Stampin' from the Heart

Valentines...! A heads up! and what a deal!

Valentine Bundle - Sweet Deal

Check this out...........what a SWEET deal.
A Stamp Set
A package of Double Sided Designer Paper
An Exclusive (Brand new!) Heart Punch
retail value:  $51.85 for only $41.48!

 You can order this bundle beginning Tues, Dec. 23rd AND... If you order this bundle Tuesday, you can still get free shipping, add this to the 20% off a stamp sets in the the current sampler catalog just for this ONE DAY ONLY.........but only til the end of the day Tues, Dec. 23rd!   And FREE SHIPPING ON ALL OF IT!!!  You have your choice of adding some items to make a $70 order and having it shipped directly to you!   But you have lots of time to order. Just wanted you to be aware that Tuesday is the last day for free shipping on all orders over $70. Here are the bundle details: 

New Valentines Bundle will be available from Dec. 23 - Jan 31 - Free Shipping with $70 order & more, and 20% off stamp sets in sampler catalog with a $20 purchase.  WHEW!  So many specials to keep track of during these holidays AND you can place your order ON-Line, without having to contact me!  Dates: December 23, 2008 - January 31, 2009.  I'll be out of town until the 29th ... the big WEDDING DAY - then I'll be home and in the full swing of things again.  Click on the "shop now" button in the upper right corner of my website (where you are right now!)

The Love You Much Bundle includes the following:

Love You Much stamp set $25.95
Candy Lane Designer Series paper (Close to Cocoa, Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Very Vanilla) $9.95
Heart To Heart punch $15.95

Quite the deal!

And with FREE SHIPPING WITH A $70 ORDER ON DEC 23 ONLY!

ACT NOW, THIS IN ONLY AVAILABLE, ONE DAY!

Our Prayer has been answered

I found this website and thought I would pass it on to all interested:

prayer central

It is for those, like me, who believe in the power of prayer.  I pray for the safe return of all of our troops.

Our family is so fortunate in that our son is safe - he has returned from his 7th tour - he just came home this past Friday from Iraq.

Our family continues to keep all of the troops in our prayers until they all return home, safely, to their loved ones.

May God bless them all!

Valentines, valentines...

Imagine my delight to receive yet another package in the mail from Cindy B. in New Jersey.  Cindy has donated her time and talent to my *mission* - and has come through once more, with 2 dozen Valentines for the troops!  Thank you, Cindy!

A recipe book (or mini scrapbook album)

How cute is this?  This is a recipe book we made at our monthly meetup group this past Wednesday evening.  There are five of us in this group - and each of us made one of these 6 x 6 booklets just a little bit differently - different colors, different themes and even a different way of holding it together.  I adore the way Pam used this store bought 3-D gift tag for the front cover - how clever is this?
Inside of Pam's recipe book (pictured below) is reserved not for actual food recipes, but for a recipe on life - how original is this?  Pam will be giving this away as a gift.
She has made these clever little books before and was the first one finished.  They can be cut down to 4 x 4 - and can be used as scrapbooking mini albums as well (this is what I may be using mine for).
We had a grand time!
Thank you, Lori, for sharing this easy idea with our group.  No longer will we stick to just making cards!

I stumbled upon this

It's a website http://alphainventions.com and it will expose you to many, many blogs!  Check it out!  I did.  And I find that there are many, many interesting blogs out there just waiting to be looked at, read, perused, as is mine.  Thank you, alphainventions, for such a great idea!  You have exposed me to a whole new world.

Stampin' From the Heart at the Library

Meet Emily!  She is 10 years old and stopped by at the library to make Valentines for the troops -
This was the theme for this month's Stampin' from the Heart for the Troops free event at our local library.  Notice all the pink pirouette cardstock?
Emily did a phenomenal job creating valentines, even decided to venture out and make one with her own colors.
Great job, Emily!
I know the soldiers will love your cards!
I thank you for your help and I hope to see you next month!

Here are two more young stampers; they are our future, too!  Meet Emma and Ellie - they both stopped by to help with their mom, Amy - and they learned how to stamp straight down and back up (don't rock the stamp!) and how to use the punch.  Ellie even used the snail adhesive (and knows why it is called *snail*!)   My thanks to Susan who patiently assisted me with my once-a-month library event.  I didn't total the number of cards that we made, but it was many - while they created, I sealed up about a hundred valentines into clear envelopes that were donated to me by stampers across the USA -
No total yet, but I think I will be cramming cards into two boxes to get them all in!
I may have even enough for 3 -
My thanks to all of you who have donated - they are being shipped right after the Christmas holidays - with plenty of time for their distribution and to be mailed back in time for February 14.  So if you haven't yet shipped your valentines to me, send them on...

Two more... Thanks to Treva! And my Thanks to You!

Kindness comes in many forms but always from the heart.

I LOVE THIS STAMP!

This is what stamping and cardmaking and sending cards is all about.

This is what Stampin' From the Heart for the Troops is all about.

This is what life is all about.

........Card 2.......

Patriotic Thank you.  The color is actually Blue (the scan doesn't do it justice).

It is Red, White and Blue -

A very simple, effective card.

My thanks to all of you - for all that you have done to support me and my efforts with my *mission*, Stampin' From the Heart for the Troops.  We are making a difference, one card at a time.

This lovely card by Treva says it so simply.

Voila! A birthday card!

How cute is this one?  I don't think the rhinestone shows up very well with this scan, but the flame on the birthday candle is the jewel taken out of one of the clear rhinestone brads from the pretties kit.  How clever is this?
All you do is pry back the prongs that hold the brad in place and it pops out.
I find that using the needle from the toolkit is perfect for doing this - others use the pliers to do this trick (but I find them too bulky).
Just be careful not to scratch the back of the rhinestone itself.
To adhere, use a little 2-way glue or Tombow - just a dot - both dry clear.
I love the double message stamped in both corners!  Thanks for sharing your card, Treva.  You are so talented!  This one goes in the boxes to the troops.  One lucky soldier will pick this up and send it home to a loved one.
These cards we are sending sure do beat the store bought, no-layered ones that they *USED* to have before our cards started arriving!
My heartfelt thanks to all of you who are helping to supply these much needed and much welcomed cards!

A Masculine Card

What beauties have appeared on my doorstep these past few days!
Here is one:  you guessed it, it is by Treva in Kentucky, one of my faithful, regular donors!  She sent me a box of 40 cards that arrived yesterday.
This one is so masculine.  I have a tough time making "manly" cards - and just adore this DSP - it goes so well with the lighthouse.
Have I told you how DSP challenged I am?
Treva, your card is so simple, yet elegant.  You make it look so easy.  (it is easy, yet I can stare at designer paper for hours, turning it this way and that way and waste hours of precious time until I finally just put the paper on the cardstock!) 
Treva, thank you for sending me 40 cards for the troops and for allowing me to share a few on my blog for all to see !!!
More will follow...

A Very Special Card to Share

Every now and then I receive a card to donate to the troops that just says *wow* to me.  This is one of them.  This is a very appropriate saying for a soldier.
Created by Deb in New York - it also says what I feel so many days when I just feel like I cannot go on - when my pain level hits a 10 on the zero to 10 scale. 
I believe that making cards helps me to focus my mind off my pain and it eases it - and for an hour or two, I am pain free, or at least, the pain is lessened.
So if you want to find a good way to get pain relief without medication, have faith and try stamping!
It works for me.
Deb, thank you for your beautiful cards...
This one is a keeper!  She has promised to make one just for me.  In the meantime, this one goes in the box to the troops!