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Sunday, August 29, 2010

THANK YOU!!!!!

Well, our events are over!! The Meet 'n' Greet event was Friday night and the signing was yesterday. Just as predicted, it went by in a blur!!

Our Friday night event was so much fun! Our club members so enjoyed meeting all the attendees! Everyone was so cordial, and having a connection through Hallmark, made us instant friends! We had some fun with our "beach party theme", and everyone got a lei and some tropical punch upon arrival. Many wore some fun "beach garb" (luckily, no speedos) and others wore umbrellas in their hair! Hopefully, a good time was had by all!!

The artists were extremely gracious to us-- "meeting and greeting", taking photos and visiting with everyone.

After the party, we had some one on one time with the artists. Our club and store employees enjoyed our time with them!! They signed our ornaments, took tons of pictures with us, as well as answered all of our questions!

Thank you to Sue Tague and Ruth Donikowski for coming to our little party!! We enjoyed meeting both of  you!! Here's a pic:




Hallmark was extremely generous to our club! They ran a fun bingo game with 8 of Sue and Ruth's ornaments as prizes (which the artists graciously signed). They also gave our club terrific prizes for winning the Artist signing!

THANK YOU HALLMARK FOR SELECTING OUR CLUB!

We gave out about 70 door prizes and everyone received a "goodie bag" when they left. Hopefully, our attendees enjoyed themselves. I had, what seemed like everyone, come up to me at the end of the event or on Saturday and told me they had a ball! Thanks to everyone for travelling as far as you did to attend our party! (I think we had 8 states represented!!) Our club enjoyed meeting you, and the event raised some much needed funds for our charities!!

Our dessert table was a big hit!! We had 9 different types of cupcakes, muffins, brownies, a sheet cake and our centerpiece cake, which was such a terrific surprise! We asked the "cake artist" for a "beachy" type cake and she outdid herself!! Here's a pic:


On Saturday, I went up to the Hallmark store at 6:00 am assuming no one would be there-- well, I was WRONG!
The parking lot was full of cars!!! At 6:00, there were about 80 people on line. The line wrapped around the building!! Some of the more dedicated, were at the store at 1:00 am!! They slept on the sidewalk after playing cards all evening! Everyone brought chairs and turned the waiting into a festive party atmosphere!!

I really enjoyed walking down the line and reconnecting with many from our event, as well as meeting some new Hallmark friends!

Our sponsor store, Barbara's Hallmark, decided to start letting people get their event piece tickets a little earlier than planned, due to the crowds. The lines did seem to move very orderly, but the event pieces were sold out by 10:00 am!  I was surprised at the interest in this years ornament, but it was a really nice piece! It obviously was a fan favorite, if our store is any indication!

The signing went really well. Sue and Ruth signed over time, making sure everyone had all their ornaments signed! They spoke with everyone, took pictures and signed everything from ornaments to dreambooks!

Then they helped pull  the ticketd for the 5 bear ornaments that Hallmark was raffling off.

While I'm sure their hands are tired this morning, we all appreciate their efforts in making sure everyone got all their ornaments signed!!

A special THANK YOU to our sponsor store, Barbara's Hallmark. Our club knows that the contest win, while a wonderful opportunity for our club, our community, and all local Hallmark collectors, was a lot of extra work for the entire store staff! They did a terrific job, especially on a hot South Carolina afternoon! We were lucky, that it was overcast until about noon, but then the sun came out and it was a typical hot August day! They set up  some fans to help keep us cool, provided cold drinks, and kept the lines moving so people got inside the store as quickly as possible!!

A big THANK YOU to everyone who purchased tickets for our raffle baskets! They were a big hit and raised over $900 for our charities!!!

The winners were:

Virginia King
Anne Danciu
Judy Swicegood

Thank you to all the attendees for donating non-perishables to the Food Pantry associated with the church. We received two huge barrels of food, as well as some money that will help a lot of families in our community.

This event was a wonderful opportunity for our club, but still quite a big job! Whenever you do an event for over 100 people, you know you're in for quite a ride. We split up the details into various committees, with a person responsible to get specific items accomplished. I would like to personally acknowledge our club members contributions. It is SO HARD to list every detail that everyone did. The entire club participated in every aspect of the event planning, setup, take down, decorating, baking, purchasing or donating items, plus a million little errands that are needed for an event like this. So many people donated supplies so we could give the maximum amount to our charities-probably more than I will ever know. They did an amazing job, and I am very proud of the event we put on! So a BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE!!!!

The details listed are just the highlights. They are (in alpha order):

Anne & Peter: Food Committee.  Anne managed to get us the tastiest BBQ in all of South Carolina!! Bought all the pretty paper goods, purchased the sheet cake, arranged for our appearance on "Your Carolina" and helped us get the hall setup (plus, a million other little details) Anne provided the majority of the table centerpieces (completed by Sammy) and donated the baskets that were used for our raffle baskets. Anne helped kick off the event and helped hand out our door prizes. Peter helped with all the heavy lifting that a event like this requires, as well as all the small tasks that need to be done to get the little special details that we wanted for the event! Thank you both!

Cheryl & Dave: Dessert Table and Advertising. Cheryl and Dave did so much. Not only did Cheryl coordinate the dessert table, she got her daughter to make our centerpiece cake. Cheryl and Dave had purchased a large lot of Hallmark items and provided to us, at a VERY low cost, if not completely donated, an amazing selection of ornaments for the raffle baskets, a good chunk of the door prizes, and the large items in the goodie bags. Cheryl helped get the raffle baskets artistically arranged (she excelled in this, since all ornaments could be viewed and they didn't move with transport!). Dave got the word out for our event, including advertising on the web, and both she and Dave were on the "Your Carolina" TV show to advertise our event. Dave offered the blessing that started our event on a positive note! Cheryl did the programs that were handed our to our attendees, she manned the raffle table on Saturday, plus many more tasks that made for a successful event. Thank you both!


Chris & Sammy: Decorating Committee Sammy single handedly created the decorating plan that was visible in the hall. Sammy and Chris (and her daughter Jennifer) created all the goodie bags, printed out the fronts and attached tags, purchased all the leis, and other fun "Beach party" items for over 100 guests!! Sammy decorated all the desserts plates, arranged for various display stands, wrapped all of the silverware and added a festive SC tag on the ribbon. She added to the various centerpieces, provided the Hallmark Beach music, and did a lot of tasty baking. Chris helped with the heavy lifting on setup and decorating the hall. I know I'm probably forgetting a million other details that Sammy did, but if it had to do with decorating, Sammy probably did it. She added all the tiny details that really makes an event special! She excels at this, which is why she was chosen for this committee head. I personally had dozens of people comment to me that the hall was decorated so beautifully, and they loved the little details that were added. Thank you both!!!

Ellen & Gene: Accomodations, Table Coverings and Tiki Hut Ellen and Gene made arrangements with the Church so we could have our event there. It was a perfect location so our attendees could just drive up and down one main road to get to the store, their hotel and the event. They got all the tables put in place as well as donated all the tablecloths and skirts. Gene negotiated the discount rates for both the Holiday Inn Express and the Windgate hotels. Gene was also instrumental in creating the Tiki Hut that greeted people as they came in the door, which was the cleverly disguised collection barrels for the food panty donations. Ellen and Gene selected the gifts we presented to the artists, as well as baked, helped decorate the hall, in addition to a bunch of errands, which due to the fact they live 90 minutes away, was a major undertaking! Gene also went on the "Your Carolina" show, did signage, and MC'd our event. Thank you both!

Linda & Floyd: Donations Unfortunately, some medical issues prevented Linda from taking part in our event, but she was with us in spirit! Linda and Floyd helped us with our original entry and they both donated a large amount of ornaments that were included in our raffle baskets! Those baskets were a major part of our fundraising efforts, so a big THANK YOU for your contributions!!

Mary Sue and Debbie: Raffle Baskets These two sisters-in-law tackled one of our most important committees--the Raffle baskets! While one of the more specialized tasks, this one item raised the largest part of the money that will be donated to our three charities (MOMAS, Open Arms Hospice and the Greenville Humane Society). Both Mary Sue and Debbie donated a LARGE number of ornaments that were used for our door prizes and our raffle baskets. Mary Sue also spent all of the Friday night and Saturday events seated by the table selling raffle tickets. A BIG thank you for giving up so much of your time, Mary Sue! Debbie wasn't able to attend our event due to a prior commitment, but she was with us in spirit and she helped with much of the pre-event planning and organizing. Debbie is a scottie lover (and owner) and it is one of her favorite charities, the Greenville Humane Society, that will benefit from our event. Thank you both!!

 A couple of personal thank you's for non-club members that assisted with our event...
 
Ann P:  A new member of our club (as of September) who came early to help with the event setup and punch table. Thank you for the help you gave. We look forward to your joining our club!!
 
Barbara: My Mom, who came down from Pennsylvania to help with the event. She kept me calm, she baked/decorated the cupcakes for over 7 hours, gave out the punch, helped with setup, take down and cleaning. Plus, she brought down a ton of serving pieces and the large coffee pot for us to borrow. Thanks for your help!! Love ya Blonde Lady!!
 
Deb: Cheryl and Dave's daughter who made our centerpiece cake. Thank you for this extra special surprise. It was so beautiful and really was a wonderful addition to our dessert table!
 
Jennifer: Sammy's Daughter. I understand she really helped Sammy with a lot of the decorating. We so appreciate your efforts! The details made the event extra special, so thank you for your help! 
 
Lexie: Deb's daughter, who helped with the setup of the Hall! Thanks for all your hard work! 

Mary Warning: Mary posted our info on Yulelog and that got the word out to alot of Hallmark collectors in other states. Thanks, Mary


Thelma: An attendee who arrived early and didn't mind when we put her to work at the punch table!! Thelma was a previous President of the Carolina Keepsake Collectors Club.
 
I'm sure there were many more people behind the scenes that assisted with our event. For that I say THANK YOU!!
 
This event was a big challenge. We are a small club, but we have big ideas!! It was a huge undertaking with a bunch of different ideas and opinions that all had to come together. It was an honor to have been selected for this amazing opportunity!! Everyone in our club (and then some) all came together and made this event as nice as we could, while still balancing our goal of trying to raise some much needed funds for our community!
I would like to think we accomplished that, but even if some feel we didn't, I am extremely proud of the job we did!!

Thank you to everyone for all your hard work!!!
 
It was a challenge at times, but it came together in the end!  THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR EFFORTS!
 
Kim

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Almost Here!!!

I'm so excited! I can't wait to meet everyone coming to our event. Its finally here...this FRIDAY!! Boy, it seems like forever since I received that phone call saying we won an artist signing. We were all fussing cause we felt August 27th was never going to get here.. and now, after all the planning, after all the meetings, after all the snack foods,  the day will be here this week!!

The best part for me, will be meeting all the "voices" I have been privledged to talk to over the last few months!!! I've so enjoyed this "perk". There were so many interesting people, so much enthusiasm in their voices, all with a love of Hallmark ornaments! We have people coming from many states: SC, NC, GA, TN, AL, FL and PA/NY!! I think we also have someone local who is coming to visit us via Colorado!! ;)  Safe travels everyone! Our club is so looking forward to meeting everyone, sharing some good times, tasty food, and oh, yeah.... meeting those terrifically talented Hallmark artists!!! 

As one lady, Ruth, said to me "I'm too excited to sleep"... I'm with ya Ruth!!! See everyone Friday!!!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Additonal Hotel: Wingate by Wyndham Greenville Airport

**** The Holiday Inn Express has sold out*****

This is an alternate hotel you can stay in.

Wingate by Wyndham Greenville Airport


33 Beacon Drive
I-85 at Exit 54
Greenville, SC 29615 US

Phone: 864-281-1281

Code word: Hallmark
Rate: $64 plus tax

NOTE: The hotel is approx 8 miles away from Wade Hampton and the Store (artist signing) and church (event)


Amenities:
Airport Shuttle
Free Hot Breakfast
Free Business Center
Free High Speed Internet
Meeting Space
Pool

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Your Carolina Appearance

http://www.yourcarolina.tv/ycvideo/entry/carolina_keepsake_collectors_club/

Check out our appearance on "Your Carolina", a local TV show. I think Gene, Cheryl and Dave did a terrific job!! Of course, there will be no living with them now that they are famous!  Make sure you get their autograph at our event!!  :)

Only 10 days to go till we have our big Meet 'n' Greet!! Can't wait!! Looking forward to meeting all the Hallmark addicts like ourselves! ;)
Kim

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Count down!!

WOW! I cannot believe we are less than two weeks away from our meet and greet event, as well as the artist signing! We have our "Your Carolina" event on Tuesday, and then finishing up the tiny details that are still left to do.

There are still a few tickets available,so if you know anyone interested,please pass on the contact info. If you haven't paid yet, please get us your check in order to hold your seats.

We look forward to meeting everyone! We hope to meet some new friends, and just enjoy the fellowship of meeting new people with a common interest. I think it will also be interesting to meet the artists! I understand they have a fun game for us all to play!
See you all on the 27th! Remember the event is 6:00-8:00, and we will be letting people in around 5:45.  

Raffle baskets

We have 3 amazing raffle baskets for our event. Tickets will be sold during the Friday night event and during the Saturday artist signing. With a drawing late Saturday afternoon!!

The baskets have at least 16 ornaments, with the grand prize basket having 25. Each basket has a couple of the bigger ornaments, ex: light and motion or Luminaires. In the biggest basket there's a SIGNED Hank Aaron ornament!!  The baskets will be raffled off on Saturday and we will try to get the basket to any out of town visitors before you leave.
Here's a pic:

Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5
All profits will benefit our three charities!!

Friday, August 6, 2010

15 minutes of FAME!!!

Lights, camera, action...... I'm ready for my close up!!!

Our club will be highlighted on "Your Carolina"!!!
It will be August 17th, at 10:00 am on CBS (local channel 7)

http://www.yourcarolina.tv/

Be sure to set your TIVO, VCR, or DVD recorder to capture our 15 minutes of fame!!
Just think.. in addition to meeting famous Hallmark Artists, you will be able to hob knob with local South Carolina celebrities ;)

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Big League World Series-Easley, SC

http://www.bigleagueworldseries.com/index.php

For the out of towners, coming to our dinner, I found that there will be another event in a nearby town that weekend--The Big League World Series. In addition to the Greenville Drive, a baseball lover will have a couple of choices that weekend, if they are interested. Check out the link above!!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Things to do in Greenville

In addition to the artist signing and our fundraising event, there are a lot of wonderful activities to entertain those of you coming from out of town. Here are a couple suggestions to help you enjoy your visit to beautiful Greenville. We are quite proud of our town, and we hope you enjoy it and feel welcome!

Stroll in our downtown and take in the Liberty bridge in beautiful Falls Park.

http://www.sciway.net/photos/greenville.html

There are so many things to do in our downtown area, including amazing restaurants, museums, The Peace Center for the performing arts, and a couple of local theater groups.

Here's a few websites with listings/information about Greenville:

http://www.greenvillecvb.com/

http://www.greenville.com/

We have a minor league baseball team called the Greenville Drive. They are a class A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Our downtown stadium, Fluor Field, has is own mini "green monster" and taking in a game in the stadium is a lot of fun! Luckily, we are at home that weekend, so a game can be had for any night. Here's the link:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/schedule/index.jsp?sid=t428&m=08&y=2010

Centerpiece Cake

One of our club member's daughters has a cake decorating business and we have commissioned her to make a one-of-a-kind centerpiece cake for our dessert table.

Not telling what it is, exactly... only a hint that it matches our dinner "theme" :)

You can see more of Deb E's cake creations on her website: http://debescakes.webs.com/

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Catering

Big drum roll please.....

After much deliberation, extensive research and a whole lot of tums and rolaids, we have made our decision on where we are getting our BBQ for our Southern Beach party....

.........Its Bucky's BBQ http://www.buckysbbq.com/ Mmmmmm good!!!



You may laugh, but we really did take our selection seriously.. actually, Anne, who is in charge of the food committee, created a chart to track the choices...

We all needed to do a taste test and report back. We wanted food that was typical for our area, so our out of town guests could try a little southern bar-b-que, GREAT southern BBQ! Plus, we have plans for a HUGE dessert table (we are big on desserts in our club) Hope everyone enjoys all the tasty food!!

Note: Bucky's generously gave us a discount since our event is a fundraiser that will benefit some local charities! If you happen to be in the area (they have a couple of local locations) please visit them! Offer them some thanks, and enjoy some of the best BBQ in South Carolina!!

Friday, June 11, 2010

Our Charities

We had a planning meeting last night and we chose three charities to donate our event's net proceeds to. All three are worthwhile organizations that do a lot of good for the Greenville/Spartanburg community. We are so thrilled to be supporting these three organizations!

They are:

Open Arms Hospice
Open Arms Hospice, a ministry of Bon Secours St. Francis Health System, provides care, support, and nurturing for patients living with a life-limiting disease. When a cure is no longer possible and the patient has decided to stop aggressive treatment, our team of experts steps in to provide for the needs of the patient and family.

We offer hospice care in our patients' homes, bereavement services, and inpatient hospice care at the McCall Hospice House of Greenville. Our in-home services are available to patients in Greenville, Anderson, Spartanburg, Pickens and Laurens counties in South Carolina.

McCall Hospice House of Greenville
Open Arms Hospice is the operating hospice of the the McCall Hospice House of Greenville, a free standing, 30-bed facility that offers inpatient hospice care in a beautiful, comfortable setting. The house was planned, designed, built and paid for through the efforts of the Board of Directors of the Hospice House of Greenville and the generosity of the Greenville community. Developed to emphasize the natural surroundings, each private room has a personal patio overlooking courtyards, garden areas or the Reedy River. The intimate chapel and nature surroundings provide serenity for reflection, worship and meditation for both patients and their families.

In the past few years, donated funds have allowed us to enhance the services we offer to our patients and families, including:
  • Sitter services, paid in full by Hospice, that give caregivers much-deserved break from their care giving responsibilities
  • Memorial Services, held annually, to celebrate the lives of those we have served
    Assistance in paying utility bills for families with limited resources
  • Celebrations for patients and families on their birthdays, anniversaries, and at Thanksgiving and Christmas
  • Travel arrangements for family members who cannot afford to visit their relatives in hospice care
  • Payment of prescription medications, medical equipment and supplies for patients without insurance
  • Sponsorship of educational programs for the medical community, church leaders and the general public

    http://www.openarmshospice.org/

*******************************************************

Ministers of Memory and Script (MOMAS) is an organization that coordinates volunteer paper artists who make and donate cards and photo-ready scrapbooks to several interest groups. "MOMAS" volunteers are ministers of memory and script to such groups such as soldiers stationed overseas, Alzheimer/dementia patients, Special Olympians, foster kids,
hospice moms and families who have lost an infant child.

*******************************************************

Greenville Humane Society

The Greenville Humane Society opened its doors in 1937 as the South Carolina Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SCSPCA). Over the years, we have helped unite over 250,000 people in the upstate with previously unwanted animals.

Our mission is to promote and improve the quality of life and humane treatment of animals. Methods for accomplishing this mission include reducing the unwanted animal population by placing them into homes and spaying or neutering the animals we receive, educating the public, encouraging responsible pet ownership, eliminating animal cruelty and suffering, and seeking support for animal welfare legislation.

The Greenville Humane Society is a no-kill humane organization. We treat all animals in our Adoption Center like any loving pet owner would. We do not euthanize animals due to capacity limits at our facility or the length of an animal’s stay. All animals in the Greenville Humane Society Adoption Center remain on our floor until they are adopted.

The Greenville Humane Society follows the ASPCA’s guidelines on euthanasia: it is to be resorted to only when necessary in sparing an animal further hardship and suffering. Occasionally an animal will require euthanasia if it is determined to be too sick to recover to a life of quality, or if its aggressive behavior is a danger to human safety. The Greenville Humane Society is dedicated to providing a loving home for each and every animal that comes through our doors.

As a non-profit organization that receives no United Way or government funding, the Greenville Humane Society is completely dependent on contributions from the public and private sector. Contributions are tax-deductible.

http://www.greenvillehumane.com/

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Artist Signing

The artist signing is being held at our sponsor store:

Barbara's Hallmark
1361C W Wade Hampton Blvd
Greer, SC 29650

864-877-5209

Signing is from 10-12 and 1-3pm on Saturday, August 28, 2010

Hotel Info

For our out of town guests, we have made arrangements for a discounted rate at the Holiday Inn Express. The hotel is on the same road as the Hallmark store, and the church.

Hotel Info:
Holiday Inn Express: Greer/Taylors @US29
1315 W Wade Hampton Blvd
Greer, SC 29650
For reservations: Front Desk 864-877-0076
Rate: $59 code: Hallmark

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Event Details

"Hallmark Artist" Meet and Greet
and
Southern Beach Party


 
AUGUST 27th 6-8 pm

Come join us for a fun evening!
Bucky's BBQ, dessert table, games, prizes, Artist meet & greet
(no ornament signings, please-per Hallmark)
Location:Lutheran Church of Our Saviour (across from Denny's)
2600 Wade Hampton Blvd
Greenville, SC 29615

For tickets & info:
Please call: KIM to get on the list
(864) 877-2029
Weekday Evenings- 5 pm -10 pm EST
Weekends 10am – 10 pm EST
Cost: $25 per person + 2 canned goods for Food pantry

Checks can be made out to:
Carolina Keepsake Collectors Club

Mailed to:
c/o Kim Sottung
102 Meadow Hill Way
Taylors, SC 29687
All net proceeds will be donated to local Greenville charities
Please Note: Because of the nature of this event, no refunds will be given.

Ornament signing on
Saturday, 8/28/10
at Barbara’s Hallmark
1361 Wade Hampton Blvd
Greer, SC 29650

10-12 and 1-3

Call (864) 877-5209 for info