Card Cupids

Good morning! It's FRIDAY! Aren't you GLAD?! :D (Actually, my weekends fly by! So busy! :D)

Today, I would like to tell you about an organization named CARD CUPIDS. (Click on their name to get to their main website.) It's a wonderful organization that provides "happy mail" to kids who really, really need it. (Go ahead. Go read about it. I'll be here....)

Karen Siefert is a local Close to My Heart representative, and a dear friend of mine. She has asked me to guest design this month for her; I needed to do two projects, and will be sending them on to Card Cupids.

Here's what Karen sent me when she asked me to help out this month:

We have adopted a homeless shelter in Virginia that is housing several families, including 39 children. (Ages 1-18)

We were able to give them a great Christmas, Valentines, and now we are working on Birthdays. The shelter says they really enjoy receiving cards from all over the US and Internationally.

We also receive requests for Happy mail for children going thru a medical crisis....

Now, how can you say NO to that???

So, today, I am honored to show you the two cards I've designed for the Card Cupids. I'm hoping that you'll feel that they're pretty gender-neutral, like I do. And they're punch art, which I think always makes something fun!  (And if you're visiting from CARD CUPIDS, thank you for *all* the incredible work you do to bless others!)

Here we go!

 This is the first one; it features three of the new IN COLORS - from left to right on the candles, it's SUMMER STARFRUIT, RASPBERRY RIPPLE, and MIDNIGHT MUSE. The two "leaning" candles are simply card stock strips, cut 1"x3"; the Raspberry Ripple had to be a bit smaller to fit on the card, so I think it's 1"x2.5". :D

The designer series paper is called PATIO PARTY; the main body of this card is Midnight Muse, but it kind of blends right in with my Basic Black background. :D

 The stamp on the front is from WORD PLAY; the flames on the candles are the ornament punch! :D The saying and the mat it's on, as well as the pieces of card stock on the next card, are all cut using my Big Shot (OK, I haven't said it in a LONG time: I LOVE MY BIG SHOT!!! :D ) and the Labels Collection Framelits. They're so cool! :D

The inside stamps are all from different stamp sets: Got Treats?, Teeny Tiny Wishes, and Blessings from Heaven.

Now, then. :D On to the clear card!

 I just think clear cards are COOL, and I forget about them too easily. (Maybe it's out of sight, out of mind! :D Get it? They're CLEAR... [Oooooh, I crack me UP!])

Anyway. :D The colors on this one are Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise, Daffodil Delight, and Tangerine Tango. That's the cupcake punch on the front, there; I love that it has a candle and flame, as well as a cherry and sprinkles, right in the punch! :D That's the new Daffodil Delight seam binding ribbon. It's light, "soft" as one of my stampers said last night :D, and really easy to work with.

YES, Stampin' Up! does sell transparency! It comes in 12x12 sheets! :)

Oh, yeah. there is "happy birthday" (same stamp as on the inside of the first card!) from TEENY TINY WISHES stamped on the transparency with White Stazon. I couldn't get the card to stand OPEN, to take a photo of the inside. I'm sorry. It's got the Whisper White and Tempting Turquoise label framelit cuts, too, and I used the "wish BIG" stamp from WORD PLAY again - it's the one on the front of the first card. I used our Stampin' Write markers to color it, though; the star above the "wish" is Daffodil Delight; the "wish" is in Tempting Turquoise, and the BIG is in Tangerine Tango. :)

So, do you think it qualifies as "happy mail"? :) I really hope so; I love the color combos, and I think they're just happy cards!

I really hope you'll consider helping CARD CUPIDS out! Thank you, Karen, for the opportunity! Now, y'all, go make the time to STAMP something! Have a great weekend! :)