Christy Sheffield

Cards 4 Kids Drive

The uber-talented Jennifer McGuire is hosting another round of Cards 4 Kids. This is a great opportunity to use your love of scrapbooking and cardmaking to make a little something to cheer a child who has been diagnosed with cancer. What a great idea! It takes very little time to make a card, so why not take a few more minutes to add an encouraging note and send the card to someone who could use it?

While there is no end for the card drive, if you want to be considered for a prize please mail your card by March 31st. You can send as many as you want.

I saw this on Jennifer's blog earlier and meant to send a card. Ashamedly, I did not. I know how much this would mean to me (or my child if I had one) if I was the one on the receiving end. Since I already make cards, I thought I would go ahead and make a few more to send.

So, my goal is to make one card for each child. And, if I make more that's great. Please join me in this amazing effort. You can find more information and read each child's story here.

I plan on posting pics of my cards on this blog. If you are participating in the Cards 4 Kids drive, please leave a comment. I would love to check our your blog if you have one.

Valentine's Day Tag No. 1

I've been working on some tags for my Etsy shop and thought, why not make some valentine tags that I can showcase each day up through Valentine's Day?

Here's tag number 1:

For sale here

Edited: I ran out of time to post any more tags before Valentine's Day. Sorry!

SHOP UPDATE: I promise I haven't forgotten that I was supposed to do a shop update yesterday. I've moved the shop update to tomorrow! Sorry for the delay.

Hand Stamped with Flowers Card

Just wanted to share a card I made for my Style School partner, Dana. I wanted to send her a little happy, so I made her a blank card that she could use for any occasion.

Supplies used:

• Vintage book text
• Papertrey Ink's Guide Lines stamp set
• Papertrey Ink's Avocado Mist and Melon Berry Pigment Ink
• Martha Stewart ribbon
• Floss
• Prism cardstock

Etsy Shop Update

I'm a little behind in posting this shop update, but I wanted to let my blog friends know that I have re-opened my etsy store and added some cute cards...lots of valentine cards, too. Several have already sold, but I plan on making more.

*Share Your Heart* - SOLD!!!

*Flowerful Hellos* - SOLD!!!

*Sweetheart Ribbon* - On Reserve

*Valentine Hearts*

*XOXO*

*Valentine Wishes*

*Bright Hellos*

*Damask Valentine* - SOLD!!!

*You Make Me Smile*

*Love U* - SOLD!!!

*Quilted Hellos*

*Hi*

*What's Up?*

*Lime Thanks* - SOLD!!!

*Friendship Heart*

*Thinking of You*

*Grungy Valentine* - SOLD!!!

All cards are $4 plus shipping and I do offer a shipping discount if you order multiple items from my shop. I make a lot of my embellishments on my cards, though some are store-bought. I use acid-free products, so the card will last a lifetime.

Also, if you are local to Petal, Mississippi and you wish to pick up your card instead of having it shipped, I will gladly refund the shipping cost. In fact, if you want to do that, put that you will pick up the card in the "Notes to Seller" and do not go on to pay. I will send you an updated invoice without the shipping charges.

And, last but not least, I am glad to do any card you want. So, if you see something I've done in the past that you like, or you want a specific card, please message me on Etsy or send me an email and I will be glad to do a custom order.

Next shop update is scheduled for February 1st.

Use your stash: *Thinking of You* card

One thing I love about scrapbooking is all the new stuff that comes out. Companies are constantly introducing new embellishments, papers, and other goodies. The visual inspiration is endless.

But, who has that kind of money to spend? Especially in times like these, when the economy isn't being friendly to everyone, purchasing the latest and greatest items isn't always feasible. So, lately I've been using my stash up.

This week I'm making cards and layouts using my stash. No new products. Over the next few days I'm  showing a series of cards I made using one kit from Memory Works. I have a couple of older kits that I never used, so before using any of my new Studio Calico kits I figured I better clear out my stash. These papers came from the August kit. They really aren't my style (probably why I didn't use them) but I found a way to make them work.

Here's the card for today:

Supplies used: Cardstock (Prism); Patterned Paper (Prima); Stamp (Hero Arts); Ink (Memories); Pen (American Crafts); Ribbon

Here's what the paper looked like before I cut it. It's from Prima's Dude collection. Great paper for all things boys...full of fun and whimsy. But, not exactly my style. I love the doodled look, but it really didn't fit with any layout ideas I had.

But, I couldn't waste a great patterned paper, so I cut individual circles out, layered them on the card, and anchored it with ribbon and dots.

Your challenge this week is to make a card or layout using all older supplies, nothing new. I ended up making ten cards from one kit, with loads of paper and embellishments to spare.

Come back tomorrow for another card!

CPS Sketch #121

Here's my take on this week's sketch from Card Positioning Systems (CPS).

Supplies used: Cardstock (Prism); Patterned Paper (Prima); Stamp (Hero Arts); Ink (Memories, Ranger); Ribbon; Thread

I've really been enjoying playing with distress inks and cutting up patterned paper lately and this card is no exception. I inked the cardstock, the base patterned paper, and the cardstock and patterned paper that the sentiment is on. I also took some Prima patterned paper that had some whimsical circles on it and cut the circles out. So much fun!

Card Patterns Sketch #20

If you are a cardmaker, then you will appreciate Card Patterns, a weekly card sketch blog. Here's my take on this week's sketch:

Supplies used: Cardstock (American Crafts, Die Cuts with a View); Stamps (Hero Arts); Flowers (Prima); Ink (Memories, Ranger Industries); Corner Rounder (EK Success) Button

I used Tim Holtz's Distressed Inks on the flourish stamp. I would randomly ink the stamp with two different colors, so there is a nice colored effect. I also used the Broken China Distress Ink to stamp my flower.

Etsy Shop Update: 6/19

Just a quick note to let you know that I've updated my Etsy shop with some handmade cards. I'm working on more stuff to upload, so check back often.

CFH Blog Hop Winner + New Cards

Wow, what an amazing weekend! There were some absolutely gorgeous cards! Every person who participated (blogger & hopper) worked hard this weekend to make the blog hop a success. Great job! CFH is sure going to be busy this summer!

I urge you, if you are not doing so already, to consider making a card for CFH. While you are at it, make two cards - one blank card for a soldier to use and an AnyHero card where you write a personal message inside thanking the soldier. Find out here how to send cards to CFH. (Be sure to check out the cardmaking tips blog where you can find out what cards are needed and what cards to avoid. Also the shipping info page shares specific needs as well. Plus, there's where you can find a shipping address and packing label.)

Not creative? Lacking time? That's okay, too, because you can send a donation to CFH to help with the shipping costs. A box of 325 cards cost CFH $11.95 to ship, so any donations would be great. Find out how to donate here.

Now, onto the winner! Thank you, everyone, who left such kind comments. I thoroughly enjoyed reading each and every one of them. I used the Random.org Interger Generator, and the winner is...

Congrats, LadyDoc! I hope you enjoyed the blog hop (and I hope that the papers and tests weren't too unbearable). Check your email because you should get one from me (Christy Sheffield - [email protected]). I'll need your mailing address so I can send off your goodies.

I was so wowed by this lady's commitment to make a card for every comment left, that I decided to do the same. 113 comments - good thing I'm off this summer!

Here's two more cards I made this weekend for CFH (only 110 more to go):

Supplies used: Cardstock (Prism); Patterned Paper, Circle die cut (Scenic Route); Letter stickers (BasicGrey); Distress Ink (Tim Holtz for Ranger Industries)

Supplies used: Cardstock (Prism); Patterned Paper (Rusty Pickle); Circle die cut (Scenic Route); Metallic marker (Martha Stewart); Distress ink (Tim Holtz for Ranger); Wooden stars; Ribbon

Both cards used some distressing techniques. I even distressed the ribbon on the second card so that it would match. I'll share details in a post later this week.

CFH Blog Hop: *USA* Card

Hey everyone! I hope you are having a great time looking at all the amazing cards in the Cards for Heroes Blog Hop! Note: This is not the first blog post in the blog hop. Be sure to start at the beginning of the blog hop by going here and clicking on the blog hop button.

I decided to go with a patriotic theme since CFH is taking cards for Independence Day.

 

Supplies used: Cardstock (Prism); Patterned Paper (Scenic Route); Chipboard letters (Maya Road); Clear Star Shape (Maya Road); Silver Pen (Martha Stewart Crafts); Ribbon (Offray)

This is a super easy card to make and can be easily adapted to any theme.

1. Cut your cardstock to 5.5 inches wide by 8.5 inches tall. Fold the card in half to make the card 5.5x4.25 (which will fit in a A2 size envelope).
2. Cut a piece of patterned paper to 5.5 inches wide by 2.75 inches tall. Adhere to the bottom of the card. Trim off any excess paper.
3. Using the silver pen, draw faux stitching around the entire card. Also draw faux stitching around the clear star.
4. String some yellow ribbon through the hole in the top of the clear star and wrap around the card where the patterned paper meets up with the cardstock.
5. Tie the ribbon into a bow and slide around to the left of the card. Trim off excess ribbon. To prevent the ribbon from shifting, put a little glue behind one spot of the ribbon. It isn't necessary to put glue behind the entire ribbon; just a little dab will do.
6. Color the chipboard letters with the silver pen. If you are using the Martha Stewart pen, it will dry quickly. You could also use silver paint.
7. Adhere the chipboard letters to the clear star. Depending on the size of your letters, they might hang over the edge of the star. That's perfectly fine. When placing your letters, center the S first, then add the U and the A.
8. Be sure to add some cream colored cardstock or patterned paper to the inside of the card for the soldier to write on. A lot of times soldiers have only pencils or black pens with them, so the navy isn't suitable for writing. Adding some light paper to the inside will really help them out!
9. If you are sending this card to CFH, click here to find out how.

This is my first time making a card for CFH and I absolutely loved it! I posted earlier about CFH, but in case you missed it, here's what CFH is all about. Cards for Heroes began in 2007. Cardmakers from around the world make handmade cards and send them to CFH so that the cards can be distributed to soldiers overseas. Obviously, a soldier stationed in Iraq can't head to the local drugstore to buy a card for his or her family member, so this is a great way to help our troops out. In addition to sending blank cards for soldiers to use, cardmakers can send AnyHero cards, which are cards of encouragement for the soldiers themselves.

Some of you may not know that my father served in the army when I was a child. We lived on army bases until 1989 when we finally settled down in Petal, Mississippi. In fact, my father was stationed in Augsburg, Germany where me and my younger sister were born. While we were fortunate to be with him then, there were other times that we could not go with my dad. I remember being four years old when my dad was stationed in Korea. We stayed back in Massachusetts at the time. Therefore, CFH's efforts mean a lot to me. Though no one is my family is currently serving in the military, I understand the sacrifice the troops are making.

CFH has sent 140,875 cards, so let's make it more! To encourage you to make your own card for CFH, I have a little happy for you to win. 

Here's what you can win:

• (1) 5.5x4.5 navy card with cream envelope
• (1) 5.5x2.75 patterned paper strip
• (1) Maya Road clear star
• (1) Martha Stewart silver metallic pen
• (1) 18 feet Lemon Satin ribbon spool
• Maya Road chipboard letters: u, s, a

To be entered in this drawing, please leave a comment sharing your Memorial Day plans. Comments will be closed MIDNIGHT on Monday night (May 25). I will pick one winner at random, so be sure to leave your name and email address. The winner will be announced Tuesday morning.

EDITED: Comments have been closed. I will draw a name in the morning and post the winner then. Also, I will notify CFH of the winner, so check CFH's website for a complete list of winners. Thanks for playing and thank you for all the kind comments.

Edited: This lady has committed to making a card for every comment she received. Great idea! In fact, I'm so inspired by this commitment that I'm pledging to do the same. So, leave some comments and make me a very busy woman! I'm a teacher and have summers off, so this will be a great summer project for me.

To continue in the blog hop, please head over to Bridget's blog and see what she's been crafting.

Bridget is a Stampin' Up demonstrator from Australia (HOLY MOLY - that's awesome!) and her cards are gorgeous! Bridget made two cards - one for a male, one for a female. How cool is that?