Caring Hearts Blog Hop

You should be arriving here, for Vera Yate's Caring Hearts Card Drive blog hop, via the uber talented and equally giving Jennifer McGuire's blog.  LOVE what that girl can do with ink!

Vera is collecting Thanksgiving and Christmas cards to be delivered to the elderly, residing in nursing homes, care centers, and assisted living places; and I'm so excited and, truly, honored to get to be a participant in her cause!  She is accepting cards, until November 15, 2010, at...

Vera Yates
Caring Hearts Card Drive
P.O Box 16321
Sugar Land, TX 77496

She asks that you (1) add a Thanksgiving or Christmas message, respectively, to the interior of your cards; (2) sign them with your name and where you're from; and (3) put them in unsealed envelopes with your name, also, written in the envelope's top left corner.  Finally, (4) be sure to add a slip of paper, to your packages, with your name, address, and email, as well as how many cards you sent; as Vera is, also, holding a drawing, for her participants, for some, absolutely, fantastic, randomly-won prizes, including a $25 gift certificate to our very own Wplus9 Store.  Yea!

Please be sure to check out the official Caring Hearts Card Drive link for any information, about the card drive, that I may have missed.  I've, also, added the Caring Hearts Card Drive graphic/link to my right side bar and will leave it up, through the duration of the card drive, to make it easier, for you all, to access that information.  Now, how about a couple of cards, which will be added to a bunch of other cards, that have, already, made their appearances right here on my blog, and sent Vera's way, to inspire you to get inky?

I started this card by cutting the 4", square card, from textured, Pumpkin Pie cardstock, with my Cricut.  I, then, used Terrifically Tacky Tape to adhere a piece of clear cardstock to the inside of the card face, behind the turkey cut-out.  Stacked a bunch of stamped, in Chocolate Chip, Summer Sun, Ruby Red, and Elegant Eggplant inks; hand-cut; and glittered leaves and acorns, facing out, on top of the clear cardstock, and secured them, into a pocket, with another piece of clear cardstock, adhered with dimensionals.

I, then, covered up all the tape and backsides of the stamped images with a piece of Chocolate Chip cardstock...

before wrapping a length of Baker's Twine, three times, around the card face; tying it, in a bow, through a Pure Poppy button...

and embellishing it with a stamped, in Chocolate Chip ink, on a piece of hand-cut, white cardstock, "BLESSINGS" sentiment.

Now, how about a little Christmas fun?

I started this card by machine stitching a white-threaded, straight-stitch frame around the edges of a piece of text, patterned paper, before adhering it to the distressed, with Tea Dye and Antique Linen inks, Old Olive, cardstock, card face.

I, then, wrapped a length of sheer, olive ribbon around the vertical length of the card face and tied it in a bow, just above horizontal center.

The frame was stamped, in Chocolate Chip ink, on a square of white cardstock; distressed with Tea Dye and Antique Linen inks; framed with a square of Real Red cardstock; and adhered, with dimensionals, in the bottom center of the card face, right after the "PEACE & JOY" sentiment was stamped, in Old Olive ink, in the bottom center of it.

Finally, I stamped the flower image, three times, in Real Red ink, on white cardstock; punched them out; distressed them; inked their edges with Tea Dye and Antique Linen inks; adhered them, one on top of the other, in the top center of the stamped frame, above the sentiment; and embellished their center with a Desert Sun gemstone.

Thank you so much for visiting my little corner of the web!  Now, off you go, to designer Kathy Martin's blog, to continue your hop.  Be sure to leave everyone a comment along the way.  We all love to hear from our visitors!  Have a fun and fabulous weekend, ya'll; and please, try to sneak in a little time for Vera's cause.  Thanks!

{Supplies & Tools}
Stamps: Season of Thanks (Wplus9) Paper: Chocolate Chip & textured, Pumpkin Pie (SU); white (Georgia Pacific); clear (PTI) Ink: Chocolate Chip, Summer Sun, Ruby Red, & Elegant Eggplant (SU) Other: Baker's Twine (AR Designs); Pure Poppy button (PTI); Terrifically Tacky Tape & Speaking of Fall, Cricut cartridge (Provo Craft); dimensionals

{Supplies & Tools}
Stamps: Poinsettia Patterns (Wplus9) Paper: Old Olive & Real Red (SU); white (Georgia Pacific); text patterned (My Mind's Eye) Ink: Real Red, Old Olive, & Chocolate Chip (SU); Tea Dye & Antique Linen (Ranger) Other: white thread & sewing machine; dimensionals; sheer, olive ribbon (Hobby Lobby); Desert Sun gemstone (Bazzill Basics); Scallop Circle punch (SU)