Heart Cards Say Thank You - Australian Floods

Have you heard of the horrendous floods which recently deluged Australia? In the state of Queensland, 75% of the state was affected. This is equivalent to twice the size of Texas or France and Germany put together. Victoria and New South Wales were also hit by flooding. Loss of life, property and livelihoods was devastating.

Help, donations and messages of support from fellow Aussies and from people all over the world has been amazing. Now one Aussie card maker has come up with a unique idea to help those affected say "Thank You" to the generous souls who have rallied to assist.  

Simple. Make Thank You cards and send it to her for distribution. What a grand idea... the Power of One.

From The Heart Cards Site

• "HEART CARDS" is a project to give communities that have been affected by devastating events, such as natural disasters; and community groups, a way to say "Thank You" to those who have helped them out in times of need.
  
  
• Paper-crafters are asked to make packs of 10 thank you cards or blank cards that will be given to communities and groups.
  
  
• "HEART CARDS" will be an ongoing project to create hand made cards for those families who have lost so much.
  
  
• Please keep checking back here on our blog to keep up-to-date with our latest card drives.
  
  
• Thank you for your interest and for taking part in this VERY worthwhile cause.

Even if  you can't help, I thought you might like to know about this project which reflects the supportive and caring nature of our wonderful papercrafting community. For more, head to the Heart Cards site.

Update February 5th:
Since my original post above, a severe cyclone (hurricane) has hit Queensland - lots more hearthbreak. In some cases, whole towns have been virtually wiped out with houses reduced to matchsticks. Plus more terrible floods and bushfires have hit Victoria and now bushfires and homes lost in Western Australia.

Just 2 Cards - Just Experimenting

Just 2 cards where I've been trying out new techniques. Apologies for washed out photos, (also discovered it doesn't help to photograph them on a black background).  The first one I've been playing around with distress inks and background stamping... actually looks quite nice and so much cleaner and brighter in "real life".The Japnese Girl is a Sparkle n Sprinkle stamp and the background stamps are from Kaisercraft.

I love the House Mouse Amanada Writes stamp, so matched it with a Happy Birthday sentiment stamp and layered partial cuts with the Martha Stewart doily punch.

In the absence of great photography skills, I'm wondering if I  need a light box to take more consistent photos, so as not to be at the mercy of the weather and variable light. I went to the camera shop to ask about it. He said forget photos. Scan instead.

Any thoughts on lightboxes, photo tips or whether it's best to scan? What works best for you?

Looking For Nestie Friendly Stamps?

Looking For Nestie Friendly stamps?

I've just updated my October 2010 listing for Nestie Friendly stamps. I've also included some Nestie Friendly Digital Stamps I came across. Go to the orignal post to check it out.

Do you know of any others to add to the list?
I love the concept of Nestie Friendly stamps, so will be continuing to update the list as I come across more. 

Please feel free to leave a link in the comments to either new additions, or to your own creations using Nestie Friendly stamps (clear, rubber or digital)

Credit: Image is from Whimsy Stamps - Digital Dressed Up Shapes from Raindrop Echo

Friendship Card Plus An Innovative Card Idea For Charity

I've been experimenting with using doilies on my handmade cards. The sentiment on this card says
Friendship is what binds the world together in peace.

For Christmas I received  a wonderful card from my sister - not handmade, but amazing all the same. It was a card saying a donation had been made in my name to help a woman start a small business in Sri Lanka in the wake of the Tsunami and Civil War.

This is through an Oxfam initiative offering other great gift card ideas for sponsoring a bicycle ambulance, clean running water, chickens etc. Best of all, these cards can be given all year round. Great to see imagination, creativity and reaching out all come together.

And I love the idea of a card. Like our handmade cards, there's a sense of connection and something special in a card picked out especially for you.  Wishing you all everything wonderful for 2011.