SANDBOOK APRIL 2011 issue 6
PENPALS AND SWAPPERS
THE MAGAZINE
Letter Lounge
2011 Letters
FEATURES : • Cute Stationery • Traveling Notebooks • Digital Scrapbooking • The Easter Holiday
GUEST AUTHORS
EDITORIAL April 2011
Addicted to Labels by Nga-Yee
2011 letter project www.2011letters. blogspot.com Cute Stationery www.cute-stationery.com
Letter Lounge http://letterlounge.co.uk Ria Cabral Ghost Towns
The winter is long gone, the spring is knocking on our door and you are holding the latest issue of our penpalling magazine! Did you manage to catch up with your mail before the Easter holidays? Are you curious to find out how Easter is celebrated around the globe? Are you searching for new stationery supplies and ideas for your correspondence? This issue will hopefully help you answer all those questions. Due to troubles in the communication with two of our authors, whose articles are not published in this issue, the April’s edition of our magazine is way overdue! Therefore, the Sandbook.Net Team developed an addition to our policy regarding articles: once the article is approved and scheduled for publication, authors cannot edit the article or change the publication date. This new rule will allow us to release the magazines promptly. There’s nothing else left to say, but:
Raia from the Sandbook.Net Team Paula Milburn World Travel: World Heritage
www.Sandbook.net
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Dear Sandbookers,
Happy Easter with lots of mail in your mailbox!
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Beatriz Floriano Holidays in Spain
Angel Digital Scrapbooking
Cover: GAYA DESIGNS Editor: Raia Alexieva Graphic Designer: Aspeia Alexieva / GAYA DESIGNS IT administration: Jason Dimitrov Photography: Manuela Balocco Production Coordinator: Raia Alexieva Team Authors : Erika Millare / Samantha Stroy/ Raia Alexieva / Bea from PenPalling and Letters / Rae from Glass Completely Empty Productions/ Cole from Simplicity Embellished / Nina / Melanie Anzalone/ Beautybrite / Mika Magazine. Information is correct at press time.
CONTACT US Make sure that you stay informed for the latest news: Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Sandbook Add us as a friend on Facebook: http://facebook.com/sandbooknet And join our Facebook Group: http://on.fb.me/SBNgroup And join our Facebook Page: http://on.fb.me/SBNpage Read our blog at: sandbooknet.blogspot.com Visit us on our website: www.SandBook.Net
IN THIS ISSUE
Rach Gee Write around the world World Book Night Birthday Twins
Traveling Notebooks Nina Lost letters
Erika Millares How to start collecting stamps My stamp collection
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April’s Events
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Hobbies: 64 Digital Scrapbooking 68 Embroidery
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Raia Alexieva
48 PenPal of the Month March 2011 50 Lost PenPal 52 PenPal and Swappers Ads 63 PenPalling Connections
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Beauty Brite Fashionista
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Melanie Anzalone Recycling Old Envelopes
WEBSITES PROMOTION: 42 Cute Stationery 44 Letter Lounge
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Samantha’s Thoughts
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Samantha Stroy
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Easter in Germany & Slovenia
CORRESPONDENCE: 6 Write Around the World – April 2011 12 2011 Letters project 22 Recycling old envelopes 24 Lost letters 26 Addicted to Labels 28 World Book Night 32 Traveling notebooks 36 How to start collecting stamps 38 My stamp collection
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Penpalling & Letters
2 EDITORIAL 4 CONTENTS
photo by Manuela Balocco
AUTHORS
CULTURAL EVENTS: 70 April’s Events 74 Diada de Sant Jordi 76 Easter in Germany and Slovenia LIFESTYLE: 82 Samantha’s Thoughts 84 Ghost Towns 86 World Travel: World Heritage 94 Hanging with Maze 102 Fashionista 104 Birthday Twins 107 SUBSCRIBE 108 Next issue
Simplicity Embellished Embroidery 5
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“March was an insanely exciting month! In under 2 weeks, all the interview packs were compiled and sent out and we proudly got to change the status of Write Around the World from pre-production to PRODUCTION! “
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WRITE AROUND THE WORLD - April 2011 Update
Contact: Glass Completely Empty Productions: rae@glasscompletelyempty.co.uk
http://on.fb.me/WriteAroundTheWorld http://glasscompletelyempty.blogspot.com/
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March was an insanely exciting month! In under 2 weeks, all the interview packs were compiled and sent out and we proudly got to change the status of Write Around the World from pre-production to PRODUCTION! This means that everyone who's taking part in the film is creating their pieces and, slowly but surely, they will all come back in. Once we have all the interviews back and have received permission from various other agencies (Google for our mapping system and any film footage and music we'll be using) then the status will change to postproduction. For me, the production phase is the most exciting. I love it! I love seeing what people create and how hundred of different ideas come together to form one, huge creation. It's a monumental task creating a film of any kind, with weeks and months, and sometimes even years, of planning going into it before the first camera even rolls. At times it becomes like a military operation, with one person keeping tabs on what everyone else is doing. Thankfully, for this film, there are only a few people working on it (and some of them share the same office as me!) so it's not too hard to find out what's going on. So what will happen next? Unlike a fictional film, documentaries are rarely scripted. You come up with an idea, write a brief of what you'd like to include and go for it. The script for the narration is usually written afterwards, normally after the film has been put together. Once all the interviews have been sent to us, they'll be stored on external hard drives, as will the edit of the film. This is the best way for us, as a
“The pen is mightier than the sword� Edward Bulwer-Lytton
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and all that resides within it obviously have other plans for me! Not that I mind in the slightest as working on Write Around The World is turning into an immense amount of fun. It's wonderful
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on the film I mentioned in my last update, the one which had to go on a back burner for a while. That was the one which I always assumed would be finished and aired first but, alas, the universe
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lot more reliable!). Now I've found myself with a strange knot of free time (not that I'm complaining of course!) and I'm having fun catching up with friends, letter writers and otherwise, while getting stuck into some reading. It seems like ages since I actually read a book from start to finish in under a week! While all of the interviews are being readied and filmed, I'm also trying to get some work done
up speed in November 2010. It seems like so long ago yet, it feels like only yesterday. And I am eternally grateful for those who have stepped in and offered their help, their love, their support and their amazing words of encouragement. It has made me realise that there is hope for this world, that not everyone is greedy or narcissistic or evil. You are all amazing, every one of you. You are a fantastic group of people and, through your words, your love, your support, through everything you do, you are changing the world for the better. You are offering love and hope, you are offering support and tender loving care. And you're doing it just by being you, just by brandishing your pen and letting the words spill free. Which I think leads us to the perfect moment to use this quote: "The pen is mightier than the sword" , Edward BulwerLytton Thank you, all of you, for being so incredible and amazing. And thank you for all that you do. Keep being amazing! Until next month I am, as always, your friendly neighbourhood filmmaker.
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small company, to guard against losing anything in the event of a crash. Even the extremely reliable Mac computers have bad days! (Several days ago, there was a scream of anguish from one of the offices, followed by a lot of expletives. It turned out that the Mac Air's hard drive had crashed, resulting in a mad dash to the nearest Apple store and a replacement drive. Thankfully, the other one we have is a
to sit and talk to people from around the globe, to listen to their thoughts and ideas and opinions. It's made me remember why I first got into penpalling; for the thrill of hearing from others in far of regions, for making new friends who I would one day hopefully meet, for finding others like myself, for finding others completely unlike myself but with who a common bond was shared. There are so many fantastic things which can come from picking up a pen and writing a few words on a piece of paper. Hopefully this film will show others that and will encourage them to begin exploring the world using the postal system. Hopefully it will bring some light and happiness to the world when all around us it seems to be falling to pieces. Hopefully it will bring new friends and new ideas and new ways of thinking. There's a whole world out there and it's waiting to be explored! As I sit here, I dwell on the last few months, from the moment this whole project picked
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2011 LETTERS PROJECT
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know o t got out the t s r e fi ore ab w her n e d m h n t a u ee t? W find o c n ails e e j R m o o r t e d p s f ters ly curiou m emaile ouple o ehind t e l ac ea eb 011 ere real r T v 2 i e t t s us e f e u o l N A h r c t . w k u t x t t o c e e ven fine bou oject w Sandbo ir proje s an all d a a d s r the e u ect. Thi o these hea etters Pr ow the v d i u n g o u y L o oj h to r r 1 e s a er t P d i v 1 t s e r t t a l 0 i e e a e 2 r H l t a h t t ag Le the nd it. T de ea d t t 1 i e a u r 1 h h o t 0 w i ab beh find out , Renee d the 2 en and e l p ard e an ick a p peo ters to w f i r l o r f e p h d daug back an y about h pport – ith us r g su dw e r goin enes sto se your a e sh c u s n n d e l e h t cou what R t c e j pro . Here is s ladie
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http://2011letters.blogspot.com
Hello! My name is Renee and I'm a married mom with three daughters, ages 12, 14 and 16. We moved to southwest Virginia almost 2 years ago. After one year of public schooling (which everybody claimed as the best school district in the area), we were very disappointed with the school system here and decided to pull our kids out, so we began homeschooling (this is our second round after homeschooling them when they were younger). I don't really have many hobbies that I spend much time on, but I do have a few penpals that I write to. I like photography and have books I recently bought to learn about it. But I find myself either too busy or too tired to read them. Nevertheless, I would love to learn photography since I have loved it since middle school. I do love to collect things, such as vintage cameras, children's books in other languages, pretty journals and of course, like most women, my husband will tell you that I have too many shoes, purses and bottles of perfume. My oldest daughter loves to blog and write letters to penpals. Her blog is www.here-are-my-thoughts.blogspot. com. My middle daughter also enjoys penpalling and is an avid book reader (at least when she can find decent books at our library, which has been rare). We love to go to Barnes and Noble to get books when we can. My youngest daughter also loves blogging ( w w w. m y b l y t h e d o l l s a r e p r e t t y. blogspot.com),collecting blythe dolls, writing to penpals, taking pictures and watching old shows, such as, “I Love Lucy”, “Leave it to Beaver”, etc...All the shows I grew up watching, my kids now enjoy watching. So we also love to get book recommendations and even cartoon recommendations in our 13
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letter in there for them. If you can just imagine us all running to the window when we hear the mailman because if you are a mail enthusiast like ourselves, then you know the sound of your mail truck coming down the road, so we all run to the window to watch as our mailman puts the mail and hope that most of it isn't junk mail. We all then sit together as we go through the mail hoping that it's a good mail day and get so excited when we see letters addressed to the letter project. It can make any dull day seem like a sunny day! Well, as homeschoolers, we are always looking for a way to make something educational be fun for our kids, so at the end of December (2010) I had an idea that we should do something really different that nobody may have thought of before....get letters from all over the world to learn about other cultures, people, food, languages, etc. Our goal was not only to receive letters, but make it a challenge to get as many as the year coming up - 2011. We had been swapping
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I looked online for a homeschooling website and asked for penpals for my daughters and got a great response. They kept in touch writing back and forth for a few years. But as with most penpals that young, things happen and they didn't write back. Since we are homeschooling, we have started all over again looking for penpals. My oldest daughter has the most since she has been really intent on getting penpals from all over the world that will hopefully keep in touch with her. She has learned a lot about other kids her age in other countries by writing to them, such as their school system and traditions, etc, things that many people might not be interested in but my daughter loves to read about. My middle daughter has a few penpals that write sporadically & my youngest daughter, that is 12 has had a harder time finding penpals since some of her first penpals also stopped writing. My children have the same joy I did as a kid hearing the mailman come and wondering if there is a
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letters so we can see something new or find a book to read that we might not have thought about reading before. I started penpalling when I was probably around 10 years old and my friends moved out of state. I have always been an avid writer, writing in diaries since third grade (I still have my diary from then) and as I got older, my friends and I would write each other letters that we would exchange at school. Then when one of my friends had to go to a different high school and we kept in touch with letters and phone calls every day. We were serious letter writers even after I got married, writing sometimes 24 page letters...don't ask how someone who talks to you on daily basis can have so much to say in a letter, you'd think we would have said all there was to say for the next decade, but that's what I like to call a dedicated letter writer. Then when I had my children and we decided to homeschool them, the best writing practice I could think of was to have them write letters to penpals.
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not new to blogging, I am not very savvy with the technical part of blogging, so it's like I'm learning as we go along. Therefore, I am always open to ideas of how to make the blog
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just posting an ad somewhere and not have a way to record it. A few days before the New Year, I got some ideas for the blog and made it live on New Year’s Day. While I am
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After that, we were already coming upon the New Year, so I knew we had to have a blog dedicated to the project and to attract people as a legitimate project instead of
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idea to my children and they thought it would be amazing to receive so many letters from other places and so the idea was born. As they say in Texas, "bigger is better!".
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postcards on the main postcrossing.com site then found out about the forum and realized how many people still loved writing letters and getting mail. So I had mentioned my
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our followers slowly grow and I am always being told about how great a project it is. It has been so wonderful that many people have now started their own project similar to ours. Many people have emailed us saying they wished they would
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my visitors since without them, we wouldn't have a project at all. As time went on, I realized what my audience liked the blog as they really enjoyed seeing the letters that we received and reading
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have done something like this in school and also homeschoolers that wondered why they hadn't thought of that. I want my children to see the beauty of the world for what it is, not for what the media portrays it to be or the negativity one might read in the newspaper or even a textbook, which, of course, can all be biased. I think once we come to realize how beautiful we all are and how we all have the same goals in life, to live in peace, then we can all love each other and appreciate each other's differences. I believe in the old saying, "variety is the spice of life". If we're all the same, it can be quite boring! That is why we love to hear from such diverse people. As one writer reminded us, "the world is an oyster" – if you look inside, you will see the treasure. I don't want my children to grow up with negative thoughts about any group of people that might not be true. I want them to find out on their own about people and let them come to their own conclusions about the world, which happens to be a great place to explore. Our letter project has already been successful, if you ask us. We've had a few emails saying we most likely won't reach such an outlandish 17
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to help us and for that I am very appreciative, as are my kids. Our very first letter for the project arrived from Canada. At the time that I am writing this, we have already received 115 letters, with one envelope coming from a fourth grade class – so each letter will be counted individually since each student wrote to us. We have already heard back from three different classes that want to join our project. We are excited to hear from anybody and everybody. We have actually emailed the president, but didn't hear back, maybe we need to try writing him a letter. We really would just love to hear from a variety of people who can maybe share advice to for my children. We'd love to hear from book authors, illustrators, artists, classrooms, etc. There are no limitations, we've even had one lady write us letter for the elderly that couldn't write at the nursing home, the ladies told their story and it was written down by the letter writer who had earlier written us a letter. So we are truly excited to hear from everybody. Some people think that their area is boring or
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reach it. It just might not always be in the time frame you want it, but it will surely come if you don't give up hope. And we are not giving in...even if we finish the year with less than 2,011 letters! Oh, well, we will continue to take letters until we reach our goal and even take letters after that to continue learning. While it would be absolutely amazing to reach our goal within the year, we feel that a greater goal has already been reached every time we open another letter from somewhere in the world and read it. As they say, education is priceless and this project has certainly become priceless. We have seen the beautiful side of letter writers and even those who claim not to be letter writers, all of the letters have been so lovely. You can tell a lot about a person through a letter and I can tell when reading them that these are some of the loveliest goal. But what is the to go for to keep you point of having a goal, motivated. I never want people ever because if you make one to to tell my kids that they cared enough to easy to reach? If you their goal is too hard to send a letter to teach set your goals higher achieve because I think my kids about their each time, then you'll anybody who is serious homeland. They took always have something about their goal, could time out from their day
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letters and even more interesting things, such as pins, books (we are
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anyone by not being able to write back, but if you really feel that you have to hear from us, you could include a stamp and one of us will be glad to write back. Who knows, a new friendship could be formed. I have already emailed a few people back
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telling us where to go and why. We have been asked if we will write back to everybody and the sad reality is that we don't think we'll be able to write back to each one as it would cost us a lot in postage. But we have found a few people we do plan to keep in touch with to elaborate more on their job or for other reasons. We hope that we don't disappoint
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and interesting to read. Each writer is unique, you can tell us about your job, your family, your favorite place to visit (maybe it's a hidden gem you won't find in any travel guide), maybe there's a great bookstore you like to visit, maybe there are some myths about your area. We're open to reading about anything. If we ever visit the writer's area, we feel that we already have the best guidebook
anymore, people send emails instead. I can't believe that this beautiful art has been slipping away and we hope it can make a comeback before we all become technology slaves and not care enough to send a letter of condolence or a sweet get well soon card. We have done this project all on our own and we have our blog, of course. But we also posted on sendsomething. net and have posted on postcrossing.com. However, we have been told by people who sign up that they heard it from a friend that signed up and showed them the blog. Our biggest audience has come from good old fashioned word of mouth. We have even been lucky enough for our writers to post about our project on their blogs and their Facebook / Twitter pages, which really helps spread the word. We have contacted two of our local papers months ago via email, but never heard back with any interest (or disinterest).We are always thankful any time anybody posts in on their site. We are really excited about being featured in SandBookNet and hope to be in more penpal magazines in the near future.
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their letters will be boring. But don't you think that way! We have learned something from every letter sent and we really love hearing what everybody has to "say" in their letters. Don't worry if we already received a letter from your area, every person's perspective is different. We have already gotten letters from the same country and even state, but they are all different
letter travelled, which will involve math and we also plan to chart different things from our letters, such as occupation of the letter writer (there have been many write to us that are teachers), how many are in college (we have quite a few), how many letters arrived from each country/continent and so on. I'm sure we will come up with more ideas as time passes. I think with all the technology, people have become less interested in others so this brings us back to the time before the Internet, when people took the time to write a friendly letter and show concern for each other. My children and I are really saddened to see the art of letter writing fade away as many teenagers no longer want to send a written letter, but text each other. We used to always buy postcards at our local stores but then both of the stores stopped selling them. When we inquired, they said that people just don't buy postcards
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Letters P rojec 3149 Ga lloway D t r Roanoke ,VA 2401 8 USA
trying to collect books in other languages), brochures and more. It has been so lovely to look at all the goodies enclosed by the amazing sender. We plan to scrapbook our letters and also find a great way to display the goodies from around the world so that we can always enjoy them and maybe one day my grandchildren will enjoy seeing these things from all over the world and start their own project to learn about others. We are even going to use our letter project to help us in geography, to locate the city and country the letter came
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Join the 2011 Le tter Proj simply w ect by riting a l etter to: 2011
and forth that have been so kind to chat with. We really are thankful to each person that wrote us and we try to remember to thank them on the blog and hope that they really understand how much there letter means to us. We've also been fortunate to receive so many beautiful postcards with the
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RECYCLING OLD ENVELOPES By Melanie Anzalone
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http://manzalone.blogspot.com/
stickers and other nice pictures from envelopes. I This time I want to write use them to decorate ATC's a little bit about recycling or for FB's, Decos and stuff old envelopes. I always like that. keep my letters in folders and take them out of the If the envelope is envelopes. Most of the time cute and in really the envelopes are so nice good conditions, and cute and I don't want you can use it again, to throw them away. That's why not. why I started to recycle the Usually I can't use them whole envelope. :) again, but sometimes they still look that good, so why I always cut out my not. I put my address over address. the old ones. Try to remove When it's not writing too the old stamps and cover big I use it for label bags everything which doesn't and FB's. Why printing look nice anymore with out address labels when other stickers. Saves you have some wonderful money, envelopes and handwritten ones from paper. :) your friends. I also cut out the address labels from If you can't use the my friends to use them for envelope again a their letters or also for FB's. second time but Depends on. :) its way too cute to throw away, you can I never throw a put it in your box stamp away. with the stickers I collect them all. When and also use it to be they're unstamped, they creative. go back to my pen pals. I already used them for The stamped ones will be ATC's or FB's. And you used for crafts, to swap always have nice craft with other girls or as a supplies. :D little extra to pen pals who collect them. Some What do you countries have really nice usually do with old stamps and you can be envelopes? creative with them. Or do you keep your letters in the envelopes? Stickers on an Send me an E-mail: envelope are also manzalone@hotmail.de or too cute to throw leave a comment on my away. blog http://manzalone. I have a box only for blogspot.com/
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LOST LETTERS by Nina
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Have you ever wondered where all the lost mail goes to? There must be huge hangars full of lost mail in the international airports? I mean, they cannot all fall down the assembly line at the postal assorting! Otherwise the people And I must confess you: working there would have I hate re-writing letters! to climb over huge piles As you know from my of mail laying on the floor previous posts, I have this every day...
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Not only does it delay the process of creating a friendship (especially when letters get lost in the beginning of a penpalship), but it is also a real burden for both, the sender and the recipient. A real uncomfortable situation.
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I hate it when letters get lost in the mail!! I REALLY hate it! During the last 12 months, it has happened to me four times - actually more often than during the years before. The first one was a letter sent from Egypt which I could still forgive, as the postal service is maybe not the best over there. The same goes for Peru, where a letter from me never arrived last summer which even caused that the whole correspondence came to nothing. But then it happened also with a letter to the Netherlands, which is ridiculous if you think that the Dutch border is only 300 kilometres from here. And now - just a few weeks later - it seems like my letter to the USA is lost as well!! It is sooo annoying!
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http://inlovewithsnailmail.blogspot.com
letter notebook where I write in what I want to tell and comment about in the letters I write. And once I have ticked off all those notes, there is this satisfied feeling deep inside me; it feels as somehow I completed the letter mentally. Does that make sense?! So when the letter gets lost then, it feels as if a part of myself got lost (alright, that sounds very grandiloquent now - I hope you know what I mean!?) as I put lots of time and effort in writing it. It is done, completed - and lost in space! How frustrating! Writing it again just doesn't feel the same. I am 100% sure that these new letters don't include the magic anymore and this is such a pity, because the other person only deserves the best letter possible. Especially as it is not their fault that the letter got lost!!
ADDICTED TO LABELS
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What else do you make? Well, currently I have quite a lot of projects and things that I do, which involves of course design work. It's something I really do like! Whether it's digital or with paper. I make polymer cupcake phone charms, plushies, design and sell custom address labels, make cards designed with Adobe Illustrator, headers for blogs, flyers, high quality FB's, art-deco's and neat labelbags.
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Interview with Nga-Yee: http://www.facebook.com/ngayee.tang Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=138765242831793&ref=ts
Tell something about yourself Hello everyone! My name is Nga-Yee and I'm 28 years old. I will be 29 on 16th April. I have been penpalling and swapping for a very long time now and it has become a part of my life that I would not want to miss it in my life. It was in the year 1996 or something that I started to have penpals, not only within the Netherlands but also international. From them I learned about FB's and Deco's. And while penpalling, I also had my passion for drawing and other crafty things. Every piece of paper had to be all doodled and drawn on. I went to a graphic school where I learned more about graphic media and graphic design. I liked it, except the part of math and economics, hehe! Last summer I graduated as Bachelor of Communication (multimedia & design) and was hoping to find a job that suits me and where I would be able to express my creativity. Sadly, I graduated in a time that it is hard to find a job but as I do want to learn and grow better in things that I like to do I thought to keep my creativity up by designing things that are handy in use in penpalling and signing FB's. So I started to design address labels for myself, which didn't went unnoticed. It's of course very nice when people like the things you make and encourage you to go further in it!
Tell me more about your address labels that you design and sell.Currently I am selling my labels via Facebook on my group that is called "Addicted to labels!". I have some designs up there, and they get up-to-date so now and then. I also work on commission, so if you like address labels with your dog on it I can do it. Just have a look and join if you like to see what I make. I am also open up for orders at any time! Any new plans up for the future? Oh yes I have! I am opening my own business finally! It is a lot of paperwork but it is all for a good cause. Thank you for your time. You are more than welcome! Oh and to all the readers. Keep the creativity going! 27
are now being recognised. I plan on giving my books to the dedicated team of staff I work with, all of who deserve to have a smile put on their faces.” And so I sent off my application form and forgot all about it, as you do with Christmas in full
swing. Forgot about it until the beginning of February... At the beginning of February, I drowsily opened my work email and winced as several new messages scrolled before my eyes. It was too early, as it always is during the dark days if winter. However, one stood out. “Congratulations!”
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I hope you are sitting comfortably as I weave my tale for you. It is a tale of excitement, of happiness, of twists
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There is something wonderfully warming about a brand new book. Plucked from the shelf of the book shop, its spine is as yet uncracked, its pages unruffled and it words unread. It is a comforting feeling, holding a book in your hands, a weight which will go nowhere, which will never abandon you and which is fraught with excitement from the very first page. Now imagine one million such books, all freshly printed and, as yet, unread. For such a thing happened, one million books to be given away, entirely for free. No one was to pay a penny and each was to be given away with the love it was written with. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to World Book Night 2011...
and her books are utterly delectable and wonderfully written pieces. And so my answer followed as such: “I chose Sarah Waters because she has championed GLBT fiction and has brought it the forefront. Thanks to her, many other fantastic authors
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By Rach Gee
and turns. It is a tale about book lovers, written for those who are perhaps not interested in books, or have never read a certain genre. It is a tale of love, love for the printed word, love for each other and the need to spread this love as far and as wide as possible. Our tale starts in December 2010. It is announced, via various media sources, that one million free books will be given away over the course of one night. Yes, one night! 20,000 lucky people would be chosen to give away t h e s e books. A n d so, your faithful s c r i b e eagerly signed up. Why did you pick the book you have chosen and who will you give it to? was part of the application form. There were 25 titles to choose from ranging from Phillip Pullman's Northern Lights to New Selected Poems by Seamus Heaney. I chose Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. She has championed the genre of fiction I write for
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screamed the subject header, “You have been chosen as a World Book Night Giver!” Instantly I was awake and eagerly devoured the email. I had been chosen, and with my first choice of book! (My second, for those wondering, was Cloud Atlas) Quickly I followed the link they had supplied and chose 29
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my pick up point, a little Christian book shop in the town I live in. Ironic, when you consider the author's subject matter! Nonetheless, I know the people who run the book shop and I knew they would have no problem holding the books for me. The next few weeks were a frenzy of activity. Thanks to Facebook, I was able to hook up with another Rach in the local are and we went to town! The local book shop were more than happy to host us and, before we knew it,
w e had invitations rolling in from around the county. Mal, who is heavily involved with local poets, helped stuff our goodie bags with information regarding local artists. Rach worked her little socks off and, despite March 5th 30
dawning grey and rainy, we were as excited as children at Christmas. Armed with bags of books and our wonderfulVictorian costumes, we walked into the book shop to hushed whispers of,“When will they be giving out free books?”. It doesn't matter where you go in the world, it seems that every book shop, no matter who is in there, has the same silent ambiance
costumes, for a library lock in. Yes, a library lock in! We were, quite literally, locked in the library from 8.30pm until midnight! Again, there were more books to be handed out and we got to listen to a wonderful local author. Again, our costumes were loved and our presence was appreciated. And, on Monday March 7th, the remaining books made their way into the hands of
World Book Night http://www.worldbooknight.org/ Double Booked – World Book Night in Warwickshire http://on.fb.me/BookNight Polesworth Poets Trail http://www.polesworthparish.co.uk/poetstrail/
of a library. After a quick costume change, we were ready to go and were instantly bombarded by a queue of people, all desperate to get their hands on whatever reading material we had. The Saturday market traders, who had braved the weather, gratefully received our little gifts to them. Following our busy afternoon around Nuneaton, we headed over to Kenilworth, still festooned in our
the extremely dedicated people I work with, gifts that warmed my heart to give. World Book Night was an amazing experience. It was both humbling and liberating, humbling in the responses we received from people when they realised we didn't want them to sign up to anything and that the books we were giving them were free of any strings. And liberating to be able to give away free literature to people, no matter who they were or where they had come from. It is an experience I will remember
for the rest of my life, and we are eagerly awaiting next year's event! So what happened in the wake of World Book Night? Well, Rach and I have teamed up to create more events. You can find out what we're up to at the Facebook group Double Booked (the link will be at the end of this article) and we're also encouraging other people to set up their own book giving projects. This could be as simple as collecting any books you don't want and handing them out to random people on the streets. Or it could be as big as getting local authors to donate copies of their books and then handing them out to people who wouldn't normally read them. My work has started a book swap shelf and we register all of the books at Bookcrossing before leaving them for others to pick up. Please feel free to come and join us. We would love to hear your ideas and help you implement them. Will you spread your love of books? We truly hope so! We truly hope that others will be inspired by what 20,000 people in the UK and Ireland did on March 5th 2011. We truly hope that others will give away books and help to spread the love of the written word!
sandbook and gaya designs present
Rach Gee’s booklet coming out 24 may 2011
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Nancy Lawson, USA in early May Gregory Lentz, USA in mid May Sheila Marie Austin, USA in late May Jessica Huen, USA in early June Samantha Stroy USA in mid June Marci Skinner, USA in late June Pauline Preuss, USA in early July Ria Cabral USA in mid July Jennifer Wrazin, USA in late July Amanda Duffie, USA in early August Yanelis Gourrie, USA in mid August Yajaira Gonzalez, USA in late August Sally Harris, Canada in early September Brenda Davie, Canada mid September Back home to our team, mid to late September
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USA 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) 11) 12) 13) 14) 15)
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Europe 1) Cécile Draghici from FRANCE in early May 2) Wendy Koedoot from Netherlands in mid May 3) Ilse Smeulders from BELGIUM in late May 4) Gudula Heugel from GERMANY in early June 5) Janis Robson from UK in mid June 6) Emma Morris from England UK in late June 7) Trace Jenkins from England in early July 8) Rachael Gilliver from ENGLAND in mid July 9) Emma Cole from England (UK) in late July 10) Melanie Maydon from Uk in early August 11) Vendula Spieglova, Czech Republic mid August 12) Miriam Gerst from Israel in late August 13) Abigail Aguas from Philippines in early September 14) Back home to our team in Bulgaria, midSeptember
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Real Traveling Notebooks: The Journey Begins! By Raia Alexieva
The Real Travelling notebook is starting its journey. By late April / early May the Traveling notebooks are going to reach their first destinations! Sounds exciting, doesn’t it? If you haven’t managed to sign up for this edition of the traveling notebooks, do not fear! We are going to make a round 2 of the Traveling notebook as soon as we get enough people to participate! 33 32
Penpallling finally has its own soundtrack!
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the project earlier than 10 days, it will be awesome as it will speed up the “journey” of the Traveling notebooks. If by any time you would like to drop off the list, please let us know so that we can instruct the people in your “Traveling Notebook” circle that they need “skip” your address. If you have already received the traveling notebook, but because of lack of time or other reasons you don’t want to decorate it, please send it over to the person in the list after you and inform us about that. Thank you!
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may even snap a photo with the notebook and send it back to us! We’d love to include such photos in the Traveling Notebook section on our website! Please use a photo camera, not Photo: the camera on your cell After you have phone! decorated the Deco time: Simply decorate pages, snap Note that you have 7-10 a photo and days to complete your a couple of pages with something send it to raiasandbook@ decoration and send it off that will show gmail.com so that we to the next person! Please, us a piece of your can upload it onto our do not keep the traveling culture, life, home city website and share it with notebook for longer than or country. Don’t forget the world! That way we 10 days. We would really to write your name, will be able to track in love to receive the traveling country and/or any real time the journey notebooks back before the contact information that and progression of the end of September 2011. you would like to share Traveling notebook. You In case you complete such Facebook, Twitter, blog, etc. The traveling notebooks are “pocket-sized” in order to reduce postage fees, so don’t be afraid to decorate several pages of the notebook!
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Arrival: When you receive the traveling notebook please send as a tweet at @Sandbook or email us at raiasandbook@ gmail.com so that we will know that the notebook has safely arrived!
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penpals Music Show
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On her Penpals music show experiment, Georgia will be blasting music up to 11 from as diverse genres as the world we live in! Send in your comments, requests, questions for the show!! As Georgia sums it up: “You are the music, your wish is my command!”.
Get in touch on powerofthesun89@hotmail.com and on the FB page of the show!
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By Erika Millares I was recently checking in my drawers and I have found my album of stamps. That’s when I started remembering how did I started my stamp album. Even though I am not a serious collector, I think stamp collecting is a cool way to use the stamps that your penpals stick to their letters every time they write to you. Moreover, it’s an activity for everyone - even children may find it interesting to start their own stamp collections. 36
Some time ago, I was waiting for a job interview and in the meanwhile I was reading a magazine, and I read an article there that said that starting a collection at young age is recommended (it can be any type of collection: coins, small figures, cards, key chains, sea shells, stamps) because children will start to develop skills such as responsibility, discipline, organization, and also will be a good memory exercise, when they try to remember what pieces they already have in their collections. Besides that you will share this hobby with your family members, and if you have kids, it’s a good opportunity to spend time with them doing an activity that you all enjoy. Someone asked me once: How long does it take to get a big collection of stamps? I’d say that it takes some time to do it! In my case, I got lucky to get as a gift a stamps collection from my aunt, but it is never too late to start!!! There are some ways to get stamps in a shorter time:
more. You bet that many of them just throw away the envelopes and never pay attention to the stamps, so this is a good option. 2. Your mailbox. If you’re into penpalling, it’s way faster to get stamps, since you just need to take a look to the letters that your penpals have sent you, and there you will get some for sure. I do keep ALL my letters in a box, so I just need to remove carefully the stamps from the envelopes. 3. Swapping Yes, many people do swap stamps! So, this can be a very good option, since it’s possible that you have the same stamp many times, so why not making a swap? It’s a WIN-WIN way to get stamps, since you give away the ones that you already have and you will get new ones for your collection.
4.Buying stamps at post office. I have seen in my local post office that from time to time they release some collections of stamps, they’re not expensive, I have got one of “cow 1. Asking friends parade” it cost me $30 and family for the stamps Mexican pesos (about that they don’t need any $2.5 USD or $1.8 Euros)
and I got about 30 brand new colorful stamps.
album.
Sheets 5. Internet I have used ones made Some websites are of hard paper, but I have focused to this hobby, seen that some people and they sell/swap use a sort of carton, and stamps and also some they stick normal paper supplies for your sheets to them. collections. Plastic cover So now you have the sheets stamps and you need to You can use the ones organize them in your which have already the first stamp album. You holes for the binder, just need to think if you these will protect your would like to organize stamps; and you can find them by country, in them in any stationery alphabetic order, by store for a good price. year, by event, etc. After that step, you just need Gum/ glue/plastic to place them in your transparent edges first photo album. You These edges look like basically will need: small triangles that will hold your stamps from An album the edges in every page There are some and won’t damage the specialized albums that surface of your stamps. I you can buy online, at read in a website that you post office and also in can also use the special some big stationery glue for scrapbooking, stores. which is acid free or a Well, I have to confess that special peel able gum I didn’t buy a specialized that will not harm the album for my collection. stamps. I have a binder and when my aunt gave me Well, now that you have her collection it already all the material, all you included some sheets, I need to do is to start to just replaced the binder. place the stamps in every Any binder may work as sheet and to have fun! an album, but if you want to be more organized Good luck! I am sure and well, maybe if in the that you will feel so future you want to sell proud once that you your collection, you can have finished your first buy a specialized stamps collection.
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How to start collecting stamps?
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Hello everyone! I hope you all are doing fantastic and enjoying the sunny days wherever you are located! Well, this time I want Sadly, these days in some countries to share my experience the stamps are being replaced with stamps; the postal for plain white stickers with the
amount to pay for postage, which –in my personal opinion- it’s such a pity! If a stamp could speak, I bet it would tell us great stories about the wonderful countries that it has visited to reach to our home! I just imagine the long way that it has to take a letter to come from Japan
right? It’s hard to think about which ones are my favorites, because I think that every stamp is special, even though I am not a serious collector, I basically just collect them by look, and I don’t pay attention about rarity or errors in printing, like many collectors do. I am very proud of my little collection, and my plan is to keep working on it and just as my aunt gave it to me, I am planning that if someday I have kids, I want to give my collection to them, so hopefully they can continue with it and increasing the amount of stamps in it. I think it would be so cool to see many years later an album that contains stamps from many years ago and from many different countries around the world! I wish I could see something like that. But well, in the meanwhile I will work on my small collection to improve it, and who knows, maybe someone in about 100 years may take a look at it and to see what my aunt, myself and hopefully my kids have done. This is like dreaming! But after all dreaming is for free!
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stamps that we use to send letters to our penpals, and that originally have the function of paying the postage fee.
more plain, but well, it was very interesting to me to see that there was more than just 1 design! Many years later, my dear aunt was cleaning out her house and she found a collection of stamps that she had in a binder and she gave it to me. I was surprised to see all the stamps, and it was unbelievable that she was giving that collection to me, and she said that she knew that I would take good care of it. Of course I wouldn’t disappoint her! So I kept that collection in the same binder for some years, until I started penpalling when I was 18 years old. Then I replaced the binder for a new one. Through the time I started to get a few more stamps from more countries around the world, so I started to add some new sheets to that binder. At the moment, through this almost 10 years of penpalling, I have collected more stamps, some of them are still in the envelopes, but I am hoping to get some time off and dedicate it to organize them by topic, and add more sheets to the binder, because I am just keeping them, but I think the point is to organize them first,
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By Erika Millares
stamps? Who doesn’t enjoy the interesting facts about the stamps themselves - famous people who have their faces on a stamp for the posterity? Or the famous landmarks of every country? Or why not, the ones who are just simple made to remember a special date? Moreover, there are those stamps that are a sort of a puzzle, so you need to collect 4 of them or more to get the image complete (those could be hard to get!). So as you can see, the stamps have various topics and interesting to collect and investigate! I remember that when I was on 2nd grade (SO MANY YEARS AGO! I should be like 7 years old in that time) my teacher asked us to go to the post office and buy a stamp. We would write our first letter and we would need to get an envelope and a stamp, since it would be a real letter. That was my first to Mexico, for example, or from Mexico to time in contact with Bulgaria, or well from postal stamps. When your country to your all my classmates and penpal who lives in the I got to the school we other side of world! So were comparing the designs of our stamps, cool! Who doesn’t love the some of them were very cute designs on the colorful, another ones
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My little stamps album
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If you'd like to take part, please email Rae with the nature of your business and she'll put you on the list: rae@glasscompletelyempty.co.uk
MIKA Coming out: May 21st, 2011
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Do you run a business? Would you like to generate more interest and income for your business? If so, Glass Completely Empty Productions is looking for you! Once the pen-palling film is finished we're going to take it on the road for a global tour. We're looking for pen-pals who run businesses to join us by running stalls at the exhibition. It doesn't matter if your business isn't letter writing related, we want to invite everyone to take part!
CUTE STATIONERY
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How can we stay informed for the news from your eshop? We have a popular mailing list - so we can let customers know of offers and what’s new to the site. You can also follow us on Twitter and we have a Facebook page too. http://www. facebook.com/ cutestationeryonline http://twitter.com/ cutestatcom www.cute-stationery. com
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Do you do all the work around the shop yourself? How often do you update it? I do mostly all the work on the shop myself. My husband does the marketing side, and does a lot of the Post Office runs for me! I am updating the site mostly on a daily basis – either adding new items, changing offers or checking stock levels.
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Cute Stationery sells lettersets, letterpads, memo pads, stickers, pens and cards. I buy products from the USA, Japan,
so you can add items to your cart and checkout directly with your paypal account (or if you don't have a paypal account, you can just enter your card details to pay). The cart also calculates shipping. We pride ourselves on not overcharging on postage, so if it goes over - we refund the difference straight away. It’s usually pretty accurate
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Is it hard to administrate such an online shop? The site is easy to administrate, it took a while to set up - taking photos of the products and weighing everything, once that part was doneits easy.
Tell us more about Cute Stationery what can we expect to find on it? Are there any sales/ discounts? Which are your best selling items?! Or which are your personal favorite items from it?
Germany, China and Korea. We often have discounted items, free gift offers etc. At the moment we have a free postage offer running. The best selling items are usually anything on Hello Kitty! Which just happens to be my personal favourite too We accept several payment methods, Paypal being the most popular, also UK cheque, cash or postal order. We can also accept Bank Transfers. We have a shopping cart system,
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How did you decide to make the Cute StationEry online shop? How was the idea behind the project born?! I first opened Cute Stationery as an online store about 7 years ago, when I was finding it hard to buy nicely decorated stationery. I closed the store 3 years ago due to work and family commitments. But I missed it so much, I decided to re open the store in February 2011, and we actually opened on March 7th 2011.
Your opening hours? 24/7 - orders are processed each day, and mailed out the next day (apart from Sundays of course).
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Tell us more about yourself. Hi, I am Katie Gabbitas and live in Coventry in the UK. I am a busy Mum of 3, and enjoy movies, reading and working on my family tree.
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www.cute-stationery.com
Any tip or advice you want to give to our readers? We have an information page for any other questions you may have - or you can email me on mail@cute-stationery. com. 43
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Http://letterlounge.co.uk http://www.facebook.com/pages/Letter-Lounge
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Visiti n T wit t g Let ter L oung e e in L h t t p r: ://t w ondo it ter n, UK Faceb . com/ . ook: l et ter http:/ loun /w ge Loung ww.facebo e ok.co m/pag Flick r: es/Let terhttp:/ /www .f ht tp ://ww lickr.com/ ph w.let terlo otos/lett er unge .co.u lounge/ k
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Tell us more about yourself. My name is Claire. I am 28 years old. I work as a copywriter and creative. I live in East London. In my spare time I run Letter Lounge - events where you can come along to write the letters you never have time for and enjoy a bit of a social. Have you got any penpalling experience – such as have you ever been a penpal? If 44
so, share with us your story – how you begun Penpalling, how did you learn about Friendshipbooks, etc. I do have a little penpalling experience - I had an Australian pen pal when I was at primary school and we wrote to each other for a while. I have always enjoyed sending and receiving letters and 45
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Don't forget to give us all the contact information: Twitter: h t t p : / / t w i t t e r. c o m / letterlounge Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ pages/Letter-Lounge Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/ photos/letterlounge/ http://www.letterlounge. co.uk
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Anything else you would like to ad? Come to the next Letter Lounge event if you can!
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How did you decide to make the Letter Lounge? How was the idea behind the project born?! It started simply because I love receiving handwritten letters, and I think the same goes for most people. They are much more exciting than bills and junk mail that wait for us on our doormats when we get home. It seems to be a bit of a dying art - I only really get handwritten letters from my Grandparents. I think it's a bit of a shame because emails, Facebook, Twitter (as great as they are) don't have the same personal touch.
Letter Lounge is all How often do about making the time you update the to write those letters we website? mean to write be never I try to update the site as soon as I have the next get around to doing. event organized. And I add any photos of the Tell us more events to flickr as soon about Letter Lounge - what can as I can. we expect to find Have you on it? The Letter Lounge partnered with website's main purpose someone sites is to inform people of the besides Sandbook? Letter Lounge events in If so here’s the the real world. It's quite chance to give out simple - I find a venue and some information set a time, for example about your 2 - 5pm, then people partners and make come along to drink tea, them known to eat cake and write letters. our readers. I provide writing paper, You can see a full list of who envelopes, stamps and I have run Letter Lounge I post the letters so they with/for on the events don't get forgotten page of the website. I have about in the bottom of worked with H&M, Anorak Magazine, Brighton Dome, your bag. That's it! Crisis UK and many more.
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have fond memories of doing this with friends where we would include drawings and gifts for each other.
Any tip or advice about Penpalling and correspondence that you would like to give to our readers? One thing I have noticed is that writing a letter is so very different to writing an email or digital message. You need to get comfy, make sure you know what you are going to say before you start writing, and most importantly don't rush it because you'll make mistakes and the reader won't understand your handwriting. Bu don't let anything put you off because sending someone a letter is a really good thing to do, it will make them (and you) happy.
PENPAL OF THE MONTH CONTEST Our PenPals of the Month March 2011 Sabrina from Luxembourg and Nadia Kalinkova from Russia
Hello from Luxembourg! This is our For as long as I can remember, I have been interview with Sabrina from Luxembourg, penpalling. who is our PENPAL OF THE MONTH March 2011. She is going to share some of her Do you still write (stay in touch) pen palling experience with all of us. with the first penpal with whom you started penpalling? How long have you been No. But when you think about it, it must penpalling? have been almost two decades since I
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How many penpals do you have? 27 regular penpals at this time, and about 10 irregular penpals.
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Give some tips/idea how to make a letter more interesting? No matter how long you write, write from the heart! Your penpal will feel the difference and thank you for that!
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And one day.... You are a Winner!
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Do you prefer typed or hand written letters? Handwritten, but I don’t mind typed ones too.
It all starts with filling out an application that’s available on our website and your nomination is done in no time. ““Hello SandbookNet Team! I am writing for your PenPal of the Month March 2011 contest. I would love to nominate my penpal Sabrina for it. She is creative, cheerful and truly an amazing penpal and of course a great friend. Her letters are always interesting to read as her style of letter writing is so nice – she starts off the letter with the news around her and then answers all the questions that I might have asked in my previous letter. Letter correspondence with her is like an open chat. The beauty of it is that unlike chat or messengers, we have lots of colorful and interesting letters in our hands. I have never thought possible to get to know a country only by correspondence with a native, but Sabrina is showing me bits and pieces of Luxembourg with every letter and it almost feel like I have visited it myself. Sabrina should be your next PenPal of the Month! Yours, Nadia .”
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penpal, somehow the connection fades and you stop Penpalling.
Are you searching for more penpals? If so - write a short message to the people who are reading this interview. Not exactly – I prefer to get to know people via email/Facebook before deciding to start Penpalling. In this way, I know that our correspondence would not end after a couple of letters and that we have a connection.
started Penpalling and therefore, it is really almost impossible for a person to stay in touch with someone for all that time. How did you come to know Maybe because when we grow up we FBs / How long have you been rediscover ourselves and that might new swapping them? someone is a lot different than the you A penpal told me about them as she back when you started Penpalling. And was playing them! I love to decorate, so I when you don’t share any interest with a immediately got hooked up on them!
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LOST PENPAL
Samia Oumohand, France samgunsjovirow@yahoo.com Hi all! I’m looking for my former penpal Jerry Lynn Daniels. She was a huge fan of French supermodel Laetitia Casta and is from the USA (from Tennessee, if I’m not wrong). If you know her, please let me know at: samgunsjovirow@yahoo.com
Sonia Hardoin (born 08-08-1973) 461 Rue de la Trapinière F-50000 Saint-Lô France (address valid until 1993)
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Tammy Albertson Dupont, USA (via Facebook) I have been looking fofr a friend of mine who I lost contact with along time ago and I really miss her. Her name is Kim Bear and she lived in Texas. I would love to get back in touch with her. Her maiden name was Heiliman. Jules Muni (via Facebook) My penpal of 15 years Jacqueline Mcinnus who last known lived in Kingston, Jamaica.I hope that I will be able to get back in touch with her. 51
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Marlene Miller, Ohio, USA marlene159@zoominternet.net Hello, my name is Marlene Miller, 55 and I am in Ohio in United States, have a favor to ask, am looking for friend I wrote to about 8 yr s or so ago, we lost touch, when she divorced. Her name was Jennie Smith. She lived in Australia, has son and daughter ,grown now, We wrote and taped letters on regular bases. We were doing email then lost my computer( blewup) and lost contact as well as her addy as never had it when she moved. Anyone able to help, please email me at marlene159@zoominternet.net and put in message about her,thanks for any help you can give.
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Katarina Långdahl, Sweden gulliolli@yahoo.com I'm looking for two lost pen friends. Mauy Burr who used to live on Taylor Avenue in East Brunswick, NJ. She's born 1973.I'm also looking for Ellen Blaze who used to live on Kane Street in Lackawanna, NY.
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Sarah Trewhitt, UK therose1972@hotmail.co.uk Hiya , This is not really for any one in particular .. but i used to pn pal about 5-6 year ago and had to give up for many many reasons .. i have started pen palling again over the past year and if there are any of my old pen pals out there that would like to get in touch then please do so.
Tina Jacobs (Nieman) ,USA tina70mercer@yahoo.com I had a pen pal from Greece who I wrote up to 5 years ago and we just lost touch. Her name is Helene Anastasopoulou. I have wrote her old address a few times and no response. I have searched her on the internet and still no success. She is 39 and lived in Patras as her last address I had. I’m hoping we can reconnect.
Beverly Kuttler Rampero, USA (via Facebook) I’m trying to find a good friend of mine. Her name is Aimee Plunkett. We have been writing for about 17 years. She use to live in Tracy, California but then moved away to another state and I lost her new address. I havent heard from her since.
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Nanda S. Gaikwad (born 24-02-1973) 26-A-Sarnath Anushaktinagar IND-Bombay (now Mumbai) 400094 India (address valid until 1993) Additional information: her father worked at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Bombay (Mumbai).
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Maria Nieves (or Maria Neus) Estébanez Gutiérrez (born 29-03-1974) Carrer Briquets 1, entlo primero E-Barcelona 08033 Spain (address valid until 1991)
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Theda, Germany info.tiehsvd@forum-artium.net
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Then this is the section for you. Place your story about your Lost penpal and we will try to help you
Katharina Nöhring (was: Melter), Germany KathaNoehring@aol.com Actually I am looking for a couple of former pals: Nike van Heeswijk from the Netherlands, Josephine (Joyce) Camilleri from Malta (Gozo island), Vivienne Hunter from England, Zenildo Rosa Jr. from Brasil. We lost contact a LONG time ago, and I would love to get back in touch. Does anyone know about them? Any help is appreciated! l i k e
HAVE YOU LOST A PENPAL? YES? Reconnect!
Tom Todd, England lustywinos@yahoo.com Kara from Wichita Ks. We wrote for about 10yrs in the eighties. Queen fan.
PenPal & Swappers Ads How to place an ad in the magazine? Go to www.sandbook.net and click the Magazine section. Then simply select “Place an Ad� and you will have to fill out the form that loads on your computer screen. Ads placed on pages/groups/ walls on Facebook will not be printed. Please note that the ads on our website are ads for the website itself. Unless you fill out the form under Magazine --> Place an Ad, you won’t see your ad here. Who can post an Ad? Anyone can post an ad in search for swappers or penpals. Our Ad Policy: 1) We are not a dating site/community - write appropriate ads to have them published. 2) No inmates - we have kid members in our community! 3) No money requests - such ad will result in your permanent ban from our community. 4) Snail mail addresses - we are not going to publish any snail mail addresses for security reasons. So you are going to be in charge of sending your home addresses to future penpals. We will publish your email address. 5) Religious, racial or discriminative materials would not be tolerated. 6) Any form of abusive or rude language is forbidden and will result in your ban from our community. What is the policy on Commersial Ads? Commercial Ads are paid ads for products or service that is not classified as a penpal or a swapper ad or an add from a small business that provides supplies for correspondence (stationary, address labels). Such ads are going to be negotiated with the respective companies. For more information email magazine@sandbook. net SandBook.Net Team
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name : Cécile ciloune@gmail.com age : 27 country : France Ad : Hello everybody, I’m looking for new penpals from all over the world, no matter where you come from :) I can write in french, english, spanish or romanian so feel free to contact me in your own language if it’s one of above. I love writing and receiving long letters. I love swapping things (stamps, stickers, magnets, stationery), sending small gifts
Name: Kimi Age: 19 Country: Australia E-mail: kimberley. jensen91@gmail.com Hello, potential future penpals! I’m Kim from Australia. I’ve been pen palling since I was 9-yearsold, and I’m looking for serious pen pals of any age, sex, race, religion and species (I welcome you, extra-terrestrial friends!). Ones who won’t stop writing but who aren’t overly demanding, either - life does get in the way of things, sometimes. Intelligence and/or open-mindedness is always a plus in my pen pal searches, too! ^__^ Here’s a little bit about me. I am a female (I had to specify because I once had a penpal when I was younger, and her mother said we couldn’t write anymore because she thought I was a male due to my uni-sex name) and I’m 19-years-old. I major in Linguistics and the Indonesian language at university. I love languages. Biiiig fan. My hobbies and interests are: crafting, sewing, listening to music (indie rock, indie pop, alternative, classic rock, etc.), watching films, thrifting, kawaii, going to alternative music festivals, politics, designing my own clothing, cooking, vintage, anime, culture, travel, languages, history, science, religion (I’m an atheist, however), philosophy, kitsch and geeky things like dinosaurs, sci-fi, hacking (Though I don’t know how, argh! I just think it’s great.), studying voluntarily and video/computer games.
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name : Anita s c h u t z e n g e l . a n i ta 3 3 @ gmail.com name : Eliska age : 34 Elda999@seznam.cz country : Austria age : 26 Ad : Hello my name is Anita and country : Czech Republic im searching for nice female PenAd : Hello everyone, my name pals, Epals and Swapper from all is ELiska I am 26 years old, I am over the world. My name is Anita, looking for penpals, as I like my Nickname “Angel” im married
name : Tina Bryan tinabryan23@yahoo.com Your age : 36 Your country: usa, San Diego, cailfornia Ad : hello all,my name is Tina looking for pen pals that will write to me more then once.my hobbies are making hats and scarfs and sell them. my intesterest,writing to pen pals,talking on the phone with pals and texting.e-mail if you want a pal tinabryan23@yahoo. com
from time to time ... I’m a school My email is: Whiterose232006@ teacher, mum to be (in january) yahoo.com Thanks, Jolene and I’d love to know you, you who are reading this ad :) Just name : Natalie contact me by mail at : ciloune@ Email: natkenfloppy@ gmail.com and I’ll send you my hotmail.com snail mail address. age : 37 country : Canada name : Martina Ad : Hi my name is Natalie and I’ve Martina_J_@gmx.at been paling for about 25 years age : 25 (started when I was in grade 6) country : Austria I like snail letters (I do still swap Ad : Hello! I love it to find nice and Fbs from time to time) and emails long letters in my mailbox... you so either way is perfect for me. I too? Then we should become love hearing from new people. I penpals. am married and have a 3.5 year My name is Martina and I am old daughter who is the apple of from Austria. I am looking for my eye. penpals around my age from Please email me at natkenfloppy@ anywhere in the world (female hotmail.com and we will go from penpals only!). My hobbies/ there. Hope to hear from you interests include: writing/reading soon. Please no prisoners. letters (of course), shopping, surfing the internet, traveling (I Name: Radhia LOVE it), reading, movies, PS3, Age :43 Wii, Nintendo DS, spending time Country: Tunisia with my boyfriend, going out and akrimi.0208@live.fr lots of other things... Interested? A warm hello to you all! Is there Please contact me at anyone who is interested in snail Martina_J_@gmx.at I am looking mail penpalling? forward to hear from you! I am a Tunisian woman, happily married, have only one daughter; name : Jolene I am stay at home mom, looking Whiterose232006@yahoo.com for FEMALE snail mail pals from age : 28 all over the world. I like movies, country : USA reading; crocheting, cooking, Ad: Hello Everyone, I’m looking listening to music, postcards, for new pals & swappers. I swap stickers, Kawaii things, writing anything from FBs to Stickers. I’m letters and swapping; I like not accepting any new penpals sending and receiving little from overseas at this time but surprises in the letters. There’s I take any amount of pals & nothing more joyful than getting swappers. I’m always taking new a letter from a friend ;Enough of pals from Canada & USA. So feel bills in my mailbox! So! Let’s start free to drop me a line & I’ll get penpalling!. back to as soon as I can.
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Rory Latimer latimerj@telkomsa.net Your age : 39 country : South Africa Ad : Hello Everyone I am a 39 year old Caucasian Male in Cape Town South Africa. I am hard of hearing but that doesnt get me down. I love to write snail mail letters. That is a hobby of mine now after 9 years. I do have some wonderful pen pals who have become great friends. Yes I am single however all I ask is for friendship, I will be single until the good Lord takes me home. I will be a faithful letter writer and if you would like me to give you some names of my penpals to message and ask for a reference that is fine. you can message them. I also enjoy reading, watching a good movie, Military History, camping and spending time with a good friend. I write back as soon as I can after your letter arrives. I look forward to hearing from you.
and my sign is libra. I live with my husband in Austria. My hobbies are: reading, writting letters and emails, skype, Facebook, Internet, Photography, playing saxophone, cooking, Music, Concerts, Formula 1, Soccer, Esoterism, Religion, Gothic, Middle Age, history and more. Im a very funny and helpful person. My job is nurse for elderly and I work with Alzheimer Patients. Hope to find nice female pals between 20 to ? years. Nice to meet you send a email to schutzengel.anita33@gmail.com
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Gregory Lentz gj.lentz76@gmail.com Your age : 34 Your country : USA Ad : Hello! I’d be interested in trying out some E-Pal correspondences with folks from all over the world and all walks of life! I like to learn about other cultures, a little bit of a history buff, foodie, self taught artist and aspiring writer of many genres. I like to swap postcards, nothing in particular as long as they are stamped and written, as I relish the personal connections as much as the beauty of the cards. I enjoy all kinds of movies, tv shows I keep up with are: any Law & Order, CSI, Fringe, The Event, House, Lie To Me, Castle...I’m a huge Bon Jovi fan, I like to read Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and I’m hooked on George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones.
writting (and also receiving letters :-) ) so much. I am taking care of my little girl at home. I will be glad to find new penpals! See you!
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name : Mandi Moore moore87@yahoo.com age : 23 country : USA Ad : Seeing long letter pals worldwide, ladies only. Hobbies: Reading, TV & movies, music, photography, scrapbooking, playing computer games, etc. I have one son, 17 months old. Swaps: FBs, Mommy FBs, slams. Please email me for address! mandi.moore87@ yahoo.com
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PenPal and Swappers Ads
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name : John Ferguson Email : jferguson92200@ yahoo.com age : 26 country : USA Ad : I like snail pen pal only in the USA, & e-mail pen pal from all over. My hobbies are collecting postcards, collecting wrestling cards, & many more. Especially writing to people. name : Louise louisexmarie@gmail.com age : 21 country : UK Ad : Hello! Hobbies; reading, writing, penpalling, letters, music, films, walking, socializing, drawing. I am looking for email or snail mail. I’m looking for a penpal that will write for a long time as i’m hoping to form a long-lasting friendship. I’ve never swapped or collected anything but if you want to send me something then feel free. Anyways, email me and we can chat some more :) Everything isn’t going to fit in here. Louise x name : Colleen contact me at: Colleen Penpal on
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name : Meli manzalone@hotmail.de age : 28 country : Germany Ad : Hey everyone, I’m looking for pen pals from New York, Las Vegas and the Bay Area - California. I love long handwritten letters, swapping, horses, traveling, stationary, crafts and the USA. Feel free to email me.
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name : Yvonne inkytrailers@yahoo.com age : 37 country : Netherlands Ad : Hiya! Thought I would give this a try as I am looking for a few new pals :). I am specifically looking for long letter and somewhat regular pals from Italy,
Have a great day!
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name : Victoria G nekrobows@yahoo.com age : 18 country : California USA Ad : Hello im from socal! I love all kinds of music im looking for all postcards and basically to start swapping picture clippings stickers surprise donated books anything really for my penpal swapper scrapbook to remember my youth when i age. Here’s my main interest: Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus Punk bands John Waters! Courtney Love Kurt Cobain & Nirvana Seria Killer(anything works) Bette Davis Ariel(the little mermaid) anything 1950s anything is welcome and appreciated email me: nekrobows@yahoo.com
Portugal, the Middle East (Iran in particular) and Asia, Japan in particular but all countries are fine :) as long as have something in common. My only request being you can express yourself in English or Dutch well enough to have a decent conversation. I don’t want to get stuck in sole conversations about the weather. As for the meaning of regular, I don’t expect you to write every month but I do like to receive (at least) 3 to 4 letters a year so I guess I’d like you to write - and I will do the same :) - once every two to three months. If you are more regular, then so am I :). Also I like you to ask and answer questions and I can tell you upfront I tend to ask many questions - you’d better be prepared *LOL*. A quick word about me, I am in my late 30s, married without kids and work fulltime. When I am not working I have plenty to keep myself busy with *laugh*. I love books and would not be able to live without them. They are great way to relax as well as to learn from! I enjoy watching movies though I find that at this stage of life, I need to see them in the cinema as I am not having peace of mind watching them at home :(. Also I love cooking and like to experiment with different ingredients, I love walking, taking photos, travelling, keeping up to date with (and form an opinion about!) what is happening in this world, I enjoy going to the theater, like to listen to music, socializing with family and friends. Quite a normal person I would think *grin*. If it did get you interested, I would love to hear from you!
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name : Anastasia Email : aja23@yandex.ru age : 29 name : Katarina country : Russia kat.sweden@gmail.com Ad : Hello people! I’m an active age : 41 penpaller for many years already country : Sweden and used to have many penpals Ad : I’m looking for pen pals but recently most of them aged 25-55, esp. from USA, New stopped writing me or writing Zealand or the Latin American too seldom because they are countries. too busy and I understood that I love cats, writing letters and I have only a few left. Thought swapping. I enjoy to go shopping, these ones are very important for watch TV, search for ancestors, me, I still want to find some new read books & cartoon magazines friends and just have a nice time. About me: My name is Anastasia, I’m 29y.o. and I come from Saintname : Angela Benton Petersburg, Russia but I’d love nkotbfan@live.com to move to Europe at least for age : 29 some time soon. For sure, I like country : United States my country but it would be Ad : I am 29 years old. Married exciting to live in other places and have 3 kids. I love nkotb. of the world to see how people
name : Petra Schmied p.schmied02@gmx.at age : 40 country : Austria Ad : Hi, I am a 40-year-old Austrian with an 8-year-old daughter. I love snail mailing and have various interests including travelling, reading, dancing, languages (German, English, French and some Spanish), sports etc. Please send me an email if you are interested and I will send you my address.
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name : Bev Email : BlondieBear75@ hotmail.com age : 35 country : Australia Ad : Hi All.....I am a stay at home mom of 4 from sunny Qld who would love to write to other Aussie’s. I have a wide range of interests and hobbies including reading, scrap booking, card making, pen palling, spending time with my hubby and children and heaps more. I am willing to write to both men and women. Look forward to hearing from you.
live there. At the moment I’m working as a secretary. I have lots of hobbies, just a few to mention: watch movies, tv, read books, write letters, meet my friends or chat with them online, paranormal things, etc. I’m quite open-minded and chatty girl, so I can talk about almost anything. Just give me a subject^). I’m not very much into clubbing and prefer an evening with a good book or movie but sometimes it’s a real fun to go out I’m looking for: I am looking for female penpals at any age from everywhere, with absolutely different hobbies, who write long letters (e.g 2 pages of A4 papers or 2-4 pages of B5 papers, well it depends on how your life is) at least once in 2 months and I won’t stop writing after a few letters. The way of a letter may be quite long but there’s nothing we can do With my future penpal I’d love to discuss not only life events, but also share our ideas, thoughts, dreams, feelings and everything. With whom we’d share our attitude to events, happening in the world around us. There are no forbidden topics for me and I love ask and answer tons of different questions. I love letters in a form of a conversation. I don’t mind typed letters, if they stay sincere and personal. I can play stamps back, if you ask me. If you like, we can exchange postcards, photos, fbs and other small things. I would prefer, if you speak fluent English or German and won’t have troubles expressing your thoughts and feelings. So, this was my introduction and now I’m waiting for a letter from you
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Facebook. Making new friends. Hot summer days, swimming, and birds chirping. I have 2 cats. I enjoy taking pictures. I enjoy concerts. I love music videos.
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If you’re interested in my attempt at an appealing pen pal ad, don’t be afraid to send me an e-mail! Though, I will get a tad grumpy if I receive requests for romance or money. I have a boyfriend, and I’m a poor university student. :D name : Gina EMAIL: powerofthesun89@ hotmail.com age : 21 (close to 22) country : Greece Ad : Hi! My name’s Gina, I’m 21, Greek, rather humorous and a senior-year student of Ancient Greek & Latin Literature. I’m looking for fellow female penpals from any countries that speak English or French. Apart from penpalling, I love heavy metal, collecting postcards and vinyls, reading international literature, writing poetry and crime novels! Looking forward to hearing from you!
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PenPal & Swappers Ads
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Name : Nelda Dunlap rosepetunia69@gmail. com Age : 42 Country : USA Ad : Hello all my new friends. Are you looking for a devoted snail mail penpal? One who will not stop writing after a couple of letters or who only writes twice year? A penpal to talk with about everything from the sublime to the ridiculous? A penpal who enjoys stuffing letters, decorating envies and getting something in the mail besides bills? Then look no further! For the low price of Name : barbara postage, you can have all this in glisczinski the form of a long letter life long Email : yumyum1948@ snail mail pal who loves - loves, yahoo.com I say! - who loves the written Age : 62 word in all its guts and glory. I’m Country : united states 41 with two grown children in Ad : Hello from Wisconsin.I am college and an ornery old hubby 62 a Type 2 Diabetic also am I’ve had for 21 years. We have 1 disabled.Looking for women black cat who’s 13 years old and from 35 to 80 to write to by snail a loveable crab apple. I enjoy mail.My interests are counted so many things I can’t begin to
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Name : Tonya Cassell tazzymania2001@gmail. com Age : 36 Country : United States Ad : I love photography, pen paling, and collecting celebrity autographs. I collect celebrity autographs, Christmas village pieces, china dolls, stuffed animals, and crystal figurines
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Name : Karen Email : leahrosesmom@ cox.net Age : 48 Country : Middle Georgia USA Ad : Hello, my name is Karen. I am a 48 year old single mom of a 7
Name : Fabi writing-fabi@web.de Age : 23 Country : Germany Ad : Hello everyone out there, my name is Fabienne, but everyone says Fabi. I am 23 years old and a female. I am searching for LONG LETTER pen pals. No matter where you are from. My hobbies are writing, photographing and a lot more. I don’t mind your age
Name : Melissa G Holland Email : melissagholland@ hotmail.com Age : 35 Country : USA Ad : Hi my name is Melissa and I’m 35 yrs old. I’m looking for new pen pals in the USA only for right now. I enjoy collecting recipes,cookbooks, postcards,recipe postcards, stationary, Hello Kitty items, and so much more. I have been penpalling since 2006. My hobbies are making new friends, facebook, watching tv/movies, listen to music, penpalling, and hanging out with family and friends. Please email me if you want to pen pal with me. Sorry no prisoners or men plz.
cross stitch, needlepoint, plastic canvas, knitting, latch hook, reading, gardening, cooking, crossword puzzles ,jigsaw puzzles and collecting postcards. Want worldwide penpals.
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Name : John Ferguson Email : jferguson92200@ yahoo.com Age : 26 Country : USA Ad : collecting postcards, collecting wrestling cards, listen to music, reading, coloring, play my ps2, collecting wrestling magazines, & much more.
Name : Stefanie Email : stef.langenberg@ web.de Age : 45 Country : Germany Ad : I am looking for poeople from around the world to swap postcards with. Besides in swapping postcards I am interested in reading, travelling, photography, genealogy and history. I prefer my postcards written and stamped, not in an envelope.
or your gender. Just write me an email which makes me want responding right away. And mention Sandbook in your email (best would be: “Sandbook - pen pal” as your email subject). I would love to get to know you before writing letters to you. I am not sure if I can answer all messages, but I will sure try to. Write me a long email and your chances are getting better. I hope I will find some nice friends.
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Name : Mandee Email : southernfaith@ live.com Age : 27 Country : usa Ad : I’m Seeking To Make New E-Pal Friends And New Facebook Pal’s Aswell. Send Me Msg If Your Seeking The Same Or Like To Be Pal’s..xoxo
year old daughter and a 23 year old son, living in Middle Georgia USA. I am new to penpalling and hope to share this hobby with my 7 year old daughter. I love reading books (and reading long letters), classic rock music, arts & crafts (making jewelry, crochet & cross stitch), and blogging. I write poetry and I love to take digital photographs. I hope to eventually swap FBs, and postcards. I am looking for a female penpal, preferably around my age, in the US, a mom and a Christian is a plus. I can write short, long or medium letters. I can be reached at leahrosesmom@cox.net. Thanks!
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Name : Stephanie Fatta Email : aveggiemom@yahoo.com Age : 30 Name : Phyllis Estep Country : USA Email : Ad : Hi everyone! I am a married phyllisestep@live.com mom of one son. I love pen palling Age : 60 and looking for new pen pals from Country : usa the USA only please. I am looking Ad : Hello I am a 60 year old wife, for long term/sincere pals around mother and grandma. I would like my age. I enjoy reading, travel, pen pals any ages. I will answer pen palling, working out, healthy, all. I will also swap fb, slams, post beauty, blogging, houseplants, cards, recipes and many other and so much more! Email me for things. write me if you want a my address if you are interested! faithful pal. phyllis Estep P.O. Box 6311 christiansburg, va. 24068 Name : alison hepworth Email : Name : Henry malin@malin.karoo.co.uk hbaker@rochester.rr.com Age : 44 Age : 57 Country : england Country : USA Ad : hi there i am alison 44 mum to Ad : I am disable gentleman 4 23 to 16 live in town called hull looking for e-pals in USA only, I uk hobbies are palling travelling like WWE wrestling, and law books reading music tv computer family and action movies and country i am after pals to wrtie from asia music all europe usa canada australia new zealand, worldwide females Name : Rosita Druijf for now. roos.chimene@upcmail.nl Age : 38 Name : Samantha Stroy Country : the Netherlands Email : itsapenpalworld@ Ad : hello penpalfriends , im gmail.com
Age : 27 Country : USA Ad : Hello everyone, Im looking for some long letter penpals who enjoys a little bit of numerology,astrology,tarot, and twilight and vampire novels. SOmeone who likes to swap various things that fit in an envelope. I am a married stay at home mom of 3. I promise to write back. Long letter pals only please.. I love reading,writing,shopping,di vination,hello kitty, and so much more.. Hope to hear from you all soon.
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looking for long letter penpals who write regular about anything , love to hear your story`s . im almost 38 years old (12 february) , but feel more like 30 hahaha . my hobby`s and likes are : writting letters , swapping , walk with my dogs , photography , facebook , kawaii , diddl , disney and manny more , i will tell that in my letter . if you want to write with me , give me a message . happy writting everybody . greetings Rosita
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Facebook. Add me! age : 45 country : USA Ad : Hello Friends... Colleen from the USA saying hi to everyone!! Love this magazine!! I am 45 and am from Wisconsin in the USA. I have been penpalling on and off since 1989. It’s an awesome hobby. I love reading, 70s and 80s rock music, crafts, scrapbooking, journals, history, thrift stores, travelling, the paranormal, penpalling, and swapping fb’s/ stickers/stationary. I also swap postcards. Short or long letter pals welcome. Hope we can meet....
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PenPal & Swappers Ads
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Name : naaser veer_786_n@yahoo.com Name : André Mota Age : 34 Email : andrevf@live.com Country : bangladesh Age : 17 Ad : HELLO ! I am looking for Country : Brazil foreign friends . Will you be Hi there! My name is André, I’m a friends with me ? Can we start 17 years old boy from Brazil. I’m writing letters to each other ? looking for open-minded people I am looking forward to your around my age to talk about letter . See you later. my hobbies everyday life, movies, hobbies, r music, movie, traveling, culture, travels... Anything, really! shopping, friendship & etc etc If you’d like to be penpals with
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Name : Jose Antonio Zamarco zamarco65@yahoo.it Age : 46 Country : Brazil Ad : Hello! My name is Jose Antonio and I’m a 46 years old man from Brazil. I’m looking for some new penpals mainly from North America, Europe and Japan aged from 30 to 50 years old. I’ll answer to both men and women, sex or race really doesn’t matter to me. My interests are mainly reading, swimming, biking, travelling, music and movies. I work in the health area and I’m a true and positive person. I look to meet people to build a long lasting friendship through writting letters. If you would like to write with me then please send me an email telling something about you and I’ll send you my postal address. Bye :-).
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Name: Josh Cowan jcowan1023@gmail.com Age: 31
Name : Briony mercianphoenix@gmail.com Age : 28 Country : United Kingdom Hi ! I’m 28, a mum of 2. I live in a small village in the middle of England and I’m due to marry my partner of 10 years in September. I’m slightly crazy, but all the best people are and I don’t follow the crowd. I have a good sense of humour, but you need to appreciate sarcasm. I’m
me, don’t hesitate to contact me. Snailmail only, and I’m not looking for relationships or anything, just friendship :D Thanks!
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Name: Danette D.Danette.L@gmail.com Age: 51 Years old Country: USA Ad: Hello, I am 51 years old, 4 children & 5 grandchildren. I have more furry children than I can count, I rescue, spay/neuter and find good-loving homes for strays and homeless animals. Many decide to stay with me :) I am an artist who loves to read, Name : Katka Louzilova sew, knit, crochet, paint, sculpt. I katerina174@post.cz love the outdoors. I enjoy movies, Age : 34 music, the supernatural, the sea, Country : Czech Republic swimming, walking and more. Ad : Hi, my name is Katka, I am 34, I love letter writing, though have 2 children, living in Prague. sometimes there may not be tons I love to write and recive letters to say.
Name: Michele Cimons micgci126@yahoo.com Age: 51 Country: USA Ad : My name is Michele. I’m 51 years old. I live in New York in the USA. My interests are cats, animals, listening to music, watching tv, reading, movies, Disney, soap operas, crafts, internet, Facebook, penpalling, fill in puzzles, word search puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, nature, flowers, walking, postcards, stickers, Hello Kitty, and much more. If anyone is interested in being penpals. Please email me at: micgci126@ yahoo.com. Thanks I hope to hear from someone soon. Michele
not fussed about the length and regularity of letters as long as you write, we all have a life and sometimes things get in the way. I love getting home from work and finding letters from my pals, it makes such a nice change from the usual junk mail and bills. Likes/Loves---Thunderstorms, Animals, Climbing trees, Watching the sunset, Looking at old photos, Tattoos Long showers, Nag champa, curling up with a book, New shoe smell, Walking barefoot, Mountains, Cuddles, Purple, Kisses, PreRaphaelites, Autumn, Museums, Summer rain, Stone Circles, Crystals, Stickes, Cute penpal paper , Hello Kitty, Kuromi, Tinkerbell, Faeries, Dragons, Unicorns, Mermaids, Fantasy art, Chocolate, Vodka, Playing my music LOUD, spending time with my friends, days out as a family, Facebook, Netmums, Shiney things, Music, reading, Ebay, Charity shops and more! I’m looking for fellow eccentrics, chocoholics and bookworms Any age, anywhere but Ladies only please :) Uk ladies only for snail mail, all other countries e pals Thank you for reading xx
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Name: Lisa lisaluvsfbs@aol.com Age: 45 Country: usa My name is Lisa and i am 45 years old USA mother to two (ages 12 & 18) lisaluvsfbs@aol.com I am Native American/German/ Irish lady. I love making friends with ladies all over the world. I enjoy photography, swapping fbs, phone calls, music, family, God, learning about other cultures. I am especially looking for Middle Eastern ladies to correspond with, I traveled to the Middle East in 2007 and loved the people I met there. I am not looking to push religion, just make friendships. Would love to hear from other moms anywhere.
Name: Sandra penpals4me@live.se Age: 21 Country: Sweden Ad : Hello everybody! My name is Sandra, I’m 21 years old and live in Sweden. I’m searching for penpals from all over the world, in around my own age! But especially from: Denmark, New Zealand and Germany. And UK London and in West Chester and Forks. But of course anyone can contact me if they’re interested :) I love to read and write. When it comes to books I almost only read fantasy, and right know I’m stuck on vampires. I love the music groups: HIM, 3oh!3 and The Rasmus. Write me a mail if your interested =)
Country: USA Ad : My favorite color is green. My favorite food is seafood and sushi. My favorite drink is root beer. My favorite sport is basketball and I play basketball through Special Olympics. I love music and my favorite singer is Weird Al Yankovic and my favorite music group is Blink182. My favorite actor is Jim Carey and my favorite actress is Olivia NewtonJohn. My favorite movies are Ace Ventura, Despicable Me, and Karate Kid. My favorite TV shows are the Price is Right, Minute to Win It, American Idol, America’s Funniest home videos, America’s got talent, Dancing with the stars, and So you think you can dance. My favorite animal is the frog. My favorite cartoon characters are Spongebob Sqaurepants, Scooby Doo, The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, and Family Guy. My Favorite Super Hero is Batman. I have Cerebral Palsy and participate in Special Olympics. My favorite special Olympics events are bowling, basketball, and cycling.
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Name : Sandra Walker southernrosebelle@ yahoo.com Age : 59 Country : USA Ad : hobbies: collects postcards and foreign coins. Loves to read. Likes to cook. Married, 2 sons (grown-NO grandchildren or daughters-in-law.Wants pen pals who like to write more than a paragraph. NO religious stuff please (I have my own religion). I have 3 dogs. Much more but will tell when you write.
, I would love to find penpals from all over the world. My hobbies include reading, cooking, travelling.
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list them but here a few of the highlights: Kawaii, penpalling, family, animals, ancient history, Regency romances, Dr. Who, AGT, sticker, Facebook, sci-fi, writing... I collect Kawaii, Hello Kitty, stickers, s/p shakers, pens, postcards, FBs, LBs, SBs. I swap postcards, FBs, LBS, SBs and take all excess. I’m looking for ladies only 30-50 from anywhere, especially UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Japan, Scotland. As always, no men(happily married) ,cons, Africa/Ghana(I’m no fool and I don’t have money to spare so forget it). Please put penpals and this site name in the subject line so I don’t think you’re spam and delete you. I look forward to hearing from all my new friends. Nelda Dunlap 316 W. Tyler Av Charleston, Illinois 61920 USA
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PenPal & Swappers Ads
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Yahoo Groups that you might want to join: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/strictlysnail http://groups.yahoo.com/group/crazy_pen_pals
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PenPal Directory and Newsletter Hi! I am Tracy. I sell stationery address and stickers. I also have a penpal Directory and a newsletter. Take a look at my links if interestered. My new thing is making a catalog of all my designs: http://tracyscreationsstationary.shutterfly.com/ http://addresslabels4sale.shutterfly.com/ For more information contact: Tracy Sanders, tracylynnsanders38@yahoo.com
My name is Maxine. I’m the owner of www.penpalmagazine.blogspot.com and www.friendshipbooks.blogspot. com As the names suggest, the former focuses its attention on penpal newsletters and magazines, and the later - on FB’s - what are they, how to make them, how to swap them, etc. Follow the blogs to learn all the cool stuff that I have prepared for you!
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Penpals ‘nd Swappers magazine Penpals `nd Swappers is a new magazine for people who like to write letters and swapping, also for people who are looking for new penpals and swappers. In this magazine there are PenpalAdds and SwapperAdds, all around writing letters and swapping and many many more. How can I order it? Just send an e-mail to penpalsandswappers@ googlemail.com with your name and e-mail address. You get your magazine by e-mail. How to get my PenpalAdd/SwapperAdd in the magazine? Please, send your PenpalAdd or SwapperAdd via e-mail to: penpalsandswappers@googlemail.com. Please do not forget your address or e-mail address.
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Name : Tatjana tatjana_203tp@hotmail. com Age : 28 Country : Germany Ad : Hello, my name is Tatjana and I’m 28 years old. I’m looking for new penpals around my age (only female) from all over the world. I like reading, music, traveling, of course writing letters and many more. I am interested in learning about different countries and cultures, because I think it is very exciting to learn how different things can be in other countries.
Pen Pal Book C/O Kimberly Garigin 3726 Green Pond Rd Gray Court, SC 29645 One issue is $12 black or $18 color. Subscription for 4 issues is $20 black or $25 color. Its like buying two and getting two FREE. Comes out Jan. Apr. Jul. & Oct. I take Cash, checks & Money orders in my name. It is non-profit!! Pen Pal ads to be put in is FREE starting with Jan 2011. Business ads r 5 cents per word/symbols & count your name & address. Add $2 more for Canada or $4 more for Over seas. I use quick print to see the darker print its $4 per issue or $16 for 4 issues. No Inmates!!! For more information contact: Kimberly at vandine69@yahoo.com
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Name : Barb ks.sunflower1956@gmail. com Age : 55 Country : USA Ad : Hi Everyone - I am 55, married, disabled, stepmom to one and gma to 4. We live on 4 acres and have 2 horses and 3 dogs - these are my babies!! I would like penpals of any age, LADIES ONLY. Letter size does not matter, long or short, either way. Some of my interests/hobbies are - reading, cross stitch, facebook, tv, movies, old cemeteries, old castles, movies about Camelot and that era, cooking and more. I will answer all.
Feel free to write me, I’m looking reading and writing. I currently forward to your message. You can work from home and I have just write in German, English or French. purchased a house so I’ll be settled at my current address for years to Name : Alessandro come (meaning you won’t have to alohatucano@katamail. worry about me up and moving). com I’m looking for long-term penpals Age : 32 who will write regularly and send Country : Italy more lengthly snailmail letters. If Ad : I’m a 32 years old italian guy you’re a swapper, I’ll swap anything. looking for snail mail penpals world I haven’t done much before but I wide. I’m not looking for romance suppose it would be fun! :) If you or sex: I’m gay and engaged with would like to be penpals, please my boyfriend, but i prefer female send me a message and let me penpals cause they are most know if you would like me to write talkative regular writers (males are the first letter or if you’ll do so. also welcome, of course). I look only for penpals around my age. Name : Nicole I would find someone who thinks nml2@aol.com that a penpal is not only a letter Age : 41 writer but a real friend. Send me a Country : USA short email introduction but I will Ad : Hi I am Nicole I am looking not reply to telegraphic letters: i for pen-pals that will keep writing. love to get long and chatty letters! My hobbies are pen palling, I can speak english and french. I swapping, collecting. I swap could sound terribly offensive, but stickers,goodiebags and I like to please, only good handwritten or swap themed packages. Please no typed letters: i’m done to take an prisoners. USA only please. effort everytime i read a letter... sorry!! Looking forward to hear Name : Faisal Cheema from you soon! faisalcheema44@gmail. com Name : Alysia Age : 33 weealydee@hotmail.com Country : Pakistan Age : 23 Ad : I collect stamps, postcards, Country : Canada FDCs, phonecards and coins. I am Ad : I’m 23 years old, from Canada, working on a project to collect and I have a 5 year old son. I am POSTCARDS of UNESCO World divorced, as well as newly single Heritage Sites from all countries. after my last serious relationship, You can see my collection at http:// and am definitely not looking unesco-postcards.blogspot.com to see anyone for a long time. I can swap postcards and other Eugh, men *sigh*...but I’ll write stuff from PAKISTAN. Best Regards to both males and females, just no prisoners please! I have many, many interests but I especially love
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Name : missy Email : shortymiss_17512@ yahoo.com Age : 36 Country : usa Ad : i have a pen pal newsletter called dfu,its been around since 96 & comes out every 3 months,it has a lot to read,samples are $3 or $6 yr email me if intersted.
PenPalling Connections:
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PenPal & Swappers Ads
DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKING
In order to achieve this layout you use layers
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Layer 2: Lay your picture on your page and adjust the size and angle until you have it where you like it. You can add a frame or embellishments on a new layer to dress it up. Step four: layer 3-Add some journaling, a title or a phrase. That’s cute but let’s try something a little more advanced that will look like this…
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Layer 1: Choose you background paper position it on your page.(I choose the blue background because I liked how it looked against the sepia tones in my picture.)
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What is digital
What program do you use? I use two programs actually; first off I do all my layouts in Serifs Craft Artist. I love their software and it has way more features than any other program I’ve used. Plus it makes keeping all of your scrapbooking kits and item organized and easy to find. I also
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Choose you photo or photos. I used a fun pic of me taking a pic of myself for this sample.
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kits for an Ipad app called scrappad. And I make and sell my kits at two online stores. I love what I do and do what I love.
What should I look for in a scrapbooking Program? First and foremost look for a program that supports layers! That seems to be the thing that I use most often. Secondly would be blending modes or blending layers. This can really open up a whole lot more that you can do. I don’t think there is a right or wrong program to use just do a little research and pick out something that looks like it will fit your style. Most programs offer trial version or a free version of the software that may not have all the features of the full version. I know that craft artist and Photoshop offer free trials.
Lets Scrapbook Simple layout I’ve made a cute little mini kit using the colors of sandbooks Facebook profile picture. You can download it on sandbooks site or on my blog for free.
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giving away freebies on my blog. If you’d like to check it out the web address is www. angelicdesignz. blogspot.com. I recently started making scrapbooking
What program can I use to scrapbook with? There are hundreds of programs that you can use to scrapbook including Photoshop, Serif craft Artist, print shop and so many more. If you own an iPhone or an ipad there are great apps for scrapbooking with that let you scrapbook on the go!
What’s so great about digital Scrapbooking? Where do I begin, there’s no mess, you can take it with you anywhere you can take your computer or other device. It’s a lot cheaper than paper scrapbooking because you can use your kits and embellishments and papers over and over and over again. Unlike traditional scrapbooking where once you use it, it’s gone. There is way more theme kits for digital scrapbooking then for paper scrapbooking. Plus there are tons of sites and people that give away freebies and free kits! So you don’t really have to spend anything. So I’ve made my digital scrapbook pages now what? Well you have a few options; you can save them on a dvd and watch them on your TV. you can email them to family and friends. You can upload your pages to a sharing site. You can print them out yourself at home. Or you can send them off to be printed. You can use them in a hybrid scrap book page.(that’s doing paper scrapbooking and digital together).
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work at home mommy. I’ve been scrapbooking for 6 years and digital scrapbooking for almost 3 years. Within the past year I’ve started designing and selling my own kits and also
do quite a bit of my designing in craft Artist. The second Program I use is Photoshop there’s tons of things you can do with your photos and lots of extras you can get for the program. Honestly for me though Photoshop was just too hard to use to scrapbook on a daily basis. But there are a lot of people who use it strictly for scrapbooking so I guess it just depends on what you are looking for.
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What’s up with digital Scrapbooking? Who are you? My name is Angel and I’m a digital Scrapbooking addict! I’m a stay at home/
scrapbooking? Digital scrapbooking is everything if not more then what paper scrapbooking is. Except we use a computer, iPad or other device to scrapbook on! There are millions of digital scrapbooking kits waiting for you to find them! And the awesome thing is that you can scrapbook wherever and whenever you like because there is no mess!
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www.angelicdesignz.blogspot.com
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and blending modes. Step one: Layer 1choose and position your paper on your background layer
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Step TWO: Create a new layer name this photo1, resize you image so that it fills up most of the paper Step three
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Change the blending mode of the photo one to multiply, this will make the paper show through and make your photo seem like it was printed onto the page. Or you can play around with the blending modes till you find something that you like.
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Step four: Create a new
layer, add embellishments along the bottom edge of you photo to hide the blending line. I layered 3 leaves along the bottom of mine
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or embellishments on or around your photo. You can add a shadow if you’d like to
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Step seven: Add your journaling and change the blend mode to
Step five Create a new layer add you next photo, resize overlay. and angle to your liking There’s your new layout. Enjoy! Step six: Create a new layer If you have any questions and add a frame feel free to ask!
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Do you want some more honest, long lasting pen pals?
e Lif rrie r u o 3 s F s Go l 62 a eli 1 3 P m 3 n 2 .co Pe Yan 273 rida e liv C/O Box , Flo @ e Po mpa lif r o Ta sf USAnpal Pe
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Visit https://www.facebook.com/Penpalsforlife we just celebrated our first year here at Pen Pals For Life. With over 1200 members, over 100 member in our directory, daily giveaways, contest, and a personal touch. We hope to see you! Yanelis Gourrie, Owner/President of Pen Pals For Life
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• Crewel Outline • Stem Outline • Chain Stitch • Satin Stitch • Straight Stitch Both my Mom and Dad really loved these little cases. I probably spent 5-6 hours on each one so THEY BETTER, right? So, not to shabby for my first stab into the land of Crewel, no? I know many Friends of Simplicity Embellished (AKA readers) are noted embroiderers…please link us up to a project you’ve completed. I know I would love to see some of what you guys do.
Website: http://www.simplicityembellished.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SimplicityEmbellished
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smaller-scale project because I’d be done faster and I knew that it would really give me a good feel for crewel. I found a great selection of kits at Purl Soho (you can order online!) and each of these eyeglass kits were just $10.00 and included everything I needed. I also used the thread from just one kit to complete both so I have a nice little stash of thread for my next project. Here’s the link to the exact kit I bought: http://bit.ly/CustomKit The stitches used in the eyeglass cases are:
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nature like birds and plants and mushrooms and bugs. The threads are also typically colors found in nature. I think many would argue that in traditional crewel work you don’t see any neon colors. However, what you do in your own home is fine by me! For the holidays this year, I embarked on my first, real Crewelwork project. An eyeglass case for each of my parents. I purposely picked a
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to count stitches. Crewel Embroidery is only Crewel Embroidery when you’re using wool thread onto a plan weave fabric, like linen. You traditionally stitch things that are found in
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Simplicity Embellished is a prominent letter-writing blog curated by Cole Imperi. Featuring articles on letter writing, home & garden, cooking & recipes and health, Simplicity Embellished is an online haven for those who appreciate epistolary delights.
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I tend to think of all the different types of embroidery as effects. Want a simple, yet glittery effect? Try Goldwork Embroidery. Want something delicate and watercolor-like? Try Silk Painting Embroidery. Me? I wanted something traditional, natural and relatively quick. Hello, Crewelwork! The technique of Crewelwork is at least 1,000 years old. So, I felt as though that was pretty traditional. Plus, there is no need
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By Cole Imperi www.simplicityembellished.com
Have you heard of crewelwork before? Also called crewel embroidery? I hadn’t until I discovered a few posts about it in early 2010. Crewel is a type of embroidery. (Embroidery is when you take a needle, thread and fabric and stitch on a design or pattern.) The type of fabric you use, the type of thread, the type of design you stitch, the style of stitches you use–those variables all create different effects and are given different names.
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EMBROIDERY
APRIL’S EVENTS By Raia Alexieva
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April 1: APRIL FOOL'S DAY April 1st is notorious for being the day, when you are actually encouraged to lie! The custom dictates that you try to say a lie in such a way that everyone believes it. If you can make it through the day and lie to at least one person, you will be cheerful and joyful all year long. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?
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April 7: World Health Day TheWorld Health Day is organized and celebrated under the sponsorship of World Health Organization (WHO). The day is founded to provide awareness for health issues. The day is acknowledged by many governments worldwide. Health Professionals (dentists, doctors, nurses, lab assistants, etc) celebrate the day as a professional day.
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Apr 22: EARTH DAY Earth Day Holiday is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation of Earth and its natural environment. Earth Day is firstly celebrated on April 22, 1970 in USA and it is made international in 1990 with organized events in 141 countries. Nowadays, Earth Day is celebrated in more than 175 countires around the globe with special Earth Day activities, focused on environmental issues. April 23: Saint George’s Day Diada de Sant Jordi The particular Saint Valentine's Day in Catalonia (northeastern Spain) is called "Diada de Sant Jordi". It is celebrated on April, 23rd day of Saint George (Sant Jordi), patron saint of Catalonia, under a festive environment. (Read more in “Diada de Sant Jordi” article by Beatriz Floriano). 70
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special prayer services. The altars remain completely bare for the duration of the holiday, as crosses, candlesticks and altar clothes are removed. According to the custom, no bells are rung on Good Friday or on Holy Saturday. April 24 - Easter Jesus rose from the dead on the third day
after his crucifixion. Easter is a celebration of this resurrection. Easter Day or Easter Sunday (Resurrection Sunday) is two days after Good Friday and three days from the Maundry Thursday. Easter is a movable fest, which means that it bears no “fixed” date and it is generally determined year by year. Generally
Easter varies from March 22nd to April 25th! Nowadays Easter is modernized and it incorporates symbols such as The Easter Bunny and Easter egg hunts. Easter holidays is unique because it is often observed by Christians and nonChristians.
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April 22 - Good Friday Good Friday or Holy Friday (Great Friday) is the Friday, preceding Easter Sunday. Good Friday is treated as a fast day. According to the Catholic Church you may only have one full meal (but a smaller one that the regular ones) and two collations (which is like a snack though both snacks should not equal one full meal). Meat is forbidden. There are
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April 21 - Maundry Thursday The Maundry Thursday is the Thursday, preceding Easter Sunday and it represents the “Last Supper” of Jesus with the Apostles. According to the Jewish traditions the fest should be celebrated in the evening, since that’s when Friday begins. On this day people color eggs, visit special festival prayer services. Worldwide there are several different customs marking the day – in Germany the symbol color of the liturgical services is white, hence why the holiday is called – Weisser Donerstag (White Thursday), in the Czech Republic and Slovakia the holiday is called Zelený čtvrtek or Zelený štvrtok (Green Thursday) and the church bells are silent
until Holy Saturday (the day before Easter Sunday). Holy Saturday is referred as White Saturday. Children usually go out and make noise with wooden rattles while people come out and give them money. That custom is also known in Luxembourg, however here children use the wooden rattles to call people out for service. Moreover, in Sweden, children dress up like witches and knock on doors getting money or candy from the households. It does remind us for Halloween in the Western Communities, though here in Sweden it represents the connection with the old folklore.
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April 18 - Passover – begins at sundown Passover is a Jewish festival. It is also a very special holy day for Jews around the globe. It is featured in story of the Exodus, where it is said that God helped the Children of Israel to escape the slavery in Egypt by sending ten plagues upon Egypt. Thus the Pharaoh had no choice but to grant the ancient Israelite their freedom. The name of the fest comes from the story itself. Israelites were instructed to mark their houses’ doors with the blood of a lamb, so that the Plagues would not affect them (pass them over). The story goes on that the liberated slaves fled so quickly so there was no time even for the bread to rise. In according to this, during the Passover days and nights no leavened bread is eaten. Hence why matzo (flat unleavened bread) is the symbol of the holiday. Passover begins on the 15th day of the month of Nisan, which is either in April or in May in the Gregorian calendar.
Nisan is the first month of the Hebrew’s calendar’s festival year. Passover is celebrated for 7 days and 8 nights (since it starts on sundown of the day before the first festival day). The first and the last days of the holidays are legal holiday days in Israel, in which people do not go to work. Special festival meals and prayer services mark the days of the festival.
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EASTER, ASH WEDNESDAY AND PASSOVER
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The particular Saint Valentine's Day in Catalonia (northeastern Spain) is called "Diada de Sant Jordi". It is celebrated on April, 23rd day of Saint George (Sant Jordi), patron saint of Catalonia, under a festive environment. Book and rose street markets can be found along the streets and squares of all cities and villages. Lots of people will be walking around, looking at the books and buying
the XV century. Women belonging to the nobility were attending a mass in the Palau de la Generalitat Chapel (dedicated to the saint) on that day. They were receiving a rose as a gift. In the same square where Palau de la Generalitat is located, the "Fira de Roses" (Roses Festival) was celebrated at the same time, an old festival where men were gifting roses to their loved ones as a proof of love. Perhaps the origins of this Roses Festival comes from Roman times, when floral offerings to goddess Flora were taking place in the month of May. The typical Sant Jordi rose is a red rose which is gifted together with a wheat spike and adorned with the colours of the Catalan flag (gold and red). The "Senyera" (Catalan flag) is
otherwise the dragon would kill them all at once. They wrote all the names of all the inhabitants in pieces of paper and put them inside a pot. Every night, an innocent hand would choose who would be the next one to die in the claws of the dragon the next morning. One day it was the turn of the princess. Some people say that the king begged and cried, others say that he accepted with determination and courage the destine of his daughter: the princess would be the next one to be sacrificed. When the princess was sent out of the walls of the city and started to walk towards the dragon, a knight riding his white horse appeared in the mist. The knight fought against the dragon and finally killed it. Some people said that the dragon was melt and absorbed by the land. Others said that a pool of blood formed where the dragon had fallen dead. Whatever happened, a rosebush grew up instantly from the dragon's blood giving brilliant red roses. The knight who killed the dragon was Jordi/ George, who gifted the princess one of the beautiful red roses.
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roses. The tradition says that the man should gift his loved one a rose, whereas the woman should gift her sweetheart a book. The festival is a mix of traditions and customs going back to the Middle Ages. On Sant Jordi it is also celebrated the "Day of the Book". In Catalan it is said: "El 23 d'abril, Sant Jordi, una rosa i un llibre. Una rosa com a sĂmbol d'amor i un llibre com a sĂmbol de cultura." ("On April, 23rd, Saint George, a rose and a book. A rose as a symbol of love and a book as a symbol of culture."). Even if it is not known the exactly time when roses started to be gifted on Sant Jordi's Day, the origin of the tradition started in Barcelona in
the symbol of the land protected by Sant J o r d i , that is, Catalonia, the red colour of the rose is a symbol of passion while the w h e a t s p i k e represents fertility. Such an event had to come together with its own legend. The legend of Sant Jordi explains the origin of the roses in the festival: The Catalan tradition tells that once there was a fearsome dragon in the lands of Montblanc (Tarragona) which terrorized the people living there. The dragon was always very hungry and it was approaching more and more to the walls of the city. People were so afraid of it that they tried to look for a solution so it would stay away from the city. At first they fed the dragon with sheep, then oxes, later horses... but it was never enough and the dragon was always asking for more food. It arrived a time when they had to feed it with the own people of the village,
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EASTER IN GERMANY AND SLOVENIA
to eat. There will be all kinds of bread, cold-cut and cheese (as many Germans like to have bread with cheese or ham in the morning), jam and marmelades, cakes and muffins, but also warm dishes like a baked ham or turkey, a soup and salads. Some ingredients are a
above all, eggs. Easter eggs are a symbol for Easter in many countries. But, here, in Germany, we do not only have chocolate eggs in all sizes, tastes and colours. We also use real eggs, first boiling them hard and then colouring them. In my family,
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PenPalling and Letters is a blog dedicated to correspondence. You can find many interesting articles there together with polls, so feel free to voice out your opinion. There is also a section with interesting links that you can follow and learn more about the wonderful hobby of penpalling!
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they do for Easter. For my husband and me, it used to be a short trip to Italy, to beautiful Lake Garda, during seven years, but when “our” lovely little hotel closed a couple of years ago, we started staying at home for Easter, inviting our family and friends for a big Easter
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Here, in Germany, Easter is the first official countrywide long holiday weekend after Christmas. Good Friday and Easter Monday are bank holiday and all shops, offices... remain closed. Well, except for the ones at airports and train staions, of course! Usually, Easter
Penpalling & Letters: www.penpallingandletters.blogspot.com
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Easter decorations at a spring in Maulbronn, Germany
this is usually done on Easter Saturday, and it is an event. You can buy colours for dying the eggs in any supermarket (but only around Easter time), however, you can also use nature’s gifts for colouring eggs (like onion skin for a brownish colour, parsley or other herbs for green...). The eggs are dyed while they are still hot, and then they are put somewhere to dry and cool down. The last touch is greasing them (either with a bit of oil, margarine or even with a little piece of bacon fat) so they shine. They are then put in a little basket on a bed of (artificial) green grass where they wait to be eaten during the Easter days. On Easter Sunday, in the very early hours of the morning, the Easter bunny visits every house especially if children live there. It hides chocolate eggs and little gifts in the garden for the children to search for. And when the weather forecast predicts rain, the bunny also goes inside the houses to hide its eggs and gifts indoors. And just in case you ever wondered why you find colourful eggs hanging in bushes in
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must for me at Easter, like carrots (because of the Easter bunny) and,
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In this occasion, Katharina from Germany and Vesna from Slovenia wanted to share with us how Easter is celebrated in their homelands, so let’s go on reading about
Brunch on Easter Monday. An Easter brunch always means a lot of nice things
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Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year, which commemorates when Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday (also Resurrection Day or Resurrection Sunday). It is a moveable feast, meaning it is not fixed in relation to the civil calendar. Easter customs vary across the Christian world, but decorating Easter eggs is a common motif. In the Western world, customs such as egg hunting and the Easter Bunny extend from the domain of church, and often have a secular character. [Extracted from Wikipedia].
is spent with family and/ or friends. Many families have traditions in what
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and Easter traditions in their countries!
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by PenPalling Letters
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Typical Easter baskets power and flatten/glaze one’s complexion. The water has to be scooped between midnight and sunrise and it has to be scooped and carried home in total silence. From my teenage years in the North of Germany, I remember well the Easter bonfires that were held everywhere in the night of Easter Saturday. In Hamburg, the place where I grew up, the biggest bonfires were along the river Elbe. For these bonfires
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huge piles of wood were assembled (the higher and the bigger, the better), and on top of these piles a puppet made from straw (often a witch) was added. When it turned dark, the bonfires were started. It is a very old tradition, dating back to preChristian times. The idea behind these bonfire was to chase away the winter, to burn it out, and to ask for a rich harvest. In Christian times, this tradition prevailed
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then outside in a yellowblooming bush in the front yard. But not only houses and flats are decorated. In some areas it is a
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paint the eggs with whatever means available. Our preferred paint was mom’s nailpolish. In the end we put a little ribbon on the egg and hung
It is said that the decoration of springs goes along with another tradition I have never experienced myself but only read about: the socalled Easter water. It is said that water scooped from a spring or ditch in the Easter night will have healing
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the front yards or gardens of German houses: that is needed to show the Easter bunny where the little children live and where to hide eggs (At least that is what my sister told her children!). Decorations are very widespread for Easter. Now that winter is finally over, we like to decorate our houses, flats and gardens in spring colours and with spring and Easter symbols: eggs are hanging or sitting everywhere, together with bunnies, flowers and lambs. Preferred colours are pastel colours like yellow, light green, rose, pink... Nowadays most people buy these decorations in the shops where they sell more and more articles every year. For me as a child, however, Easter always was a time of crafting and painting. We would take real eggs, drill little holes in the upper and lower side, blow out the contents and then
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Blessing of the fire
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tradition to decorate public springs with eggs and green. This tradition is said to go back to 1909 and is more common in Southern Germany than in the North. The Easterly decoration of springs was meant to symbolize the meaning water has for life and growth.
reading about it. But now I will go and put some colourful eggs in my little bush in the front yard so that the Easter bunny will find its way to my garden, too! Slovenia is a predominantly Catholic country and many families still celebrate it by going to church and following the Easter traditions. There are some Easter bunnies and chocolate eggs available All in all, Eastertime is at the shops (more and lovely here, in Germany! more each year), but And I hope you enjoyed they are not traditionally and priest would light an Easter candle with the bonfire and carry it to the dark church, thus symbolizing Jesus Christ as the light for the world. I do not remember ever having seen the lightening of a candle, though. I recall the Easter fires as very social events with a lot of people who sat by the fires, talked and had a beer.
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is then baked.
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Thank you Katharina and Vesna!!! It was great reading your splendid articles! Hope to see you again in Penpalling & Letters!
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Easter Monday is a day when people visit their friends and family. During these visits they often exchange Easter eggs.
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Slovenian even though some younger generations adopted them. I won’t write about these though. I’ll try to describe how my family and my husband’s celebrated Easter in the past and how we two still celebrate it today. My grandma said – It is OK if you don’t go to church, but if you consider yourself a Catholic, you should go to church at least twice a year: on Easter and Christmas! 80
The preparations for Easter start the Sunday before Easter Sunday. We call it “cvetna nedelja” or translated: floral Sunday. People bring “butarica” to church and have it blessed then have it in the living area of the house/flat. Butarica is an arrangement of green branches and ribbons, but some people also bring small olive tree branches. Traditionally one of the boys who is
still at school was the one who took butarica to church to be blessed, but not many people remember this tradition nowadays. On Holy Saturday everything is in preparation for Easter Sunday. Women bake potica (traditional Slovenian cake), cook ham, children colour eggs... All the food is then put in a basket
and taken to church to be blessed. Food that must be in the basket: potica (represents the Jesus’ crown), ham (represents Jesus’ body), horse radish (represents the nails) and coloured eggs (traditionally they are coloured read and represent Jesus’ blood drops). In my area we also put “zelodec” (stomach) in the basket. It is smoked pig stomach filled with bacon, eggs and bread filling, which
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On Sunday morning it’s time for church again and after the morning mass a breakfast for the whole family is prepared from the food that was blessed on Saturday. Traditionally it’s only allowed to be eaten
by hands (no cutlery) and it’s not allowed to give any of the blessed food to cats. On this day the whole family should stay at home.
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holidays). I usually put the basket in our small church and then joined the men and also a lot of women outside to catch up and hear the latest gossip. In the evening it’s time for Easter Vigil.
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Traditionally, the oldest unmarried daughter in the family was the one taking the basket to be blessed, but, again, not many people remember this tradition. At the time, women wait in the church for the food to be blessed, men and children make a fire in front of the church and burn a dried wood mushroom on it. After the priest blesses the food he goes outside and blesses the fire. The
kindling mushrooms are then taken home and put on a fire so that the fireplace is also blessed. This tradition is not alive in the towns and cities because most households are heated with central heating, but in rural areas it’s still practiced. We practiced it until a few years ago when we moved to town. I really liked it because it’s a rare occasion when the whole village got together (even the people who only got home from towns for the
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family it’s a reason to get together, eat good food, sit around and talk while the kids have an Easter egg hunt. We dye eggs with food coloring and vinegar. Then we use a crayon to decorate the outside of the boiled egg. They then go in a basket filled with plastic eggs with candy and money, candy hidden in the plastic grass and a few toys to open from the Easter bunny. Well, Happy Easter to everyone and Happy Spring. April Showers brings May flowers. (And allergies, lol – lol is abbreviation that stands for “laughing out loud”). I look forward to spending time with family and catching up with my penpal writing. I have found my writing muse again. My nanna has been in the hospital for three weeks from having a stroke that resulted in her falling down and breaking her left hip and left leg. She is recovering but please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. Thanks for reading my column. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Feedback is appreciated. Until next time, Love Always, Samantha Stroy
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exchange for Hello Kitty stationery. She taught me a few words in German. We exchanged pictures and friendship books and became fast friends. Then I started getting other penpals from different countries. Recently, Diana and I just got back in contact which is wonderful. She is one of the few I can honestly confide in and know she is a good friend and responds with good advice. That's what I mean about feelings. How many pals can you say know the real "you?" And you feel comfortable confiding in? You can probably name one to five like I can. My oldest daughter, Elizabeth, is 7 years old and writes to one of my best friend’s daughter through penpalling. When Elizabeth received her first letter from GiGi, her eyes lit up. I knew the exact feeling she felt reading the letter and looking at the picture of a girl her age, with her interests. Elizabeth wrote GiGi back right away and sent a picture of herself. So, to me that's how penpalling compares to a favorite song and the feeling you get when you hear it. In a couple weeks (April 24th), will be Easter. I know not everyone celebrates it, but my
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I'm your new pal!". Wow, this takes me back to the first letter I received from Germany when I was 15 (Hi, Diana Sailmann!). I remember how exciting it was when I looked at the envelope and saw how far it travelled with the words "Air Mail" stamped on the front of the envelope. As I opened it, I had no idea what to expect. We had only exchanged one email about the basics and exchanged addresses. I remember unfolding the paper to a 4 page letter on beautiful sheets of Diddl paper. I had never seen stationery that big before. I was amazed with her handwriting and how much her introduction was like I would have written it. She told me about her family and the town she lived in, how she was obsessed with the television show "Buffy The Vampire Slayer." She was a 15 year old girl like me, who loved writing, the same television shows and hobbies and me. For me, now at 27 years old, I still go back to that letter and reminisce on that moment I first read it. Soon after that I was sent Diddl paper (it wasn't available in the USA) in
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Itsapenpalworld@gmail.com http://itsapenpalworld.blogspot.com/ www.facebook.com/angelbaby916
Hello and welcome to another issue of Samantha's Thought's. This issue I want to talk about feelings. I know some people have a hard time doing that but after reading this hopefully it gives you a different perspective on the subject. When was the last time you sat down and wrote to your penpal about your true feelings? Like the way it feels when you hear a song that takes you back to a place and time about a person or something you were doing that made you happy or sad, but looking back on it somehow it still makes you smile just thinking about it. What about how it felt to receive your first penpal letter and the joy it brought you? How you opened it with excitement, the feeling you got reading the first few lines of "Hello, I am (insert name here) and
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SAMANTHA’S THOUGHTS
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It was very quiet and peaceful and in the time there maybe saw one car. A lot of the roads were not accessible due to the amount of snow still on the ground. I plan to take a trip back in the summer or fall and photograph the abandoned school house and close up of the church still remaining. You can find ghosts of North Dakota’s pictures of Balfour at the link: http://ghostsofnorthdakota. com/2005/06/13/balfour-nd/ and you can also find my winter pictures at this link: http://ghostsofnorthdakota. com/2011/03/28/balfour-inwinter/ and also my blog has pictures from our recent trip(s). http://riacabralphotography. blogspot.com/ I heard that of all the towns the ghosts of North Dakota that the crew have visited in North Dakota, Manfred is one of the best. It’s a small near-ghost town in central North Dakota, just off highway 52 between Minot and Jamestown. I will attend the clean up next month there. If anyone is interested to use any of my photos feel free just link back to my blog and give credit. Thanks.
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projects to proceed. Enveloped by the understated beauty of this often underappreciated state, North Dakota's ghost towns are where you'll see hand-built stone churches, ancient grain elevators, old feed mills blanketed in wildflowers, dilapidated post offices, and other captivating relics. The memories may fade, but they are kept alive by people's need to see what it might have been like to see a community vanish, almost into thin air. The memories are kept alive with the help of wonderful sites like Ghosts of North Dakota. ( h t t p : / / ghostsofnorthdakota.com/) It has become a pictorial documentary of North Dakota's abandoned places. This is where I learned a lot about the ghost towns that I personally want to visit. On this particular winter day in March my family and I took a trip to Balfour, ND. It sits in McHenry county about 35 miles southeast of Minot. Balfour’s current residents are doing a very good job of safeguarding the town’s history when it comes to out of town visitors.
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“Exploring these ghost towns of North Dakota is now one of the most intriguing things to do in the state.”
In the early twentieth century, people in North Dakota experienced prosperity and success. Thousands of settlers came in to North Dakota with hopes of wealthier lives as the railroads developed. North Dakota found itself with abundant new growth as towns and other settlements sprang up quickly. During this time, ghost towns were hardly discussed. But that is no longer true today! More than 1,000 ghost towns
towns of North Dakota is now one of the most intriguing things to do in the state. Ghost towns are found all over North Dakota, making it convenient to visit any number of them during North Dakota vacations. There are hundreds of sites some that are almost fully abandoned; some have disintegrated into rubble and others are truly ghost towns! Some of the abandoned school houses are still filled with reminders of students, with books and desks scattered inside painting a picture of people who once thrived in the prairies. For example, Manfred (ND) is hosting a work day in May to bring volunteers together for a work day in historic Manfred. The purpose of the work day is to clear out unwanted materials from the 1910 Manfred School and the 1899 Solheim House. Those interested may also help remove modern carpentry renovations from a couple areas in the school. Once the unwanted materials have been removed, general clean-up of the interior and yard can be done. Ridding these buildings of unwanted materials will enable future restoration
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can be identified in North Dakota. They are very intriguing for both the locals and tourists. I visited one of them in 2010 upon arriving to North Dakota. Ghost Towns are thought to be some of the top attractions in the state. Ghost towns in North Dakota speak of another time and they are windows into the state’s history. They fit nicely in to my book of postmarks that I am writing. As remarkable as it may sound, some ghost towns still have inhabitants! I have received postmarks and notes from local residents. Settled between the late nineteenth century and the early twentieth century, the towns’ decrease in population was also due to the harsh living conditions of the windswept Great Plains. At some point of time most ghost towns of North Dakota have been overtaken by droughts, which made life even more difficult. Poverty quickly followed and farmers struggled through these very hard times. Ghost towns of North Dakota are well developed partly because of the Great Depression. Exploring these ghost
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WORLD TRAVEL: WORLD HERITAGE
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By Paula Milburn
place.
pinklioness@googlemail.com
In this series I intend to (briefly) visit each area of the UK working from North to South. If popular I will continue with other countries and work our way around the world. Even if you don't collect postcards, to travel the countries from the comfort of your own home without the need for passports or the high cost of travel tickets will be interesting I'm sure....
World Heritage (UNESCO) sites play an important part in not only historical and geographical senses, but also for postcard traders it's a 'niche' which a lot of us try to get at least one postcard from each 86
Neolithic Orkney Neolithic Orkney was declared a World Heritage Site in 1999. The Orkney World Heritage site is in fact a group of Neolithic monuments that is made up of a large chambered tomb (Maes Howe), two ceremonial stone circles (the Stones
of Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar) and a settlement (Skara Brae), plus a number of unexcavated burial, ceremonial and settlement sites. The total group makes up a major prehistoric landscape giving a window onto life in this remote
northern archipelago 5,000 years ago. The site at Skara Brae is thought to have been occupied from about 3100 BC, for about six hundred years. Around 2500 BC, after a change in the climate (it became much colder and wetter) the settlement
was abandoned by its inhabitants. Skara Brae then lay under the sand dunes until 1850, when rough seas stripped away the grass, and uncovering several houses. In 1924 more houses were uncovered by similar rough weather. The 87
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Stones of Stenness The Stones of Stenness are 1.2 km west of the Maeshowe chambered cairn. The Stones of Stenness are on a promontory on the southern end of the Loch of Stenness and the freshwater loch Loch of Harray. The name "Stenness" comes from Old Norse meaning "stone headland". . The stones are slabs about 1 ft thick. The circle originally was 104 ft in diameter and had 12 stones. Now only four of these unusually
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actually used for. The large stone blocking the door seems designed to be shut from the inside. The quality of the construction is impressive, with large sandstone blocks used, which have been skillfully quarried and cut. On the the winter solstice, the setting sun shines directly down the passage of Maeshowe. It illuminates the back wall of the chamber for a few minutes. The sun sets directly over the Barnhouse Stone on the summer solstice.
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for wood. The houses used stone furniture, including a full range of cupboards,
in diameter and 7m high. It is made up of packed stones and clay, with an inner layer of stones around the chamber itself. The chamber is roughly a cube 4.5m on each side. The walls contain three cells sealed with stone blocks, and the entrance tunnel, which 14.5m long and 1.4m high, is lined with very large slabs, the largest weighing over 3 tonnes. When opened in 1861, it was literally empty except for a piece of human skull. So it is not known what it was
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It is believed that 50 to 100 people lived here at any one time. The houses used earth as extra shelter and they were built into mounds rubbish called as "middens". The earth and the middens gave a layer of insulation against Orkney's harsh winters. Each house is about 40 square metres, with a large square living room with a hearth for heating and cooking. Driftwood and whalebone, with
turf thatch on top, roofed the houses as there were few trees growing on the Orkneys
Howe) is termed a neolithic chambered cairn and passage grave. It is close to Skara Brae. Built originally by grooved ware people, it was looted by Vikings led by Earl Harald Maddadarson and Ragnvald, Earl of Moer in the 12th century AD. The vikings left runic graffiti on the stone walls of the chamber. There are over thirty individual inscriptions. The corbelled roof was broken in 1861 by careless archaeologists, but they did relatively little structural damage. The mound is 35m
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neolithic settlement is of eight similar houses, linked together by a series of low alleyways. Vere Gordon Childe excavated the site between 1928 and 1930.
dressers, seats, and box beds. A sophisticated drainage system in the village may have included a primitive form of toilet for each dwelling. The ancient inhabitants of Orkney built pyramidlike structures as communal burial places, and burials would be according to tribal status. These chambered cairns were built over a period of thousands of years, and are one of two main types: the Orkney-Cromarty and the Maeshowe type of chambered cairn.
bank, with a single entrance on the north side. The entrance faces towards the Neolithic Barnhouse Settlement which has been found adjacent to the Loch of Harray.The pottery links the Stones of Stenness to Skara Brae and Maeshowe, and the site
damaging his fields, and set about trying to destroy the stones. MacKay broke up one stone, the Odin Stone, and toppled another before he was stopped. In 1906 an inaccurate attempt was made to reconstruct the circle
Ring of Brodgar The Ring of Brodgar (or Brogar) is a neolithic henge and stone circle. The Ring of Brodgar lies about 1.2 km away to the north-west of the
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is thought to date from around 3000 BC. The site was visited by Walter Scott in 1814, but later that year, the tenant farmer, Captain W. MacKay, felt that visitors to the site were
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shaped stones remain; the tallest is about 16 ft high. The were surrounded by a ditch cut into rock that was 7 ft deep and is 23 ft wide. The that in turn was surrounded by an earth
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Stones of Stenness. The centre of the circle has never been excavated by archaeologists. So it has not been scientifically dated, but it is believed that it dates from 2500 BC, and therefore contemporary with Stonehenge.
The circle one of the largest in the United Kingdom at about 120 yards in diameter. The henge was made up of 60 stones, of which only 27 are now standing. The stones are surrounded by a circular ditch 10 feet deep and
30 feet wide, carved out of the solid bedrock. There are carvings on four of the stones, a runic inscription of the name Bjorn - probably a Norse visitor, an anvil, and an ogham inscription. These were all carved many years
after the erection of the for its exceptional stones. natural beauty and for the significant St Kilda, Scotland, natural habitats that it World Heritage supports. In July 2004 Site this was extended to St Kilda became a include the surrounding World Heritage Site in marine environment. 1986 in recognition of In July 2005 further its Natural Heritage; recognition for the
islands cultural heritage was awarded making it one of only a few places in the world with Dual World Heritage Status for both its natural and cultural significance. The archipelago of St Kilda is 41 miles west of Benbecula 91
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in 80% infant mortality from tetanus. By 1891 the population had declined to such a level that the archipelago's economy broke down. Food shortages were recorded in 1912 and an outbreak of influenza in 1913. Eventually the islanders asked the government to take them all of St Kilda. On 29 August 1930, the final
36 inhabitants left for the Scottish mainland. The islands were purchased in 1931 by Lord Dumfries (later 5th Marquess of Bute), who bequeathed them to the National Trust for Scotland when he died in 1956. Although there is no permanent population today, the main island of Hirta is in fact occupied
all year round by people working in the military base there and by scientists carrying out research on the feral Soay sheep population. The military base is part of the Hebrides missile tracking range. It is a breeding ground for many important seabird species including gannets, of which it has the world's
largest colony; puffins; and Leach's Petrels. The small island of Dun is home to the largest colony of fulmars in Britain. There is also a variety of wren, Troglodytes troglodytes hirtensis, endemic to St. Kilda. There are at least three WWII aircraft crash sites - one near the "Amazon" settlement and one on
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B o r e r a y reaches 384 metres and Soay 378 metres. In addition to these, there are several offshore stacks (the technical word for vertical pillars of rock). The tallest, Stac An Armin, is 196 metres high; another, Stac Lee, is 172 metres. St. Kilda had apparently been inhabited since prehistoric times, but conditions were hard, and many emigrated to the United States and Australia. Lack of proper midwifery between 1830 and 1843 resulted
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were originally created by a large volcanic explosion. Hirta is the largest island in the St Kilda group, then there is Soay, two kilometres northwest of Hirta; and Boreray, six kilometres northeast of Hirta. There are several smaller islets including Dun, Levinish, Stac Lee and Stac an Armin. The only settlement was at Village Bay (Scottish Gaelic: BĂ gh a' Bhaile) on Hirta. The sea cliffs are particularly dramatic. The highest point is Conachair at 430 metres, whose whole north face is a vertical cliff over 300 metres high, dropping straight into the sea.
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in Scotland's Outer Hebrides. Only Rockall is further away from the Scottish mainland. The population here had struggled against the elements and their remoteness, and in 1930 the entire population were taken off St Kilda, and St Kilda left to its birds. Today the islands with their cliffs and sea stacs, form the most important seabird breeding habitat in north-west Europe. And the entire archipelago is owned by the National Trust for Scotland. The name St. Kilda is believed to be derived from the Norse word skildir, meaning "shields". The islands
the south coast of Soay. Bits of aluminium buried in the soil regularly surface. In 1937, after reading of the St. Kilda evacuation, Michael Powell made the film The Edge of the World about the dangers of island depopulation. It was shot, not on St. Kilda but on Foula, one of the Shetland Islands. 93
by Aia Skarsgård
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Thursday evening, the work day is almost at its end and I am rushing to Bel Ami. Bel Ami is one cozy pizza place in the very center of Sofia (Bulgaria), where I have a meeting with the boys from MAZE. Travelling through the usual rush hour, I am thinking about the questions that I am going to ask. Perhaps, I am also a bit worried whether I will manage the task to present the diversity that the guys carry in both their lives and in their music. As I am on the staircase of Bel Ami, I see the guys, who are absorbed in their conversation. Kiril (drums) is discussing something with Yavor (guitar) and Stefan (keyboards), while Vasil (bass guitar) is talking on the phone. In the mean time, Gisdoff (vocals) is looking the promo flyer of the band’s debut album. As I walk towards them, only one word comes to my mind – “Music”. The music is that magical power that connects the five musicians in one extraordinary band, named Maze. The band’s genre is alternative newmetal. The guys have a characteristic style, which has a distinguish dynamics and melody! The words that the newspaper “Telegraph” used to describe a Maze’s concert come to mind: “A night in which Limp Bizkit meets Metallica, and every beat is incorporated within the “Seattle’s sound”. That’s of course true, but not entirely. Why? Because the music by Maze can’t be described with words – it must be heard! Gizdoff notices me and I am welcomed by five warm smiles. I smile back and my worries are gone. People say that a person can find anything in one maze and I am as curious as Alice! I take out my notebook and my cell phone from my handbag and I am ready to start the journey in the musical maze of MAZE. The boys laugh the moment that I ask my first question and I immediately know that interview is going to be just great! 94
Who are MAZE? Vasil (bass): Maze was founded in 1996 under a different name. The band with its current members is established in the summer of 2008. We started our work with remixes of some of our older songs. The beginning was marked with several stage appearances in clubs nationwide, including few appearances in some festivals. The fact that we started our live performances at that very early stage has helped us tremendously to redefine and discover our own sound. 2011 has started quite 96
productively for us. These last couple of months has been filled with many stage performances in clubs in Sofia and the country. We are looking forward to seeing you at the promotion of our debut album on April 16th at Club RBF. I look at the flyer that is lying on the table. The image of a rabbit sitting on a chess patterned marble floor is rather unusual. I simply can’t help myself and ask:
certain characteristics of the animals are also true for the people? I quickly nod and reply: “Brave like a lion!”.
The boys immediately smile. The rabbit is quite special for the band – it is meant to be a symbol and also a prank between the members of the group. We can see the rabbit not only on the flyers, but also on the band’s T-shirts and the pranks about the rabbit are present in almost every conversation. Yavor explains the significance of the rabbit.
Yavor continues: Right! The rabbit has a very interesting meaning. On one side, the rabbit looks so innocent and naive, but that is only the first impression. The rabbit is very brisk and it can surprise you as it can jump in one or another direction very quickly. That is true for our music style, too. We may seem quite predictable, but not in any case naive. But in very moment we get on the stage, no one can be sure what we will be up to. On the other hand, the esthetic appearance of the rabbit disrupts the seriousness of the mood and totally shatters the cliché by incorporating humor and diversity. We want to show that we don’t have to be dressed in black in order to play metal.
Yavor(guitar): You know how in the very ancient times, the people believed that
Stefan (keyboard): The idea of the symbolism of the rabbit came to be in one
Tell me about the rabbit.
evening, while my brother (Gizdoff) and I were walking home from a rehearsal. We were walking and talking and suddenly he asked “Why shouldn’t we have a rabbit, that is also a vampire?”. Afterwards, it was only matter of time to get together the whole concept. Honestly, we think that the rabbit looks really cool. There are a lot of controversial interpretations for the name of the band. How did you decide to name the band Maze? Stefan: The band’s name Maze is symbolic. We wanted to show a maze of musical diversity. From the very beginning of our career, every fan can discover in our music something that he or she enjoys and finds dear. Some compare us with Linkin Park, others with Metallica and even to Limp Bizkit. Vasil asks me: Aia, do you know the difference between the words maze and labyrinth?
I shake my head unconvincingly and Vasil continues. Vasil: The labyrinth is a place where the entrance and the exit are one and the same. While the word “maze” implies a place, in which the journey through the twisted paths may lead to different exist points according to the direction that one chooses. Stefan: The word “maze” incorporates variety of exists and the right to make a choice. As a matter of fact, the Aztecs were the first to notice that specific difference, as they started using the word for their underground facilities. Having in mind the difference in our interests and musical tastes, the word MAZE completely describes the band’s diversity and dynamics. in the beginning there was... Yavor: In the beginning there was an old guitar that needed new strings. Vasil is smiling and then tells us: And before that we were playing the music of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Metallica on tennis rockets! The name of the album is “Cell 7034” and it consists of 10 songs. It includes the singles “For Myself” and “Delete”. The album’s promotion is held at Club “R.B.F” and the after party is going to take place in Club “Tucan”. Club “R.B.F” will be open from 7pm, and the concert will begin at 8pm.
From Iron Maiden to Metallica. Which is your favorite genre? What are the bands that have influenced your music the most? You can download the entire MIKA magazine and read the whole interview at www. mikamagazine.com
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Mika
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lifestyle magazine
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Do you want to be a part of our team? Be an author with us and contact us at mikamagazine(at)gmail.com
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MIKA magazine is a brand new electronic (digital) lifestyle magazine. IT features articles in several topics: Entertainment, Music and Movies, Beauty, Fashion, HEALTH and Lifestyle.
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Contact us at: OUR website: www.mikamagazine.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/MIKAmagazine Facebook: www.facebook.com/MIkaMagazine Blog: www.mikalifestylemagazine.blogspot.com Email: MikaMagazine@gmail.com
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May 21, 2011 101 100
FASHIONISTA
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putting on makeup! I am not really good at mixing When I find products that and matching colors make my life easier and go together, so when I find more smooth, I will give it colors that work for me, I a try! As a mom, I still find stick with them! I don’t go time for makeup! I love a day without wearing my
A double-sided makeup mirror also helps one pluck unwanted facial hairs that you would not normally see when using an ordinary mirror. Eyebrow shaping is also important and with a
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by Beauty Brite
Applying your makeup in the wrong lighting is the most When I was offered the common mistake. While opportunity to review you might make your the Jerdon Tri-fold face look gorgeous at the Lighted Mirror, I jumped moment you can look at the chance! I’ve been totally inappropriate mineral makeup!
Adjustable tri-fold makeup mirror with cool fluorescent lighting R e g u l a r reflection and 5X magnification 4 color-correct light selections Folding back, collapsible side mirrors, built-in outlet Measures 19 by 12 inches fully extended
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When applying base one is always inclined to miss areas or put too much on. The same goes for blush and powder applications but this magnified mirror will show you the flaws immediately.
Product Features:
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Jerdon Lighted Mirror Review
A mirror is not just a mirror when it comes to applying makeup. Most women are selfconscious about their looks and want to have a flawless look so a makeup mirror is an important part of any women’s beauty regimen.
Jerdon makeup mirrors show you the places where you have overlooked when moisturizing and cleansing.
Jerdon are makes a complete line of dressing table mirrors in different sizes. There is literally a makeup mirror for every occasion from basic to high fashion.
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About Jerdon lighted mirror
Jerdon's Model JGL-9 deluxe, tri-fold makeup mirror features four lighting settings: day, evening, office, and home, along with a 5X magnification mirror, adjustable backstand and built-in outlet for styling appliances.
magnified mirror one can see exactly where to pluck all those fine hairs.
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I also love that the mirror can be closed and fits perfect in a hallway closet, underneath the sink, or on a shelf without taking up too much space.
later in the day. To keep your makeup looking its most natural all day long, always apply it in the same lighting in which you'll be seen later. The best vanity mirrors, like Jerdon’s, have adjustments to help you see the difference between natural and artificial lighting so you can get your look just right.
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using the mirror for about two weeks and love it! The amount of mirrors really help with makeup application and the 5X magnification is an added benefit. I love the different light settings, as I have never had the option. The side mirrors are adjustable so depending on the angle you need, you can adjust it to where you are sitting.
Jerdon Tri-fold Lighted Mirrors can be purchased at Bed, Bath & Beyond, Amazon, and other fine stores and websites. Disclosure The opinions provided are my own and not influenced by anyone else. I did not receive any financial compensation for this post. I received free products to facilitate my review. 103
CELEBERTY BIRTHDAY TWINS:
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April 3rd 1985 – Leona Lewis (singer) April 3rd 1904 – Sally Rand (Dancer)
April 9th 1998 – Elle Fanning (Sister of Dakota Fanning) April 9th 1977 – Gerard Way (Singer for My Chemical Romance)
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April 8th 1962 – Izzy Stradlin (Guitarist for Guns N' Roses) April 8th 1963 – Julian Lennon (Son of John Lennon)
April 15th 1990 – Emma Watson (Actress) April 15th 1452 – Leonardo Da Vinci April 16th 1965 – Martin Lawrence (Comedy actor) April 16th 1889 – Charlie Chaplin
April 20th 1951 – Luther Vandross (S&B Singer) April 20th 1893 – Joan Miro (Painter) April 21st 1959 – Robert Smith (Singer for The Cure) April 21st 1816 – Charlotte Bronte (Author) April 22nd 1950 – Peter Frampton (Guitarist) April 22nd 1928 – Aaron Spelling (TV Producer) April 23rd 1990 – Dev Patel (Actor)
April 26th 1967 – Kane (Professional Wrestler) April 26th 1917 – I.M. Pei (Architect) April 27th 1959 – Sheena Easton (Singer) April 27th 1791 – Samuel Morse (Inventor of the Morse Code) April 28th 1974 – Penelope Cruz (Actress) April 28th 1908 – Oscar Schindler (His work inspired the book Schindler's Ark) April 29th 1970 – Andre Agassi (Tennis player) April 29th 1951 – Dale Earnhardt (NASCAR driver) April 30th 1982 – Kirsten Dunst (Actress) April 30th 1933 – Willie Nelson (Country singer)
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April 2nd 1942 – Leon Russell (Singer) April 2nd 1805 – Hans Christian Anderson (Author of fairy tales)
April 14th 1977 – Sarah Michelle Geller (Actress) April 14th 1945 – Ritchie Blackmore (Guitarist for Deep Purple)
April 19th 1987 – Maria Sharapova (Wimbledon Tennis Champion) April 19th 1946 – Tim Curry (Actor)
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April 7th 1964 – Russell Crow (Actor) April 7th 1939 – David Frost (British TV personality)
April 25th 1945 – Stu Cook (Singer for Creedance Clearwater Revivial) April 25th 1874 – Guglielmo Marconi (Scientist whose discoveries lead to the invention of the radio)
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April 1st 1981 – Hannah Spearritt (Member of S Club 7) April 1st 1926 – Anne McCaffrey (author)
April 13th 1946 – Al Green (Gospel singer) April 13th 1909 – Eudora Welty (Author)
April 18th 1984 – America Ferrera (Actress) April 18th 1947 – James Woods (Actor)
April 24th 1982 – Kelly Clarkson (Singer) April 24th 1942 – Barbara Striesand (Singer)
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April 6th 1975 – Zach Braff (Actor) April 6th 1941 – Philip Austin (Member of the Firesign Theatre)
April 12th 1987 – Brooklyn Decker (Model) April 12th 1947 – Tom Clancy (Author)
April 23rd 1928 – Shirley Temple (Child star)
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For more of your birthday twins, you can find them at: www. famousbirthdays.com
April 11th 1987 – Joss Stone (Singer) April 11th 1919 – Oleg Cassini (Fashion designer)
April 17th 1974 – Victoria Beckham (Member of the Spice Girls) April 17th 1923 – Harry Reasoner (Journalist)
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April 5th 1937 – Colin Powell (Secretary of State) April 5th 1908 – Bette David (Actress)
April 10th 1990 – Alex Pettyfer (Actor) April 10th 1979 – Shemekia Copeland (Blues Singer)
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April – Easter is nearly here and, for some of us, spring will be here. Warm sun, flowers and birds singing. So, if your birthday is in April, get outside and enjoy it! I hope you all have fantastic birthdays!
April 4th 1979 – Heath Ledger (Actor) April 4th 1906 – John Cameron Swayze (TV Anchorman)
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APRIL BIRTHDAY TWINS
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Birthday Twins Birthday Twins! What’s more cool than finding someonewhosharesthesamebirthdaydatewith you? No matter how far away you live from one another an instant connection is made. On one and the same day, you party together to celebrate Your own Special Day! The Team of Sandbook.Net would like to say a very Happy Birthday to:
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1st April, 1984, Natalie Roldan from USA 4th April, 1980, Evi van Cauter, Belgium, 6th April 1979, Shona Gladman, Australia 8th April 1980, Suzanne Horton from USA 15th April 1964, Kris McMillin from USA 15th April 1980, Christina Gist, CA, USA 19th April 1975, Monia from Italy 20th April 1986, Nadja from Brazil
22nd April 1986, Marina from Croatia 25th April 1965, Sue Burkitt from USA 25th April Samantha Taylor from England 26th April 1989, Lissa Keir from England 27th April 1986, Cathy Wienke from USA 28th April 1973, Isabella from Italy 30th April 1974, Kristel Nijs from Belgium
May you all have a wonderful day! To join our birthday twin section, send us your birthday, name, country and email to our email: fun@sandbook.net To contact any of our Birthday Twins, log onto our website and look at the BirthdayTwin Section.
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BOOKLET 3, APRIL 2011
SANDBOOK PENPALS AND SWAPPERS
Is the next issue free?
How to become a guest writer?
How does the subscribe feature on the website work?
SAMANTHA STROY
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Commercial Ads are paid ads for products or service that is not classified as a penpal or a swapper ad or an add from a small business that provides supplies for correspondence (stationary, address labels). Such ads are going to be reviewed and negotiated with the respective companies. For more information email magazine@sandbook.net
Make sure that you stay informed for the latest news Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Sandbook Add us as a friend on Facebook http://facebook.com/sandbooknet And join our Facebook Group: http://on.fb.me/SBNgroup And join our Facebook Page: http://on.fb.me/SBNpage Read our blog at: sandbooknet.blogspot.com Visit us on our website: www.SandBook.Net
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What is the policy on commercial Ads?
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I don’t see my Ad. Why?
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1) Promote us - tell your penpals and swappers about the magazine. 2) Give us feedback - either on our website www.sandbook.net or through Facebook/Twitter. 3) Become a guest writer - Contact us with your idea of an article. We need to make sure that the topic is still not taken by someone else. We don’t want to print out articles with similar content. Deadline of all The published ads are in agreement with our policy: articles is the 30th of each month. If we receive the 1) we are not a dating site/community - write article after that date - your article is going to be run in the next issue. If you decide to send any pictures appropriate ads to have them published! 2) no inmates - we have kids that are members in our with your article, you will need to have the rights to that image and the image needs to be with a minimal community! 3) money requests - such ad will result in your resolution of 800x600. permanent ban from our community. Go to www.sandbook.net and go to the Magazine section. Then simply click “Place an Ad” and you will have to fill out the form that loads on your computer screen. Please remember to give your actual/real email address, as it will be the only connect information that anyone can use to get back in touch with you.
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What can I do to help with the magazine?
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How to place an ad in the magazine?
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Yes! So go ahead and tell all of your penpals and swappers about it. Promote the magazine so we can choose from various penpals and swappers ads. The Again, get in touch with us and let us know the name of the topic that you want to write about. If it is not more, the merrier! already taken, we’d give you the go ahead to write it. We are doing that simply to ensure that we don’t have one and the same stories printed under variation of names. The deadline for all articles is the end The “Subscribe” area on our website collects of the month (Nov 30th, 2010). Any articles submitinformation such as your name/nickname and an ted after the deadline with be either published in the email address. After filling out the form, we will send next issue (December one) or will be left for the one you a notification when the latest issue is released. after it (January 2011 one). It’s done simply to ensure Don’t forget to check your spam folder - our automatic we have enough time to design your pages so that system message may be stuck in there. When you they will have the look that we all will enjoy. Thank find it, just click “not spam” and your notification will you for your understanding. appear in your inbox next time.
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BOOKLET
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NEXT ISSUE
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Coming out: May 11, 2011
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