Share a Christmas Card 2014 (Updated)

In the 2013 Share a Christmas Card event 15,122 cards were registered with the Trollbeads official website as being received by fellow trollbead fans around the world.

Last year was the second time I took part.  I decided to make my own cards and these are the photos I used in 2012 and 2013.  It's up to you, you can make your own, use regular cards, use post cards and even use the free cards you can pick up at Trollbeads stores around the world.

I won't show you which of my trollbead photos I've used this year; just in case I get to send one to a reader of Curling Stones and spoil the surprise!

The 2014 event details can be found here for anyone who wants to join in, you can preregister now and there is no cut off date for registering; you can join in at any time!

5 postal addresses will be emailed out to you on the 18th November if you preregister and the earlier you join in and send your cards the more chance you have to be entered for the prize draws that take place throughout December 2014.

So how does it all work? Essentially you register your details to receive 5 names and addresses from all over the world, you then send those people a Christmas Card (or a postcard) with your message and your unique Troll ID which you receive when you register.  Your name and address will be sent to 5 others who will be able to send you a card too.  You can of course stop at 5.  However in previous years it's been possible to register for a further 5 addresses so you can send/receive 10 cards in total.

UPDATED: To register to send and receive 10 cards, you can sign in after your first 5 addresses have been sent, and if you click on the "Participate" button again you will get another email with a further 5 addresses bringing your total to 10 addresses - just don't forget you'll have 2 emails!

When that person receives your card, they will (hopefully) register your card on the website and this in turn gives you a "lottery ticket" for the draws that take place every day from 1st - 31st December 2014. When you receive a card, you in turn register their Troll ID and you can write them a greeting in return.  The returned greetings and winners are also posted on the website.

It's nice to be able to read the greetings people send each other when they receive their cards and it's fun to see who has won the draws and what bead/s they are going to receive. (Updated with links)

If you've never heard of this event before, greetings from 2013 can be read here and 2013 prize winners and their prizes can be seen here.  Last year 7 of my 10 cards were registered on the website and I received 6 out of 10 in return.

For me - it's my Trollbead Community Advent Calendar that lasts the full month of December!

Will you be taking part this year?

If you were lucky enough to win a Trollbead prize,

what would be your favourite seasonal piece?

Share a Christmas Card 2013

In the 2012 Share a Christmas Card event 15,968 cards were registered with the Trollbeads official website as being received by fellow trollbead fans around the world.

2012 was also the first year I took part.  I had my own Christmas Cards made but unfortunately as they didn't arrive with me until the 27th November I had to post them without taking any photos for the blog as I was going away the following day.  This is the photo I used for my Cards in 2012...

2012 Card Photo

I won't show you which of my trollbead photos I've used this year; just in case I get to send one to a reader of Curling Stones and spoil the surprise!  Last year 7 of my 10 cards were registered on the website and I received 8 in turn, my last but one card led to this blog post which was a great story to end 2012 on! Even with 15,968 cards sent there can still be amazing co-incidences!  Greetings from 2012 can be read here and 2012 prize winners and their prizes can be seen here

The 2013 event details can be found here for anyone who wants to join in, you can preregister now and there is no cut off date for registering; you can join in at any time!  5 postal addresses will be emailed out to you on the 18th November (next Monday) if you preregister and the earlier you join in and send your cards the more chances you have to be entered for the prize draws that take place throughout December 2013.

So how does it all work? Essentially you register your details to receive 5 names and addresses from all over the world, you then send those people a Christmas Card (or a postcard) with your message and your unique Troll ID which you receive when you register.  Your name and address will be sent to 5 others who will be able to send you a card too.

Update - Trollbeads have now updated the site so you can register again (by clicking the participate button on the page) to receive another 5 addresses - 10 in total.

When that person receives your card, they will (hopefully) register your card on the website and this in turn gives you a "lottery ticket" for the draws that take place every day from 1st - 31st December 2013. When you receive a card, you in turn register their Troll ID and you can write them a greeting in return. The returned greetings and winners are also posted on the website (article updated with links as the event is now live).

It's nice to be able to read the greetings people send each other when they receive their cards and it's fun to see who has won the draws and what bead/s they are going to receive.

For me - it's my Trollbead Community Advent Calendar that lasts the full month of December!

It's the small things... (update to Share a Christmas Card 2012)

...that make me smile the most.

This was my first year of taking part in the Share a Christmas Card 2012 event and whilst the prize draw element of the event ends today with the 2 final winners getting a glass Christmas Kit each, the full event continues until 1st February 2013.  I've viewed the winning results as my very own electronic month long Trollbead Advent Calendar, I've really enjoyed looking at the winners each day to see who is the lucky winner (or winners) and what is their prize?  Reading through the greetings, sending my own thanks for cards arriving here and receiving news that my own cards have got through have been the highlights of the event.

7 of my 10 cards have been received / registered, I've no idea whether the last 3 cards have got lost, or whether they will still arrive, but as the event continues until 1st February 2013 I'm really hoping the final 3 will be registered so I know they've arrived safely.

Over 15,500 cards have been registered to date, I've now received 7 cards from trollbead fans around the world, and my 7th card made me smile a lot...

I'm a big fan of coincidences, those moments when you think, "Oh how cool is that?"

So what was it about my 7th Share a Christmas card that made me stop and go "Oh how cool is that?"  

(Actually it made me jump up and down with glee firstly; then I stopped and went "Oh how cool is that?"  

In my defence it was a very bouncy day for trollbead related glee - I had an email that morning to say that my leather bracelet had arrived at my local dealers, my second retired pink prism also arrived the same day and I got extra sale discounts when I went to pick up my stuff!)

Given how many people take part in the Share a Christmas card event I figured the chances of it being someone I knew to be very slim, the chances of it being another blogger even slimmer... so which lovely blogger drew me as one of their people to send a card to?  Coincidentally also posting the card on the day of my birthday?

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It was the lovely Leann at www.charmsaddict.com!  So a big thank you to Leann for being part of making the 28th December a very bouncy smiley day indeed :)

Share a Christmas Card 2012

In the 2011 Share a Christmas Card event 11,690 cards were registered with Trollbeads Universe as being received by fellow trollbead fans, I only became aware of this phenomenon when Pauline wrote about it in her Guest Spot.  

I decided to join in the fun for 2012 and to have my own cards made; unfortunately they didn't arrive until the 27th November, and as I was going away for work the next day for the rest of the week, I posted them without taking any photos for the blog as I was cutting it very fine for the cards to get there in time (and for me to get to the post office before it shut)!  I used the photo to the left on the front of the cards and a personal printed message inside from me.  I also wrote another message inside the card and as a last minute thought added my blog url in case anyone fancied a read!

The 2012 event details can be found here for anyone who wants to still join in.  Essentially you register your details to receive 5 names and addresses from all over the world, you then send those people a Christmas Card (or a postcard) with your message and your unique Troll ID which you receive when you register.  Your name and address will be sent to 5 others who will be able to send you a card too.

When that person receives your card, they will (hopefully) register your card on the website and this in turn gives you a "lottery ticket" for the draws that take place every day from 1st - 31st December 2012.  When you receive a card, you in turn register their Troll ID and you can write them a greeting in return.  The returned greetings and winners are also posted on the website.

  

So far I've received 2 cards (both from Italy) out of the 4,042 cards received worldwide.  3 of my cards have arrived; 2 to the Netherlands and 1 to Austria.  I pre-registered for the event so was lucky enough to be given 10 addresses in total, so I am eagerly awaiting news that the other 7 have arrived - 2 to the US, 1 to Canada, 2 to Italy, 1 to Germany and 1 to Lithuania.  I'm really pleased I received a name and an address from Lithuania as that is where my favourite World Tour bead designs came from.

It's nice to be able to read the greetings people send each other when they receive their cards and it's fun to see who has won the draws and what bead they are going to receive.  I think of it as a Trollbead Community Advent Calendar that lasts the full month of December!