4 Cards and a Plea for Help!

Hello!  I have four new cards to show you today! Yes, four!   I made all four for Donna, who you know from the Saturday sketch shares, as she participates every other week!  Well, I didn't actually make them for Donna, but for her son, who is also my Godson.  You see he is a Marine and has recently been shipped off to Afghanistan.  I made these four cards for him so he would have some cards to write in and send back to whoever he chooses, maybe his girlfriend, or mom, or a friend?  All four are a little simpler layouts than my usual, but I still think they came out great!  I went with a couple of new stamp sets all with the new Benton bear from Inky Antics. I thought they would be a good fit for this, and not a lot of intricate coloring as a bear is brown!  Hee Hee!  I had plans to actually do at least 2 more, but they will have to wait for another time!  Donna has started a care package campaign to get help with sending packages of what her son and other Marines are in need of.  This is where the plea for help comes in.  First, I am going to show you my 4 cards and then at the end of my post, I am copying the letter Donna sent to friends and family asking for help.  She follows many Marine message boards and has a lot of info on the conditions and the needs of our soldiers.  Even if you can't help, read her letter, as it is very informative.  Now, let's get to my cards!  Enjoy!

The sentiment was in two lines horizontal, so I cut them apart and curved them on my acrylic block to fit along the side of the oval.  The problem is I think there was something wrong with the polymer letters because they really bled when I stamped them.  But, as this was the last card, I decided to just let it go! This will be a good one for Ryan to send back to his girlfriend, don't you think?

Recipe:
Paper - Basic Grey Kissing Booth 6 x 6 pad, Cardstock White, Red
Stamps - Inky Antics Heart Benton
Ink - Memento Black, Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol
Tools - Spellbinders Classic Oval, Classic Heart


Next ...


Since I wanted to leave the inside blank so that Ryan could write a note to the person he will send this card to, I put both sentiments on the front.  I did paper piece the little heart and cut out his arms a second time, to make it appear he is holding the heart.  Cute, huh?  This one I think could be sent to a guy or a girl.

Recipe:
Paper - My Minds Eye Lime Twist: Out of the Blue 6 x 6 pad, Cardstock White
Stamps - Inky Antics Heart Benton set
Ink - Memento Black, Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol
Tools - Spellbinders Classic Circles, Lacey Circles
Other - Pearls by Queen & Co.


Next:

I love this one.  And that bear holding the flowers?  Oh my, I didn't realize how much I liked him until I stamped him!  I started this card casing another card, but in the end, it is totally different, as I changed on the layout the placement of the circle and the number of layers.  So, this one is a sketch by me now!  Oh, and do you see I did the out of the box technique?  I am getting good at this.  I guess I need to do a post with a review of this technique soon!  This card I thought would be good for his girlfriend, but would be also great for mom or grandma! 

Recipe:
Paper - My Minds Eye Lime Twist: Life of the Party 6 x 6 pad, Cardstock White, Brown
Stamps - Inky Antics Delivery Benton
Ink - Memento Black, Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol 
Tools - Spellbinders Classic Circles
Other - Brown Pearls, Pink Rhinestones, Twine by The Twinery

And last but not least:

Another chance for me to paper piece ... woo hoo!  Super simple, but super cute.  A great one that could be sent to a guy or a girl.  What do you think ... do you like how all four cards came out?

Recipe:
Paper - My Minds Eye Lime Twist: Out of the Blue 6 x 6 pad, Cardstock White, Aqua
Stamps - Inky Antics Delivery Benton

Ink - Memento Black, Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol
Tools - Spellbinders Classic Circle, My Favorite Things Open Scallop Border & Ticket Tab Die-namics
Other - Twine by The Twinery, Green Rhinestones

Now, before I end with Donna's letter, I want to say that this week I am working on five or six new cards to donate for the women's tea that my church ladies are hosting this coming Saturday, so as I finish a card, I will post them here for you to see.  So see you soon!  Happy Stamping!
Tina

Donna's letter:

Dear Family and Friends.....

As you may/or may not know our son Ryan is now on the front lines in Afghanistan with the United States Marine Corps. (No....the war is not over) Therefore, I've started a care package campaign for Ryan and his fellow Marines in Fox Company 2^nd Battalion 5^th Marine Regiment. Some of these guys literally have no support from home. So I am asking for your help in this project. Many of us have sat by for over 10 years while this horrible war continues wondering what can I do to help. Well now... here's your chance to support these fine young men who NEED our support.

Because of Operational Security Rules, I cannot tell you exactly where Ryan is. Let's just say he is in one of the most remote outposts in Afghanistan FAR from any “real” military base. There are NO frills where he is stationed for at least the next 6 months. All they could take is what they could carry. Chow for the most part will be MRE's (yuck). Showers...maybe one or two a month. They use tons of baby wipes for hygiene. Laundry facilities....a 5 gallon bucket and cold water. A supply truck (that the Marines can buy from) comes about once a month and by the time it gets to their post it's pretty picked over by the other stops along the way. They're lucky to get a new tube of toothpaste or a bar of soap once it gets to them. These Marines are constantly tired and HUNGRY. Plus right now it's very cold going below zero at night. These guys are sleeping on the ground, in the dirt, in a sleeping bag. In a few months it will be HOT....around 120 degrees at times. I've read and heard from other military mom's about the socks rotting right off their feet as they don't have new ones to use. It's pretty sad. I just recently received a request for warm clothing for the closest military hospital. You would think that our Government could supply these wounded soldiers with some warm clothing. It's NOT happening.

Now many of you might think sure I'll do a care package. That would be fine if you would actually follow thru, I can send you an address to ship it to. However, our day to day life tends to get in the way of our good intentions. Not to mention going to the post office to pick up a flat rate box (ships for $13.45) and filling out a customs form, etc... It's kind of a hassle to say the least. So....I would prefer that you “sponsor” a care package thru me. Here are the following ways you can help:

1.Send me gift cards (in any amount) to the following stores: Walmart, Target, Dollar General, Family Dollar Store. I will purchase items for these care packages and mail them with a note enclosed stating who the care package sponsor/sponsors are.

2.Send me a check in any amount (made out to me) to help with postage.
3.Send letters and cards of encouragement and support to my address. I will include these in Ryan's care packages. If you want to write or send cards to other members of Fox Co. please send those as well, and they will go into care packages for the Marines that don't usually get any mail. This is VERY important to these Marines. They like to know that we are thinking of them back here in the U.S.

Please do what you can for these young men who are sacrificing so much for us. I hope I can count on your continued support over these next months. If I could do it all on my own.....I certainly would, but each care package runs approximately $40 to $50 including the postage and that adds up quickly when you're trying to support several Marines at one time. Ideally I would like to send at least two care packages every month. The flat rate boxes are quite small, about the size of a large shoe box. It takes over 3 weeks for these packages to reach these guys.

The care packages that I will be sending in YOUR name will include, food, toiletries, socks, t-shirts, underwear, foot care products, batteries, vitamins, magazines, books, games, postage stamps, envelopes, writing paper and other items as well. If you have any questions, please email me at fozzy078@yahoo.com or Facebook message me. Here's my mailing address:

Donna Fosner

(Note from Tina: I removed Donna's address here. Email her for her address if you want to help.  Thanks!)

Thank you for your help!

Love,

Donna