Hope & Love! A wonderful weekend!

This is the third year that I have co-chaired an event called the Hope & Love Ball for Hannah's Hope Fund. This year we hit it out of the park with our Mardi Gras Masquerade theme! People had so much fun. Check out the Times Union photos {here}. I was also interviewed by the local news: {YNN: Hope & Love Ball}... Our local community has rallied behind this family and the results have been so incredible! Here we are right before the Ball - the kids come to the event dressed up and then go home and have a nice quiet evening. Todd, Xavier & I stay for the event!



We are blessed to have FotoMagic come to the event and donate their time to making really fun magnets. This year, the kids grabbed some props and got silly!


It was another incredible night - we raised a bunch of money - ate delicious food and 370+ strong stood silently as Dr. Steven Gray gave us the wonderful and inspirational update on his progress! Just days after the meeting with the FDA, the crowd learned that the delivery system for a GAN cure is mere months away from possibly happening.


Here is my amazing husband (with whom I co-chaired the event) and my son Xavier, who escorted Hannah to the Ball.


How could we possibly top that night - well, watching our beloved New York Giants come back and win the Super Bowl made the weekend one of the most memorable we have ever shared as a family!




We were up singing Frank Sinatra's "New York, NY" and Queen's "We are the Champions" in the back yard at about 11:00 at night!




Enjoy every single moment of today!!!!!!

Hope & Love Ball, 2011

I took a break this weekend from my featured stamper hostess duties to co-chair a local charitable event for Hannah's Hope Fund. This was the second annual Hope & Love Ball. What a fun evening!

Here I am with my sister, Suzy!

Here I am with my BFF Debbie!



Here is the woman who made last year's "Hope for a Million" grant possible, Doris Buffett, aka The Sunshine Lady. Doris celebrated her 83rd birthday with Hannah and 400 of her newest friends. Thank you Doris, for coming to the event!


Here is my handsome little man, escorting Miss Hannah last night. They are in first grade together this year.


We had an amazing time - thank you to everyone who helped out!






Enjoy every single moment of today!!!!!!

fs203: LeisaJane

Please take the time to vote for Hannah's Hope Fund. They fell from #1 yesterday. We need to make a holiday miracle for the Sames family. It only takes a moment to vote and you would be doing such a great thing for a friend of mine! THANK YOU!

#1: Vote on the Pepsi Refresh site: http://www.refresheverything.com/hannahshope

#2: Vote on the Pepsi site using your Facebook account. Close your browser and re-open it. Click: http://www.refresheverything.com/hannahshope Click "Vote For This Idea." Click Login with your Facebook Account. Click on the "Vote for This Idea" button.

#3: Vote on Facebook at: http://apps.facebook.com/pepsirefresh/idea/view/id/4acec35e-713a-102d-a17f-0019b9b9e205

#4: Use your cell phone to text your vote. Text the message: 104051 to 73774. (73774 is the numeric translation for PEPSI.)

#5: Use your iPhone to text your vote. Download the App at iTunes.

Here is a great masculine holiday card I made for Victoria's teacher. I used it as the class gift card. It was based on LeisaJane's card {here}. I changed the colors and stamp set, added buttons and some DPE.


I used my Winter Swirls stamp set sentiment and used the large and small snowflake punches. Snowflakes were adhered with dimensionals and some stickles were placed on each snowflake. I added some PTI buttons to the center of the card.

stamps: Winter Swirls (PTI)
paper: white, avocado, designer paper (PTI), spring moss
ink: avocado
misc: dimensionals, stickles, buttons (PTI), swiss dots DPE folder, snowflake punches

FS200: A time for reflection!

BEFORE I GET TO THIS WEEK'S FEATURED STAMPER, Please do me a huge favor and CONTINUE to VOTE FOR HANNAH'S HOPE FUND in the month of December! Last month, they went to #2 on the last day (they were in the money) and in the last 15 minutes, fell out of second place to #3. It was HEARTWRENCHING! Her parents, Lori & Matt are physically and emotionally spent. Instead of spending December getting out the vote, their friends and family are taking up the cause for them to create a HOLIDAY MIRACLE!

They are still 1.2 million dollars shy of being able to start the clinical trials and the $250,000 from Pepsi would really put a dent into the massive bill! Hannah is a six year old, first grader in Xavier's class. She is the sweetest little girl. Her parents are good friends who live in the next neighborhood over. Todd and I have taken up this cause, it is very close to my heart. Please take a moment from your stamping to vote for Hannah! Her life will be forever changed by the generosity of strangers! You can help make miracles happen!

#1 Vote for Hannah's Hope Fund today please!

http://www.refresheverything.com/hannahshope

#2: Vote again on Pepsi using your Facebook login.

#3: Vote on Facebook at:

http://apps.facebook.com/pepsirefresh/idea/view/id/4acec35e-713a-102d-a17f-0019b9b9e205?auth_token=a1e3a46c26b817bba04d7d68fd01d94c

#4: Text 104051 to 73774.

#5: Vote on your iPhone.

Think about how you can help out - spread the word! Reflect on all the wonderful things in your life and how simple (and FREE) this cause is and YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!

(and here we go!!!) FS200!

DRUMROLL................
This week's Featured Stampers are the previous 199! Choose from ANYONE on {the list}.
Try and select someone who you have not cased before, or if you have done ALL 199 (I bow to you) - try and choose a card to case which you have not previously cased.


I chose PrincessHeather, from week 185 (FS185)!

Here is the card I made:


I changed the colors (to red, blue) and the theme to winter, removed the ribbon, added cord and used dry pressure embossing.

I loved the three cherries and the sentiment in the corner, so I used some poppy paper for the base, added a layer bashful blue with some swiss dots on the next layer, then stamped the ornament hanger in smokey shadow directly on the white. I stamped the pure poppy ornaments (circle) on white cardstock and then trimmed them out and popped them up on dimensionals. I stamped the sentiment in the corner, added some silver cord and then added some stickles to sparkle up the ornaments and hangers.

Simple and cute! THANKYOUVERYMUCH! (in my best Elvis voice).

In all seriousness, "tis the season" of hope and miracles. Please consider voting EVERYDAY for HHF in the Pepsi Refresh Challenge. What would you do for your child if they were dying! I would do anything, so I am helping get the word out for Hannah. Please share this with your friends and family this holiday season!

God Bless!




stamps: Winter Swirls (Papertrey Ink)
ink: poppy, smokey shadow
paper: poppy, white, bashful (SU!)
misc: silver cord (SU!), dimensionals, stickles, swiss dots folder

FS198: Criminalgrace

Before I get into the Featured Stamper Card, please do me a huge favor and VOTE FOR HANNAH'S HOPE FUN! They are 1.2 million dollars shy of being able to start the clinical trials and the $250,000 from Pepsi would really put a dent into the massive bill! Hannah is a six year old, first grader in Xavier's class. She is the sweetest little girl. Her parents are good friends who live in the next neighborhood over. Todd and I have taken up this cause, it is very close to my heart. Please take a moment from your stamping to vote for Hannah! Her life will be forever changed by the generosity of strangers! You can help make miracles happen!

#1 Vote for Hannah's Hope Fund today please!

http://www.refresheverything.com/hannahshope

#2: Vote again on Pepsi using your Facebook login.

#3: Vote on Facebook at:

http://apps.facebook.com/pepsirefresh/idea/view/id/4acec35e-713a-102d-a17f-0019b9b9e205?auth_token=a1e3a46c26b817bba04d7d68fd01d94c

#4: Text 104051 to 73774.

#5: Vote on your iPhone.

Here is the card I made for this week's challenge! I used the new stamp set by Our Craft Lounge called "Notes of Love". Isn't this a cute little ladybug card. Sophie's teacher called her Ladybug and she is *SO* my little ladybug. I think I will put this card aside to give her for a special occasion.

I cased Sarah's card {here}. Sarah (Criminalgrace) on SCS has a great clean style. Her card was the teal and black with a hint of pink. I decided to use kraft for the base of my main image. I liked the little pop of red on the card. I changed things by adding brads and making the card a square card. I also used the diamonds in the rough background.


It is so hard to see in the photograph, but for the ruffled edge, I used some satin ribbon and layered it then topped the ruffled satin with a strip of velvet rick rack. I used some brads to adhere the rick rack in place. The main image is popped up on dimensionals, colored with copics and then the ladybug has a hint of glitter courtesy of a sakura gel pen.

STAMPS = “Notes of Love” (new release from Our Craft Lounge)
PAPER = taken with teal, black, white, kraft
INK = black, copics
MISC = ribbon (black embossed satin and black velvet rickrack, may arts), sakura gel pen, dimensionals, square scalloped punches, diamonds in the rough embossing folder

Hannah's Hope Fund - Pepsi Refresh Everything!

Many of you know that I work closely with Hannah's Hope Fund to help find a cure for G.A.N.

Hannah was in Kindergarten with Xavier this past year and both Todd & I helped chair the Hope & Love Ball last February to raise money for research for G.A.N.

This summer - Pepsi is giving away money for ideas to help make a change for the positive. Their REFRESH EVERYTHING project is going on now and Hannah's Hope Fund is in the running for a $250,000 grant.

Please take the time to vote every day - I will leave the link on my sidebar - just click on it - follow the steps and VOTE for HHF!