Blog Candy Winner Announcement!

(For the current challenge, please go here.)

Today is a very special day! First we are announcing the winner of our Blog Candy Contest! And for me personally, I have to share that 5 years ago today, my grandson Nate was born six weeks pre-mature. I remember the first time I saw him all hooked up to so many tubes and looking so tiny. But he was cared for by wonderful nurses and doctors at the Intensive Care Unit of the Neenah Children's Hospital and is a happy healthy smart wonderful 5 year old boy. Of course Grandma is greatly prejudiced I admit:) We are celebrating his birthday with him this weekend, but sometime during the weekend I am going to deliver 228 handmade cards to Neenah and Milwaukee's Children's Hospitals to help cheer boys and girls and their families when they are inpatient there. Thank you so much to all who have sent in cards and also to our new friends who have promised to send in cards as part of this blog candy contest.

And now, for the announcement you have been waiting for................................................................

The winner of this huge package of stamps, flowers, punches, adhesives, rub-ons, ribbons, tools, etc. is:

Lucky #13  Claudia!!

Here is what Claudia said in her lovely comment:
Hello, I just became a new follower of your great blog, I will surely be sending u some cards, thank u for giving me the chance to help out such a great cause... and also thanks for the chance to win such amazing candy, I have added it to my sidebar with a link back here... 
http://destined2create.blogspot.com
many blessings on u guys, and I hope u gather many cards for all those children... 
Claudia W.

Claudia- I will be notifying you personally after I come back from our birthday celebration. But if you read this and want to contact me with your mailing address, you can email me at khasheck@gmail.com.
Congratulations!!

Thanks to all who put our blog badge on their blogs and helped promote our cause. We look forward to receiving more cards in the mail soon. It's time to start creating fall and winter holiday cards to be sure we have them in time to get them to the children. Let's try real hard to make sure each child who is inpatient during the holidays has a card from us to brighten their day a little bit. All the information you need is available under the tabs above.

With the extra Saturday in July, you have another week to make and link a card for a boy, especially a teenage boy. Read all about our current challenge here.

Stamping smiles 4 our kids, Karen

Red White and Blue Winners!

(For our current challenge, please go here.) 

It's always fun here on Saturdays! Either we are announcing a new challenge or more winners! And on Saturday July 30th (which would normally be a day off for us as we are a first and third week of the month challenge), we are announcing the winner of the blog candy giveaway! Still plenty of time to get in on that one- click on the picture on the side for all the details on how to enter.

The winners of the random drawings for our awesome sponsor prizes are:

#1  Gloria M. has won the $9 Gift Certificate from Stamp Fairy!     and

#22  Chris C. has won the 3 sets of digital stamps or cutting files from The Cutting Cafe!

Please email me at khasheck@gmail.com to help you get in touch with the sponsors to get your prizes, and take your "I was a winner" blog badge from the side of this blog for your blog.

Our top three was hard again to choose because we had so many awesome entries. The design team has chosen these three cards as our Top Three:

#23 Angela W.

#12 Pat P.

#11 Janiel

You can click on the names above the cards to go to their awesome blogs and get some more inspiration. Ladies- your cards will be featured in our slide show and you can take our Top Three Blog Badge from the side and put it on your blog with pride. And if you would like to be featured as a Guest Designer on one of our upcoming challenges, just send me an email (khasheck@gmail.com).

Remember to join in the fun at our current challenge: For the Boys (Especially Teenage Boys) - you have until Friday August 5th to enter- a whole extra week to make a fun card for a boy and enter it to win great prizes. Then please consider sending it and any other cards you have for children to Send a Smile 4 kids for our kids in Children's Hospitals. For all the information you need, please click on the tabs above.

Stamping smiles 4 our kids, Karen

For the Boys (Especially Teenage Boys) Challenge and Introducing a New Design Team Member!

(For the Blog Candy post, please go here.) 

Welcome to another great challenge here at Send a Smile 4 Kids! This time we are encouraging you to make Cards for boys, especially teenage boys. We receive cards for little boys and girls and feminine ones that would work for teenage girls, but the teenage boys are the most neglected group. 

But first, we have the pleasure of introducing the newest member of our design team! Sarah Taylor has graciously agreed to join us on our design team and we are thrilled to have her! Sarah has been a top three winner here and has also sent us many of her beautiful creations for our kids. Here is what Sarah sent to introduce herself to you:

A big hello from Iowa!  I am so excited to be joining the Send A Smile 4 Kids Challenge Design Team.  When I found this challenge I was so touched.  We have spent months sitting in hospitals next to our youngest son.  I know personally how overwhelming it is to have a sick and dying child.  While you are in the middle of something so stressful it is amazing what a small gesture can do to brighten your day.  So when I found Karen and the challenge I was overwhelmed with joy.  Now my style - I call it junky.  The more stuff I can get on a card the more I like it! =)  My life is very orderly so I let it all hang out on my cards and scrapbook pages.  I really am excited to be part of this wonderful group touching lives that we couldn't touch any other way.

Please visit Sarah's blog:  http://www.auntbeespickles.blogspot.com/ to see her great cards and leave her some love and congrats on her new dt position here.

Now onto our newest challenge. We are challenging you to make a card for a boy and link it here for a chance to win some great prizes from our wonderful sponsors. Kenny K Digital Stamps are great for boys of all ages and they are offering a prize of 3 digital stamps of the winner's choice. We love Glitterbabe's digital stamps and Glitterbabe is offering a $10 gift certificate for the other winner of our random drawings. And of course, we will also be awarding our Top Three badge to the dt's favorite three cards entered in this challenge.

Now here for your inspiration are our design team cards For The Boys (Especially Teenage Boys).

Sarah's Kenny K Card

Sarah's Glitterbabe Card

Lisa's Kenny K Card

Tammylee's Glitterbabe Card

Tammylee's Kenny K Bookmark Card

Debby's Kenny K Card

Debby's Glitterbabe Card

Karen's Glitterbabe Card

Karen's Kenny K Card

Hilde's Glitterbabe Card

Hilde's Kenny K Card

Aly's Card

You have until August 5th at noon CST to enter this challenge, so make some cards for our boys, enter them in the challenge and then please consider sending them to SAS4Kids to cheer a boy who is inpatient at a Children's Hospital. All the details and the address info is available under the "Guidelines for Donated Cards" tab at the top of the blog.

And don't forget to enter for a chance to win some awesome blog candy - that contest is open until July 30th. Read all about it here.

Stamping smiles 4 our kids, Karen