Kirk That's sounds good.It has been fun sending someone a gift.I love christmas anytime of the year.And yard sale's have alot of things, plus gardening ideas.count me in.HOHOHO
Thanks Kirk......Joan

Sounds just great!!! Count me in!!! And Hubs (Joinedatthehip) wants to be in too this time. Susie

Hey,count me in. Loved the secret santa thing. Flock of geese flew over this week. Hope it is a sign of Spring SOON

~ ~ ~ JINGLE ~ ~ BELLS ~ ~ ~J I N G L E ~ B E L L S ! ! ! !
*** J I N G L E ***** A L L ~ ~ THE * * * W A Y * * ! ! !

HO HO HO L@@Ks like the Santa DUO is @ it again!

Yea........... Wonderful Idea !!!!!

Yes, I'll agree you are a little * F * L * A* K* E*Y !!!!

but that 's why I Luv Ya soooooooooooooooo! ! ! !

Thanks for the E X C I T E M E N T !!!!!!!!!!!!

Hugs & Love & Kisses !
God Bless Your Little Hearts !
SusieSunshine

*** Count me in ~~~ like Ya'll as soon as the SNOW MELTS!

YES! (stands up and does goofy dance)

I think its great.maybe you should call it the
SECRET SUMMER gift
to keep our minds on track.
Santa needs to let the faeries and gnomes do the work in the warmer months.

Count me in Kirk and Carol...

Oh yay!! I love any excuse to send and get presents!!! Count me in!!!

I'm so glad there's an interest...or I would have had to send myself gifts in July! LOL

Tanya, I like that.. The Secret Summer Surprise or something with "Gnome" in the title. Hmmmm.... Put your thinking caps on. Do you all think the $5 limit is a good amount. It really made me be creative in finding the perfect "junk" treasure for that amount but I want to go with what people are thinking. I want to make it affordable since shipping can get pricey.

My thoughts are to post the rules on April 30th and allow people the month of May to sign up. Then, I'll e-mail names out on May 31st. People then must get their gift to their person by July 25th. What do you think? Any other ideas? I think people could open their gifts once they receive them. I'm open to ideas to make this a FUN, affordable experience.

So, I'm in the brainstorming stage. We still have lots of time... Share your thoughts and ideas. :o)

Bear Hugs! Kirk

Count me in too!
Yet another reason to go to the SA Today! Gotta plan ahead!
kathy

HEY!!!! Santa said he can do July just fine!!!

{{gwi:78294}}

My birthday is a week before Christmas, so it all happens in that one week.

Heck yeah, it would be nice to have something fun like that in July!!! I'm in for sure!!! ~tenderlee

I have to say it was hard for me to stick to the $5.00 limit, but I'll try to stick to whatever the rules end up being! I live in expensive Northern Virginia...at least that's what the commuters keep telling us natives here! ;-)

Well Santa looks like Uncle Sam and he is around in July also.I suppose Uncle Sam is busy with parades,bar B Ques and fireworks though.
What is it with our attraction to guys and white beards?
Santa,Uncle Sam, Gnomes,,,,,,,,,,,,
tanya

Count me too. I had a ball doing it for Christmas! You guys go above and beyond Kirk and Carol! Thanks we love ya!
halley_rose

Sounds great to me. When we were teens and too broke at Christmas time to buy each other gifts then, my friends and I would have a Christmas in July party and exchange our gifts then. Not only did it help us out during the Holiday season financially, it gave us a reason to have a party in the middle of the summer. Count me in!

~Micki~

Count me in too! I can start planning now. HO HO HO!!

Donna in Florida

This "snowman" would LIKE to do July also!
We made these a few yrs. back for Christmas gifts.
Thanks, Kirk & Carol...please add my name...what fun! And this snowman is right at home on my porch yet...and it's snowing again! 4"+ weatherguy says! Jeanne S.

{{gwi:78296}}

{{gwi:78298}}

Oh Yeah, I'm in for sure!!

Sounds like fun to me too!!!!

How about... THE SECRET GNOME SUMMER SURPRISE EXTRAVAGANZA!?? (aka The Secret Gnome Gift Exchange!) This is going to be FUN! Bear Hugs! Kirk

Kirk, I think your ideas for rules, signing up, etc. sound great.
I agree with Marlene about the dollar amount. In my neck of the woods it's also hard to stay under $5, thrift stores prices ain't what they used to be. Perhaps under $10? Whatcha think?
I haven't had much coffee and it's early here, I'm not understanding the "gnome" in the title thing. Just because it's cute or? I'm probably making it too hard huh?
Would we want to have a theme?
This sounds like so much fun! Thanks for suggesting it.

Sylvia and Marlene, Thanks for the suggestions. $10 or less or something you found for nothing will be the cost. :o) I took Tanya's idea for "Gnome" in the title to replace Santa for the summer. :o) (I love gnomes!) No difference in that it's still a gift exchange for Christmas in July. :o) I don't think we need a theme. The fewer rules the better. :o) I think "The Secret Gnome Gift Exchange" will be so much fun! Bear Hugs! Kirk Thanks for the suggestions!

I love the Secret Gnome Gift Exchange! It's great! Isn't this more about having fun with Christmas rather than celebrating Jesus birthday, since it's in July? It isn't really Christmas, just the spirit of it! It's gonna be lots of fun, I'm sure! I like the $10 limit better too. Most of us over do it anyway *guilty* LOL. ~tenderlee

The name Secret Gnome Gift exchange makes me think of the Amazing race,how they use the gnome from travelocity.And the $10 is ok with me. I acn't wait,it'sa so much fun....Joan

I LOVE the idea ----- as I'm sitting here at the computer watching a blizzard outside my window .....*sigh*

I like the $5 limit ..... it's amazing how much us junkers can stretch a dollar !

Well for heaven's sake, Kirk...count me in!! I never pass up an opportunity for more junking!!

If it's "Secret Santa" at Christmas, I'm thinking "Secret Salvager", "Secret Scavenger" or "Secret Junker" would be appropriate for summer. I'm really partial to "Secret Salvager"!! chuckle

{{gwi:78300}}

~Sandy~

Sandy- WHERE DID YOU GET MY PICTURE???? lolololo Susie

Well dang, Susie! See...you should have kept up the belly dancing! Look what happened to your abs!! LOL

~Sandy~

Oh Boy! Oh Boy! Oh Boy!

Count me in!!!

Happy Dance. I had a blast with the Christmas Exchange.

Thanks, Chelcass

I will get in also. I just saw a tshirt that said, "just hanging out with my gnomies" GS thought that was cool.
Summer hot but wishing it was Christmas already: hmmmm
Snow-cones and Ice-cycle Exchange.

June

This sounds like fun, but, I'm a little scared. What if my Secret Gnome doesn't like the gift? Or doesn't get it on time. What if my rinky dink, po-dunk town doesn't have the right "junk"? What will I put my gift under since I don't have a tree up? So much pressure, so little mind!
Vickie

Vickie, We'll post the rules at the end of April where you'll send us your name, address and garden interests. Then, we match you up with someone and share your interests with that person. So, never fear about your recipient not liking your gift. Us junkers LOVE it all! :o) Allow yourself a couple of weeks for shipping, and everything will be fine. Having organized the Christmas Secret Santa Exchange for the past two years, it was A LOT of FUN! Hope you join in! The more the merrier! We live near a small town too but have had the BEST of luck at garage sales! WE LOVE GARAGE SALES! :o) Bear Hugs! Kirk and Carol

Vickie, Recycle a branch to set your gift under. Paint a branch any summery color that matches your interior decor. Put it in a weighted flower pot, add mini lights on it and VOILA'-Your Midsummer's tree.

Your dealing with people that get a ZING when we find rusted stuff with bird poop on it in an alley. Also I think we can make things out of our junk as gifts (is that right Kirk? Or do we buy or dig up junk supplies for them to make their own creation?). Susie

The ideas are endless...make, buy, create, use what you already have... just have FUN! :o) Look back over the Christmas Exchange (link below) for creative ideas. I am so glad people are excited about a summer junk exchange! It'll be a blast! Bear Hugs! Kirk

Here is a link that might be useful: 2008 Secret Santa Exchange

OMG, Susie...

"Your dealing with people that get a ZING when we find rusted stuff with bird poop on it in an alley."

You're killing me...you crack me up with your comments, I laugh, and then I can't stop coughing!! HELP!!

You described me to a tea!! LOL (Speaking of tea...I think I'll put a shot in the next cup!)

{{gwi:515}}

~Sandy~

Guess we will all have to make a bottle tree to put our gifts under... :)

Just finished catching up with this thread. Tennessetrash's comment about "instead of celebrating Jesus' birthday" made me think we could celebrate America's birthday. The 4th of July is our official birthday after all....

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH! I like that idea NMGIRL...to make the due date our nation's birthday!!!! That will change the dates a bit...I'll post the guidelines and sign-up at the end of March. People will then have a month to sign up. I'll send out names to people at the beginning of May. Then, people will have time to find the perfect gift and have it to their recipients by July 4th. Whatcha think? I LOVE THIS IDEA!!!!

If you haven't come up with a name for the summer exchange and want to be in our contest, check out the link below! THIS IS FUN!!!! Bear Hugs! Kirk

Here is a link that might be useful: Summer Gift Exchange Name Contest

How bout Gnome's gift gig for the nation's nascence.
I love words, but couldn't come up with a bunch of meaningful n sounds. Gneighborly Gnomes' Junk Jamboree?
kathy

But now the wierd names that some of us (ME) already submitted, will have to be rethunk and resummitted. Your trying to stretch an already thin, mushy brain here. Also the garden gifts will take on a red/white/and blue trend ("because that's how we roll" around Holidays!) which will be packed away on July 5th.

My vote (which doesn't amount to a hill of Folger's coffee beans) is that Garden Junkies create an ORIGINAL theme that celebrates the Summertime Generousity and Friendship of Garden Art Lovers.

Just my 2 cents (Someone whom after cremation will only be worth about 5 cents as a rose bush fertilizer.) So for whatever it's worth, there it is. Susie

Susie, I am thinking everything stays the same except the due date... the names sunmitted already are FANTASTIC! It's still a summer gift exchange. (I'll encourage that in the posting.) By having the due date a few weeks earlier, we can enjoy our gifts longer in the summer months. I'll ask for ideas as to what people like in their gardens and share those ideas with the gift senders. Hope that sounds okay...of course, I can move it back to July 25th, if that's what people are leaning toward. I agree that the gift should not be centered on red, white and blue so that we can keep it out all summer and maybe longer. Bear Hugs! Kirk

I like the idea of July 4th for a couple of reasons...
From Christ's birthday to America's birthday, both holidays celebrate with red, and both holidays cause us to celebrate on a deeper level of caring in my opinion (if that makes any sense). It just sort of seems fitting for our Summer Gift exchange with these similarities.
That being said, I definitely don't think gifts in patriotic colors or theme should be planned. Simply summer garden junk gifts that we can enjoy any time we want.
(and I'm a person who DOES decorate for the 4th, LOL)

{{gwi:77274}}

will you send an email back to the ones who submitted
a name idea?
I never know if anyone receives an email, via this
web site...thank you

The old woman who lives in my house was trying to be a perfectionist again. It's a curse she lives with. She was worried that the contest name that I had already submitted would not match the Patriotic mood of the 4th. The old woman just wanted to win that box of junk goodies. -Susie

Susie, You're a hoot! I love your ideas...especially the ones you come up with after you've had all that coffee! LOL Keep the ideas coming! :o)

Strawberrygoat, I don't know why I didn't do that...I did it with SS e-mails... (The old man must've gotten into my brain! LOL) I'll e-mail the people who I have suggested names for the Summer Junk Exchange title! Great idea!

The deadline is the 13th of March. Once I have the names and post the vote, how long should I give for people to vote? One week? Two weeks? Maybe make it the end of March?

Bear Hugs! Kirk

Oh, what fun! If the names are posted on Fri., March 13th... then the weekend should be long enough to vote, shouldn't it??? Oh, I'm just always in a hurry!!! What do you all think? Jeanne S. p.s.. susie, I'm lookin' to win that box of junk goodies, too!

Jeannne, I'll vote for yours if you'll vote for mine.LOLOLO