Song of My Heart Stampers

Final Day for More Birthdays for Bella Silent Auction

I'd like you to meet my friend Bella! She is an adorable tiny not-quite-nine-year-old who has had quite the journey--may I tell you her story? Born prematurely and weighing only four pounds, Bella was in and out of hospitals all throughout the first six years of her life wth a laundry list of conditions and disorders, enduring eight major surgeries including open heart surgery. Because of multiple medical issues, Bella never learned to eat, and takes in all her nutrition through a g-tube. You can't keep Bella down, though, and she is a fiesty little sister and a sweet and sassy girlfriend with a dazzlin' smile!

Sadly, our little fighter friend was ultimately diagnosed with a rare, terminal illness called Fanconi Anemia. FA life expectancy is in the mid twenties due to bone marrow failure and a high incidence of leukemia and other cancers.

Bella's mom, my friend and former Stampin' Up team member Stephanie, has dedicated her life to raising funds for Fanconi Anemia research. A tireless fundraiser, Stephanie runs a More Birthdays for Bella Facebook page as well as a CaringBridge site where you can keep updated on Bella's story and read about ways you can help us find answers and ultimately discover a cure for Fanconi Anemia.

I wanted to help my little friend Bella, who is the same age as my daughter Natalie. I knew once you'd met Bella you'd want to help out, too, so I'm providing a fun and easy opportunity for you to do so!

One complete set of Stampin' Up's new Firm Foam ink pads

38 Colors in all, brand new individually wrapped pads

All together over $200 retail value!!!!

Complete boxed set of Regals, Neutrals, Subtles and Brights

Bid between now and April 24th, 2013 at midnight CST

Highest bidder will win the pads plus free shipping anywhere in the U.S.

Silent Auction bidding by email: zwolaneks@att.net  with the subject Line: More Birthdays for Bella

Current High Bid: $125.00

Please include your full name and contact info with your bid. You will be notified if you are outbid so that you can bid again if you are able to.

What other ways can I help?

Stephanie is an avid scrapbooker, using it as therapy and stress release. If you'd like to place a Stampin' Up order and have my entire demontrator's income donated to the cause, as well as generating hostess dollars for Stephanie to use to purchase supplies for memory albums for Bella and her two big sisters, please do so by shopping online here with the special event code: QSXPYW7S

Your order will be shipped directly to your door in about one week, and you will receive a handmade thank you card from me and Bella in the mail!

You can also donate easily via PayPal through zwolaneks@att.net with the message More Birthdays for Bella. Please note if you would like your contribution to remain anonymous. If an address is provided, you will receive a thank you card from me and Bella in the next few weeks.

100% of funds received, order profits,

and the winning bid will be donated to Fanconi Anemia research!

Thank you for your help!

Live locally? Visit this Facebook page to read about a local fundraiser event for kids on May 19th!

More Birthdays for Bella

 

This auction has ended. Many Thanks to everyone who participated, and congratulations to Michelle Stark, winner of the complete set of ink pads! Please continue to keep little miss Bella in your prayers and stay informed on her Facebook Page and Caringbridge site.

I'd like you to meet my friend Bella! She is an adorable tiny not-quite-nine-year-old who has had quite the journey--may I tell you her story? Born prematurely and weighing only four pounds, Bella was in and out of hospitals all throughout the first six years of her life wth a laundry list of conditions and disorders, enduring eight major surgeries including open heart surgery. Because of multiple medical issues, Bella never learned to eat, and takes in all her nutrition through a g-tube. You can't keep Bella down, though, and she is a fiesty little sister and a sweet and sassy girlfriend with a dazzlin' smile!

Sadly, our little fighter friend was ultimately diagnosed with a rare, terminal illness called Fanconi Anemia. FA life expectancy is in the mid twenties due to bone marrow failure and a high incidence of leukemia and other cancers.

Bella's mom, my friend and former Stampin' Up team member Stephanie, has dedicated her life to raising funds for Fanconi Anemia research. A tireless fundraiser, Stephanie runs a More Birthdays for Bella Facebook page as well as a CaringBridge site where you can keep updated on Bella's story and read about ways you can help us find answers and ultimately discover a cure for Fanconi Anemia.

I wanted to help my little friend Bella, who is the same age as my daughter Natalie. I knew once you'd met Bella you'd want to help out, too, so I'm providing a fun and easy opportunity for you to do so!

One complete set of Stampin' Up's new Firm Foam ink pads

38 Colors in all, brand new individually wrapped pads

All together over $200 retail value

Complete boxed set of Regals, Neutrals, Subtles and Brights

Bid between now and midnight TONIGHT CST

Highest bidder will win the pads plus free shipping anywhere in the U.S.

Silent Auction bidding by email: zwolaneks@att.net  with the subject Line: More Birthdays for Bella

Bidding is now over. Congratulations to Michelle Stark, and thank you to everyone who participated in our auction fundraiser!

 

WI Stampers Regional Convention

Please note: this post will periodically be pinned to the top of my blog to help spread the word.

Please scroll down for more recent posts. Thanks!

Ready for some fun this spring? My extended Stampin' Up "family" is throwing a regional stampin' convention for all area demonstrators and their guests in Madison, Wisconsin, April 19-20, 2013! You'll be treated to stamping presentations, motivational talks, business tips and more from ten levels of my uplines and downlines, as well as special guest presenters we're bringing in from other groups! There will be Make N Takes, organized swaps, display boards, and a professional digital photo package is included in the entry fee.

Located in the beautiful Crowne Plaza Hotel just off Interstate 90 in Madison, optional activties will begin on Friday, April 19th with a Pajama Party mixer, snacks and games at six p.m. followed by a shoebox swap from seven to ten p.m. Then it's off for a sleepover with the girls if you've booked your room there for the night.

Saturday, April 20th, the fun begins at 9:00 a.m. sharp, with presentations on the stage showcasing stamping tecniques, Workshop Wows, business training, and other related topics. Then we'll take a break with fantastically creative Make N Takes before our lunch break from 11:30 am to 1:00 p.m. There are 2 full miles of restaurants along this streatch of East Washington Avenue--something for everyone!

Come back to participate in an optional Organized Swap in the Odana Room lobby from approx 1:00 pm to 1:30 pm. Register under options and choose to join one group or two.  Afternoon sessions begin at 1:30pm until 3:00pm including more exciting stage presentations--and let us not forget the Prize Patrol!

We'll conclude our time together with a Service Project from 3:00pm to approx 4:30pm. We're asking all attendees to bring extra cards or card fronts, and we will be sorting, assembling and packing up these cards which will be donated to several organizations. Our charities for this event are "From Our Hearts/Operation Write Home," who provide cards to military members, and "The Necessities Bag"  organization which benefits Breast Cancer patients. 

It's going to be a FABULOUS weekend and I really hope you can join us! I am excited to play my part and share in several areas over the weekend, see demos from all over the area and meet new friends.

Ready to register or want more info? Click here to visit the convention website:

http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=5syt4vdab&oeidk=a07e74etfph3f6ad061

All questions should be addressed to the organizers listed in the link above.

Not a demonstrator? If you've been considering it, I invite you to attend the WI Stamper Regional Convention with me as my guest. Not only will you have a blast learning and stamping your way through the day, if you decide to sign up as a demo after the conference, I will write you a check for the registration fee as my welcome gift to our team.

Ronald McDonald House charity stamp set

Through the Making a Difference program, launched in 2003, Stampin' Up! began a partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities. Each year, they design an exclusive stamp set and donate a portion of the proceeds from the each sale of that set. To date, almost $100,000 has been donated just from RMHC stamp set sales. Awesome!

You can help us make a difference! Purchase this year's set, Moving Forward, and SU will donate $3 to RMHC for each set purchased. It's super cute, and it's for a great cause! Can't beat that!

Stampin' Up and the Today Show Toy Drive

One of the things I appreciate most about Stampin' Up is that they believe in making a difference in the lives of others--whether they're demonstrators, employees, the people who use our products, or children in need of a way to express their creativity. And Stampin' Up puts their money where their mouth is! It's not just a pretty saying on the wall of the home office.

Since 2005, Stampin' Up! has been honored to participate in the TODAY Show's Holiday Toy Drive. This year, Stampin' Up! will be donating over $500,000 worth of stamping and paper crafting products. In conjunction with the donation, Stampin' Up!'s Shelli Gardner will make an appearance on NBC's TODAY Show on Tuesday, December 6. Be sure to tune in and watch Shelli with Hoda and Kathie Lee--it's always very short and she hardly gets a word in edgewise, but its fun to see!

Shelli will be blogging about this fun (and somewhat nerve-wracking) experience in New York City. If you haven't been to her blog yet, it's a MUST! www.soshelli.com There are even challenges you can enter and win free stamp sets from her personally, whether you are a demonstrator or not!

 

2011 JD Crop for a Cure

Today's Crop for a Cure was both well attended and fabulously fun! We had a wonderful time crafting our arms off, shopping, winning prizes, eating, and of course, lots and lots of chatting!

This is Carol R. making her first papercrafting project ever! She came to sit and do her yarn work, and wound up getting totally hooked on the Make N Take. I'll have pictures of that later--forgot to take any today, wouldn't you know.

Kathy N had a lovely visit with her grandbaby. I got to hold this little sweetie, too! We both agreed there's nothing like a chubby baby in an adorable froggie-footed sleeper for warming up your hands on a chilly day.

Other daddies and kids came to visit during the day, too, including Jenny M's little girl, who had a great place to keep all her stickers. Isn't that just too funny? I'll have to send this photo to her mom to scrapbook.

Here is a rare picture of Kim R--rare because she's the organizer of this wonderful annual event, and you don't catch her sitting down pretty much the whole day! The JDRF crop is especially important to her, because both of her kids have juvenile diabetes. Thanks for another awesome event, Kim! I hope we raised a LOT of money for this great cause!

And here's a photo of the little gal who started it all--Amanda!

What a great way to spend a rainy, COLD Saturday. I didn't get a whole lot done myself, but I did get all caught up with friends I haven't been able to spend much time with lately, and that was priceless. I hope you'll make it a priority to take a little time out for yourself to get together with friends--maybe not even craft necessarily, but just spend some time purposefully connecting. Friendship is precious, a piece of yourself, your time, your life. Give that gift to a friend today!

Strength and Hope--get your pink on

Prayed for friends and family affected by cancer as I made this card today with the new Strength and Hope set from Stampin' Up (click here for details on the fundraiser and my special offer). What a wonderful thing it is to be able to touch someone's heart and make their day with a simple "thinking of you" card.

We'll be making this Pink Pirouette textured long card (3x6) at my Fort Atkinson Create-A-Card Club tomorrow night, with Rose Red, Regal Rose and Pretty in Pink inks, the Paper Daisies, Basic Pearls, and the Top Note die for the Big Shot. You can't tell from the photo, but the butterfly is also gussied up with Illuminate Smooch Accent ink (page 195).

I've been purposefully using this set with colors other than pink, to check out its versatility. I have been loving it, especially with dark colors like Perfect Plum and Not Quite Navy. However, it's very fun to make a little girly pink-pink-pink extravaganza!