad you asked. This is the nitty-gritty: You send three handmade valentines to total strangers = You will receive three handmade valentines from total strangers.

That sounds fun! Where do I sign up? How do I exchange addresses?
Good question. Let me break it down:

– You send me an email and you will receive an automated response with a link to the form.

– You fill out the signup form before midnight CST on Jan 30.

– You receive an email from me before the end of the day on Feb 2nd with the addresses of three total strangers.

– You send one valentine to each address you receive, no later than Feb 8.

-You receive three valentines sometime before/around Valentines Day.

What sort of Valentines should I send?
Handmade! It could be a simple scrap of paper with a doodle from your kids, or a stitched up and sequined masterpiece. Adding some glitter or a buttons to a pre-existing valentines is OK too. Just as long as it has a handmade touch and can fit in an envelope, it’s game.

I’m in! What else do I need to know?

– This exchange is open to anyone, anywhere, any skill level. No one is expected to buy anything except stamps (heads up: people who read this blog are scattered around the world, so we all might need to double up on stamps).

– You are welcome to include a note inside your valentines with information about yourself, your blog/website/etsy business etc…but it is not required or expected.

– This is not an advertising opportunity. This is just a simple way to exchange random acts of kindness and send some love out into the world. No Debbie Downers, por favor.

– If you feel weird disclosing your name and address, I assure you I will not compile and use this information for any other purpose besides sending you valentines! PS: Please be sure to include your name. Some folks like to omit their name for privacy purposes and then the post office refuses deliver the cards, so just include your initials or nick name if you are uncomfortable with everyone getting up in your business.

HERE ARE SOME MORE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS...

I don’t like filling out forms, can’t I just reply in the comments or send you an email with my info?
Nope.

What happens if I get busy and can’t send a valentine? Can I back out at the last minute?
Good question. If you back out before Jan 30, no problem. Just send me an email (valentines@auntpeaches.com) — no harm, no foul. If you back out after Jan 30, that’s a problem. Your address will already be in circulation to three other people who will be sending cards to you. Those three people would be pretty peeved if they knew they were sending valentines to someone who was not holding up their end of the bargain, as would the three people who will not be getting your cards. So altogether, that’s six people who will be ticked at you. SIX. Do you really want to risk those kinds of karma points?

Is it okay to send my valentines after February 8? Or back out altogether?
No. It’s not okay. There will be 3 people who were assigned to receive your valentines and your lack of participation will ruin the swap for them. I am not okay with that. Also, people are very vocal about complaining to me about missing Valentines, so it is easy for me to figure it out who dropped the ball. And even if the recipient doesn’t know who didn’t send them a valentine, I will. And I’ll have your name and address.

*True story I like to share: There was one woman in Georgia who signed up for valentines two years in row and never sent any in return. Not one. When she didn’t respond to my emails – and there were multiple- I sent her an envelope of hair. Just hair. No return address. Just some trimmings I scooped off my hairdressers floor. I’m not sure if she ever traced it to me but I’m pretty sure that freaked her out. HEY GLORIA!

Can I share pictures of the lovely valentines I made and received?
Yes. I would love that! We would all love that. Please post them on any social media platform using hashtag #auntpeachesvalentineswap. If you aren’t into hashtags, post the picture on my Facebook page. In the past, some folks have even become friends with the person who received their valentines. It’s pretty swell!

Can I request certain countries or areas of folks I want to swap with?
Nope. All assignments are made at random. FYI, in recent years around 70% of participants were located in the United States, 10% Canada, 10% UK, the rest were scattered around the world. One year there were like 40 people in Bulgaria. It was pretty rad.

Can I skip the swap and exchange valentines with you instead?
No. As much as I would love that, you would end up with the short end of the stick because I would not likely send one back (Yeah, I’m a bad person)…and that would just give me something to feel guilty about, which something I would like to avoid. Instead, I suggest sending a Valentine to someone you love who is not expecting one. It will make their day!

Can you tell me if my Valentines were received and what they thought of them?
No. This is a hard one for many people to understand, but I need to ask you to respect this policy. I know we all love feedback on stuff we mad, but this is the nature of anonymous swaps; we rarely hear back from the other person. This is the gift of giving without expectation of return. Also: logistics are hard. With hundreds of participants x3 cards each, I’m not able to act as a go-between. This is another reason why I encourage everyone to post images on social media. But don’t get ticked if you don’t see yours posted – not everyone is so tech savvy.

Okay, I’m in! Let’s get this party started!
~~Send an email to~~ (THE SIGNUP WINDOW IS NOW CLOSED)

It’s an autoresponder so don’t worry about a text. Just use subject line “valentines” (or something) and within 90 seconds you will receive an email with a link to the signup form. If you don’t see it in your inbox – check your junk mail. I’m not publishing the link in this post because I want to be 100% sure your email account will recognize future emails from me (that has been a problem in the past and it will be important on February 2nd when you receive your three addresses).

If you are singing up on behalf of a friend or family member with the same address, please use a different name each time you fill it out. I will assume if one name appears twice it is an accidental duplicate. After you fill out the form you will receive an automated confirmation email.

AND JUST BECAUSE THIS POST ISN’T LONG ENOUGH…

A special request from me. And this is a little awkward so I hope my meaning here is clear: Please feel free to invite a friend to join the swap, but please do not share this post on social media or in mail exchange forums. This swap is open to everyone, but I do not want to facilitate one-way valentines for people who found out about it on Facebook or a Reddit forum and couldn’t be bothered to read directions. (Can you tell this has been a repeat problem in the past?)

I’ll be honest, I nearly cancelled the exchange this year because so many of last years participants complained they were missing Valentines. This makes me feel awful. Many, many hours were spent on a follow up emails, most of which went unanswered. I’m still confident the good outweighs the bad, and I want to do this again, but I need to be sure that I’m not setting people up for disappointment. I’m inviting participants who are invested and CANNOT WAIT TO SEND OUT THOSE VALENTINES! I want you to be just as excited to send as you are to receive. Sound good?

Awesome. ~~Send me an email:~~ (THE SIGN UP WINDOW IS NOW CLOSED)

PS: Here are some of the fantastic Valentines from the 2015 swap…

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