Happy Mail Craftalong 2024 ~ Monthly themes and Birthdays too!

Crafty Shenanigans Craftalongs
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Welcome to the Happy Mail Craftalong Round Four!!!

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Picture taken by @kayrun, stamp for the stamp carved by @irid3sc3nt, stamp for the stamp stamped by made by @endymion

Happy Mail is any mail sent/received with the sole purpose of making someone happy :slight_smile: For this craftalong we’ll focus on crafted happy mail. Some crafty happy mail might be a handmade postcard, decorated envelope, handmade card or stationery, small crafted gift, etc.

There are no “rules” here! All participants are encouraged to share what you’re crafting/sending. Recipients are encouraged to say “thank you” but are not required to and there is no pressure to share pictures or send Happy Mail in return. It’s up to each person to play however makes them happiest :love_letter: Message each other to request addresses and feel free to chat away in the craftalong thread!

Each month we will have a theme to inspire us and I’ll keep track of Birthdays also (in the next post of this thread). Please note that the theme is just for fun if you want to try, but if you’re not feeling inspired or you want to do your own thing that’s A-Okay too!

If you have a birthday in the month we’re in or the next month you can post in the thread or send me a message.

When you first join the craftalong please consider sharing something about yourself and the kind of happy mail you enjoy sending/receiving :kissing_heart: I’ll try to keep the Happy Mailers & Birthday lists current. Please message me if I need to change anything :slight_smile:

2024 Update - I am back from taking a year off hosting the craftalong. I’ll try to keep us motivated to make Happy Mail all year through but might be a little quieter starting in September since that is when my work life will start to get a little crazy!

Previous Rounds
2023
2022
2021

Some fine print (bolded for your attention): We are all friends here! If you ever feel that you are not receiving your “fair share” of happy mail you might be in the wrong place :wink: All happy mail is given freely without the expectation of mail being sent in return. Ask each other for addresses, feel free to say “no”, and you share them at your own risk. This is not a swap! Lettuce Craft and myself take no responsibility if someone fails to send or delays sending anything There are no “points” or swap credit, this is all just for fun :slight_smile:

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New to Happy Mail? Want to join without reading a thousand messages? :flushed: Click on the monthly themes to jump to the start of a month :kissing_heart:

Themes by month:
January ~ Snowy Animals :polar_bear: :paw_prints: :rabbit2:
February ~ Dragon & World Cultures :piñata: :dragon: :flags:
March ~ Leapin’ Leap Year :frog: :kangaroo: :lizard:
April ~ TBD
May ~ TBD
June ~ TBD
July ~ TBD
August ~ TBD
September ~ TBD
October ~ TBD
November ~ TBD
December ~ TBD

Current Happy Mailers:
@Reinikka Hey, that’s me! Click here for my intro
@skrutt is from Sweden and loves soft crafts
@kayrun happy mail makes her happy
@madebyBeaG is from Belgium and has a bilingual blog
@LindyBlues is a world citizen and multi-crafter
@Immaculata is from the Netherlands and collects LC art
@HeroicHatchling is a super crafty super mom
@bluebird loves birds and has bird tendancies

New this year! We have a private Google doc for address sharing. You do not need to share your address this way but it’s available if you want to use it.

Rules for the Google Doc that you must agree to before requesting access:

  • You will only add and edit information for you, not for anyone else. If another LC member needs their information added/edited they must ask @Reinikka or @LindyBlues to help.
  • You are welcome to remove your information from the document at any time, there is no obligation to add or keep your information there
  • You are not allowed to share the information in the Google doc with anyone else. If another person wants access they must qualify for it themselves.
  • While we are doing everything in our power to keep the information safe you need to understand that you are entering it at your own risk and will not hold @LindyBlues or @Reinikka or Lettuce Craft responsible if the information you provide is mis-used by anyone
  • If abuse is suspected @LindyBlues has the right to revoke access to any individual
  • To qualify for access you must be an LC member for at least one month, have posted at least 15 times on the site, have posted an introduction in this thread, and have followed the instructions below

To gain access to the Google Doc of addresses you need to:

  1. Fill out this form and send it to @LindyBlues & @Reinikka in a private message with the subject " Requesting Access to Happy Mail Addresses "

    • Who’s information are you allowed to add and edit?
    • Who are you allowed to share the Google doc information with?
    • Do you understand and agree to all the above rules?

  2. Click this link to request access and type your LC username into the form before submitting

  3. Start plotting your Happy Mailing :love_letter:

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Poll for the first theme of the year is here:

I mistakenly wrote you can vote for five, but it’s really three (I was tired when I posted so please forgive me! :sweat_smile:) Voting is still open! But we all know that you can still use any theme (or no theme) that you like :wink:

:tada: Welcome to 2024!!! :tada:

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Hello Happy Mailers! I’m Reinikka (or Rein for short) :smile: I was not very active last year so if you’re new to LC I hope I can get to know you!

Last year I decided to go back to college so that I could get my associates degree in Business Administration and while I was waiting for my classes to start I landed my absolute dream job as part of the Administrative Support Team for my local Macy’s. I LOVE my job! I never thought that I would get paid for something I enjoy doing.

On the crafty side of things last year I started learning embroidery and sashiko. I enjoy having portable crafts that I can work on when I’m away from home :slight_smile: My craft room is a disaster zone that I desperately need to get re-organized and tidy before I can get any paper crafting done :sweat_smile: Hopefully this craftalong will be the motivation I need :innocent:

Wishing you all Happy Crafting in the New Year! :partying_face:

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The stamp on the image at the top was actually crafted by @irid3sc3nt; isn’t it the coolest?

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Woops! Thank you for letting me know :slight_smile: I’ll edit the post o give propper credit

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Since January is already here I’m going to go ahead and close the poll in the other thread and use “Snowy Animals” as our January theme :paw_prints: :rabbit2: :paw_prints: :polar_bear: :paw_prints:

Next week I will compile the January theme suggestions and make a poll for February. Any other theme suggestions are also welcome and of course there is not pressure to craft within the theme :innocent:

Current theme suggestions (for February instead of January):

  • Dragon
  • (your) Word of the Year
  • Snow
  • Warmth, warm, warming, hygge
  • World Cultures (e.g. share your own or something you learned about another)
  • Travel
  • Reading/Books
  • Seasons around the world (e.g. send something about summer if it’s winter in your area and vice-versa, or just do a season that isn’t the current one)
  • Words of affirmation
  • Share your passion(s)/hobbies
  • Colours/Colour combinations
  • Thrifty
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I’m gonna try to send a little more mail out again this year!

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I skipped last year, but I will try send some Happy Mail this year! It is a fun (and relatively cheap) activity! :smiley:

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glad you are jumping back into the fun!

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so glad you mentioned this!
what a great collaboration between you 2 –
this envelope made me so happy when it arrived :slight_smile:

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(I first posted this in the old thread.)

I received a lovely (replacement) Holidays card from @Immaculata.
Thanks again!

CardImmaculata
CardImmaculata1920×1912 118 KB

(Sorry for the bad photo quality. Just a quick snapshot, not enough light.)

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@Reinikka , I totally forgot to set up/ask for the intros last year, so I’m certainly glad you are back in the saddle!
Here is mine:
I am Karen G & this thread makes me happy :slight_smile:
I’m especially fond of spring (except for that dratted Daylight Savings Time…ugh)
My birthday is in March, and I celebrate Christmas & Easter.
I have 2 grown daughters, and a darling toddler granddaughter. I fly cross-country to see her as often as I can, so that is why I’m “out of pocket” many times for swaps lately.
She will soon have a baby brother or sister, so life is busy!

I enjoy knitting & am trying to get the hang of crochet, but it doesn’t compute all that well for me. I’ve always admired you gals who can paint, embroider, and make cool papercrafts! I try to join in on the papercraft/ mixed media zoom calls from time to time.
Cards I send will likely be storebought, but I’ll try to remember to at least include some stickers inside!
I’m happy to still be with this group & looking forward to 2024 :heart_decoration:
I’ll plan to add my info to the shared doc once it’s up.

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Hello everyone!

I’m Mariana, known almost everywhere online as LindyBlues, a nod to the dances I do (Lindy Hop & Blues).

My birthday is March 11th.

I absolutely love “snail mail,” and grew up as an immigrant before the age of “everyone has a computer/Internet at home”, so I used to write letters to my family regularly. I love “real mail,” walking over to my mailbox and finding nice surprises there. I also love sending a little something to cheer up someone’s day.

Here’s a little about me:

I was born and raised in Brazil, lived in the US for 4 years (near Chicago), then immigrated to Canada with my family in 2000.

I’m fluent in English and Brazilian Portuguese, and I can get by in Spanish. I’d love to learn French, Polish, and ASL eventually.

I’m an “all over the place” crafter/amateur artist and I love to dabble in just about anything, though more and more, I find myself drawn to mixed media, especially featuring collage. Because mixed media lets me do all the things instead of picking just one, which is a generic theme in my life—wanting to do all the things, lol

Professionally, I’ve done a lot of things in my life, from retail to teaching to serving in the Canadian Naval Reserves to kinesiology, personal training, community health, to a lot of things in between. Currently, I homeschool my kids and do some writing on the side, though I’m not officially freelancing anymore. I was also recently hired as a Relief Programming Assistant at my local library, a casual position to fill in for library programs when folks are sick or on vacation, or to be a pair of extra hands for outreach programs.

I have been happily married for 17.5 years (started dating 22 years ago!), and we have 3 children born in 2010, 2012, and 2014, who I homeschool. My oldest will be heading to “real” high school this September, though.

I look forward to exchanging mail with many of you! :slight_smile:

Some important but less interesting stuff about me:

I’m severely sensitive to scents/fragrances and they can trigger my asthma and my chronic post nasal drip/allergic rhinitis, so no smelly stuff please :slight_smile:

I have Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) and I am prone to dislocations/subluxations (partial dislocations), so I wear a great deal of bracing to prevent injury. I also have a list of other chronic illnesses, and I deal with chronic pain. So sometimes I need recovery time from pushing myself too hard, which, after all these years, I’m still trying to learn not to do… I still want to be invited to all the things though, even if I say I can’t more times than I want to…

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Oh, these presentations… What to say?

Im Josefin, from Sweden. This year will be the big 40. But that feels good, not as scary as being 20. Living on my own in the middle of the country, so we have real winter here. Which I like. But it always good with winter solstice so we get more light again.
My english and swedish grammar sometimes mix up, so if you think write something that sounds weird, I will blame that!

In crafting I do lots. Mostly “soft crafts”, like knitting, sewing, embroidery, crochet, trying to weave. But I got a whittle kit on my last birthday (december), so Im keen on trying that! But Im waiting for spring when people are cutting branches of trees, and I might get some fresh wood.

I like to write, and try to do some papercraft sometimes. So from me there can come letters, postcards or something completly different. A happy mail in other words. :smiley:

Looking forward to send some mail outside of Sweden again, because its so fun to both send and recieve real letters in the mailbox! :smiley:

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I’m Imma from the Netherlands, mid-30s, I live with Mr. Imma in a small old house in a big city. This year will be our 10-year anniversary! We bought this little house way back when, it was in need of a lot of work, and finally last year we’d saved up enough to do it. We’re mostly done now and I’m glad it’s over! I’ve got a nice craft room in the attic now, a lovely, odd-shaped room with weird angles everywhere. I’ve got a box full of art made by Lettuce and C-ster members, that I’m going to put up there. Your mail might end up on there too!

I’ve had an auto-immune disease since my teens, so I’ve had ups and downs. Right now unfortunately I’m not doing too well. I have a fulltime job but working has been a challenge lately. So it’s been a joy to receive Christmas cards from all over the world.

I’m naturally not a papercrafter, I mostly do embroidery / sewing / knitting / quilting. I’ve been trying to do more papercraft, but glue always intimidates me a little bit. Other than crafting I’m interested in reading, history, gardening. I like lots of things but it seems I like crafting most of all!

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Hey guys, it’s not completely ready yet but here are some rules and things about the Google Doc that @LindyBlues is working on. Please let me know if it makes sense, sounds fair, and if there is anything else you would like included :slight_smile:

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Hi Happy Mailers!
I’m BeaG (G is the first letter of my last name).
Born in 1964 I’m from The Netherlands and moved to Belgium in 2007, where I live with my Belgian husband Marc. My birthday is 18 May. I’ll be turning 60 this year, ouch!
I have a series of chronic health issues and have been on disability since 2000.
I love to do all kinds of art and crafts, but in the last couple of years I mainly focus on creative writing.
I made and started my ‘BeaG’s Blog’ in April 2020, where I post a short story, essay, poem, drawing, photo-animation, or other piece of writing or creativity every week.
(Links to my album with creations and to my Blog can be found in my profile.)
I love sending and receiving Happy Mail!
My favorite things are reading, writing and nature, but I’m interested in lots and lots of things, and open to any kind of Happy Mail.
If you don’t have it yet, please PM me for my address.

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I just want to give everyone a heads up that I have received messages and have seen them, but it may take me a few days to respond. I have COVID again and I feel awful. I’m doing 5-10 minutes of anything and feeling like I need to lie down again. So if you don’t hear from me for a few days, it’s because I’m trying to rest. Thank you for understanding :heart:

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Get wel soon!

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