Watercolor Wings

This is a quick post today since I’ve got tons to do today. But I wanted to share this card with you before I got started. I just love this new stamp set Watercolor Wings – it’s ALOT of fun to play with and since it is a 3 step stamp set and has a set of coordinating framelits dies. Whoo hoo! Lots of combinations can be made. Versatility and butterflies what’s not to love?

Watercolor Wings

This card is one I’m using for my swap tonight at the Stamp Divas team meeting. I love that we get to share ideas with each other and will look forward to sharing the swap cards that I receive with you next week too!

Scroll down to see the full supply list.

On a personal note – This proud mom wants to share the latest on our marching daughter. We got our first photo from her late last night after her first DCI performance in Seattle with the Cascades. (I can’t tell you how happy we were to get something after 3 weeks of All Days – basically DCI boot camp. LOL)

Premier Seattle Cascades 2015

Look at that huge smile on her face! She is having the experience of a life time. And while I don’t understand entirely why Kaitlin loves to be pushed to her physical limits  and stand for hours on end in the hot sun. I’ve got to admire her passion and drive.

So I wanted to say thank you to all of you, my customers and friends,  for helping make her dreams come true this summer. Every ready to mail card that you’ve purchase has helped get her to Seattle! Now we just have to get her home from Indianapolis in August.

Of course, it’s an on going fundraiser for Kaitlin and I’ve just added more cards to the box – so if you would like to browse next time you’re in my classroom Kaitlin would appreciate it!

I know some of you aren’t familiar with DCI. So if you are wondering what exactly she is doing – here is a taste of what DCI is all about. Not the best video, but it brought tears to this proud mom’s eyes to see them on the field for their first performance! Now I just have to try and figure out which one she is before they make it to the Atlanta Dome in July!!!

 

They’ve left Duvall, Washington last night and have hit the road to start their tour. They are doing about 19 cities in 30 days before they get to finals. Right now they are on some gym floor  in Oregon sleeping and will perform tonight in the first of their DCI events. Whoo hooo! Isn’t it great to be young and adventurous?

Supplies:

Stamp Set: Watercolor Wings (139424)

Inks:Tangerine Tango (126946), Crushed Curry (131173), Daffodil Delight Classic Ink (126944), and Memento Tuxedo Black Pad (132708)

Paper: Brights Collection Designer Series Paper Stack (138434), Basic Black (124267), Tangerine Tango (111349), and Whisper White Card stock (100730)

Accessories: Butterfly Thinlits  Dies (137360)

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Sprinkles of Life & More

Check out these make ‘n takes from my recent Blue Mountain Weekend.  I just love this little Sprinkles of Life stamp set (139971) and coordinating punch Tree Builder (138295). Do you see the striped pattern behind the cone? It’s our NEW Envelope Paper – yep, you can use it for your cards too! Which makes it a great choice since it’s so versatile and such fun to use with the Envelope Punch Board (133774) too.

Blue Mountain Weekend with Jini and Anna Sprinkles on Top Make n Take

And this second card uses the Butterfly Basics Stamp set (138813/138816/137154) that you can find in the 2015 Annual Catalog and the yummy New 2015 In Color Watermelon Wonder.

Blue Mountain Weekend with Jini and Anna Butterfly Basics make n take

Check out the coordinating envelope I made using the NEW 2015 In Color Envelope Paper (138312) and the Envelope Liners Framelits (132172). Fun right?

And this final card uses the same Watermelon Wonder 1″ Dotted Lace Trim (138425)…..Love it! It’s so versatile and ties wonderfully.

blue Mountain Weekend with Jini and Anna Painted Petals Make  n take

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Retreat Pillow Gifts & Another Video Tutorial

Pampering and pillow gifts continued through out the retreat – Saturday morning everyone received their goodie bag, or in this case Berry Baskets filled with items for the weekend’s Make ‘n Takes. Since the new 2015 Catalog had not gone live yet this was a huge hit since it contained  some of the NEW 2015 In Color Dotted Dotted Lace Trim and Envelope Paper!

Blue Mountain Weekend with Jini and Anna Goodie Basket

Isn’t the Berry Basket Die (137366) cute? I cut it first using Always Artichoke card stock and then ran through the Designer Series Paper pieces for just the sides. The cute little coordinating bow was made using the Bow Builder Punch (137414) and another pattern from the Designer Series Paper Stack. Love this option for Designer Series Paper – our stacks make it easy to mix and match like this since they contain 4 of each pattern. And with the new 6×6 option you can do even more!

Blue Mountain Weekend with Jini and Anna  (1)

And of course – here are some more of the little treats from the weekend.

Blue Moutain Weekend with Jini and Anna Candy holder Blue Mountain Weekend with Jini and Anna fry box

I love this little Hot Diggity Dot Stamp Set (134021/134024) and it’s sayings and of course, the fry box was filled with what else? Hugs and Kisses of course! The fry box was made with our NEW 2015 In Color Watermelon Wonder and the Fry Box Die (132966). If you want to learn how I made this, you can click HERE to see my video tutorial.

Blue Mountain Weekend with Jini and Anna petite purse

And the final project I’m sharing today had a little extra special something inside – Can you guess what it was?

Blue Mountain Weekend with Jini and Anna purse with scissors charm

The petite purse held a scissors charm using our Something Borrowed Embellishments from the 2015 Occasions Catalog!

Blue Mountain Weekend with Jini and Anna Sissors Charms

Now I know that these embellishments are retired at this point – but these scissor charms were so much fun to make I thought I’d share how I made them with you in my How to Make Scissors Charms Video Tutorial.

Easy right? And once you get started there are all kinds of combinations you can make. What fun I had designing these for our guests! Oops, I slipped in my tutorial and let the cat out of the bag – since I’ve made the blue scissor charms for my team members, the Blue Mountain Stampers and our retreat this coming weekend. Shhh…don’t tell them…LOL!

Here is a final picture of all the pillow gifts from the retreat.

Blue Mountain Weekend with Jini and Anna goodies for the weekend

Want to see the Make ‘n Takes everyone made on Saturday? Stop on by tomorrow when I’ll share the three projects with you.

And why not leave me a comment and let me know which pillow gift is your favorite? I’d love to hear from you.

Who Likes Free Stamps?

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Stampin’ Up! is offering a new recruiting promotion  – sign up to be a new demonstrator and you will get to choose 2 FREE stamp sets from the all new catalog!

Not one set but TWO FREE stamp sets!!!

Why would you want to be a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator on my team, the Blue Mountain Stampers? Learn about my team and HERE
Ready to join the fun?  Sign up  for just $99 (you get to choose $125 in products) plus two FREE stamp sets!

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Blue Mountain Weekend Retreat Recap

The end of May my friend Anna and I held our first retreat and it seemed to be a hit with those who attended.  It’s taken me a bit but today I thought I’d share some pictures and projects from the retreat from May 29th.

As everyone arrived we had a special name tag on their table along with a New 2015-2016 Annual Catalog, In Color bookmark, flags to mark their pages and a pen decorated with the Cherry On Top Designer Series Paper Stack to use with their wish list and of course a special coupon.

Blue Mountain Weekend with Jini and Anna Name tag and catalog

And of course everyone needed a little something chocolate as the night went on. After all we needed to keep our strength up as we crafted into the wee hours of the night. LOL – sounds good at least, after all do we really need a reason for chocolate?

Blue Mountain Weekend with Jini and Anna (2)

This little bag was a lot of fun to make and they are quick and easy once you know the trick. The Pansy Punch that I used is part of this week’s Weekly Deals.

Blue Mountain Weekend with Jini and Anna self closing bag

I’ve made a video tutorial to share how I made these Self Closing Bags using some of our new Cherry On Top Designer Series Paper. Why not check it out? The complete list of supplies used in the tutorial is listed below for you.

Of course, we really enjoyed making these little goodies and pampering our guests and so we’ll look forward to doing another retreat soon. So that’s great news if you missed our first retreat. We’ll be setting a date sometime soon – Just watch for more information coming soon and of course, you can always keep up to date with what’s happing when you join my Monthly Newsletters list.

It’s getting late, so stop on back by tomorrow when I’ll be sharing some more of the projects, photos and another video tutorial for a project from the retreat with you.

Supplies: 

Paper: Cherry On Top Designer Series Paper Stack (138443), Cucumber Crush (138335), Watermelon Wonder (138334), Crushed Curry (131199) and Whisper White Card Stock (100730)

Accessories: Cucumber Crush Dotted Lace Trim (138423), Crushed Curry Baker’s Twine (134586), Fun Flower Punch (133785), Pansy Punch (130698), 7/8″ Scallop Circle Punch (129404), and Neutrals Designer Buttons (130031), Simply Scored Scoring Tool (122334), Stampin’ Trimmer (126889), Fast Fuse (129026), Stampin’ Pierce Mat (126199), Multipurpose Liquid Glue (110755) and Bone Folder (102300) 

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2015 Annual Catalog – Framelits Organization

With the NEW 2015 – 2016 Annual Catalog there are even more great NEW framelits offered and love to use our Clear Mount Cases (item 119105) to store them in.

So I’ve updated  my Famelits Organization Printables. What is that you may ask? Well it is a FREE printable download for you to use to help organize your Framelits.

2015-2016 Annual Catalog Framelits Organization (printable PDF)

You can click HERE to see a video on how to use the printable file and how I’ve used these labels in my craft room.

Some of our framelits are too large for our Clear Mount Cases but since I don’t have them all (yes, it’s true LOL) I’ve included ones I wasn’t sure of. If I missed something please let me know. 🙂

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Organizing Tips for the 2015 Annual Catalog & New Events

It’s that time of year again. I love when the new catalog arrives since it gives me a reason to reorganize my crafting space. After all what feels better than a stamping space that makes things easy for you to create?

So here are some tools for you to use….. First my Designer Series Paper Chart – this chart keeps everything in one place for you so you can refer easily to what colors are needed or what colors you already have on hand. I like to post this where I can see it. I know that Stampin’ Up! has printed the names on the packages of Designer Series Paper, but that would mean I have to pull each one to look.

2015 – 2016 Annual Catalog Designer Series Paper Chart (printable PDF)

(I’ve actually started printing 2 of these – one I have where I can refer to it easily and the second I cut and attach to the outside of each folder I keep my Designer Series Paper in.)

Want labels? How about a printable Avery labels 5167 for your card stock? I use these for my hanging file folders.

2015 File Folder Labels (printable PDF)

New In Color and ink pads need labels too, and while I love the labels Stampin’ Up! provides, I like a little extra something to help things easily go back where they belong. These next labels I use to label my ink pads and storage drawers or anything else I want to use them for. They can be printed on Avery labels 5160 and punched out using our Word Window Punch.

They fit nicely on the end of your ink pads so that you’ve got a label on both sides. I also use them on my storage for daubers, sponges, and refills. (You can click HERE to see a video of how I store things.)

2015 Color Labels (printable PDF)

Stop on back by tomorrow and I’ll share some of my other organizational items with you.

What’s coming up? Check out my upcoming June & July Events

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Why not save the date and enjoy a bit of stamping this summer?

Caring with Cards – Tuesday, June 16th at 2 p.m. (Clarkesville Library)

Coffee & Cards – Tuesday, June 23rd at 10 a.m. – noon  OR Thursday June 25th at 6:45 p.m. – 8:45 p.m.

BINGO Catalog Launch – Sunday, July 12th at 2 p.m.

Caring with Cards – July 21st at 2 p.m. (Clarkesville Library)

Coffee & Cards – Tuesday, July 25th at 10 a.m. – noon OR Thursday, July 27th at 6:45 p.m. – 8:45 p.m.

Click HERE to see my full Calendar of Events and all the details. And then why not sign up for my Newsletter and get more information about my events, specials and stamping right to your inbox.

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Blue Mountain Stampers’ Winter Weekend Shoebox Swaps

Today I thought I would share with you some of the swaps the others brought for our Saturday’s Shoebox Swap. There is a wide variety of projects – it was funny since a lot of us chose to do 3-d for a change.

This first project is Janette’s – It hold a note pad and uses the Groovy Love stamp set (134243/134246) along with the Stacked with Love Designer Series Paper Stack (137779) and our Basic Hodgepodge Clips (133765)

Groovy Love Blue Mountain Stampers' Winter Retreat Shoebox swap

And here is Anna’s shoebox it’s a cute little Mini Treat Bag (137547) that we made using the Lullaby Designer Series Paper (133695). So simple and a great new addition to our thinlits dies!

Mini Treat Bag Blue Mountain Stampers Winter Weekend Shoebox swap

The only word of caution when creating these bags with designer series paper – pay attention to the direction the pattern is going….ask me how I know. LOL

And now for some cards…

Butterfly Thinlits Blue Mountain Stampers Winter Weekend Retreat Shoebox swap (1)

This first card is soft and femine and uses the Butterfly Thinlits Dies (137360) along with the Artisan Embellishment Kit (137909) and a couple of FREE items from the Sale-a-bration brochure – the Best Year Ever Designer Series Paper (138633) and the sentiment is from the Simply Wonderful stamp set (139125/139128).

Janie used her left over wax paper pieces from a different project to create this wispy feel the butterfly has. Can you see it?

Butterfly Thinlits close up Blue Mountain Stampers Winter Weekend Retreat Shoebox swap (2)

And this last card is Kathleen’s contribution to the shoebox swap. It is made with the Moonlake stamp set (137149/138540) and the Birthday Bash Specialty Designer Series Paper (137783).

Moonlake Blue Mountain Stampers Winter Weekend Retreat Shoebox swap (3)

I’ve added a piece of White Vellum card stock (101856) over the top of the to soften the look of this designer series paper since the pattern was so bold. It quickly solved Kathleen’s problem since she wasn’t completely happy with the card originally for some reason. (One of the great parts of the retreat is sharing creative solutions and ideas! You know how sometimes you’re just not happy with your card? Well Kathleen was experiencing this Friday night when she stamped her swap and just couldn’t figure out why she wasn’t happy – no OCS here, right? LOL I’ve got it too so I know how she was feeling!).

Have you signed up yet?

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Tuesday, January 27th

Just $15 and Free with a minimum order

Two times to choose from 10 am or 6:30 pm

RSVP and Prepay by Friday, January, 23rd to hold your spot

Click HERE to see my full Calendar of Events and more detail.

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Blue Mountain Stampers’ Winter Weekend Retreat

Last week I mentioned I’d share with you some photos from my team retreat, but I got side tracked and forgot. So I thought I’d share them with you today – I hold these retreats three times a year for my team members. It’s like a big slumber party – although a lot of times we don’t get a lot of sleep since once we start creating we don’t want to stop! LOL.

Blue Mountain Stampers' Winter Weekend Retreat 2015 (3)

These events are a lot of fun, laid back and relaxing. A nice time away from every day responsibilities.

Blue Mountain Stampers' Winter Weekend Retreat 2015 (2)

Team members come and go based on their schedules. One day, evening, the Shoebox Swap,  or the whole weekend. What ever works best with their schedules!

Blue Mountain Stampers' Winter Weekend Retreat 2015 (1)

It’s a wonderful time of sharing and creating and everyone has access to my classroom items to create. (These events are typically tied to a new catalog launch so we can have fun playing and trying out items that we may not have gotten ourselves.) It’s a lot of fun since everyone does a show and tell before we start of their new goodies!

Here is one of the cards I created for my upcoming Coffee & Cards class on January 27th (There is still time to sign up for this event you can Click HERE to see my calendar of events and more information). It uses our new Crazy About You bundle (139324/139325/138873).

Hello You thinlits Crazy About You Coffee & Cards card

I used this card as my Shoebox Swap on Saturday afternoon – everyone got to make one at the Retreat on Saturday afternoon.

And here is a cute little treat that Janette gave everyone when she arrived on Saturday morning.

Bow Builder Punch Valentine treat

Adorable, right? Janette used the new Bow Builder Punch (137414), so the bows were quick and easy! And of course the cut out was created with the Hearts Collection Framelits Dies (125599) great for all kinds of Valentine’s Day projects.

I put together my Hello Life Project Kit (137949). I still need to add the photos to it,

Hello You Project Kit

but wow there were a ton of items left after I finished the kit – I can’t wait to use them for other projects or maybe do a second version of the kit so I can change things out. Of course that is if my daughter Kaitlin doesn’t run off with it – she immediately wanted it for her dorm when she saw it! What a great private class this kit makes (ask me about this option so you can earn a free kit).

Do my team retreats sound like fun? Want to join in? Have you ever thought about becoming a Demonstrator and getting a discount on your paper crafting supplies? Do you know you can join my team right now just $99? You’ll get $125 in Stampin’ Up! product of your choice plus 2 Sale-a-bration items – and it ships for FREE! So why not give it a try? Contact me today. You can click HERE to learn more about joining my team, the Blue Mountain Stampers.

Stop back by tomorrow and I’ll with you the Valentine’s project that I made during the retreat for my daughter and her friends.

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Last Chance for January 13th – 19th Weekly Deals

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Customer Appreciation Day

Yesterday I held my first annual Customer Appreciation Day – and I think everyone enjoyed the pampering and projects.

First the food…..

Larry helped me with the food. Here he is putting one of  the appetizers together. He’s a sweetheart – what can I say.

Customer Appreciation  (1)

He was on call for the weekend so he couldn’t join us, but I made a few extra so he could enjoy the goodies too! LOL

We played games, stamped, laughed, and enjoyed the time together! Here is a photo of my snack table all set up and ready.

Customer Appreciation  (2)

These strawberry brownie kabobs were a big hit (with my daughter Kaitlin)

Customer Appreciation Strawberry Brownie Kabobs

And here are the Cheesy Artichokes Crostinis….

Customer Appreciation  Cheesy Artichoke Crostini

They seemed to be a hit – so here is the recipe in case you’d like to make some for your own New Years Eve party.

CHEESY ARTICHOKE CROSTINI

1 pkg. (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1 tsp. spicy brown mustard

1/8 tsp. pepper

¼ c. red bell pepper, chopped fine

¼ c. Cheddar cheese, shredded

1 T. onion, chopped finely

1 jar (6 oz.) marinated artichoke hearts, drained, chopped

1 can (8 oz.) Crescent Recipe Creations® seamless dough sheet

2 T. unseasoned dry bread crumbs

2 tsp. olive oil

16 ripe olive slices

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl, mix cream cheese, mustard and pepper. Stir in bell pepper, cheese, onion and artichokes until well blended.

Remove dough from can. Do Not unroll. Using a serrated knife, cut dough into 16 slices. Place slices cut side down on cookie sheet; flatten slightly. Use thumb to make slight indention in center of each slice. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of mixture into indention of each dough slice.

In a small bowl, mix bread crumbs and olive oil. Sprinkle over filling; top with olive slice.

Bake for 11 – 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Customer Appreciation  Crab & Cream Cheese snacks

And of course the Crab & Cream Cheese Snacks – I’m going to have to make these again for my family this week. All of these goodies were so easy to make!

Now the projects….

I love how the way my All is Calm wreath turned out. I wanted a winter themed wreath to use through the end of January so I used the snowflakes from the Snowflake Card Thinlit Die (135855) and Silver Glimmer Paper (135314) for the decorations in the center of my rosettes .

All is Calm Winter Wreath Customer Appreciation day

How’d I do it? Well I’ve used the gorgeous All is Calm Designer Series Paper (135823) and the Designer Rosette Bigz XL Die (125594) to create the 6″, 4″, and 2″, rosettes that make up this wreath. The die makes this quick and easy and the new Fast Fuse adhesive (129026) is great for putting them together.

And for the center, my thank you – I’ve used the Letterpress Winter stamp set (135143) that is part of the Year End Clearance going on right now. Stamped in Pear Pizzazz, Soft Sky and Lost Lagoon to coordinate with the wreath.

Everyone received this cute little goodie for attending – after all who can’t use a little chocolate, right?

Project Life Holiday Cheer Customer Appreication 3d

I really love the Project Life Holiday Cheer stamp set (135188). I originally purchased this for my memory keeping, but it is such a great size that I find I’m using it a ton in my stamping projects! The set it great for all kinds of projects!!

And since I’ve mentioned project life I wanted to share this fun and quick baby gift I made recently.

Project Life Customer Appreciation Day (1)

Yes, it’s a project life album for baby’s first year.  (We’ve got several family and friends who have welcomed bundles of joy into their lives the past week!).  I’ve used the Little Moments Project Life Card Collection (135299) and created pages for the first year.  I’ve also filled it with some photos to start off the new parents off on the right foot – All they have to do is slip in the photos and jot down their memories! Sooooo easy!!!

Project Life Customer Appreciation Day (3)

And for the new mom – I’ve made this great little Clear Mount Case (119105) that includes some Project Life Grid Cards (136528) and Journaling Pen (135304), along with some post it notes. When she is on the go, she can document those memories as she snaps photos on her phone.

Project Life Customer Appreciation Day (2)

Then all she has to do is  just slide them right into the book when she is ready – Quick and Easy! I’ve used the Project Life Remember This stamp set (135786) to decorate it and hidden some of the great little sayings under the cards.

If you’ve got photos in boxes or on your phone that you’d like to organize why not contact me and I can show you how – Get together with family and friends and you can host a party, earn free merchandise and have fun together! And Hostesses will receive one of these special cases! Contact me today to choose a date that works for you.

Well this post is rather long – so I’ll save the rest of our projects for tomorrow. Stop back by then to see what we stamped during the Customer Appreciation Day.

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Year- End Closeouts (sale ends January 5th, 2015 or while supplies last)

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Holiday Mail for Heroes

Late last month I spent an evening with a group of ladies from the Rachel Dorcas Circle at the United Methodist Church in Lawrenceville to create cards for the Holiday Mail for Heroes program. (This is one of the programs my Caring with Cards events support). We had a great time creating 49 cards in less than 90 minutes.

Holiday Mail for Heroes (1)

What great fellowship, laughter and fun – This was our second year doing this event and since everyone enjoyed it again we’ll be making it an annual event.

Holiday Mail for Heroes (2)

This group of ladies come together once a month to help serve their community. Their main focus at this time is their Prayer Blanket Ministry – where they sew fleece blankets for those who are dealing with cancer and other illnesses. Their prayer blankets provide comfort for those who are in need.  So we made some special cards to be included with their prayer blankets too.

Holiday Mail for Heroes (3)

And with this addition of cards to the box – we’ve surpassed my goal of 100 cards for the year. We’ll be sending off 160 for our military men and women!

The Holiday Mail for Heroes Program is organized by the Red Cross. They support military families, military and veterans hospitals and provide emergency communications across the globe. And once a year, they deliver holiday cards to our veterans, military families and active-duty service members at hospitals and installations around the world.

The cards provide a little touch of home for our troops during the holiday season. Cards are collected and then distributed  in December by the Red Cross. This years deadline for mailing is December 5th.

If this is something that you would like to do – There is still time to send a card or two.

There are just some general guidelines you’ll want to follow so that your cards are processed quickly and make it to our heroes.

  • Ensure that all cards are signed
  • Use generic salutations such as “Dear Service Member”. Cards addressed to specific individuals can not be delivered through this program.
  • Only cards are accepted – Do not include letters.
  • Do not include email or home addresses on the cards: the program is not meant to foster pen pal relationships.
  • Do not include inserts of any kind, including photos
  • Please do not use glitter as it can aggravate health issues of ill and injured warriors.
  • If you are mailing a large quantity of cards, please bundle them and place them in large mailing envelopes or flat rate boxes. Each card does not need it’s own envelope , as envelopes will be removed from all cards before distribution.

Mail your cards to:

Holiday Mail for Heroes

P.O. Box 13669

Atlanta, GA 30324

And if this is something that you’d like to do in the future please let me know – I’ll be happy to set up a time to help you and/or your group. (Or why not come to one of my Caring with Card Events – watch my calendar of events for more details on these free events.) Together we can make a difference!

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Holiday Gift Guide 2014

Holiday Gift Guide (click here for a printable PDF with ideas for your holiday gift giving of all ages)

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