Jennifer McGuire, ink.

Happy Birthday to... (and a giveaway!)

...one of my favorite people in this world.
...someone who can make me laugh with her many wonderful stories.
...one of the best moms in the world.
...my favorite stamper.
...one of my best friends.

Yes, it is Shari Carroll's birthday today.  She is the big 50 today!  (She is gonna kill me!)

And I am gonna ask you to do something for me.  (Pretty please?)  Can you please leave her a birthday message on the Hero Arts blog today HERE?  And, from the comments over on that blog, I will pick a winner of a $20 gift certificate to 2peas!  Please do so by 11:59pmEDT today.  Let's make her birthday the best. :)  Thanks!

And here is the card I created for her for her birthday...

Supplies: Quickutz Silhouette (online downloads - the butterfly and the loopy border), Hero Arts stamps (greeting and flower), Distress Inks, the greatest string ever, American Crafts gem brad, sewing machine, office tag

I love dotted paper... and love it even more when you add stamping to the pattern.  For the tag, I rubbed it with Broken China Distress Ink.  I then flicked water on it, creating the cool look.  Oh - and this card was inspired by one I saw by Mary Macaskill.  Love that girl.

Shari girl, I love ya.  Smooch. :)

Oh, and a little warning: I am going to be doing some serious enabling in the coming days.  I have a new best friend: The Silhouette.  I have had it for a long time, but I am really using it a lot now.  (Thanks to Nichol and Kerri!)  Don't you LOVE that loopy border??

Also... I picked a winner from the CFH prize: Melissa Elsner!  Thank you, everyone, for participating.  It was great.

Oh!  And please check out the blinkies you can add to your blog for the Cards for Hero Card Drive Hero Arts is doing.  Please help spread the word.  For information on adding the blinkie, click HERE.

Thanks for stopping by.  Big hugs to you all...

Cards for Heroes Blog Hop (and Giveaway!)

I can't begin to tell you how excited I am about this blog hop. I have loved the Cards for Heroes organization since the moment I created my first card for them.  They have it so well "put together" - making it so rewardingfor everyone.  I did a drive for them with Hero Arts back in the fall and we got a TON of cards.  (And, hint hint - be sure to visit the Hero Arts blog on Monday for another chance to play...)

I did two cards for today... the second one uses the scraps from the first.  These aren't my typical style, but fun to do. I used my distress tool a lot on it - adds simple texture and warmth without bulk.

Supplies: Hero Arts stamps (stars, greeting and background), Hero Arts long notecard and embossing powder, Distress Inks, Ranger Foam Ink Applicator, Tonic Distressing Tool from Tim Holtz, Autumn Leaves paper (blue), Bo Bunny paper (red and tan), sewing machine, string

And here is the second, using the scraps...

Supplies: Hero Arts stamps (stars, greeting and background), Hero Arts notecard and embossing powder, Distress Inks, Ranger Foam Ink Applicator, Tonic Distressing Tool from Tim Holtz, Autumn Leaves paper (blue), Bo Bunny paper (red and tan), sewing machine, brads, Quickutz embossing folder, corner rounder

I also thought I would share a card I got recently from one of the heroes who I sent 300 cards to (left over from the card drive in the fall).  She is an MD who is currently serving.  Talk about amazing...

And a BIG thank you to Sandy, Fabre and the many others who devote so much time to bring smiles to so many faces.  God bless ya to pieces. :)

I thought I would have a giveaway today in honor of CFH.  Just leave a comment here by Monday at 11:59pmEDT telling me something that made YOU smile today (besides being part of this great hop!) and I will pick a winner of this bundle of great goodies, chosen by Colin...

And, again, be sure to stop by the Hero Arts blog on Monday for a really cool gift, another chance to play and more prizes... all in honor of Cards for Heroes.

Now it is time to hop to the next blog!  Click HERE to go to Lisa Renea's blog.  She is fabulously talented... don't miss it.

Or: click HERE to start the hop from the beginning at the Cards for Heroes Homepage. 

Thanks for stopping by.  :)

Blog hop, links, enabling and more...

Hello, bloggers.

First, I want to see if anyone else is playing along this Saturday in the Cards for Heroes Blog Hop?  

This blog hop is SO easy.  Just post a card on Saturday and link to the next person in line.  I did my projects today.  They are hoping for 100 people.  Please come play.  Click HERE for the information.  And, please leave a comment on this post telling me if you signed up.  From those folks, I will pick a winner of some stamps. :)  And I know they have lots of prizes throughout the hop...

I just got a card from a soldier who I sent a box of cards to via Cards for Heroes.  The appreciation from her group was so wonderful.  Made my heart smile.

Time to share.  These are layouts I did for CK.  This one was just a couple months ago.  I love making circles like this with my Quickutz Revolution and dies...

(c) Creating Keepsakes

This page is from last year.  The article was on ways to use journaling blocks.  Here, I cut them in half and used them around a photo.  Jamie had emailed me asking about it, so I thought I would share.  It amazes me how Colin is still like the many things listed here...

(c) Creating Keepsakes

It is linking time:

• Debbie Olsen.  My my my.  She is amazingly talented.  Her attention to detail is the best.  Adore THIS card.
• Love THIS page on the Studio Calico blog.
• The giftbox Tami Hartley made HERE is so gorgeous.  Can't wait to try it.
• Great page HERE from Laura Vegas.
• Great giveaways HERE from Stephanie Howell.  And the sneak peeks are fab!

Speaking of which, I have to show you a couple of my favorite new products.  I bought them.  And am now going back and buying two more. Hee.  They are from Lily Bee - 12x12 rub-ons.  So unique, affordable and cool.  Click on the images to see them bigger.

  

One last thing: Remember me telling you about the little boy in Africa named Surprise?  He is still not in a loving home.  Please keep praying.  Thanks...

And thanks for stopping by once again.  Off to watch Gilles.  Night. :)

Winners from the Aussie Card Drive

Yes, I know I said I was taking a break.  I am just trying to check some things off my list of things to do, and this is one of them. :)  I have had this post put together for awhile, but have forgotten to post it.  So here goes...

I picked a few names from everyone who sent in cards for the Aussie Card/Layout Drive to encourage families after the fires in Australia.  We got hundreds of cards!  And a special thank you to those of you who included a few dollars to help cover shipping.  I appreciate it.

These lucky winners are going to get a pack of goodies from me...

• Dani Bondurant (who had some of her students make cards too - how great is that!!??)
• Margie Geisler
• Lynsey Hagen (also cards from a school - woohoo!)
• Stacy Aannestad (I don't have your address - can you email me?)
• Susan Clayton

Besides Stacy, I have all of your addresses and will send your goodies soon.  Thanks!

Quick info for you...

Just logging on quickly to let you know about a fun opportunity coming up where you can help bring a smile to someones face... by creating cards.  Here is the info...

Attention Cardmakers!  Cards for Heroes is sponsoring our very first Blog Hop!

• BLOGGERS - join in and participate in the hop!
    • WHEN - blog hop posts go up on Saturday, May 23rd by noon PST
    • WHAT - the "assignment" - post one card you'll send to CFH
    • SIGN UP - e-mail bloghop@cardsforheroes.org  We'll send more details very soon!
    • GET THE WORD OUT - invite more people! Cool banners available at url below.

• NONBLOGGERS
    • Put the hop on your calendar, and leave praise for bloggers across the web!
    • Want to start a blog? Email bloghop@cardsforheroes.org for help getting started!

Lots more details are on the homefront blog here:
http://cardsforheroes.org/homefront-blog/2009/5/6/cfh-blog-hop-memorial-day-weekend.html

Thank you!

PS: Just for fun - a  twitter post from a military wife who received cards her hubby sent:
"Cards from Hubs in Iraq meant the WORLD to us at home. Thx to all who gave so he could send!" 

I plan to participate... I hope you can, too.  I bet it would be ok to load things to flickr instead.

Take care!

Need your help...

Hey, everyone.

Quickly, I have a favor to ask you all.  Please, please, please go read THIS post.  Please consider making a donation - any amount is helpful.  This place is a wonderful place and needs our help.  Badly.  Thank you...

Let's get stamping...

Here is a card set I did for 2peas.  It uses one of my favorite new products - a digital greeting kit from Kristina Werner.  I LOVE IT - click HERE.  It is great - a prayer greeting set with a playful, whimsical, casual feel.  That is hard to find!  I promise they are easy to use.  You just open it with a photo-editing program, change the size and print!  Easy.  And fun.  For supplies and info, click HERE.

(c) twopeasinabucket.com - for more info and supplies, click HERE.

May 18th is the premiere of the new Bachelorette.  Anyone going to watch this gem of a show, or are you banning it after the recent Bachelor?  I am gonna watch.  I have to.  Have you seen the guys in the commercial.  Yummm....

:)

Night!

I love Saturdays

Saturdays are the best, aren't they?  Colin gets up every Saturday and says, "Is it a school day?"  When we says no, he immediately asks Ken, "Do you have to go to work, Daddy?"  When he says no, Colin gets a huge smile.  And so do I.

Didn't do much today - still recovering.  But I thought I would pop on to share a few things.

One thing - if you plan on sending any pages to me to be shipped overseas to our Aussie friends (see the post HERE for more info), please send me an email.  I want to make sure I have them all before packing up and shipping.  Thanks!

Time to share.  This one was for the fun challenge over on 2peas.  The challenge is to create a page inspired by a card.  But I decided to do the opposite. It is inspired by THIS amazing page by Robyn Werlich.  (Notice the folded corner on the card?  Roxie decided to step on it.  Nice. :)

Supplies:
Hero Arts notecards, stamp and embossing powder
Lots of patterned papers (from top to bottom: Autumn Leaves, Basic Grey, Cosmo Cricket twice, Anna Griffin, KI Memories)
Fiskars Heart Punch
Sewing machine - man I love that thing

Be sure to come back tomorrow - I have something I could use help with - help from you all. :)

OK... I'm off for the night.  Anyone else going to watch the Celebrity Apprentice tomorrow night?  The cast seems good - I may try it out.  Night!

Updated on helping out our friends...

Hi!

Please read my last post HERE on a fun way you can help our Australian friends.  I hope you are able to play.

I know our US scrappers are having a rough time with this economy, and spending the extra money to ship to Austrailia may be tough.  So, I talked to Sarah and we have a plan.  If you would like to mail your projects to my PO Box, I will collect them all and ship them together.  This will make the cost of shipping lower for everyone.  And I will use money I raised at a local card sale at Stamp Your Art Out to cover the shipping.  (Thanks again, Connie!) 

For details on what to create, click HERE.

If you want to ship through me, please mail it by March 1 to this address:

Jennifer McGuire
Aussie Memory Gifts
PO Box 428612
Cincinnati, Ohio 45242

If you want to ship directly over there, you are welcome to - she shares the address there.

Thanks for helping out.  I am sure our friends over there will help.    Hugs!

Please check this out...

I feel like I can't pray hard enough for my Australian friends.  I so hope you are all ok and that comfort comes soon.  We all wish we could do something for you.  Something.  Anything.

And it turns out we can.

Please check out THIS link.  There is a way you can help.  I know I will.

More tomorrow - I just wanted to share this right away.

Have a good night! 

A great ways to give... and more...

A few different things to share today.  But first, I want to start with something that I think is really important.

One of my favorite stampers, Heather Nichols, emailed me about a fundraiser she has coming up to support United Cerebral Palsy of Minnesota.  Her adorable daughter looks like an angel!  Please go HERE and watch her story.  Then, if you are able, please go HERE and donate.  I would be so happy to see her raise more than she expected.  What a great way to support a fellow stamper, huh?  Thanks! :)

Next, I got an email from a sweet gal named Stephanie Herbert.  She is doing a "Stampin' with Steph Cards for Heroes Fundraiser."  Cards for Heroes is one of my favorite organizations!  Of all the Stampin' Up! purchases made through her, she is donating 20% to Cards for Heroes.  What a great idea - you get cool stamps and the troops get more cards.  Love it!  To shop with her, go HERE.  Stampin' Up does have a new and very fabulous catalog, btw.  Thanks, Stephanie!

Now it's time for some cards.  These are simple ones I made awhile back using scraps.  I had die cut lots of circles and rings for a project and had lots left over.  So I whipped up these cards and added a text paper star to the center.  I love how vintage text paper adds a homemade feel to cards.  I just get old pages on ebay from my favorite seller.  And since they are usually thin, I put adhesive on white cardstock and lay the text paper onto it.  I then punch it or do whatever. This gives it some stability.

Supplies:
Quickutz circle/ring die cut
Stampin' Up green paper and star punch
Anna Griffin orange paper
Scenic Route green and teal paper
Heidi Swapp light blue paper
Hero Arts notecards
Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing
String and vintage text paper

Does anyone else save little scraps like this (circles and such) for future projects?  I have a drawer with little compartments to organize them.  You?

And, I have to enable a bit.  :)  Studio Calico has a colorful kit this month.  WOW.  Check it out HERE.  And Maggie Holmes was the guest designer.  Me lovey her work.

I can't forget: The winner of the idea book is MaryD!  I will email you.

OK... off to make some popcorn and try to catch up on email.  (I am behind on it - sorry!)  I am getting on a plane tomorrow to head to CHA.  Will any of you be there?  Stop by Hero and say hi!