Volunteering for Keiki Cards

I've found a wonderful way to be a volunteer for a great organization while I get to do my favorite thing ... make cards. Keiki Cards http://www.keikicards.org/ is a nonprofit group based in Hawaii that sends out handmade cards every week to children with life threatening illnesses. Being a volunteer is easy. All you have to do is make the cards and send them in, Keiki Cards handles all the rest. If you have the time, and some extra cards you should consider sending in a few. The kids will really appreciate it! I'm just happy that I'm able to put a smile on a child's face and brighten their day.

Here are a few that I'll be sending this week:

Writing Poetry For Cards

There are times when I'm inspired to write a simple poem and use it for a card. I think that's why I like working with flat cards -- they are perfect for displaying a short poem or a cute rhyme, and you still get to embellish. If I do it right, the poem will express sentiments that I'm thinking or feeling, and whoever gets the card always has the option of framing it or putting it in a scrapbook as a keepsake.

Gearing up for a Handmade Holiday

I'm beginning to gear up for a festive holiday season. I know ... Thanksgiving first, but I couldn't resist starting to work on Christmas cards. I'm all for celebrating a handmade holiday season. I know that since I started sending out handmade cards to friends and family at Christmas time, they look forward to getting them and I have fun making them.

You've got to love hang tags. What a great way to spruce up a gift or a package. These tags are 2 x 3 inches and are cut from textured patterened cardstock photo mat paper. Tags are just another way to make a gift or package extra special.

More Simple Touches

I think that it's always important to say 'thank you' in an extra special way. I always keep a stack of 'thank you' cards handy just in case. Sometimes you find yourself saying 'thank you' just because someone said something nice that made your day (on a day when you really needed to hear something nice).

This is a cute card that let's you say 'thank you' with simplistic style.

Paper and Fabric Together

On a lot of the cards I make I like to use both paper and fabric together for a little mixed media magic. On this art card I combined coordinating paper and fabric to create her outfit and I used handmade paper for the background. Again I kept the design simple, and let the different shades of brown, the patterns and the textures do all the work to create the effect.

Gotta Love Buttons!

Buttons are really versatile. We can use them for so many different things. We can use them for practical things -- like on our clothes, and the not so practical things --like putting them on cards. It's like thinking outside the box when you use bottons on your cards. They add a touch of whimsy and they offer an alternative to traditional embelishments.