Hi all!
I wanted to do answer a few questions that stemmed from my “More publishing tips: What not to do (5-5)” post.
Sara asked:
I am wondering if you could answer one more question. If you’re project is chosen to be published, do you then send in the original? And if so, do you receive your original back in the mail after it’s been photographed for the magazine. Thanks for your help!
Hi Sara! Yes. Once your project is accepted, Paper Crafts will ask you to send in the original project. The editors always send acceptance letters. In them, they ask you to mark your accepted project with Y to return it or N to not return it. If you choose for them not to return it, they will send it on to some worthy cause (like Operation Write Home). In some cases, they also give projects away on their blog. By the way, you’ll receive a copy of the magazine your project is published in no matter what.
Other magazines have different policies. Some require you to send postage and envelopes to return your projects. Some do not them. It’s best to check with them before submitting if you want your project back.
Jann asked:
If a card refuses to stay propped up (where the crease is at the top opposed to the side) what do you recommend to help it stay propped for a photo?
Aww. This is a problem I have faced many times.
One thing that has worked for me is to place a candle votive cup behind it. That sometimes helps. If that doesn’t work, I’ve been known to slap on a small piece of HandiTak between the card and the votive cup. It will usually hold the card in place long enough to get a picture.
Jann also asked:
Another question is what size card do you recommend creating for photo submissions? (inch-wise dimensions, like 3×5, 4×5.5″?)
Any size you can dream up. The big thing is being able to resize the picture so that no side is bigger than 550 pixels when you submit.
The cards I submit most often are 3 ¾” or 4” squares, 5 ½” x 4 ½” (or vice versa) and 3 3/8” x 5 1/2”. That said, I’ve submitted cards much bigger and much smaller before.
Andie asked:
So hey, when are you going to turn your handwriting into a font…
No plans at this time for this chicken scratcher.
Charlene asked:
This is priceless!! What about ChiaPoms in our pics? That’s allowed right??
LOL! Probably not a good idea, despite how gosh dang cute our pups are.
Thanks to everyone for the comments. Please, if you have questions, don’t be afraid to ask. I’m happy to try to help.
A bit of this. A bit of that. 
LOVE the handitak idea–thanks, teri:)
Thank you for taking the time to answer my question! Much appreciated. =)
Heehee….the think is those darned ChiaPoms know how cute they are and they take every opportunity they can to get in some camera time. Next thing you now they’ll be flashing the Peace sign.
Can I ask a question about entering challenges? How much leeway do we have in straying from the basic design limitations? I was going to try my first challenge, the one that involves the sketch with eight circles on the left, top to bottom, and a sentiment block in the lower right. I looked at the cards posted on flickr for this challenge (jaw drops – wow, what talent). Some have interpreted the basic sketch quite literally, others have fewer circles, turned the design on its side, centered circles on the card, etc. What can we get away with and still say we’re matching the sketch? Thanks for your useful tips (and all your inspiring cards!).