paper & type's letter ledger

I love the idea of a letter ledger to keep track of correspondence with friends, family and pen pals. Luckily, Paper & Type designed a perfect specimen for such occasion. I often fear sending a pal the same card twice and said faux pas would be easily avoided with this little helper.

I continue to receive inquiries about the C&C Valentine swap and wanted to be sure to point folks over to The Stationery Place for their 2013 Vday Swap. Unfortunately, our swap is on hiatus again, but we are optimistic that next year we'll be up and running again. Be sure not to miss out on The Stationery Place's swap, I'm participating too and have a really fun idea for my card this year. See you there!

{images via paper & type}

martha stewart + avery = true love

Have you heard the latest news in hip office supplies? Martha Stewart and Avery have collaborated on a line of chic labels and bands available exclusively at Staples! I'm going to seriously stock up on these, more organization is definitely a part of my 2012 world domination plan.

On an unrelated note -- I've received several emails from past participants of our Valentine Swap, so I wanted to be sure to let you know that I'm taking a hiatus from the swap this year. It was a hard decision for me, but I simply have too much going on over the next four weeks. Planning on resuming the swap next year, and perhaps I can sneak in a fun summer swap...

{images via staples}

wrap up: 2011 valentine card swap

{clockwise}
banner by megan of meg ruth
card by kamal of kamal
card by victoria of paper & type


{clockwise}
card by tara of ephemera
card by allison of igloo press
card from meredith by starshaped press


{clockwise}
garland by molly of charlotte's fancy
valentine by lila of daily calligraphy
valentine by paloma of paper garland



{clockwise}
card by jill of jill k. in la
card by melanie of grey moggie
garland by claudia

The swap this year was tremendous fun! Over 125 people signed up and sent Valentine cards to new friends near and far. The above photos are just a fraction of the amazing goodies that filled my mailbox. A million thanks to everyone that took the time to send cards.

I'm already scheming on the 2012 swap - I've talked with a couple of awesome boutiques about sponsoring some Valentine card giveaways for participants next year. One thing I know for sure, it will be bigger and better than ever. Until January, my friends...

{all images by crow and canary}

the 2011 valentine card swap is here!

I've been anxiously awaiting the opportunity to announce our second annual Valentine Card Swap. The 2010 V-Day Swap was such a hit, that I've been looking forward to this for months - not to mention, I'm still riding the high of having my mailbox stuffed full of Christmas cards and other holiday goodness. I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to say au revoir to lovely and creative correspondence - keep the cards coming, is my motto!

---- SWAP GUIDELINES ----

+ If you'd like to participate, please leave a comment and email carina(at)crowandcanary(dot)com, by Tuesday, January 25th at midnight PST:

Please include the following information -
- name
- mailing address
- email address
- blog/website (not required)
- willing to swap with international partners?

+ You'll be notified of your swap partners on Monday, February 1st via email - depending on the turnout, you may have as many as four partners.

+ Cards should be mailed no later than Monday, February 7th.

+ I would love to see a focus on sending handmade paper goods, but don't want to exclude any non-crafty types. I'll simply say, I'm in the business of supporting and spreading the word about amazing indie designers. So, if you have the choice between a Hallmark card or a card from your local letterpress printer I humbly encourage you to choose the latter! If you need help finding great shops near you, that sell cards from talented independent designers - please feel free to email me. There's always Etsy too!

+ The idea of the swap is to connect with people, so please be sure to write a little 'hello', favorite quote/recipe, or whatever else strikes your fancy. The intention is not to send blank cards for later use, but for recipients to enjoy now.

+ Swap is open to residents of all countries!

+ If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me directly at carina(at)crowandcanary(dot)com

*I removed the sign up widget, as too many people were getting error messages. Please email contact information, if you have yet to sign up.

the 2010 valentine card swap is here!

Earlier this month, I posted an offhand tweet about the idea of organizing a Valentine card swap. I was a bit surprised when I received a good amount of replies from bloggers and tweeters that were game. I quite love the idea of turning an occasion that many people dread, into something that fills our mailboxes with paper goodness!
________________________________________________________

+ If you'd like to participate please leave a comment and email the following information to info(at)crowandcanary(dot)com by Friday, January 29th at midnight PST:
- name
- mailing address
- email address
- blog/website (not required)

+ You'll be notified of your swap partners on Monday, February 1st via email - depending on the turnout, you may have as many as 3 people to send cards to.

+ Cards should be mailed no later than Monday, February 8th.

+ I would love to see a focus on sending handmade paper goods, but don't want to exclude any non-crafty types. Let me just say, I'm in the business of supporting and spreading the word about amazing indie designers. So, if you have the choice between a Hallmark card or a card from your local letterpress printer I humbly encourage you to choose the latter! If you need help finding great shops near you, that sell cards from talented independent designers - please feel free to email me. There's always Etsy too!

+ Swap is open to US & Canadian residents only, as I'm afraid we're cutting it a bit too close for our friends abroad.