Rock On!

Hi all and happy Wednesday! This week feels like it's FLYING by and in part, it is thanks to the Labor Day weekend. ;-)

I thought today I would share a little craftiness that I whipped up to send to the Cards 4 Kids program! It seems like I am sharing a card weekly now and honestly, it is all from my coloring spree last month. I STILL have colored images from Birdie Brown Digital Stamps to share that have not yet made it into cards! That's the fun part. I will probably be creating... for months!

I used a freebie from the site to whip up this one and you can find it HERE. Isn't this Rockin' Doggie cute? LOVE it!

I had a fun paper pad from Basic Grey called Fact that I used for my card. The smiling stars were from a little gift bag I got and thought it would be fun to throw that in! This card is really super simple in it's design -- some staggered layered rectangles, a die cut circle that was matted, some paper piercing, a sentiment flag and some bling! That's it!

And here's a close up of the doggie that I colored up with Copic Markers. I used R24, R29, W00, W01, W03, BG000, BG0000, BG01, Y35, Y38, YR18, E50, E51, E53, E25, E27, E29. Add a little glitter to the star and head phones and... ta da!!

So, another card goes in the stack for my mom's Card 4 Kids program. If you ever want to read up on it, I always love to share the link. You can email her any time if you would like to help in her mission. I know she always loves cards at the time of Valentine's Day when the hospital does a big drive to get the kiddos healing there some love in the form of a card!

Thanks for stopping by! I'll be back soon with a little more creativity to share! 

~Julie

Another card for a kiddo!

Hi all and happy Tuesday! I have been on a kick lately to create some kid cards for my mom's Card 4 Kids ministry and today... I have a lemon that I tried to mix into lemonade! ;-)

On to my card!

I'll start by saying that this little robot is one of Birdie Browns and you can find him HERE! Now, you might look at my image and say... "What's up with that? It started like this....

So, you can imagine my distress when I went to die cut this little guy and my die moved, causing him to accidentally lose his little robot legs! EEK! That's where the making lemonade out of lemons comes into play! I decided to make it appear as if my little guy was peeking out of a tunnel. I used my Copic markers and picked up C00, C01, C03, C05 and C07 and just progressively got lighter as I moved toward the center.  After I was done coloring, I matted onto a larger circle cut from decorative red paper and then, added my sentiment with some fun screw style brads.I did add some paper piercing and a little silver leaf around one of the decorative paper edges. And that, my friends, is it! 

Here's a close up!

So this little guy will go in the Cards 4 Kids stack and hopefully make a little guy smile as he is recovering in the hospital. If you want to read up about my mom's mission to send smiles to the children at Children's Hospital of Michigan, just click HERE! 

Hope you are having a fabulous Tuesday! I have some more creative things up my sleeve and will be back to share.... SOON! Happy stamping!

~Julie

Another one for Cards 4 Kids!

Not too long ago, I shared a new find that one of my friends, Christine Okken shared with me -- Birdie Brown Digital Stamps.  Just like most things, when I see something I like -- I have to dive in. That day I think I downloaded a dozen images and spent the last weeks just coloring them up! So, I'll share a card here and a card there and ALL will go to my mom's Cards 4 Kids program, which donates cards to kids recovering and being treated at Children's Hospital of Michigan.

Ok.. ready to see the latest creation?

I have to admit, this is a CASE of one of Torico's own cards! My style is a wee bit different. You'll have to click HERE and see! That link is also where you can download this free image! I printed the image out, colored it up with the Cool Neutrals Copic Collection (Flourishes) and then accented my little dolphin guy with a white gel pen. The "waves" were created just cutting decorative paper into those free-form shapes. Punch the sentiment with a 1-1/4" circle punch. Mat it up on a punched decorative orange scallop, add some paper piercing and... almost done! I did cut out my dolphin and pop him up using foam tape. If you look at Torico's card -- she had some fun rhinestones added on the waves. I thought I would keep those off since these cards were for little kids. I just had a nightmare about maybe a little one picking them off and trying to eat them! ;-) 

Here's a close up of the 'fin-tastic' dolphin!

And that, my friends, is it! Super fun, super easy, super cute for kids! Hope your week is off to a great start! I'll see you all back here soon!

~Julie

Cards 4 Kids!

Hello all and Happy Tuesday! Some of you might know that my mom -- a.k.a. the Rubbermaid -- started a little project for the kids in her home town Children's hospital. She started Cards 4 Kids, which delivers hand made cards to those kiddos who need a little cheering up! Well, not too long ago, we got together and made a bunch of cards to send and I wanted to share a few with..... YOU!

I have to say all of the layouts are really simple because, let's face it, kids are more interested in the cute images than they are in the buttons and bling! So, for starters, I picked up one of my favorite Penny Black images from a clear set called Toadily.....don't you just love these froggies?

The inside says.... "UNFROGETTABLE!" Too cute, right? I colored these guys with copic markers and, while you can't tell, I did add some glitz thanks to glitter glue to the spots and to the wings of those little flies.

The second card is actually one I CASED from my Flourishes "sister" Danielle Kennedy. She sent me THIS little creation last fall for my birthday and I have to tell you that it still, to this day sits on my inspiration board and makes me SMILE!

Here's my version... no bling on this one though since I wanted to make sure this little guy could go to either a boy or a girl if needed. I am sorry but that mouse is tooooooo stinkin' cute! The mouse is called Crumbs Away from Eat Cake Graphics and the little flag is a set from Laura Pryor's Little Inker Designs.


Here's a close up....that lil guy's got gusto!
So, my friends, that's it! These creations are two of a few dozen that will soon make their way over to Children's Hospital of Michigan for the kiddos there to hopefully brighten their days!

Hope your Tuesday is looking sunny in your neck of the woods.... see you back here soon!

~Julie

Stampin' A Little Love!

I have to tell you - I got the cutest email today from the fabulous Cambria Turnbow. She was having a heck of a day -- it was a kids almost missed the bus, run around like mad, errand running, CHA planning kind of day! (Where is that Calgon when you need it?) In her down time she started to surf and saw this post from my bud Barb. Cambria said she was inspired! She wanted to help in my mom's challenge to collect 1,000 Valentines for the children at the Children's Hospital of Michigan! You can read more about my mom's cause here at Cards 4 Kids.

AND Cambria wants to give you an incentive to help! This sweet woman offered up one of the new sets from Our Craft Lounge! Here's a peek at the candy! It's Lola Love! Isn't it darling? I also asked if I could show some eye candy that she created to show you just how darling this little gal stamps up! Aren't these the cutest? So, all you need to do is leave a comment HERE and email my mom at Mrsmiley6@aol.com saying you'll donate a card or two to her cause! We would love to shower the children at this critical care hospital with lots of love handmade by artists from all over the country! Can you help? Keep in mind, the Lola Love stamp set would be in addition to the two sets I am offering up, plus the ribbon and embellishment bundle! This is a prize package that retails for well over $50! You can also click HERE to sign up for Regina Easter's candy. She is giving away some fabulous Valentine's Day printables from the Cutting Cafe! In fact, she's giving away her entire Valentine's Day collection!

Gosh ladies, your generosity amazes me! Gotta love that giving spirit! Thanks from the bottom of my heart!

Cards 4 Kids!

Hi all! Today's post is a shameless plug for my mom and a new charity effort she just started. I think it's marvelous! And, she got the idea from our bloggin' bud Bela over at Bela's Creating Place. For some time, Bela has delivered handmade cards and notebooks to her area's children's hospital to try to put a smile on these kids' faces! Well, my mom got to thinking. She could do the same and impact the lives of kids in the greater-Detroit area! She started Cards 4 Kids! Cards are needed for all ages (up to 20 years old) and will target all the major holidays - Christmas, Hannukah, Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween, etc. as well as Thinking Of You cards and Birthday cards. Do you have a few spare cards to help these children who are facing so much at such a young age? Cards can have stamped or computer generated sayings inside but otherwise, keep them blank. These will be used by the caregivers and parents who are staying with their children at the hospital. It's a way we can help these parents lift the spirits of these children when they can't make a mad dash out to the Halmark store. My mom is also taking in altered notebooks -- something that will fit in a pocket or a purse. When you are a parent of a child in the hospital - it's not uncommon for unplanned meetings with your child's doctor. Having a notebook handy to jot down information on your child's care is critical.


Do you want to help in the effort to put smiles on the faces of hospitalized kids? Just email my mom at mrsmiley6@aol.com for the details!

Today's card is actually one that landed in the box headed for my mom and her cause! I packed up all those cards that I have made over the last year that I thought might fit this cause!

I love this image. It's one of Melanie Muenchinger's sets released through Gina K Designs called Cuddles and Hugs. It's a PERFECT set for this cause! I love how these kitties are just snuggled up together!

I used my nesties scalloped heart and classic heart to create my heart and frame. I stamped the kitties in black and then used some pink chalk to give the kitties a soft glow. Outline them with a super light grey marker and then use the patterned paper to paper piece the spots on one of the kitties. Mat it up with a scalloped edge and some scraps of paper for the "Purrfect friends" saying! That's it!

Here's a close up... gotta love that snuggling that's going on!

So, if you have some extra cards lying around and would love to help! Just email my mom or visit her blog HERE for details!

Good luck MOM! Can't wait for a progress report! Until tomorrow!