Happy World Cardmaking Day!

The first Saturday in October marks World Card Making Day, where everyone is encouraged to show their creativity by making a hand made card to give to family, friends or a complete stranger! I hope you are all able to celebrate the day with some crafty time in your own home, with some friends, or on-line with a crafting group. 

 

Started in 2006 by Paper Craft magazine to encourage their subscribers to get a jump start on making holiday cards, the day became so popular it is celebrated annually across the globe.

 

Join in the fun and share your makes on social media with the hashtag #WorldCardMakingDay!

 

The first Saturday of the month is also the start of the new challenge here at SAS4Kids! Hop on over to the challenge page to see this month’s examples of Holiday/Celebration cards for the kids, and link up one of your own!

 

Happy fall everyone!

All Organized!

It’s been raining—A LOT—where I live so I have spent more time in my crafting space. The result? A lot of projects going on! 

The other result? A bit of a mess. 

 

While I try to keep a neat workspace, I often switch to a new project before the previous one is finished, so I end up making cards on top of papers, plans and sketches. I finally had enough! I took one particularly wet day and put everything away. I mean everything! I sorted and re-filed all my stamps, pens, inks, scraps, paper pads, ribbon, bling, tools, and – most importantly—all the cards for donation! It looks great, feels fresh, and best of all, my cards are counted, sorted by theme, labeled, and ready to box up for my hospitals! And I have a pile of items to donate to a teacher friend. Now…back to making things!

 

And speaking of making things, it’s time for the SAS4Kids Challenge. This month’s focus is on Thank You cards for the kids and their families to give to the nurses, doctors, therapists, staff, and volunteers—even therapy animals! Please join us! You can upload your card even if you don’t have a blog to link to…Just follow the directions at the bottom of the Challenge Rules page!

 

Enjoy the rest of summer and happy crafting!

 Hello everyone,

 Summer is almost upon us, which might mean a visit with family or friends we haven’t seen in person for a while, a vacation with your friends, or attending a wedding. Or it could mean cultivating your garden, eating s’mores around the fire pit, or perhaps just enjoying the sunset from your porch. Whatever your plans are, I hope your summer is fabulous!

 

SAS4Kids is still in the business of bringing smiles to the children in hospitals around the country. Hopefully some restrictions will be lifted this summer and our cards can reach more hospitalized kids. Check out our needs page to see if there are new requests.

 

Calling all card makers—Get the latest information on our card challenges, which are posted the first Saturday of the month. Come play along with us—you can now post your creations even if you don’t have a blog! Directions are posted on the challenge page. We’re really excited to be able to include more people in our SAS4Kids community!!

 

Have a wonderful summer and happy crafting!

 

 

 

 

 April Showers Bring May Flowers…

 

Things have been getting a bit busier around here in preparation for Mother’s and Father’s day cards! Our design challenge this month is cards for the kids to send to their mothers, step-mothers, grandmothers, guardians, or any significant women in their lives! The Design Team has made some great examples, so check out the challenge page to see all the great cards! We hope you join in the fun as well.

 

If you didn’t already know, SAS4Kids has a facebook page! Please hop on over to facebook.com/sendasmile4kidsusa to see some of the projects our fabulous volunteer card makers have sent to us. Our card makers are the lifeblood of SAS4Kids­­––without them, we wouldn’t be able to bring so many smiles to kids at the hospitals we serve, so be sure to leave them so love and following our page!

 

Happy crafting!!

Spring is in the air

Hello crafty friends! 

I hope you are all doing well. Whether March is coming in like a lion or like a lamb where you are, I hope one thing is consistent for us all–a drop in COVID numbers! I am optimistic that as we move into summer, more people will be allowed to visit their hospitalized families and our card needs will pick up. Of course, this will coincide with nice weather, spending more time outside and less time crafting. Luckily, most of our shipping volunteers are well-stocked for now, but If you’re planning to make some cards, please be sure to check out our needs page!

 

Our challenge side is active and March’s challenge is Cards for Boys/Guys. Click the “Challenge” tab to see the great cards from the Design Team and play along. There is always great inspiration from the DT and crafters who upload their card creations!

Happy crafting!

 

 

Farewell 2020, Hello 2021!

Happy new year everyone! I hope everyone is greeting the new year from a safe and healthy place. The new year is often a time of change—of resolutions for new habits, cleaning and organizing, learning a new skill, or taking on new challenges.

 

A significant change around here is our wonderful, long-time director of everything SAS4Kids—Karen H– has decided to step back and pass the torch to a new crew. It’s taken two of us to continue her work and we both hope we live up to her example. She’s been so helpful during the transition and we will always welcome her input and advice. We wish her the best in her future endeavors and will still get to see her lovely cards on our Challenge blog.

 

We also gained two new design team members and the Challenge Blog is going strong! Please check out the latest entries. Are you interested in entering? Click the “Challenges” tab and give it a try! (Be sure to check the “Challenge Rules” page for important information.)

 

Although some of our hospitals did not accept cards last year due to COVID-19, SAS4Kids continued to send smiles to hospitalized kids across the country, and even started sending cards to a new-to-us hospital. As my hospital liaison said, “Now, more than ever, your cards have really helped kids stay connected to their families and friends.” Sending smiles to kids is the reason we exist. 

 

Thank you for checking in and please consider donating, volunteering, or entering our monthly challenges. 

 

Happy New Year!

 

Jen