Mary Middendorf’s Card Art and Generosity…

Hello Everyone!

Been missing’ ya but, I didn’t post last week because I had sad news, in short, No Cards! The boxes at the cancer center were empty and my card production was but a trickle. Little did I know, all of that was about to change BIG TIME!

Stampin’ Up Demonstrator, Mary Middendorf of Cool, California (95614 if you’ve never heard of “Cool”) sent a box of well over 250 cards!!! Every single one was unique and spectacular in it’s own way. Don’t have to take my word for it, look at a small sample here…

Along with these beauties there were cards for every holiday and season. Mary made them to teach others how to create handmade cards. There were cards from as far back as 2009. I know this because Mary dates her cards. They were in pristine condition because she stores each one in clear envelopes. Some even had the instructions posted on the back. These are things I aspire to. Mary isn’t only a generous, caring person she’s also a darn good demonstrator role model!

Tomorrow, I’ll show you Mary’s collage & vintage cards which I particularly love and hope to make one day. Then, on Wednesday, I’ll show you what arrived in this box…

Lee Mae Elkins’ box of 160 cards arrived yesterday! Show ya later…

PGT has gone from Famine to Feast! Thank you Mary and Lee Mae. Your heartwarming generosity arrived just in time. Rocky Mountain Cancer patients and I already are experiencing joy from your art. That goes for each and every one of you who have put your precious art into the hands of folks who are experiencing uncertain, painful, and often lonely times. You are helping them stay connected to the people who love them and are there for them. Bravo!

A Feast of Hugs comin’ your way,
Sonja

Free Tutorials for You…

“Thoreau’s Butterflies”

Hello Everyone,

I wonder if all of you know that I have a second blog that offers free tutorials.  I’m not a high pressure Stampin’ Up demonstrator so my blog is friendly and fun to look at.  Please leave a comment if you don’t find it that way.  I always appreciate constructive comments and just love it when someone shares my blogs or hits the “like” button.

You are of course invited to subscribe to both blogs.  Click HERE and you’ll find today and yesterday’s posts on making cards featuring butterflies.  If you like what you see please subscribe to the blog (on the right side) and the post will be emailed to you.  What I would ask in return is for you to make a few cards for Project Give Thanks.  Cards are needed badly now; as in there are only a hand full in one box.

Okay, that’s my plea for today.  I hope the rest of your day is free of beggars 😉

Many needy hugs,

Sonja

Meet Project Give Thanks contributor Cathy Douglas

Cathy Douglas and her youngest granddaughter

Hello Everyone.  I’d like you to meet one of PGT’s most dedicated contributors, Cathy Douglas of Boulder County, CO.  I asked Cathy if she would tell us about herself, family and love of stamping.  Here’s the wonderful reply I received.

“About my stamping….

        I probably started back in the dark ages…24+ years ago…before computers, and internet were mainstream in homes. My husband was in the Air Force for 20 years, and I’d see a few stamps at craft shows, etc. It depended on where we were stationed as to what was available craft-wise. My 3 kids and I would “make” thank you notes, etc. for fun. Occasionally, I’d find a book…like those by Dee Gruenig! Exciting! Don’t remember ever seeing cardstock available…we used large unlined index cards. Nice to have so more stamps and papers to use today…cards look a whole lot nicer too! 🙂

    Stamps and products have evolved and now, I’m sure I have way too much. It’s a type of therapy too, right?  Since moving back home to Colorado (we grew up here), I joined 2 stamp groups. One group makes trading cards, which I have saved for many years. I have been using many of the traders to make cards. I thought someone else might as well be enjoying them. These two clubs have served as a source of inspiration and learning, as we share our knowledge, our trials and triumphs! Plus, it’s great time to visit with friends.

    I find lots inspiration on the internet, blogs, Pinterest, demonstrators, and Splitcoast Stampers. Seems that most of the magazines are disappearing. There are so many talented card makers out there, so it’s easy to find ideas. I really like watercolor, so hope it stays around a long time.

    I have way too many hobbies, and not enough time…stained glass, crafting, sewing and quilting, gardening, photography, paper crafting, etc. There are still so many things to learn and try. We are lucky to have 2 of our 3 children close by, and 2 fun grand daughters! We also love to hike, ski, and ride our bikes.

  …Thank you for taking your time to do this service for cancer patients. I’m sure you will never know the full impact of your service! Take care and have a good weekend! Go Broncos!  Cathy”

These photos are of Cathy’s latest card donations and every one of them is a beauty!

Thank you Cathy and Thank you to all of YOU!  Project Give Thanks depends on generous people like you and Cathy to keep uplifting the Rocky Mountain Cancer Center’s cancer patients.

To each of you I’m sending my hugs of gratitude,

Sonja

Merry, Merry Marla…

…or maybe we should call her “Marla Merry” or “Christmas Marla” or just “Marla Mykleby”, which is her real name.  The reason why I want to give Marla a “Merry” nick name is because she spent weeks making Christmas & Hanukkah cards and didn’t stop until she had a box of over 300 adorable cards for cancer patients to use for their holidays.  Marla makes and donates cards to Project Give Thanks often.  Thanks to her everyone who wanted to send a cute Halloween card had adorable free cards waiting for them in the Rocky Mountain Cancer Center’s chemo room.  But wait!  That’s not all.

Marla and one of her two pugs

Marla lives with two, sweet as pie, pugs and she supports the pug rescue center in Denver by making and selling toys, treats and cards.  If you have some Pug stamps to spare send them to me and Marla will turn them into cards/donations for pug rescue services.  Isn’t is wonderful that our love of paper art can help others in so many ways!!!

Marla selling cards and crafts for the pug rescue center

Marla’s Christmas package for Project Give Thanks

Alan helps me put an envelope with each card

After all of the envelopes are included there are almost 3 boxes of beautiful Christmas and Hanukkah cards for cancer patients to use.

Thanks Again Marla! Hugs, Sonja

Take a Peek…

… at what Project Give Thanks delivered to the Rocky Mountain Cancer Center a few hours ago.

Back when I worked in the plant world we called photos of gorgeous plants and gardens “plant porn” and it gave us a little chuckle. Can’t do that with cards “card porn” might get me arrested. This morning, I thought a bit about this as I sat, camera in hand, in the front seat of my car, fabric draped over the steering wheel, taking pictures of the card in my lap! Good grief! What were passers-by thinking?  🙂  Here are those hastily taken photos which do not give justice to these beautiful cards!

Cards up to this point were made by Cathy Douglas.

 

 

Now that you’ve looked at a lot of cards, I hope you feel the joy that our cancer fighting friends feel when they look in to a box of YOUR handmade, heart-made, cards!  Were you distracted from your concerns for just a little while?  Did you relax?  Open your imagination?  You probably saw a card that would be perfect for your special someone and maybe it helped you to remember why they are so special. That’s just some of the Project Give Thanks magic that all of YOU bring by making and donating these gorgeous, funny, serious, love filled cards.

Gratitude and Thanks are in the air and in the hugs I’m sending you now,

Sonja

PS  My apologies for not keeping up with your names and cards.  I work on PGT at odd moments and often not at home.  Sometimes we can only do what we can do and falling short of perfection should never stop us!

 

Big News: PGT “MAKE AND DONATE” IS MOVING TO MY HOUSE…

FIRST, THANK YOU FOR VOLUNTEERING ON THE LAST SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH 11:00 TO 1:00(ish): Chris, Jan, Kim, Judy, Jill, Cathy, Marla, Tera, Christy, Cindy and to all the generous stampers who mail their cards and card fronts into Project Give Thanks!  Read these blog posts to see how many people you have helped, calmed and entertained…. Grateful Hugs to All, Sonja

BIG NEWS:  PGT Make and Donate will now be held at my house: Sonja Knaisch (Nash), 7184 Glacier View Road, Gunbarrel, 80503  720-341-3829.  The last Sunday of each month 11:00 a.m. to 1:00(ish).  We have temporarily run out of cards to assemble so we are making them start to finish and it’s a blast of fun!  Join us.  We especially invite men who like to volunteer for a good cause.  No experience or supplies necessary however, having your own paper snips and glue speeds things up.

Here are photos from the first “PGT Make and Donate” event at The Scrapbook Shack to the most recent one but, several meeting weren’t photographed because we’re just too darn busy!

Jan

Kim

Sonja (me) from Gunbarrel, Judy from Longmont and Jill from Lafayette

What a production!

just one of our card styles made from Stampin’ Up!’s outrageously popular “Wetlands” stamp set

Here are the results of that first meeting. We had a lot of card fronts donated by stampers from all over the country. It’s faster to assemble card fronts into cards than to create from concept to envelop (end) but we happily do it all!

on another day…Kim from Westminster

Tera, Marla’s friend, all the way from TX (I think)

Marla from Gunbarrel

Cathy from Louisville

Judy from Longmont

These Bronco cards are the first Cindy has every made! They’re great!

Cristy made these cuties.

Judy’s creations. I wonder who she was thinking of 😉

Rock, Paper, Scissors, My Hugs Beat Them All,
Sonja

Cards Donated to Cancer Survivors in Boulder County

As far as I can remember, these beautiful cards were donated by Cathy Douglas of Boulder County and Darla McLeroy who I met at Stampin’ Up’s convention in UT. Our card recipients, the cancer center nurses and I Thank Them so very much!

Hugs, Sonja

Running Behind Schedule but in Front of Procrastination

Sorry, I’m running behind.

Dear Friends,

Fear Not! Project Give Thanks volunteers and I have been making cards, building cards from card fronts and delivering cards! There are three chemo treatment facilities receiving cards for their patients and everyone loves and appreciates them!  Bravo YOU Bravo!

On my last visit to the Rocky Mountain Cancer Center I offered the newly filled wicker box of cards to an elderly man and noticed how he gently looked at each one. I didn’t see him take one though. We met up a little while later and walked out the doors together. He was using a wheeled walker and said he was driving himself home even though he’d just received chemo treatments. I offered him assistance but he said he was used to being on his own and could handle it. Ugh, I wish I could have helped in some way. As I looked back over my shoulder to see him get his walker in the car I noticed a bag strapped to the front of it and a card peeking out. WE had helped him! He is sending, what I recognized as, a birthday card to somebody he loves and that person will respond (one would hope anyway). Our cards are helping Cancer Survivors, their family, friends and medical team! Thank you, ALL of you, for donating to Project Give Thanks!

Speaking of “Thank You”… while I’ve been focused elsewhere PGT has received many wonderful donations! I can’t remember all of them or put them into order, which is what I’d like to do.

Marcia Coddington of Springboro, OH sent money that bought 5 packs of envelopes. Ann Key of Louisville, CO donated white card stock and envelopes along with her many hours of volunteer time making cards. Jan Bruzewski of Estes Park, CO sent a package of fully made cards. Marla Halligan, from my downline, made a large package of cards and is having a card making weekend with her family where she’ll make many more PGT cards!  I couldn’t do this without you all, thank you!

Jan Bruzewski sample

Marla Halligan – sample

Wish I could show every card that cancer patients have access to, they are so very beautiful and fun!

Autumn Colored Hugs,
Sonja

If you’d like to see my tutorials go to stampinfrommyhousetoyours.com just remember I’m still learning the ropes.