Dearly Beloved

Greetings all. I hope everyone had a great Christmas. Our family was truly blessed with family and good cheer. I am double rewarded because it is also the time I get to celebrate the anniversary of marrying my best friend. My card today was created for my loving and devoted husband and my number one support partner. I continue to thrive and survive because is his dedication...thank you deerly :)

This card used masking techniques to create the hills with a little glitter to make it look like snow. I used copic markers to color the deer and add depth by cutting them out and using deminsional tape to attach them to the card front. By using brown tones it added a masculine touch.

Try these fun approaches on your next creations. Have a happy and safe New Year.  Blessings to all. Jeannette

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Guiding Star

Hi all,  Hard to believe that the week of Christmas is upon us. For many, the rush to finish shopping and complete last minute preparations will be on. Be sure to take an extra moment to focus on the purpose of the holiday...

I had one final task to complete today and it required me to pick up a large item at my local Walmart. There were not many shoppers at the time I went, but the staff were quite busy stocking shelves and carting things back and forth in preparation for final Christmas sales. Since I was in no hurry and the store was not crowded, I spent some time walking around the various departments. What I experienced was quite a reality check. The employees, while helpful if needed, were far from jolly and a sense of dreaded anticipation was noticeable in each department.

As I waited for my item to be located and loaded, I struck up conversations with several employees. It was quite depressing to hear how much they wished the week was already over. A few long timers even began to share Christmas customer "war" stories (rudeness, impatience, entitlement, threatening) that gave me an idea of exactly why they were not looking forward to the week. I left the store thinking how very sad and the exact opposite of what Christmas is suppose to represent.

So, in all the hustle, bustle, anticipation, anxiety, and stress of the week, please remember the love, joy, and ultimate reason for the season.  May the Christmas "Star" be our guiding light so that we reflect the true meaning of the holiday!  Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday Jesus.  Jeannette

Christmas Surprise Card

Greetings Bloggers, Hope this post finds you enjoying the preparations of the Season. As promised last week, I wanted to share this Christmas Card that has a surprise...the inside.  While I always try to create on the outside, I do not usually add more than the greeting to the inside.  However, as I pondered the Advent of the Christ, I was compelled to reflect on my internal preparation and Thanksgiving. Somehow, that reflection took on a whole new meaning in this creation....the message and guiding light inside :). See the surprise ....

 Enjoy and have a great week.

Jeannette

A Folded Christmas

Happy December Everyone!

It is now officially Christmas card making season and always a fun time for holiday crafting. So to inspire myself, I spent last week searching for some new techniques.  I had hoped seeing what others were doing would help me decide what type of family card to make this year.  However, the idea took a most unusual turn....instead of helping me come up with one card, it encouraged me to make a variety.  The first technique I tried was a folded tree.

The tree requires paper that has a pattern on both sides. Cut or punch a circle that is 5 1/4 and cut it in half. Then basically accordion fold so that the patterns alternate.  I used a gold brad for the tree topper but a sticker or a button would also look nice. The trunk of the tree is a piece of scrap brown card stock.  I stamped the sentiment in green ink and mounted it on a red piece of cardstock so it would match the card base which is also red. I added a white piece of card stock, embossed with dots for a little texture.  Next time I may try to emboss with snow flakes to see how it looks. For a little horizontal color and to bring everything together, a thin strip of coordinating paper was used.

The great thing about this card is the amount of depth without the bulk so mailing is easy.  Stay tuned next week for a "surprise inside" technique.  Happy stamping.... Jeannette

Thanksgiving Card?

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!  You may be reading this blog and thinking...if this is a Thanksgiving themed post, why is there a Christmas Card feel to the image?  Well, here is the deal....

You may have noticed I missed posting last week. I have been traveling for work and simply ran out of time.  The ripple impact was that I also did not get a chance to make Thanksgiving invites for the family or special Thanksgiving greetings.  I thought that surely when I returned home I would still have time. But, when I called my mother to "check in", she made a rush order card request.  Since the final product has to be mailed to her so she can mail it to someone else (I know pretty crazy :)) I went right to work. So what had planned to be an evening of making Thanksgiving cards actually turned into an evening of creating cards that give thanks.  Seemed like the true meaning of the holiday to me! :)

The unique thing about this card was the request that it hold a gift card.

I have never worked with gift cards but this was a lot of fun.  I took a regular 8 1/2 x 11 piece of green card stock and scored it 4 1/2 from each end of the length and then right down the middle (5 1/2).  I "W" folded on the score lines and glued around the fold so that the center crease popped up inside the card and the backs of the cards stayed together. Think of putting glue at the bottom of the W so the two points stick together.  Be sure the glue is only around the edges.  I then cut a slit the size of a gift card and inserted a playing card to hold the space so my mother would see how it works.

Since she requested a Christmas theme and likes bling (you may remember this from a previous post), I stamped the holly leaves with a high shine ink and glittered up the berries. The Thank You is from one of her Bridge Clubs so I thought the theme of Hearts on a regular card would be a nice touch.  By adding red glitter to the hearts and letters gave the card additional sparkle.

Give a gift card holding card a try. With the holidays coming up it is a fun way to say Thanks!

May all of you have a blessed Thanksgiving.  Jeannette

Women's Wellness Table Helpers

Greetings everyone!  What an exciting weekend for Stamp to Cope, Inc.  We were asked to participate in the Women's Wellness Fun Day sponsored by the Madison County Breast Cancer Support Group and the Madison County Breast and Cervical Cancer Coalition.  Over 200 women attended to learn about health issues facing women and enjoy some fun.  Breakfast and lunch were provided along with informative speakers, a style show, body recall, entertainment, and an ice cream social.  Health inspired vendor tables and door prizes rounded out the event. A big Thank You to my table helpers... Carly, Kasondra, and Tammy.  It was great to share our mission and outreach at such a high spirited event.

The highlight for me was the recognition of Breast Cancer Survivors at the end of the festivities.  Wow, how motivating to see so many of us on that stage as a reflection of hope and strength to all. I am reminded that every one of us can make a positive impact on others.  Thanks and have a great week! Jeannette

Boo to You

Happy Halloween everyone!  I know I am one day late but I am just not ready for my favorite time of year to end!  This has been such an inspirational year for Stamp to Cope, Inc. and I that I took the time to embrace, with extra thanksgiving, my big 50 birthday, my 9 year survival anniversary, a joyous celebration at DisneyWorld, and all the lovely trick or treat costumes and activities.

During this week of celebrations and awareness events, I was reminded that all survivors have a journey to embrace and share. They are all special and full of impact. For many of us, we pray our travels can provide new knowledge and hope for those that may have to follow in our path. My contribution to awareness surrounds my diagnosis..Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC). I encourage you to share the information below with all of your loved ones.

Inflammatory Breast Cancer is a rare but very aggressive type of breast cancer in which the cancer cells block the lymph vessels in the skin of the breast.  IBC accounts for 1 to 5 percent of all breast cancer cases in the United States and is more likely to have spread to other areas of the body (metastasized) at the time of diagnosis than non-IBC cases.  IBC is known to occur in men, so any of you guys out there reading please take note.  Symptoms of IBC may include redness, swelling, and warmth in the breast, often without a distinct lump in the breast. Let me repeat this critical reality...WITHOUT A LUMP.  In other words, do not ignore the possibility of breast cancer just because there is no lump. With IBC, you MUST act fast. A common identifier is an area of the breast skin that has ridges or appears pitted and may have an orange tint, like the skin of an orange (called peau d'orange) which can be confused for a extremely fast growing rash. Other symptoms include heaviness, burning, aching, increase in breast size, tenderness, or a nipple that is inverted (facing inward). IBC is still relatively unknown so please share this information with EVERYONE on your social networking lists. 

So, as I wrap up the 2011 Breast Cancer Awareness month and all the wonderful events of October with what might seem a challenging message,  please remember that I am living proof (a miracle really) that there is love, hope, strength, and beauty along the IBC path as well.  My love, thanks, and sincere appreciation to all of you that give my life meaning!  Oh and one last thing..... The BEAST rules..I love Disney!

Blessings, Jeannette

A STAR Thank You

Greetings all,
There are so many individuals and organizations that have supported Stamp to Cope, Inc. over the year and we are extremely appreciative and thankful to all.  As an organization of Survivors, we then try to pay the support forward as part of our mission.  However, once in a while we get that wonderful chance to repay in kind and it is a true blessing.  At Stamp to Cope, Inc. we recently had such an opportunity and are delighted to serve.

One of our on-going supporters, Star Charities, asked me to create a dozen "Thank you" notes for them.  Star Charities is a group of volunteers that fundraise on behalf of specific causes.  The work is done strictly on a volunteer basis. They are particularly known for their fundraising efforts for Alzheimer's Research, Breast Cancer Awareness, Veterans, those serving in the military, and the Girl Scouts.  After they raise money through a variety of fundraising events, they present a check to the named organization and send thank yous to all the volunteers and contributors to the events. Using store purchased generic cards just didn't seem to be expressing  the unique message they had to share. Therefore, I was thrilled to make these Star Charities notes to help them spread their love.

Using white cardstock, I embossed a florish across the top.  On the bottom half I added patterned paper reflecting the stars and patriotic colors that represent their trademark.  Out of red and white cardstock I cut out stars and added their tag line...  Star Charities...Volunteers in Action.  I then added a piece of ribbon across the middle.  On the inside, I took the letters STAR and created a mnemonic.."Sending Thanks And Rejoicing..from the bottom of our hearts" and stamped a small red heart.  Stamp to Cope, Inc. and I hope these cards will spread resources and good cheer to many worthy organizations and individuals.  Try this technique to create a special message of  your own for a member on your support team.  Blessings, Jeannette

UK Markey Breast Cancer Workshop

Good afternoon... Apparently my blog from last week never posted. I tried to do it from my phone. So, I am reposting and will add an updated post later in the week... Thanks for your support......

Hi all, I am blogging on the go today coming live from the much awaited workshop at the University of Kentucky's Markey Breast Cancer Center. What great group of survivors! We are making a bookmark and a fall card using a spin on the white crayons resist technique. I will post final products next week. Have a happy Columbus Day! Blessings and happy stamping. Jeannette

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Academic Thank You

Happy October!!! We all know what that means...(Yes, my birthday and Halloween but that is not what I meant :)) Breast Cancer Awareness Month!  Stamp to Cope, Inc. has so many exciting ways we will be sharing in the spirit of awareness that this blog will be hopping. But, for today's post I thought I would share a story that shows how the art and crafting worlds really comes together for a cause...

Our son (pictured on the far left) is a member of his schools' Academic Team.  The school is new this year so has never had a presence in the Governor's Cup Rounds.  My husband is a fabulously talented wood artist so the team asked him if he would make them some name holders.  After he completed the holders, he reached out to a laser artist who then volunteered to put on the name of the school and mascot.  All of this happened in one day, and the team was presented with the holders and lamenated name tags that evening just before their competition. What a wonderful surprise for them all. I took pictures and even brought a piece of  cardstock for all the team members to sign as a way of sharing thanks, but really had no plans for their use. That evening, I checked my twitter account to see that StampTV (a free resource at Stamptv.com)  had uploaded a video on using photographs to make cards.  What a great idea ... right?  I watched the video and created my own interpretation using the cardstock the children had already signed as a thank you to the gentlemen for donating their time and talent. Truly an example of merging art, crafts, talent, and heart to support the new school and the team.

The reality that I find, is that this is just one example of how the local artists of Berea come together for something worthwhile.  Many of the same individuals will create and share Breast Cancer Awareness with us as well. So survivors, as we move into this very important month of awareness, take time to notice and be thankful for all of those arts and crafts individuals/organizations that contribute so much to support us!

Blessings,  Jeannette