EBTKS Around The House Challenge #5

ETA: The card drive's are now closed. I will not be taking anymore cards. I have had a great response to the drive, but I have lots of stuff to do before vacation in a couple of weeks, so I need to have the card drive finished! Thank you so much for your help! :)

Good morning! Well it is time for another Around the House Challenge for EBTKS, and this time it is from...Yours Truly! :) And the item to use is a box top or the cardboard from a box. You should have seen all the empty cereal boxes at my house while making my projects! :) And our sponsor this week is Kelleigh Ratzlaff from The Digichick. They have some great stuff over there! So we used a template from their store and our item (box top), to come up with our projects!
I made Valentine gifts for my husband and kids and I really like how they turned out! I try and do memorable gifts for them on Valentines day! It was alot of work, but I think they will love them! Here is the front view of them.
Here is the back view of the one for my husband. I used the mini envelope template to make the envelope on the back and I put a little "love note" inside and I added a little piece of Velcro to hold it shut for privacy. :)
Here is Autumn & Chace's box I made for the template. I traced the playing cards box template onto cereal boxes and folded them up and cover them in cardstock. And the hearts are from a box top. I just traced a heart on them and cut them out and covered them with cardstock. I LOVE the new stamp set from PTI. And I used Courtney's Key To My Heart stamp set, I really love the argyle! I stamped the things I love about them on the back, a couple of times.
Here is the inside. You can see a little of the cereal box in the inside. I made little cards with what I love about them and on the other side, is a picture of them. I let my husband look at them and he asked if it was suppose to make him cry? :( It really shows how much they are growing up and becoming their own person! And that can be a little sad! :( They really are AMAZING kids, I love them SO much! :)
Here is the one I made for Chance. It is a little mini album. I cut 5X5 cardboard pieces from cereal boxes for sturdiness and covered them with cardstock and stamped on them for the pages. The little hearts are from a box top. And added a ring to keep all the pages together and of course a bow! :)
On each page I added one reason why I love him and a picture. (And yes I noticed that I wrote in print on reason 1 and in curse on all of the other pages, Oops! But I think it will be ok! )
Supplies:

Cardstock- (Recollections) blue, sea green & pink, (Paper reflections) brown & cream, (Georgia Pacific) white

Stamp- (PTI) Top Ten & Top Ten additions & Polka dot basics II, (Practicing Creativity) Key to my heart, (Autumn Leaves) handwritten alphabet

Ink- (SU!) brocade blue, close to cocoa, pink passion

Ribbon- (American Crafts) Merry mint collection- brown stitched grosgrain

Other- (Zig) brown marker, ring, velcro

Stop by the EBTKS blog to see all the other girls projects and all the details. And find out about a special coupon code for some templates from The Digichick and the winner of the challenge will win a $15.00 gift certificate from there too! I know you will find lots of templates you will want, I have two and I think I will go get a few more! :) But remember, you don't have to use a template to play in the challenge, you only have to use a box top or cardboard from the box. I will be back soon with some cards I made using the box tops.

Have a Blessed day!

Embellish Stripes Color Challenge

Hey everybody! I am here today to share a card that is NOT a Valentine card! Can you believe it? I can't! I have been making so many Valentine cards for St. Jude's, that it was nice to take a break from that today! It has been an Amazing experience doing this card drive! God has Blessed it SO much! I have had several people tell me, that I have inspired them to start their own card drive for Children's hospitals! How great it that?! So if you have ever thought about doing it and you are too nervous to step out and do it, I say go for it! With Christ all things are possible, and I know, that this one was a success because of Him! I still have been receiving lots of cards everyday! My kids are still not tired of checking the mail! To see their faces light up when they walk out of the Post Office, with their arms full, is so sweet! :) So thank ya'll for Blessing my heart, with your generosity! Saturday will be the last day to collect cards, and I will do the drawing soon after that. I have posted more prizes today, so go here to check those out. And I will have some more prizes added soon!

Ok, on to the card! I made this card for the Embellish Stripes Color Challenge. I saw the challenge last week and have wanted to play ever since, but SO many projects have kept me from doing it! So today was the last day and I was determined to play, because I love the colors and the idea to use stripes! I have had this idea in my head all week and I needed a card for a sweet friend, who has been on my heart for awhile. So here is what I came up with.

Supplies:

Cardstock- (PTI) plum pudding & dark chocolate, (Paper reflections) kraft & cream

Stamps- (Stampendous!) Happy Messages- sentiment, (Inkadinkado) butterfly

Ink- (SU!) close to cocoa

Other- (Fiskars) scalloped sentiment, (Best Occasions) rhinestones

Well I am off to get more projects finished! :)

Have a Blessed day!

My Soul Mate

I feel like such a slacker! Sorry for not posting lately! I don't have a card to share, but I did want to share a few pics with ya'll. Sunday was 14 yrs ago, that me and Chance started dating! We were high school sweethearts, so we really have grown up together! Time sure flies! So I wanted to share a pic of us during Spring Break in 1996 at Crystal Beach, Texas, and we look SO young! I was 16 and Chance was 17. Sorry for the weird pic, it's before digital! But this is the oldest pic we have together, so I thought I would post it. What is really weird, is all the beach cabins in the pic are gone from Hurricane Ike last year! All of those peoples house, gone in one day! So sad! And here is a pic Autumn took of us on Sunday after church at the park. I love this park, it has old rock stairs and a little pond. So neat! I'll have to share some more pics later. I got some really good ones of the kids!

I love this guy, SO much! He makes me so happy and puts up with all my crazy ways! He is my soul mate! I thank God for bringing him into my life and allowing us to love each other so deeply! I love you Baby! :)

Jennifer McGuire's Cards For Kids

Hey everybody! Sorry I haven't posted lately, still busy! I know I keep saying that, but it's the truth! We took our kids to a youth event last night. It is called "Hot Hearts". It is a BIG youth weekend conference, and they always have AMAZING christian bands that come and play. So last night we took our kids and we saw Lincoln Brewster & TOBY MAC! It was amazing! Just last night there was already over 400 youth who gave their lives to Christ! :) I'm sure there were many more today, but we didn't get to go today, the kids had basketball pictures & games today! But I bet it was amazing today too! :)
I wanted to let ya'll know that I have already received 343 cards for Texas Children's drive! WOW, ya'll are great! Thank ya'll SO MUCH! I will continue collecting cards until the end of this month, so you have about one week left. So there is still a little bit more time. If you need the details, click on the blue Texas Children's heart, on my side bar.

I wanted to share some cards that I made for Jennifer McGuire's, Cards for Kids drive. She has been so nice to help me out with questions about the St. Jude's drive and even sent lots of cards for it, so I wanted to return the favor and I hope share a little love with the kids! So check her card drive out too, if you haven't already! I made all of them pretty much the same, I just changed the papers a little. It's more paper piecing and I really love it! :)
Here are all the cards for the kids she's sending to right now.
And I made cards for the parents too, I just made the Mom's & Dad's card together, and they are all different colors. And I used Courtney's stamp set.And here are all of them.

Well that's all. I'm not going to list the supplies, because I need to go cook and I'm being to lazy. So if you have any questions, just let me know!
Have a Blessed night!

Cards for Texas Children's Hospital

Hey everybody! I wanted to make a new page for the Texas Children's Hospital Card Drive, with all the info. It is all the same, but I wanted it to be clear, where they are going. You can still post your projects on Mr. Linky if you want to here, we will just keep both card drives together on there. Yesterday I received 128 cards in the mail (in one day)! Ya'll are truly AMAZING! :)
Here are some of the guidelines from Texas Children's Hospital and a few of mine.
* Cards need to be a Valentine theme.* Cards can't have anything about 'Get Well Soon', 'Feel Better', or anything reminding them of being sick. (Only Valentine Cards)

* Please make cards that can be used for any gender or age. (This could be a little tricky, but I think you can handle it!) :)

* Cards must be able to fit into a 4 1/2 X 5 3/4 envelope. (I will provide clear envelopes for each card, so there is no need to send one with your card.)

* Please send all cards to me at:

Winter Sims

Cards for Texas Children's Hospital

P.O. Box 754

Warren, TX 77664

* You can include a message in the inside, but please remember, nothing reminding them of being sick. (Maybe just a Valentine sentiment or a joke.) You can also sign your name and where you are from.

*I will be excepting cards for the whole month of January. At the end of the month, I will pick random winners for prizes. I will be adding more prizes, often. The more cards you send, the more times your name goes into the drawing. Let your kids get involved too! :)

* Please send a piece of paper with your name, address, email address, and the amount of cards

you sent. (It will help, when I have the drawing.)
* If anyone wants to donate a prize for the drawings, please email me with the details at marcussim@aol.com .

You are welcome to use the Texas Children's logo on your blog to spread the word, just remember to save it to your computer first. (Thank you Christina, for making it! )Also, I put a button on my side bar, if you would like to make a donation to Texas Children's Hospital, just click on it and it will direct you to their site!

And here a couple more cards that I have made over the last couple of weeks. I have been trying to use some new stamps. I think these little critters are too cute! These stamps are some of the same stamps that are up for grabs in the prizes! (No, I didn't use the prizes stamps, I had to buy some for myself! ) :) And I have figured out, that I LOVE paper piecing, it works great when you don't own alot of Copics!

Look how cute he is! I even paper pieced his teeth! :)
Thank you all for your help! :)

Have a Blessed day!

Prizes

Hey! Ok, I wanted to have a page just for the prizes! I will be adding more prizes to this page, so you can always see what is up for grabs here! I will be separating the prizes after all of them are in, because I want there to be more winners! PTI- Tiny Treats: Valentine

PTI-Simple Valentine Patterned Paper

4) Inkadinkado Valentine stamps

1) Inkadinkado mini clear stamp

5) Inkadinkado heart shaped puzzle cards

Inkadinkado Morphic Bugs stamp set

EK Success vellum sweetheart stickers

* (Maya Road) 2 ring heart Chipboard book
* (Jenni Bowlin) Heart Bingo card* (Jenni Bowlin) XOXO Bingo card
* (American Crafts) Love Letter I Heart You Letter Stickers
* (Fancy Pants) Pink ball trim (1 yard)
* (Maya Road) Hearts Trinket Pins (30)

*Cricut- Sweet treats cartridge

Practicing Creativity- Key To My Heart Stamp set - Thanks Courtney
2) American Crafts- Mini Albums - Thanks Angela
Unity Tiny Trinity Stamp set- Thanks Laura

Stamp It! Cards magazine

Art Declassified- Admit One Stamp set

Close To My Heart- Endless Love satmp set

Close To My Heart- (not sure of the name of this one, it's the one that has 'so happy' in it)

Close To My Heart- 1 in. acrylic block

Martha Stewart Crafts scallop stationary (package of 8)

TaDa Creative Studios- Danging Dazzlers

I hope to be back later with some cards! :)

Have a Blessed day!

We Need More Love & Smiles :)

Good Morning! I am SO excited to share the news with ya'll! As of this weekend, we have meet the goal for St. Jude's of 200! But as my husband and I where talking (as I was counting all of the cards), the Lord revealed to us that, we can help even more kids! Praise God!

Some may have heard of Texas Children's Hospital in Houston Texas. This place is very dear to our hearts. My son Chace was bitten by our dog back 2004, a couple of days after we had went through our very first Hurricane in our town! We had no electricity and only one local hospital was opened, only for stabilizing and then they had to release them. My son received 36 stitches in the back of his head and they left a dime size hole above his ear, where his scalp was off. (Sorry to be so graphic, but that hole, could have been a problem.) They sent my son by ambulance to Texas Children's Hospital about 2 hours away, and there, he received the rest of the stitches, to close up the hole, and he had a total of 45 stitches in the back of his head! It was a very scary time in our lives, but Texas Children's Hospital was there to comfort us! Just walking in there, the halls are full of children's art work, it was Amazing!
They have helped so many of our friends children too! One of my daughter's friends spends lots of days in Texas Children's, and her mother said this card drive would really touch their lives, because they have experienced the donations firsthand and they were very touched by them!

So since the St. Jude drive goal is met, I would like to help the children at Texas Children's Hospital. All of the rules are the same as the St. Jude drive. All donations, need to be here by the end of the month. Your names will still be put into the drawing for prizes. More prizes will be added soon, so check back for that! You can find all the info on the guidelines for the cards here on this post. I hope you all can join me, in touching even more kids lives! They see SO many patients there, so we will collect as many as we can until the end of January! We will bring the cards to the hospital a couple of days before we leave for Tennessee. They make Valentines bags for all of the kids, so they will put the cards in their bags. So I will not get to hand these out, but I know the Volunteers will make sure they make it into their hands on Valentines Day! :)
So if you have cards they you were going to send to St. Jude's, please send them for this drive! Sweet Courtney is working on a new logo for the drive, so I hope to have that ready for you tomorrow, so check back for that!
Also, don't for get the Everything But The Kitchen Sink Sketch Challenge is going on, and the sketch would be great for the valentines cards! Then you could have your entry for the challenge and some cards made for the kids! :)

I hope ya'll are as excited as I am! Because there will be more love and smiles on Valentines Day! :) Thank You!

Have a Blessed day!

EBTKS Sketch 3 Challenge

Good Morning! It's time for another Sketch Challenge at EBTKS blog. This week, the sketch is from Lynnette. Her idea came from her TV stand. I tell you what, inspiration really is everywhere, if we just look! :) I was very thankful that Lynnette and the other EBTKS girls, allowed me to do the post over at the EBTKS blog, to help spread the word about the St. Jude card drive. Thanks girls! :) Although it is not mandatory to make a card for St. Jude's, we would like to invite you all to join us in the card drive if you would like. There is still time to send in cards for the card drive and the challenge will last until Jan. 25th! So please stop by the EBTKS blog for all of the details on the challenge and to see all the other EBTKS girls' cards! And go here, for all of the details on the card drive.
So here is the awesome sketch and my card for the challenge and it will also go to the kids at St. Jude's! This one is a little more girly, than the others that I have made, but Valentine cards, tend to look girly! :)

Supplies

{Love card}

Cardstock- (PTI) pure poppy, raspberry fizz, (Recollections) pink

Patterned paper- (PTI) text-style simple valentine

Stamp- (PTI) mega mixed messages

Ink- (ColorBok) rouge

Other- (PTI) vintage buttons, crocheting thread, (EK Success) circle punch, (Cricut) cut heart

Have a Blessed day!

Blogversary & You Are A Blessing To Me

Hey everybody! I wanted to post this, this morning and tell all the wonderful things that have happened this past year of starting my Blog. But, that didn't happen! I have been extremely busy with so many things, that I didn't have time to do an Amazing post! Maybe that one will come later! So this is a very simple little post, to tell you how much you mean to me! It is so amazing to have people come and like your creations and leave you wonderful comments! I started my blog last year on January 14th, after my daughter had been encouraging me to do it! I was a little nervous to share my stuff with the world, but I did it and I am so happy that I did! I started this blog to share creations, but my main focus was to try and show the love of Christ through it! I pray that I have done that in some way! When God told me to start the St. Jude's card drive, I was a little unsure, if it could be done. But He provided all you wonderful people to help make it possible! So from the bottom of my heart, Thank You! You are all a Blessing to me! :)

I wanted to share the first card, I ever posted, and it was for one of KWerener's Color Challenges. I made the card for my daughter Autumn, for encouraging me and believing in me! I love you Autumn! :)

And here is my card today, for all of you! :) I saw these flowers first from Savirti, and she gave us this link, for the tutorial. So easy to make and so cute! :)

Here is another card for St. Jude's. I made a whole bunch the last couple of weeks. Have still have a few more to show. But I'm not sure if I will need to make anymore, we have had such a great response! Thank you all again! :)
And here is another prize for the drawing! The lady who donated it, would like to stay anonymous, but you know who you are, and Thank you! :)

*Cricut- Sweet treats cartridge

Supplies:

{You Are A Blessing To Me}

Cardstock- (Paper reflections) cream, (Recollections) dark & light pink

Stamps- (PTI) turning a new leaf, signature greetings

Ink- (PTI) spring moss, (SU!) pink passion

{My Main Squeeze}

Cardstock- (PTI) pure poppy, (Georgia Pacific) white, (Paper reflections) kraft

Patterned paper- (PTI) text style- simple valentine

Stamp- (PTI) tiny treats valentine

Ink- (VersaMagic) wheat, (StazOn) jet black

Other- (Cricut) cut hearts, (Fiskars) threading water punch, (Crayola) colored pencils, buttons from stash, crocheting thread

Please check back tomorrow, for another 'Around The House Challenge from EBTKS girls'!

Have a Blessed day!

Dawn McVey's Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #21

Hey everybody! I tell you what, I am so glad the card calls are finished! I have been working on those for about a week, knowing I have so many other things to do too! WOW, it's alot of work, but I bet it will be so worth it, when I see one of my cards in print! I have my first card being published in CARDS this February! WOO HOO! I thought it would never get here! :)

I made this card for Dawn's Color Challenge, last week, but I am just now posting it! I really loved the colors, they just screamed baby boy to me! So I took a break on the St. Jude cards, and made a baby card! :) Doesn't that twine in the button, look like a bird over the sun? My husband pointed that out, I thought it was pretty cool! :) And look what came in the mail today! My kids usually check the mail at the post office, well now we have two boxes, so they take turns checking the boxes. Well, today they were SUPER excited when they came out of the Post Office! They could hardly hold all of the packages! Today we got 46 cards in! Just Amazing! Thank you all so much! :) Here are the packages from today.
Also, I wanted to mention, that my card, got Honorable Mention for best use of leaves, over at Nichole Heady's blog! I have never participated in the challenge before, so it was so fun to get mentioned! Thanks Nichole! :)

Supplies
Cardstock- (PTI) lemon tart, aqua mist, dark chocolate (Paper reflections) cream
Stamps- (PTI) signature greetings, (Martha Stewart) clear toy transportation
Ink- (SU!) close to cocoa, (Versamark) watermark
Other- (American Crafts) Zing clear embossing powder, wave decorative scissors, (The Paper Studio) yellow button, twine, foam adhesive

Have a Blessed night!

Embellish Magazine Hearts Challenge

Hey everybody! Happy Sunday! We had a WONDERFUL day at church today! We really liked it, and the praise and worship, was just what we have been needing! :)

Well I had a few minutes to post my cards for the Embellish Hearts Color Challenge. I made them at the first of the week and took pics of them, but I haven't had much time to post them. I have been busy trying to get some cards out for submission, so I haven't had alot of extra time! After tomorrow, maybe the other things (like my laundry) will get caught up! :)

I decided to make two cards for the challenge. I made one using Courtney's new stamp set. I love that set! And I made the other one for the St. Jude Card Drive, because the idea came to my mind and I just had to make it! I made a Tic Tac Toe game. I found a new package of little refrigerator magnets at the Goodwill store, month's ago and I knew I could use them for something. I cut the hearts using my Cricut and then adhered the magnets with sticky tape. A card, but yet a game! It was really easy and I think it will be played for hours!

Well here they are, I need to go wash clothes, some of our pipes busted this morning, (I think it was just Satan, trying to get us to skip church today, but it didn't stop us!) :)

Supplies

{You Hold The Key To MY Heart card}

Cardstock- (PTI) pure poppy, sweet blush, (The paper Company) black, (Georgia Pacific) white

Stamps- (PTI) polka dot basics II, (Practicing Creativity)- Key to my heart

Ink- (StazOn) jet balck, (ColorBox) warm red

Ribbon- (Offray) red satin

Other- crocheting ribbon, buttons- (PTI & some from stash), (EK Success) square punch

{Tic Tac Toe card}

Cardstock- (PTI) pure poppy & sweet blush, (The Paper Company) black, (Georgia Pacific) white

Stamps- (PTI) tiny treats valentine

Ink- (ColorBox) warm red & rose coral

Other- (Cricut) cut hearts, magnets, sticky tape

Have a Blessed day!