100 cards for Ronald McDonald House

Each month I take a card class at Ronald McDonald House in Herston, teaching cards to any of the residents that need a break from the daily hospital visits or the long waiting times for babies to arrive or grow big enough to take home.
It has taken me a while to streamline my packing and I thought I had it pretty much down pat a year ago. However I have managed to get even smarter and now have it all in one plastic box. I do love it when things come together.

 In this box I have 3 card kits and all that is needed to make them.

As well as doing the class I drop off cards for the residents to use. This month I was happy to leave 100 cards in the office.

The ladies in the office have these cards on hand for anyone that needs them, residents don't always have time to think of a birthday or anniversary, when there are more pressing things happening right now. So these cards are gratefully received.

Wow I am overwhelmed

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am overwhelmed with peoples generosity. It just blows me away to see people rally around when they are asked to do something for charity. This afternoon I met 2 new lovely ladies that answered my request for help making cards for the first time. One of them came with some cards for me and the other with some yummy bikkies. Thanks Kathy and Rae.

It was a full room and everyone got busy making their cards and then finally making some envelopes. 75 cards, wow how about that. Also Nikki a friend of mine bought a huge bag of cards that she had made. I am so grateful for all the lovely generous people.

These are a few of the cards we made today.

 These are my lovely ladies that came and helped me.

I have now boxed up all the cards for North Queensland Rural Family Services. The final count that will be going to them is 240 cards and envelopes. I will pass these on to one of the ladies from Quota International of Carindale to deliver.

 

My other charities have not been forgotten, because of the help I have had, the cards that I take to Ronald McDonald House each month will be delivered next week. They will be thrilled as usual at getting another huge box of these beauties. I may even have enough left for Redlands Hospital. Stay tuned for some more days of card making, probably in July and I will start working on some Christmas ones.

Sprinkles of Life - love it

One of the things that people may not know about is that Stampin'Up! donate to Ronald McDonald Charities all over the world. They launched a  program way back in 2003 called the Making a Difference program which Stampin' Up! partnered with Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC). Each year, they design an exclusive stamp set to promote the partnership with RMHC, and donate a portion of the proceeds from the each sale of that set. To date, more than $95,000 has been donated from RMHC stamp set sales.

We as demonstrators are also encouraged to volunteer our time teaching local Ronald McDonald House guests the creative art of rubber stamping through the Making a Difference program. We also create cards at training events and other times throughout the year which are donated to Ronald McDonald Houses. Right now I have a wonderful demonstrator friend in Darwin, Debbie Blake that posted me down 3 boxes of cards for the houses that I teach at. Those staying at the Houses then use the cards to keep in touch with loved ones while they are away from home.

You can help us make a difference. Purchase this year's set, Sprinkles of Life, and they'll donate $3 to Ronald McDonald House Charities for each set purchased. To help get your creative juices flowing, here are some samples using this set.

This is the stamp set below it is on the inside back cover of the Annual catalogue. If you would like to purchase it or any other products you can email me or shop directly online.

Fine tuning Ronald McDonald House classes

 One of the things I love most about being a demonstrator is being involved with a company that is so giving'  Stampin! Up! is just as much about serving others and giving to those in need as it is about Inspiring, Creating and Sharing. Stampin' Up! is a very inspiring company that encourages us to give to others, as well as Inspire, Create and Share papercraft projects.

Their Statement of the Heart mission statement, reads: "To love what we do and share what we love, as we help others enjoy creativity and worthwhile accomplishments ... in this we make a difference."

To help fulfill this statement, Stampin' Up! launched its Making a Difference programme in 2003. This programme facilitates corporate giving and promotes service among demonstrators and employees. Through the Making a Difference programme, Stampin' Up! partnered with Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) in the US and Canada. As a part of the 25 year celebration in 2013, Stampin’ Up! expanded the effort globally.  This is how I and other fellow demonstrators in Australia became involved. Events were organised and cards donated.

I donate cards each month to the Ronald McDonald House at Herston as this is where I hold a class to give the residents a bit of creative time and take away their worries for an hour or two. I bring enough cards and tools to make 3 cards and over the time I have been doing it I have fine tuned what I take. In the beginning it was a huge metal tote box on wheels chock full of everything that I MAY need and then got ferried home unused. Now I have it down to a fine art.

 I design my cards, pop all the card bases and layers into a large envelope, pop the sample card in the front behind a clear panel. I do this to all 3 cards.

Then I lay them on my table and see what inks, stamps and punches are required these are popped into my carry bag along with the cards.

 and of course my bag of adhesives.

First layer, done.

Last layer, done.

All set, I can't believe I spent so much time dragging around unnecessary gear "just in case".

Did you know?

Each year, Stampin' Up! design an exclusive stamp set to promote the partnership with RMHC, and donate a portion of the proceeds from the each sale of that set. To date, Stampin’ Up! has donated more than $1,000,000 USD from its RMHC stamp set sales, and with the expansion to their international markets, they hope to be able to donate even more! Check out the back of your catalogue and see what this years stamp set is and if you think you would like it, remember that $3.00 will go to RMHC.

Make a difference while having fun

Tag It is the Ronald McDonald House Charity stamp set. Each year Stampin* Up! has a stamp set designed as the Ronald McDonald House Charity stamp set. To date, Stampin' Up! have donated over US$1 million to RMHC.
I'm so happy that Australia now gets to be part of Stampin' Up!'s sponsorship of this charity.  $3 from each set sold will be donated to our Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Ronald McDonald House provides a ‘home-away-from-home’ for families of children with serious illness. These families often have to spend  birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries and so on living in the house. So I would like to help by making packs of cards for the house families to use.

Would you like to help? 

I am inviting everyone to come and make cards with me. I will supply all the card and embellishments. All I ask of you is to bring glue. Stay as long as you like.

What's in it for me?
Being surrounded by a group of ladies willing to spare some time out of their busy lives to help a very worthy cause.

What's in it for you?
Getting  a warm and fuzzy feeling for helping support RMHC, with the bonus of getting card classes for free.

Would you like to buy the Tag It Stamp set?
Head over to my online shop or call me and place an order.

I haven't set a date for this event yet as I would like to know numbers first. Please let me know if you are interested in coming. I am open to day, night or weekends.

Mens business made for womens fun...

Bet that title had you guessing! Just me trying to be a bit clever, not sure if it worked but ah well, let me explain.
My dear husband was being installed in his club and part of that installation was for his wife to provide the activities for the morning. To me the best activity when you don't know everyone very well is card making.

I decided to use the Tag It stamp set as Stampin* Up! donate $3.00 to our Ronald McDonald House for every stamp set sold. My thought was that each person make two cards. They keep one and then give me back the other so that I can pack them up and give them to Ronald McDonald House. Everyone thought this was a great idea and some even donated both their cards. This has made me think about having a few sessions of card making and also donating them to Ronald McDonald House in the future, so stay tuned.

 

Also I decided to make Thank You cards for everyone that attended. As it was a Tuxedo event I thought a card with a Tux on the front would be perfect. I made 90, and everyone loved them.