SAS4Kids: "Make New Friends..."

Hello, everyone! Happy 2025! Here's hoping your holidays have been fun-filled and heartwarming. 

It's certainly been a while. Quite a long while in card-making circles. I am so very sorry to have been gone for so long and promise to do better this year.  

It's the first Saturday of a new month, which means it's time for a new card-making challenge at Send a Smile 4 Kids. In the past, SAS4Kids challenges have corresponded to upcoming holidays.  This year, we have decided to change things up a bit. As the months pass, you will see that we are introducing some non-holiday-related challenges. 

To ring in this new year, our January inspiration is the lyric from an old Girl Scout song. (Any other former Girl Scouts out there? Think I still have my badge sash!) 

Girl Scout Song Lyric: Make new friends, but keep the old.

Our SAS4Kids Take: Use new stamps, but remember the old.

That's right, this month's challenge is to make a card with a new stamp you've been looking forward to inking up... or with an old stamp that you haven't used in a while... or with both old and new stamps. Let's call it a stamp-lovers Anything Goes!

For my card, I used a stamp from the very first sentiment stamp set I ever had. I honestly have no idea who made these stamps. nor how long I have had them. But, they were my go-to sentiments for a long, long time. I also decided to use a box of washi tape that I got from Michael's years and years ago. I can't remember how many times I've come across the box and thought that I really should be using these. And, truth be told, I have no idea why I waited so long to use this washi tape. I'm pretty pleased with the way this birthday card turned out. 

If you are interested in playing along with us this month at SAS4Kids, you can link up any kid-friendly card, even if you're not sure it exactly meets this month's challenge. And, it is not required that you donate your linked-up card to SAS4Kids... but a hospitalized child would surely love it if you did. Finally, the deadline to get Valentine's Day cards to our shippers is January 15.

As always, thanks for stopping! (Hope to see you back here in February.) And Happy Crafting!

SAS4Kids: Cute Fall/Halloween Cards 4 Kids!

Hi, everyone! Happy Saturday!

It's the first Saturday of the month... which means it's time for a new challenge at Send a Smile 4 Kids! Since the deadline for getting fall/Halloween cards to our shippers is October 5, this month our DT is featuring fall and Halloween cards.

I apologize for not having an original card of my own to share this month. You know, sometimes life just gets in the way of crafting. Right?! But I couldn't pass up the chance to encourage you to stop by SAS4Kids and check out our designer's adorable cards.

As always, thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'! Hope to see your fall creations in our SAS4Kids September gallery.  :)

SAS4Kids: Birthday Cards 4 Kids

Hi, everyone! It's the first Saturday of August... which means it's time for a new challenge at Send a Smile 4 Kids. 

The months of September through December are really busy for our SAS44Kids shippers. So, we take the month of August to make birthday cards so that our shippers stock up on them before the holiday season gets underway. 

MFT dp and sentiment (created from two stamp sets)
Doodlebug 3-D dog sticker
stenciled doggie-themed background

Hope you'll visit SAS4Kids to check our DT's adorable cards... and then stop back by to link up a card of your own.

As always, thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'! See you in the SAS4Kids gallery!

 

SAS4Kids: Christmas in July 4 Kids

Hi, everyone! Hope you and yours are enjoying a fun holiday weekend.

This is the first Saturday of the month which means it's time for a new Send a Smile 4 Kids challenge! This month, we are focusing on Christmas/holiday cards for family and/or hospital staff members to give to our kids this holiday season.

MFT dp; SU and Recollections cardstock
Paper Crafts stickers
Creative Memories double square punch
Paper Smooches wave die
SU owl punch (for tiny noses)

I had two guiding principles when making this card. The first was to actually use a few of those great stickers I bought at a neighborhood garage sale last fall. They were so cute... and so cheap. And I promised myself I would actually use them for cards this holiday season. The second goal was to not overly complicate these cards. Trying to keep things simple and sweet. 

The one extra mile I went was to replace the noses on all three stickers. Each sticker had a tiny red gem. I swapped these out with teeny, tiny punched out cardstock noses... just in case this card ends up in some teeny, tiny hands.

Even though the DT is focusing on Christmas cards this month, any kiddie-appropriate card can be linked up for our monthly challenge. You have until August 2 to play along. Hope to see you in our July gallery. And hope you'll stop by SAS4Kids to check out our other DT cards. 

As always, thanks for stopping... and Happy Scrappin'!

SAS4Kids: Cards 4 Tweens/Teens

Hi, everyone! Happy June! 

It's the first of the month... which means it's time for a new challenge over at Send a Smile 4 Kids! This month, our DT is featuring cards for our older (tween, teen) patients. 

This card has been in my stash from a crafting event for a while now. And, I honestly can't remember where I made it. I'm thinking it's from last year's Simon Says Stamp's CREATE. There's also a chance it was made at a foiling class at Creative Chaos, a favorite local haunt. But, for the life of me, I can't remember, Nor do I remember the company being represented. Sigh... It sure ain't easy getting old, is it?! 

The current SAS4Kids challenge is open until July 5. While we are featuring tween/teen cards this month, any kiddo appropriate card can be linked up to play along. 

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see your works of heart in our SAS4Kids June gallery. Until next time, happy scrappin'!

Hi, everyone! 

It's May... which means it's time for Dad/Guy cards over at Send a Smile 4 Kids. These are cards for the kids to give to give to the dads (or special guys) in their lives. It's worth noting that the deadline for getting dad/guy cards to our SAS4Kids shippers is May 15.

Lawn Fawn Dad Jokes stamp set
???? gifted paper

Love, love, love this card for three reasons. Actually love it because of three special ladies: 1) Friend Anna and I were spending a lovely day checking out a couple of our favorite scrapbook stores when I came across this sweet little stamp set. 2) Friend Irene brought tons of paper that she had been gifted to a card-making afternoon to share with us. That's where this cool green paper came from. 3) The card's design was tweaked from a card I received from friend Lori. I loved the idea of a shorter front panel and thought it was perfect for featuring two jokes from that stamp set. 

I had initially thought about coloring the images. Then I decided to go with a classic black-and-white palette... but it looked too plain. So, I added some hand-drawn pencil accents, along with a couple of punched out stars, for some extra interest.

Hope you'll stop by the SAS4Kids challenge blog and check out our DT's cards. Looks like the kids' dads will be getting some really cute cards. Then hope you'll stop back by and link up a card of your very own. 

Thanks for stopping.... and happy scrappin'!

SAS4Kids: Cards 4 Moms/Special Ladies

 Hi, everyone! 

It's hard to believe today is the first of April. It's even harder to believe that the SAS4Kids deadline for Mother's Day cards is April 15... which is just nine days away! These are cards for the kids to give to give to the moms (or special ladies) in their lives.

I dug out one of my absolute favorite Stampin' Up! stamp sets for my card. It's one of those that I ink up time and time again. I decided against any sentiment so that it could be used for a multitude of occasions, including Mother's Day. And I did a bit of paper piecing for a splash of color on our celebratory gal's dress.

SU Beautiful You stamp set and dsp

Hope you'll stop by the SAS4Kids challenge blog and check out our DT's cards. Then I hope you'll stop back by and link up a card of your very own. 

Thanks for stopping.... and happy scrappin'!