May Flowers and Coloring Challenge! Kids encouraged to play along!!

Today I am posting as a member of The Scrapbook Queen's Royal Challenge Design Team. 

We are hosting a monthly challenge. This challenge goes live on the 30th of each month. Come check out my inspiration on the 30th then head to The Scrapbooking Queen Royal Challenge to obtain a printable for our chance at a second entry to our challenge.  You can also see all the amazing projects by the other design team members.  You will be inspired by these talented designers!   

This month's challenge is May Flowers!  If you create a project with flowers, you will receive one chance to win our prize package.  For a second chance to win, create a project using this month's printable image.

This month's image is this sweet little pony.  I was in need of a birthday card so I decided to edit the image just a bit using Photoshop.  Once edited, the image was colored in Photoshop and ready to use on my card. 

You can see here that the pony image has been edited and colored. In addition, I like to mix digital images with Cricut cuts to add texture and layers. This little pony is wearing a birthday hat cut from the Birthday Bash Cricut cartridge. She is now ready to be added to my project.

 "Neigh Neigh... It's Your Birthday." 

This card was designed for a child's birthday. The balloons and party hat are paired with the sweet image to make the card look like a celebration!

Now it is time for you to head to The Scrapbooking Queen Royal Challenge and get all the details on how you can enter the challenge.  I look forward to seeing what you create!! You have until May 29th to get your projects in.  One winner will be chosen at random to receive a "Royal" prize package!

Thank you for stopping by today.  If you have kids who love to color, we are encouraging them to participate in this challenge!!  Craft together!  So much fun!

  
Please consider following me so you can find your way back!

Cindy

Child Abuse Prevention Awareness and how you can help!

I would like to start this post by wishing everyone a very Happy Easter.  I pray that this day finds you healthy, happy, and surrounded by family and friends.  I am missing my son and daughter-in-law today and want to send them a special shout out.  As most of you know, my son is in the U.S. Navy and is currently serving overseas.  Happy Easter Dalton and Sami! 

I am blessed to be spending the day with my husband and my other two children.  Of course there is always a bit of time for crafting, so Madison and I headed off to the craft room after lunch to do what we love to do together...CRAFT.  

My children have been blessed to have two loving parents.  Unfortunately, the same can't be said for all kids.  Today it was on my heart to create for those kids who have experienced abuse.  This first card is being set to the Tennyson Center for Children. It will be given to a young boy who is having a hard day.  To learn more about how you can send a card to this center, click HERE.

I pray this card brings joy to the life of a young boy!  It was designed and created using the Silhouette Cameo.  The image is from "My Besties" shop and was colored using Photoshop.

This card will be entered in the following challenges:

Besties Challenge Blog- Anything Goes with a Bestie

Word Art Wednesday- Anything Goes
Crafting By Designs- April's Anything Goes
Challenges for Everybody - Anything Goes
Come and Get It Challenges- Where the Boys Are
Dragonfly Dreams Challenge- Make it for the Boys
Just Us Girls Challenge- Color (blue/orange/neutral)

Have a fabulous day!
Cindy

Supporting National Child Abuse Awreness Month!

Oh how I miss these two.  It is extremely difficult to be the mom of a Navy son.  It is a good thing that I have my craft room (which is actually Dalton's old bedroom) to keep me busy and give me a productive outlet!  Life with an empty nest is not for me, but I am finding a way to make it work.

April is National Child Abuse Awareness month.  In support of the children who can be described as "at risk," the I Feel the Love Project is collecting and sending unsigned  birthday/thinking of you cards to the Tennyson Center for Children.   These cards will be given to the kids on their birthdays or to kids and staff members when they are having a difficult day.  Click HERE for details.

This is the first of several cards that I plan to make and send in to the kids.

This sweet card can be given to a child or a staff member to offer a word of encouragement.  The adorable image is a Bestie, designed by one of my favorite digi stamp designers!  She was colored using Photoshop, but can easily be cut out black and white and colored with markers, colored pencils...

The sentiment is from the "Our Kids" stamp set, which is a product of Pink By Design.

This card will be entered into the following challenges:

DL.ART - Anything Goes Linking Party

Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes 
Bestie Challenge Blog - Anything Goes with a Bestie 
Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes

Thank you so much for stopping by today.  I am looking for followers so please consider following me!!  I would love for you to come back again soon.

Cindy

This is why we create for others! / Our cause is now officially a 501(c)(3) nonprofit

Good morning everyone! I am a guest contributor today on the Homespun elegance blog.  Check out Jessica's wonderful blog.  She is a talented woman who shares a lot of valuable information to those who want to run a successful blog.  She also provides tons of inspiration with amazing projects!  Here is the post that appears on her blog today:

As some of you may know, I am on the Board of Directors for an amazing cards for causes project, the I Feel the Love Project, and I would like to let you know how you can be apart of its fabulous mission. 

The I Feel the Love Project received a thank you card in the mail this week.  It was from Claire Koreck and her family.  Claire was the March 2013 recipient of the IFTL Project cards.  As you can see on her sign, Claire is now cancer free after battling bone cancer!!

If you think that creating cards for those in need doesn't matter, check out what Claire's mom had to say about Claire receiving the cards from the I Feel the Love Project:

"...I am writing to you to let you know how much those amazing and beautiful hand made cards meant to Claire and our entire family.  They are special, magical, and filled with love, and we appreciate your kindness more than you could ever know.  We told her that the cards were in a box under her bed so that all those well wishes and prayers would protect her while she slept. They are still there!"

It is an amazing feeling to know that the card you donate can have that much impact on a sick child's life.  This is all the inspiration I need to continue to send cards to our recipients each month and I hope this message from Claire's mom has inspired you to join us as we create handcrafted cards for those in need of love and support.

For those of you who don't know how the I feel the Love Project works, we choose a monthly recipient to receive handcrafted cards from individuals all over the world.  To see some of our previous honorees, click HERE.  We have been sending handcrafted cards to individuals and groups since June of 2011.  It is our goal to be able to expand our efforts to include sending gift cards.  We would like to be able to send parents of hospitalized children to lunch, or help them with gas money... We also envision sending gift cards to others who are reeling from a natural disaster.  

We cannot do this without your help.  We rely completely on donations from caring individuals like you.  The IFTL Project is run entirely by volunteers and thus there are no paid staff members.  Donated funds go to help offset the cost of postage, which is one of the biggest monthly expenses, as well as the cost of running the project (i.e., filing fees, advertising, website...). For the past two and a half years, this project has been funded almost entirely by the President, Madison Womack, and her family.  Due to the fact that the project is growing, additional funds are needed to keep it going and growing!!

With that, I am pleased to announce that the IFTL Project finally received the letter that we have been waiting for since August of 2012!  It is official, the I Feel the Love Project is now a tax exempt, 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.  We are over the moon with this as it will now make it possible for us to start fundraising efforts with this status.

(click to enlarge)

We would appreciate it if you could spread the word. Perhaps you can share this information with friends on your social media sites. There may be individuals out there who may not participate by sending in a handcrafted card, but perhaps these same people would consider sending $5 to further our cause.

If you would like to make a donation to the I Feel the Love Project, click on the icon below:

or send a check payable to "I Feel the Love Project"

I Feel the Love Project
c/o Madison Womack
P.O. Box 1203
Atascadero, CA  93423

Cindy Womack, Secretary/Treasurer
I Feel the Love Project

Guest Designer for Crafting by Designs

I am excited today to be the Guest Designer for the Crafting by Designs blog! I wanted to create a fun, adorable, and meaningful card for this blog.  Check out my project and let me know if you think I have accomplished my goal!  I had a great time making it!

This card is a tri-fold card.  The image on the front cover is "Messy Jessy" from the Besties collection.  She was colored using Photoshop and adorned with flowers, pearls, and love!  The "Love" letters and Scrabble tiles were made using the Plantin SchoolBook Cricut cartridge.  They were inked to add a bit of pop!

The saying, "Some days there won't be a song in your heart, but sing anyway" was designed to cheer up and to provide encouragement to someone in need.  It is paired with an adorable bear cut using the Create a Critter Cricut cartridge.

The hearts on the right side of the card were made using the Jubilee Cricut cartridge.  The center space provides a box to add your sentiments and/or greetings.  Paper flowers and a Martha Stewart border punch complete the box.

I hope you enjoyed my project today.  Thank you so much to the design team at Crafting by Designs for selecting me as a guest designer for their blog.  It has been a pleasure designing this card and being a part of your blog today.

I will be entering this card in the following challenges:

 The Cutie Pie Challenge Blog- Die Cut and Punches

(Cricut cuts/Cameo cuts and Martha Stewart punch)

Pile It On- Floral Fantasy

Cut It Up- Anything Goes with a Die Cut

Deep Ocean Challenge Blog- For A Friend

Fan-Tastic Tuesday- Patterned Paper
Paper Crafting Journey - Anything Goes 
Crafty Catz- Anything Goes
Word Art Wednesday- Anything Goes

Have a fabulous day!

Cindy