Stampin! with Jaydee

Happy Sunday.

I have more details on the card drive for kids in foster homes that is being organized by Bearly Art after my Paper Players card.  Thanks to those of you who have already let me know that you will be participating in this card drive.  I think it's a wonderful excuse for us to get into our crafting spaces and make some fun cards for the kids!  Let's get to the Paper Players challenge first.

It's the fabulous Ann's turn to host our Paper Players challenge this week and it's sketch week!  It was the perfect sketch for me to use my new Botanicuts Toadstool and Wood Slice dies from The Greetery.  Here's Ann's sketch:

I die-cut and sponged the wood slice and toadstools and arranged them on my card.  I used a sentiment from Signed and Sealed and die cut it.  I die cut a piece of black card stock and added that behind the sentiment to create a shadow effect.  For once, I didn't use a white base!  Here's my card:

Aren't those toadstools gorgeous?  I just love them and thought the wood slice was the perfect way to anchor them.  I hope you will join us and play along this week.  As always, the design team have some fabulous inspiration for you:

• Ann
• Claire
• Jaydee
• Joanne
• Laurie
• LeAnne
• Anne Marie
• Amanda
• Debbie
• Nancy

On to the details for the card drive - and it's a perfect time for me to answer some of your questions.  Let's start with a quick overview.  Bearly Art are trying to collect a card for every child in the foster care system in the US today. 

From the Bearly Art website: Did you know that the average age of a child in the foster care system is 8 years old?  Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) reports that 430,000+ children are currently in foster care with over 125,000+ are waiting to be adopted.  These kids have been through emotional turmoil that no child should ever experience. The top 4 reasons for children entering the Foster Care System is because of neglect, drug abuse (parent), caretakers inability to cope, or physical abuse.

That's a lot of children who have been through unimaginable turmoil and who could do with a simple card, made with love.  Even though the average age is 8, there are kids in the system with ages ranging <1 year to 18 years old.  52% of kids are male and 48% female. 

Now... on to some answers:

Q1: Do I have to send cards to you or can I send them direct to Bearly Art?  Feel free to send them directly to Bearly Art.  Please check their website for directions on how to register at this link

Q2:  Do I need to leave the inside of the cards blank?  Check out this link at Bearly Art for full details.  But the short answer is they need cards with messages inside and ones that are blank.  They request that if you do write a message, please ensure that is appropriate across cultures, religion and demographics.

Q3: Why are you doing this card drive and not just promoting the Bearly Art page?  Good question!  Those of you who have been around my blog for a while may remember that I have done multiple card drives throughout the years for military, seniors, veterans, Moms and Kids in shelters, etc.  I do these drives to raise awareness for these organizations.  I offer up blog candy as a way to say thank you to those of you who have been gracious enough to support these card drives.

Q4:  Where can I find full details on what is required?  You can check out the instructions on the Bearly Art page at this link.

Q5:  How long do I have to send cards?  Cards need to be in the hands of Bearly Art by March 31.  That gives us three weeks to collect as many cards as we can.  So, either have the cards sent directly to Bearly Art by March 31 or by March 21 to me.  That gives me time to sort the cards and get them sent to Bearly Art by the closing date.

Q6: What blog candy are you offering?  For those of you who send cards, I have a couple of different blog candy options up for grabs courtesy of moi :-).  1x $25 voucher to The Greetery and one grab bag of goodies worth about $50 that includes stamps, stencils and dies.

If you have any other questions - just send me an email at the link on the right panel, or leave a message here.  For those of you who have asked me for my address, I will be responding to you in the next couple of days with that info.  Let's see how many cards we can get for the kiddos!

I'm off to make some cards for the drive and will have some photos to share with you tomorrow.  In the meantime, warm hugs and prayers for those of you who need a little lift today.

Hugs

Jaydee

Card recipe:

• Dies:  Botanicuts Toadstool, Wood Slice - The Greetery
• Stamps:  Signed and Sealed - The Greetery
• Card stock:  Simon Says Stamp Schoolhouse Red.  Neenah Solar White