Spark a Smile!

January's Thank Yous

2012-02-02T20:53:00.000-07:00

We kicked off our first SAS of the New Year by saying "Thanks" to the employees at the Casa Grande Regional Medical Center. We had another new face: Miss Valerie! She fit right in, doling out silly craft jokes. And, she loves glitter!! We like her already!!

It was a sparkling New Year celebration... lots of sparkly paper! Check out some of our creations below (click here to see the rest!).

Join us this Wednesday, February 8th from 5-7 PM at Yang and Horsley Dentistry (325 E. Cottonwood Lane). We're making Valentines that are sure to spark some smiles!

Spinning Spark a Smile

2012-01-06T17:03:00.000-07:00

Spark a Smile kicked off December's whirlwind holiday season with spinning cards for the Garnet Assisted Living Home! Miss Jane brought us this great technique for a spinning, interactive card. Here are three of the 127 hand-crafted cards we made (click here to see the rest!).

If you tilt the card from side to side, the fun little circle spins across the top of the card!

From

This one was made by one of our new faces, Barbara. Barbara and her mom, Nola, were wandering at Michael's when Miss Jane approached them and invited them to join us. "I picked 'em up," Miss Jane said, as if they were at a club, rather than a craft store! We're so glad she picked them up, because they're both delightful company at our table!

From

My (actual) Aunt Betty made this fun wintery wonderland card. She and Miss Jane, along with Miss Marlene, pre-cut ALL the pieces for this project! Thanks for all your hard work, ladies! It's such a gift to have you at Spark a Smile!

From

Our next party is Wednesday, January 11th, from 5-7 PM. We meet every second Wednesday at Yang and Horsley Dentistry, 325 E. Cottonwood Lane. Hope to see you there!

November's Spark a Smile

2011-12-19T17:13:00.000-07:00

Look what we made for Thanksgiving! We made "dessert" for 300+ people who were served Thanksgiving dinner by Seeds of Hope, St. Vincent's, Salvation Army, and a few other organizations.

We had a LOT of help in creating our 400+ Orbit gum toppers. Miss Marlene used her Cuttlebug to cut over 400 autumn leaves, and printed the "Give thanks" labels. Our assistant Amanda, and even Dr. Phil, stepped in to help cut, fold, and staple all the toppers. On Spark a Smile night, our crew of 6 (including a new face!) assembled everything in an hour and a half! I really love how we all had the same few materials to work with, but each and every piece came out different... similar to real autumn leaves!

We heard from an 'inside source' (Miss Terri :)) that the Seeds of Hope director "had several nice things to say about the gum packets Spark a Smile did for the Thanksgiving Day lunch. He loved them! Thanks for being so generous :)" Glad we could make a small contribution to the amazing things that our community is doing!

We're Back! Sweet!

2011-11-03T17:23:00.000-07:00

Spark a Smile returns this Wednesday, November 9, from 5-7 PM, just in time for the holiday season! We took a short hiatus from September to October for a pretty sweet reason:

Our little sweet pea, Philip Horsley III, was born September 11th! It's a lot of hard work, but every smile and giggle is worth it!!

In between all the feedings and diaper changes, Miss Marlene and I were able to get together for a short time to create some sweet cards for Halloween.

Hope you'll join us next Wednesday from 5-7, at Yang and Horsley Dentistry, to help spark some more sweet smiles! We're making little after-dinner treats for the Thanksgiving meal being served by Seeds of Hope, Salvation Army, and St. Vincent's, so we need your help... They're planning to serve over 300 people... this is a big one! :)

Aloha in July

2011-08-08T11:38:00.000-07:00

Hot July in Arizona usually makes everyone run for the San Diego beach, so last month we had our own little tropical getaway by staying close to the air conditioning and dreaming of waves! Here are some of the cards we made. Click here to see the rest!

These cute mini-cards were distributed to Casa Grande Elementary/Middle School teachers who visited our booth at the CG Elementary Business Showcase. It was so fun to meet creative teachers who were eager to contribute their own cards - stay tuned for photos of their creations!

It was Miss Bethany's first visit to Spark a Smile, and even though she was a little nervous about making cards for the first time, I think she did a great job! Doesn't her sparkly fish make you want to go swimming?

Miss Janie thought outside the box, using pre-punched, pre-chalked scalloped circles as clouds. Ah, reminds me of blue skies and cool waves.

For the first time since Spark a Smile started in October 2009, Miss Marlene wasn't able to join us, but she took some supplies with her on vacation and crafted a stack of sunny cards!

Aren't they cute? Come join us this Wednesday, August 10th, from 5-7PM: we'll be making birthday cards for the New Life Pregnancy Center to send to their contacts. We chose to donate to the pregnancy center and thought the "birthday" theme was perfect as we prepare for our newest addition to the Yang and Horsley Dentistry family... our own little guy should be making his debut in September! Hope to see you at our celebration!

July Sneak Peek - Aloha!

2011-07-12T08:42:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick look at what we'll be doing at our July 13th Spark a Smile party (click here to see the rest). We're making mini-cards to hand out to employees from the Casa Grande Elementary School District! Wouldn't it be great to stick one of these in your wallet or on a bulletin board, and have a little reminder of summer vacation throughout the whole school year?

Join us tomorrow at Yang and Horsley Dentistry (325 E. Cottonwood Lane) from 5-7 PM to create your own little piece of paradise!

Military Thank You - Part 2

2011-07-06T09:35:00.000-07:00

Remember these cards we made back in May to help Stephen say "Thank You" to all the active military service members worldwide? With help from the Boys and Girls' Club (thanks to Mrs. Jeanine L for getting them involved!), and visitors at the Community Health and Safety Fair, we filled out 145 to send overseas! Even the men (who typically don't help out with cards) were eager to get involved and wrote lots of heart-felt messages to the troops. Click here to see the rest, but here are some of my favorites.

Thank you to everyone who helped us send some cheer to the troops!!

Military Thank You Cards

2011-06-06T15:05:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, we received a HUGE donation from our friendly neighbor, Jan Skelley! She was cleaning out her closets and brought over this enormous box of paper-crafting supplies! We are SO grateful for this generous donation.

Miss Marlene and I sorted paper for four hours, and came out with piles that coordinated perfectly for our May (Memorial Day) project - cards for military serving worldwide. She cut all the paper into pieces to make assembly very easy, and we cranked out 207 cards! Here are a few of the cards we made (click here to see the rest).

The only thing missing on these wonderful cards? Hand-written Thank You greetings on the inside! Would you be willing to help us fill out these cards with a hand-written note for our brave US soldiers? Come enjoy the Community Health and Safety Fair (it's free!) this Wednesday, June 8th, from 6-8 PM, at Gilbert Park (behind Trinity Southern Baptist Church on Trekell Rd) for Spark a Smile On-The-Road. Look for our blue tablecloth, and stop by to send a little note to servicemen and women around the world!

April's Regularly-Scheduled Spark a Smile

2011-05-09T11:46:00.000-07:00

This month we worked on cards for the CG Alliance next door. They have many local businesses, charities, and organizations as members of their coalition. The Alliance wants to send cards to their members whenever the member appears in the newspaper, so we made "Congratulations, Saw You In The News!" cards for their on-going project!

We used this card as a guideline: Embossed paper on top, embellishment somewhere on top, plain paper on bottom, with pre-printed "Congratulations" and "Saw you in the news".

I love how they all came out so differently, even with a guideline to follow! Different colors, different embellishments, some creative shapes, but they still kept to the basic pattern. Click here to see the rest!

Our next monthly party is THIS Wednesday, May 11th, from 5-7PM at our office (Yang and Horsley Dentistry - 325 E. Cottonwood Lane). We'll be making cards for the troops in honor of Memorial Day (end of May). This project is quite special, as we'll be helping a boy from Surprise provide hand-written Thank You cards for EVERY active US military member around the world - that's over 180,000 cards!! Click here to see the full story.

And... one more incentive for you to join us this month. For every five cards you make, Bazzill Cardstock Company will enter you to win a drawing for two free tickets to Creative Escape 2011, a inspirational weekend crafting experience in Phoenix!! Click here to find out more.

With free, pre-cut supplies available for you to create a simple and beautiful card, this month's Spark a Smile is really win-win for everyone!! Just come join the fun!!

April's On-The-Road Spark a Smile

2011-04-12T08:50:00.000-07:00

This month we were invited to Hospice Compassus' Casa Grande office to have a spring-themed crafting get-together!

We used their bright, welcoming, and spacious conference room to spread out our supplies, and they even provided snacks!

Our original goal was to make about 40 cards for the Hospice patients, but we decided to also create cards for the nurses and caregivers on staff, which brought our needed total to 66. We didn't count until the end of the evening - we made 67! Perfect. Here are a few happy cards that we made; click here to see the rest!

Our sweet host, Monica, made this one with some simple strips of green paper.

We definitely loved those glitter eggs and bunnies that our awesome assistant, Jane, picked up at Dollar Tree!

A Hospice volunteer created this flower pot on her own... don't believe anyone when they claim they're "not creative"!

Miss Vivian made this one with a leftover Valentine's Day card. We'll miss her when she moves away next month!! She's brought a lot of innovative ideas and funny conversations to our table over the last few months.

Another one of the Hospice volunteer ladies created this fun dotty card. Another "I've never done this before" person! :)

Join us TOMORROW, Wednesday, April 13th from 5-7 PM. We'll be back at our normal meeting place - Yang and Horsley Dentistry at 325 E. Cottonwood Lane. We're making "Saw you in the News" cards for the Casa Grande Alliance (our neighbors!) to send to their members! Hope to see you there!

Hospice Compassus Magazine

2011-03-28T11:24:00.000-07:00

Thanks to one of our sweet patients, Monica White, Spark a Smile was featured in the Hospice Compassus magazine, Everyday Compassion!!! This magazine goes nationwide to caregivers and others involved with the hospice-care providers. What an honor it is to be recognized, and even more of an honor to know that we've helped bring joy to people who have dedicated their lives to caring for other people.

The article reads:

"During a recent dentist appointment, Dr. Janelle Yang Horsley asked if I enjoyed scrapbooking and crafts. I replied that I did but had not had much time lately to be creative. Janelle enlightened me about her greeting card program called Spark a Smile. She began having greeting card parties over a year ago in the lobby of her office to "spark a smile" from each card recipient. She told me they make cards for private non-profit organizations, senior centers, teen moms, and hospitals in our community.

Instantly I had an idea! What a great way to honor our patients' caregivers - to "spark a smile" by giving each of them a card during National Hospice Month in November! I ran the idea by our Executive Director and my fellow Social Worker, and both agreed that our caregivers would benefit from our creativity. Perhaps a greeting card doesn't seem like much, but it would show those providing the day-to-day nurturing that we understand how challenging yet rewarding it is to care for someone who is dying. Their caregivers provide the love and comfort our hospice patients need during a very difficult time.

Two of my co-workers and I were guests at Spark a Smile's first birthday party and card-making night. One of the crafters had made homemade carrot cake cupcakes for all of us to enjoy while we made our cards. In attendance were card crafters of all ages, and everyone had a great time creating cards in bright colors filled with encouraging words. Over the past year, Spark a Smile has donated 1,036 greeting cards and 1,036 smiles!

A smile is a facial expression formed by turning up the corners of your mouth, usually displaying happiness. A hospice caregiver is someone who has principal responsibility for caring for a dependent person with a terminal illness. What better way to show our gratitude than to play a role in placing a smile on the faces of our wonderful caregivers!"
- Monica White, MSW, Bereavement Coordinator
Casa Grande, AZ

Join us on Wednesday, April 6th, at Hospice Compassus (1675 E. Monument Plaza Circle, Casa Grande. Near Arizola Road and Florence Blvd) from 5-7PM to create more cards for the hospice patients and caregivers!

February Spark a Smile

2011-03-07T10:28:00.000-07:00

Our February Spark a Smile was hosted at the Home of Hope, a faith-based rehabilitation center for women with drug and alcohol addictions. They were so gracious and welcoming... they even served us dinner! We had a great turn-out, with four brand-new faces!

Marlene brought pre-cut/pre-embossed pieces to create these cute Valentines. Even with the same materials, they all turn out so different!

Of course, some people skipped the pre-packaged pieces to craft their own creations! Marlene's mom came to visit from Oregon and stamped this pretty heart and hand-colored the image!

Young Talissa created this clever scalloped card!

Her big sister Tiana hand-made some fluttery creatures.

It was Desiree's first visit to Spark a Smile, but that didn't stop her at all! She created a whole stack of gorgeous cards!

Another new face, Janet, couldn't bear to cover up the pretty pink glitter paper, so she simply punched a scallop and added a flower and a small XOXOXO! Love it.

Always on the lookout for recyclable items to add to my cards, I flattened a Hershey's Kiss wrapper and made it into a brad for the center of my flower!

There were so many great cards, it was hard to pick just a few to feature... so check here for the rest!

We packaged up the stack of 90+ cards...

...and hand-delivered them to Oasis Pavilion, an out-of-home rehabilitation center here in Casa Grande! They were so grateful to receive such nice cards to distribute on Valentine's Day.

Please join us this Wednesday, March 9th, at Yang and Horsley Dentistry, to craft your own cards! We'll be making cards for the kids at the Pediatric department at the hospital. Our theme this month is April Fools' (early) so bring your best jokes and funny sayings to help create some laughter!

2011 Updates

2011-02-02T15:45:00.000-07:00

January just flew by! We had so much fun at our January Spark a Smile party, as we were joined by SEVEN new faces!! Five of them were sweet ladies who are visiting Casa Grande for the winter. We were so glad to have them share their creative ideas. Our theme this month was Warm Winter Wishes, and we bundled up with hot cocoa and marshmallows. Here are some of our cards (click here to see the rest):

Miss Marlene played around at home and came up with this fun snowman design:

New card-makers like Sara M. were able to take her design and make it their own!

I love how inspiration moves across the table like a snowstorm :)

My cousin joined us from Tucson and created this simple snowflake card with a silhouette sticker that Marlene had made a few months ago.

I'm not sure who made this one, but I love how they took bits and pieces of recycled greeting cards to make something shiny and new!

The little scattered snowflakes are one of the stamps that was donated by Miss Debbie last month :)

And last but not least... I found these hiding in the Finished Card Bin... some of our patients must have created them while waiting for family members to finish having their dental treatment done. Aren't they encouraging?

We are so excited to partner with the Home of Hope for February's Spark a Smile On-The-Road party. We'll be meeting there at 5 PM, and they'll even be serving dinner for our Spark a Smile participants! It will be a great night for fellowship and creating, so we hope you'll join us!

Happy New Year!!

2011-01-03T10:58:00.000-07:00

Hope you all had a great holiday season, and that 2011 is promising great new things! We received some great new things just before Christmas, from sweet Debbie L (with Zonta International). She stopped by with some goodies for the Spark a Smile supply closet!

Like embossing powders, glitter, and stamping supplies...

And a 12x12 Sterilite drawer set stuffed to the brim with rubber stamps!!

There were two stacks of stamps in each drawer, for a total of 116 stamps!!

We are so very grateful for Debbie's generosity! What a way to celebrate the season. Hope you'll join us on January 12th, 2011, for our first Spark a Smile party of the year. We'll play with stamps and make warm winter wishes cards, and we'll have hot cocoa and marshmallows!

Holiday Cards for Heroes

2010-12-12T16:52:00.000-07:00

Just after we decided to participate in the Red Cross' Holiday Cards for Heroes project, Jeanine, whose son attends Legacy charter school here in Casa Grande, made a special request for 90 Christmas cards that the school kids could write on to send to soldiers. Jeanine had made a few on her own, and Spark a Smile had a few stored away from last year... but 90 cards was a big order! But at our December 8th party, with six card crafters, we made 64 cards!! We definitely fulfilled the 90-card request!

Here's what our table looked like before we started working:

And after...

:)

Here are some creative cards that caught my eye. Click here to see the rest!

Then, we sent them off to Legacy grade school for the kids to add their greetings! They were all so heartfelt. I'm sure the brave soldiers will love them. Check out our gallery to see all of the handwritten sentiments!

They even made sure to decorate the back sides of the cards!

I'd say some of them have Spark a Smile card-making potential!! What do you think?

The extra-special cards were piled up...

... and shipped off!

Hope you can join us for our next Spark a Smile party - the first of the new year!!! - on Wednesday, January 12th, from 5-7 PM!

Award and Art in the Alley

2010-12-12T16:31:00.000-07:00

Little late on this, but in November, Yang & Horsley Dentistry was honored at the Casa Grande City Council meeting for valuable contributions (i.e., Spark a Smile!) during Casa Grande Cares month!! Many thanks to Mayor Bob Jackson, and Caren Rausis, who organizes CG Cares every month.

On December 7th, Spark a Smile collaborated with Cartridge World of Casa Grande to bring some holiday card-making to Casa Grande's Art in the Alley (held the first Tuesday of every month, from 5:30-9PM in downtown Casa Grande.

Here's our festive booth!

Several families stopped by to help us create Holiday Cards for Heroes. Did you create a card at Art in the Alley? Please leave a comment and let us know what you thought of our project. Thanks for helping us give back!
Here are some of the great cards that were created with just a handful of supplies and a sleigh full of creativity!

November's Spark a Smile

2010-11-16T14:38:00.000-07:00

For Spark a Smile November, we made chewing gum toppers to donate to local groups who are providing Thanksgiving meals. Do you know of any shelters who might want to add some Spark a Smile to their dessert menu? Let us know, and we'll send some over!

We had five brand-new faces at Spark a Smile last week! Yvonne (from Cartridge World) and her sweet girls joined us, and they made these fun gum toppers.

Yvonne made her hearts jump off the paper by accordion-folding small pieces of paper, attaching one end to the base paper, and the other end to the hearts!

Miss Tiana hand-cut the butterfly!

Little Miss Talissa made special bracelets, so the lucky recipient of this Spark a Smile goodie gets two little surprises - gum, and a Thanksgiving bracelet!

It was also Kristin G's first time at Spark a Smile, and she jumped right in with stickers and shiny embellishments!

Rumiko K. also joined us for the first time, and she brought her Japanese culture to our table by folding teeny origami cranes to add to her gum topper. Did you know that in Japan, the crane is a symbol of good fortune? We definitely feel fortunate to have Rumiko join us!

As for our "regular" attendants, we each had our own style of producing gum toppers: some found a design they liked and simply repeated it on batches of toppers, while others experimented with different embellishments and stamps.

Please click here to see the rest!

Be sure to join us Wednesday, December 8th, from 5-7PM, when we'll be partnering with the American Red Cross to send Holiday Cards to Heroes in the military!

The Future of Spark a Smile

2010-10-31T09:00:00.004-07:00

As we wrap up our month-long look at our first year of Spark a Smile, let’s consider what we hope the future holds for Spark a Smile.
- Continued monthly parties and donations to local charities

- On-The-Road Spark a Smile parties. Our first one will be November 12th at Cartridge World, from 5-8 PM. Would you like to host one? We’ll help you with the logistics!

- Regular blog posts with techniques, information, and most of all - Spark a Smile stories.

- More Spark a Smile community partners. Do you know any local charities doing good things in the community? Do you know of any local businesses who would like to host Spark a Smile parties to boost employee morale (it worked for our office!)? Wherever there is a need for more bright, sparkling smiles, we’d like to create and donate cards.

- Above all, we want to inspire more good stuff in Casa Grande - starting with a simple smile.

Thanks for joining us!!

The Spark a Smile Circle

2010-10-30T09:00:00.001-07:00

Our donation location representatives are always grateful for our stacks of happy greeting cards to distribute to their patients and clients, but, to be honest, we haven’t yet had any responses from the final recipients of our random Spark a Smile cards.

However, after my dad died and my husband was injured in February (read more about it here), Spark a Smile came full circle… back to me. When I started this fun project last year, I had no idea and absolutely no expectation that I would be directly affected by its final product! Sure, I was always directly affected by the creation of handmade cards - enjoying the time spent with acquaintances who became friends, sharing creative ideas and stories - but I’d never had necessity to receive a Get Well or Thinking of You card. I was speechless, and in tears, when that sweet little girl delivered the card she’d made herself for our family, and it made me smile for days.

Dollar Bin Finds

2010-10-29T09:00:00.004-07:00

This month, we've mentioned a few times how new papercrafters shouldn't let the cost of creating cute cards deter them from getting started. Today, let's take a look at some sweet deals you can find if you keep your eyes peeled!

I try to avoid generic brands because they tend to look gaudy, so I was happy that Michael's had these name brand Prima flowers for just $1! When choosing embellishments, I try to choose packages that contain as many items as possible, so my crafting dollar goes farther (i.e. buy in bulk!).

I found all of these sticker sheets for $1 each! They are all name brand manufacturers, except the wedding stickers (second from the left), but the wedding stickers have glitter and they don't look chintzy. I also prefer to buy items that have special features or textures so they stand well on their own - with glitter, rubber texture, or thick chipboard. I also prefer self-adhesive items so I don't have to worry about how to stick them on!

These green K&Company stickers are "flocked", meaning they have furry texture. I found them at Michael's for 99 cents several years ago, but I saw them there last week and they are $2.99! So beware... if it's a good deal, grab it!

This two-sided glitter sticker sheet by Making Memories was a great deal at Michael's as well. I've never seen these type of stickers for less than $4!

These are Michael's house brand stickers, but I liked the images and they all have good-quality glitter. I think I've seen these type of stickers retail for $3.99, but I got lucky!

I felt like I won the lottery when I went to JoAnn and found the next three cute sheets, along with a bunch of other KI Memories items. These chipboard stickers (you get two sheets in one package) are on *clearance* right now at scrapbook.com for usually $3.49! I'll take the $1 deal, please!

I love these Softies by KI Memories. They're made out of a rubbery silicone. I would tend to use these for more permanent personal scrapbooking projects instead of cards, because they're just so adorable and there are only 16 in a package, but I thought I'd share. Normal retail is $3.95.

Finally, these glitter rub-ons (there are 44 of them) make really awesome accents. Again, normal retail price is about $4. I tend to use only one or two of these type of embellishments per card, so I can really make my supplies (and $) stretch!

So, just by keeping my eyes peeled, I purchased approximately $25 worth of scrapbooking embellishments for $7. With my simple style of showcasing these fancy additions, I estimate that I could probably embellish 200 cards!

Another helpful tip when searching for frugal embellishments? Wait until craft stores are introducing new lines of supplies - when the dollar bins go to clearance, you can find rhinestones and other fun things for only 33 cents. Of course, the colors might be purple and orange for Halloween clearance, but think of how you could use that orange with greens/yellows for Spring cards, or pair the purple with pink and make some Valentine's cards! Just be patient :)

MySpace: On The Road

2010-10-28T09:00:00.001-07:00

So when I'm off to relatives' houses over the weekend, I pack all my stuff up into a neat box. It took me a while to find a box that fit my junk drawer organizer!

MySpace

2010-10-27T09:00:00.002-07:00

Here's a tour of my creative space at home. We rarely eat meals at the dinner table, so I can leave my stuff out indefinitely! But, I've made everything really portable so I can go on the road easily - I'll share that tomorrow!
Here's the overview:

It took me a long time to find an organizational solution that fit my needs. I wanted something that would easily sit on the desktop, have compartments to hold all the little bits and pieces, be easy to store, not take up too much space, but still maximize the space it did occupy. I was also unwilling to pay more than $10! Target to the rescue, with a "junk drawer organizer", which has two layers of storage space. I LOVE IT!

If you're new to papercrafting, please don't let my tools overwhelm you or make you feel as if you need to run out and buy Michael's entire store. I've carefully collected over the past ten years, using 40% off coupons or waiting until 50% off sales, and some of my tools were pilfered from my mom's crafting collection!

These are the two rubber stamps I use the most, along with my entire collection of acrylic stamps. Yes, they all fit into recycled CD cases, and then into a small tupperware container. With the exception of one set I splurged on for my sister-in-law's baby shower, I found all my stamp sets for $1 at either Michael's, JoAnn, or even Big Lots.

I store card blanks, cards-in-progress, and finished cards in my mom's old recipe box.

Hope you've enjoyed the short tour of my personal space!

Rubber Stamps Vs. Acrylic Stamps

2010-10-26T09:00:00.001-07:00

Rubber is the original style of stamp. Rubber stamps are usually constructed of a wood block, as shown here, with an image on the front, and a raised rubber pattern on the back.

Acrylic stamps aren't mounted on anything, but instead "cling" (interchangable) to blocks of acrylic.

There are a few differences between rubber and acrylic.
Print Quality: Rubber tends to leave a more crisp impression than acrylic, but acrylic stamp technology is improving!

Obviously, size: Mounted rubber stamps are about half an inch thick. Acrylic stamps are usually a few millimeters thick.

Cost: I always shop for deals, so I'm not too familiar with average retail price of stamps, but you can find both rubber and acrylic stamps in the $1 bins. Usually you will get one rubber stamp for $1 vs. 3 or 4 smaller acrylic stamps in one package for $1. One rubber stamp (large) can start at $10 and increase in price, while sheets of acrylic stamps (10 or more stamps per package) can also start at $10.

Stamps aren't always a regular feature at Spark a Smile, but if you're interested in trying them out and comparing the two types, we can bring them. Please let us know!

Cuttlebug Cutting

2010-10-25T09:00:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we introduced the Cuttlebug machine, the most high-tech crafting tool that we use at Spark a Smile. There are more complex machines out there for cutting shapes out of paper, but the Cuttlebug is our favorite because it doesn't need electricity, the cutting implements aren't very costly compared to other die-cutting systems, and the machine is super-portable, great for card get-togethers. If you are interested in more advanced die-cutters, simply search google and you will find many comparisons.

OK, here we go with cutting! As we demonstrated yesterday, here is the Cuttlebug platform.

Cuttlebug "cutters" are usually made out of metal. They almost always come in sets of four, and start at $15 retail, but as always, you can keep an eye out for deals (I've found one set of four at Hobby Lobby for only $5!) or use a 40% off coupon.

Choose your paper. Sometimes I choose a larger piece of paper than what I need, so I can use the "negative" image on another card.

Place the styrofoam cutting side against the paper, then sandwich the two between the two "B" plates.
Tip: The cutter will cut into the plastic "B" plates, so place the same side against the cutter every time to keep your plates looking newer longer.

As with embossing, stack the "B" plate/cutter/paper sandwich on top of the white thingy and place it all on the platform, then crank the sandwich through the rollers.

Out pops your crisp die-cut, ready to adhere to your project!

If you have any questions, please post them in the comments, or ask at our next Spark a Smile party - Wednesday, November 10th, from 5-7 PM!

Cuttlebug Embossing

2010-10-24T09:00:00.007-07:00

Today we're featuring Miss Marlene's favorite crafting tool, the Cuttlebug machine! It's cute, it's green, it's simple to use, and we always have one ready for you to try at Spark a Smile. Let's take a look the Cuttlebug's embossing capabilities. Embossing creates a raised pattern on plain paper, adding great texture and depth to your cards.

The machine folds up nicely, making it very portable.

To use, unfold the platform.

These are the Cuttlebug accessories: A big white platform, and "plates".

These are the embossing folders. Usual retail price varies between $5-20 depending on what set and size you buy, but keep an eye out for deals! Some of our favorite folders cost about $2.50 after a 40% off coupon, and these can be reused. We haven't had any break yet.

Simply place the paper inside the embossing folder.

Sandwich the embossing folder between two "B" plates, then stack that pile on top of the white spacing thingy, then up onto the Cuttlebug platform.

Push the plates toward the slot to engage them in the rollers, then crank the handle as if you were flattening pasta in a pasta machine.

Out pops a perfectly embossed pattern!

Check back tomorrow for an introduction to the Cuttlebug's cutting capabilities!

Cut: Guillotine

2010-10-23T12:30:00.005-07:00

The other type of paper trimmer that we keep at Spark a Smile is a Guillotine trimmer. This tool is great for cutting pieces in bulk, or thicker types of paper.

The downside is that it takes up much more table space, and isn't as portable.

Raise the blade, and remove the children from the premises.

Place your paper. It helps to push the paper up against the backstop to cut a straight line.

Then, simply lower the blade to slice the paper (as a guillotine might slice off a body part, I guess?).
Please watch your fingers! Spark a Smile has a 365-day safety record and we'd like to keep that going!

Cut: Basics

2010-10-22T09:00:00.007-07:00

Paper usually comes in sizes too large to use on a card, so you'll have to have a tool to shrink the paper down to card size! You could use a pair of scissors, a portable paper trimmer, or even an Exacto knife, a ruler, and a self-healing trimming mat. Today we'll take a look at the portable paper trimmer. They're a Spark a Smile favorite because they take up less table space and are simple to use.

The ruler at the top extends out when you need to measure longer pieces of paper, and folds away when you're done for the day.

Lift up the clear paper holder and insert your paper.

Flip the clear paper holder down, then push firmly on the yellow blade carriage to cut your paper. It takes a bit of practice to know how much pressure to use, but as always, there are always helpful crafters at Spark a Smile to show you tips and tricks!

Punches

2010-10-21T09:00:00.001-07:00

No black eyes necessary!

Punches are small devices that quickly cut shapes from paper. Punches are a great investment, as you can reuse them as long as they last. With care, they should last years.

Here are some of our Spark a Smile favorites. Upper left: Fiskars brand Squeeze punch. Upper right and lower right: EK Success brand. Lower right: Martha Stewart Crafts brand.

Here's a quick demonstration of how to use the Martha Stewarts Crafts style punch. Place your paper in between the slot, squeeze, and your punch falls out! I didn't demonstrate this here, but I usually flip the punch upside down so I can see what I'm punching out.

The Fiskars brand punches are a bit different. Instead of pushing a button, you squeeze the handles together to cut the shape. The benefit is that you can easily see exactly what you're punching.

You're welcome to try any of these punches at our next Spark a Smile party: Wednesday, November 10th, from 5-7 PM at Yang and Horsley Dentistry.

Adhesives

2010-10-20T09:00:00.001-07:00

There are many different ways to stick paper and embellishments to your cards.
At Spark a Smile, we most often use tape runners (far left - works like a White-Out runner, good for paper and light embellishments like buttons, ribbons, or rhinestones) and glue sticks (far right - good for paper).

But if you're crafting on your own, you can use liquid glue (center - good for paper and embellishments, but takes time to dry), Glue Dots (not pictured - single sticky dots, mostly for heavier embellishments), or double-sided tape.

If you're more comfortable with a different style of adhesive, please share your thoughts in the comments!

Organize your Scraps: Page Protector Style

2010-10-19T09:00:00.002-07:00

There are several different ways to store your scraps, but this is my method.
I make cards away from home quite often, so I needed a space-saving way to store my scraps. Big sheets of paper (12x12 or 8.5x11) sheets get stored at home in hanging vertical file folders. This is my travel kit of scraps. I cut page protectors in half, and designated one for each color family (Red, Orange, Yellow, Blue, Green, Purple, Browns, Black/White) and I store them in a Rubbermaid box that I found at Walmart for $1.88! Teeny pieces go into snack-sized zip top bags in each page protector.

How do you store your scraps? Please share your method in the comments!

An Interview with the Casa Grande Alliance

2010-10-18T09:00:00.002-07:00

Today we're proud to feature a local non-profit organization called the Casa Grande Alliance. Their office is located right next door to ours! We were honored when they invited us to share Spark a Smile with local community leaders, and thanks to their interest, we were able to share SAS with many more people. Thank you, CGA!

Here's a bit more information about the CG Alliance, in an interview with their director, Mrs. Cindy Schaider.

What's the CG Alliance all about?

The mission of the CG Alliance is to create partnerships and work together to reduce substance abuse and violence among youth and adults. In short: partnering for a safe and drug-free community. Using best practices and research-based strategies, we work to make the environments where children and families live, play and work become both drug free and resilient to negative influences. We also believe strongly in the value of collaboration across communities, so we support the growth and development of other prevention projects and coalitions. The role of our staff is to facilitate collaboration; provide community, youth and employer education on substance abuse and recovery; and serve as a resource and information center for anyone looking for treatment. While we do not provide counseling, we can help those seeking recovery, and their families, navigate the sometimes complex treatment systems of care.

How long has the Alliance been in Casa Grande?

We started in 1989, and became ‘turbo charged’ in 2003 when we received a 10-year grant from the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s Drug Free Communities Support program.

Wow! That's a great legacy you've created. What types of people do you interact with most (kids, teens, parents)?

We serve all community members.

Tell us about some of the Alliance's most significant accomplishments.

In 2006, methamphetamine use by 8^th graders in Casa Grande was 6.8%, 325% higher than the state average for that age group. Through community education to both youth and adults, as well as other community strategies like reducing access to the precursor chemicals needed to make meth, we have reduced meth use to zero percent among all teens. Underage drinking has also greatly reduced over the past ten years, and the culture of underage drinking has changed; there are fewer incidences of teen drunk driving and drunken desert parties with underage kids.

What an amazing thing you've done for our community. Is there any way Spark a Smile can help the Alliance keep up their great efforts?

We like to recognize our members who are featured in the newspaper, whether just tagged in a photo or who are featured in an article. We would love to have Spark a Smile cards to send to these folks – we enclose a copy of the article or picture with a card that says congratulations.

You can find the Alliance online at: www.casagrandealliance.org
Thank you so much for your time, Mrs. Schaider, and for all the great things that the CGA is doing to improve our community!

Birthday Party Followup

2010-10-17T09:00:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Spark a Smile's first birthday with a card-making party on October 13, 2010. Here are a few highlights!

Miss Marlene made yummy carrot cake cupcakes with cute cupcake toppers (personalized a bit, but original design courtesy of the fun Write.Click.Scrapbook blog).

Miss Marlene also brought these adorable mini water bottles!! So tiny and cute.

We had our biggest turnout, ever! Thank you for coming to support Spark a Smile!!

Monica brought some co-workers from Hospice Compassus, and they created greeting cards for their hospice caregivers in honor of National Hospice Month.

My aunt and grandma (the face of Spark a Smile!) joined us.

Monica's sweet little girl stopped by early to create a few cards! She LOVES making cards!!

Hope you'll join us for all the fun either next Tuesday, October 19th from 5-7 PM (we'll be creating matchbook mints for the American Cancer Society!), or Wednesday, November 10th, from 5-7 PM.

3 Easy Steps to Good Design

2010-10-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

Here are three design tips that will help you create eye-catching cards!
1. Common Margins
Margins are the space in between different items on your card. In the following example, see how there’s the same amount of space between each of the pieces of green and blue paper? That little boundary space helps tie everything together, even though the pieces aren’t touching.

2. Repetition
Your brain naturally likes to find patterns, so using repeating elements can help create a visual balance. What can you repeat? Anything! Use blue in one area? Use it again in another. Use one heart? Use three or four more!

3. Contrast
Remember that game called “Opposites”? The key to creating contrast is to use opposites. Pair big things with small things. Pair dark things with light things. Use a black marker on a pastel background to make the greeting stand out as much as possible.

Any questions? Post them in the comments and I'll do my best to answer!

(These very basic design tips are based on information learned in Cathy Zielske’s Design Your Life class at Big Picture Classes, and Before and After's How to Design Cool Stuff.)

Spark a Smile: On the Road

2010-10-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

Please mark your calendar! Spark a Smile's going on the road!
Join us at Cartridge World on Friday, November 12th, from 5-8 PM! We’ll be crafting cards for the community.
Come enjoy free games, crafts, fun, food, and prizes!

Inspirational Blogs

2010-10-14T09:00:00.002-07:00

I LOVE to read blogs for a bit of free inspiration. Here's a small part of my regular blog-reading list to inspire you!

Jennifer McGuire
Mrs. McGuire really inspired the creation of Spark a Smile with her nationwide card drive called Cards for Kids

Papertrey Ink
This is a stamp/paper/ribbon/button manufacturing company that always has really cute card demonstrations

A Print a Day (APAD)
Cute daily freebies that you can print and use for cards or other paper projects

The Cuttlebug Spot
Advanced information on Spark a Smile’s most “high-tech” gadget

The following ladies are primarily scrapbookers, but all are quite inspiring with both their design styles and philosophies on living a smile-filled life!
Ali Edwards
Stacy Julian
Angie Lucas
Becky Higgins
Cathy Zielske
Beth Proudfoot
Wendy Smedley
Kelly Purkey
Susan Weinroth
Stephanie Howell
Elizabeth Dillow

What reminds you most of birthdays?

2010-10-13T09:00:00.004-07:00

What reminds you most of Birthdays?
Cards? Cupcakes? Party Hats? Parents (creators of Birthdays)? Presents? Or maybe… parties?

Join us tonight for Spark a Smile’s first birthday party! 5-7 PM, at Yang and Horsley Dentistry on 325 E. Cottonwood Lane. We'll have cards and cupcakes! Come celebrate with us!

Trash to Treasure: Saved from the Scrap Bin

2010-10-12T09:00:00.002-07:00

Over the last year, we've recycled many items. Here are just some of the jewels that came from "junk"!
Marlene made several cards from ONE pink floral recycled card donated by Miss Verna H.

I used the Cuttlebug machine to cut the orange flower on this card from a piece of junk mail.

You know those fancy envelopes that have silver or gold foil lining inside of the flap? Marlene cut these letters by hand from the metallic pieces!

These apples are scraps of contact paper from when my mom relined her cabinet shelves. Yeah, you can pretty much use anything to make a card!

Vivian K LOVES to use scraps. She finds it challenging to create something from an item someone's tossed away. She made this flower from trashed circle shapes.

This silk flower was on its way to the dumpster when I saved it, and Vivian K put it to good use! Much prettier here than in a landfill somewhere!

And finally, here are the snack-sized cards we made for the Seeds of Hope hot lunch program in August. With a little ingenuity and tricky trimming, we made 49 happy little cards!

(Disclaimer: If you ever become interested in making the transition from card-making to scrapbooking or paper crafts that need to last years down the road, I would recommend you research (google, wikipedia) the importance of "acid-free" items. While using random items is great for card-making, the longevity of scrapbooks can be compromised.)

What Sparked Spark a Smile?

2010-10-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

I’ve been making my own cards for special occasions since 2004, but in the summer of 2009, I brought my supplies to my aunt’s house to introduce my cousin to card-making. She loved it, and with my aunt’s help, we made 40 cards in a weekend. The next time I brought my supplies to my aunt's house, my grandmother [see yesterday's post!] came along. Skeptical of her own crafting skills at first, and with failing eyesight, at 79 years old, my grandma made her very first handmade card, a birthday card for her friend. I was so happy to see her so excited and so proud of her creation!

During this time, I’d also started to follow Jennifer McGuire’s blog, and read about her card drive called Cards for Kids. I was especially interested to read about the latest Kid she was collecting cards for, a girl named Kate McRae. Jennifer is from Ohio, and she was sending cards to Kate, in Chandler, Arizona (Chandler is just 30 minutes north of where we are in Casa Grande). Some of my friends on facebook even know Kate! What a small world.

At the end of September, I noticed a link on the City of Casa Grande’s website about Casa Grande Cares, a program started by the City to encourage local businesses to get involved in the community, and it all clicked. How fun would it be to sponsor a greeting card drive to donate cards to local charities? My family and I had a great time creating cards together, sitting around the table, chatting, and laughing. A crafter in Ohio inspired smiles across the country, so wouldn’t it be great to inspire smiles in our own city? We could all use a little smile once in a while. So, with the help of my friends (especially Marlene, Mandie, Amanda, Paula, and Maria), we launched Spark a Smile in October, 2009. It’s been a great year!

The Face of Spark a Smile

2010-10-10T09:00:00.004-07:00

We get a lot of people who walk into our office and see the Spark a Smile sign. “I’ve seen that lady!” they say.

Who is she? That’s Dr. Julie’s mom and Dr. Janelle’s grandma, Elisa. She unknowingly helped inspire Spark a Smile! Tune in tomorrow for the full story about how Spark a Smile was sparked.

Exciting News!

2010-10-09T09:00:00.003-07:00

Thanks to a recommendation from Casa Grande Cares’ Caren Rausis, the Casa Grande Dispatch featured Spark a Smile last Tuesday! Mr. Bill Coates did a great job of capturing the spirit of Spark a Smile. Please click here to read the article.

Since the story was published, we’ve received some awesome contacts to help Spark a Smile grow and help the community!

Exciting news #1: The American Cancer Society is having their annual Relay for Life and they're expecting 300 guests, so they asked if we could create "Anything that comes from the heart” to put in their goodie bags. That means we’ll be having TWO Spark a Smile parties this month! We’ll be decorating cute little matchbook mints! Mark your calendar for TUESDAY, October 19th, from 5-7 PM. (Hint hint, to all those people who can’t make our Wednesday events because of choir practice, work, etc.)

Exciting news #2: Thanks to our friendly local bereavement counselor, Monica White, some of the staff at Hospice Compassus are joining us at our party next week, and will be featuring us in their magazine.

And, finally, Exciting news #3: Zonta International (a service club) saw our article and was so excited about what we’re doing with Spark a Smile that they invited me to be their guest speaker next Thursday!!! WOW! Hopefully this will open some new doors for SAS to help even more people in our community. Good stuff.

The Seasoned Card-Crafter: Miss Marlene

2010-10-08T09:00:00.005-07:00

Here's our interview with Miss Marlene. She's been with Spark a Smile since the beginning!

What were your first thoughts when you heard about making Spark A Smile cards?
Truthfully, my first thought was how am I going to find time for something else! I do quite a bit of volunteering at church and sometimes I have a hard time keeping up with it all. I'm so glad I came to that first meeting!

How long have you been paper-crafting?
I think my first paper crafting was about 17 years ago. For my birthday, my mom sent me an assortment of stamping supplies. Stamps, ink pads, embossing powders and an embossing gun. I was hooked from the start!

Where do you get your card design ideas? Who or what inspires you?
My mom is an avid card maker. She sends me samples often with new techniques. Mom has a whole room with paper crafting supplies. It is fun to visit at her house and play in her card room. Spark a Smile is also a big inspiration. It's a fun group and always interesting to see all the different crafting styles. One website that I use a lot for inspiration is www.splitcoaststampers.com.

What is your favorite product or technique at the moment?
I LOVE my Cuttlebug! I enjoy having the ability to cut shapes and emboss easily on my paper crafts! The Cuttlebug also makes it easy to cut shapes in multiples and I do a lot of bigger quantity projects in my work at church.

[Editor's note: Spark a Smile has a Cuttlebug machine that anyone can try! Also, look forward to another blog post later this month to see how it's used.]

What is your biggest challenge as a card-maker?
Making time to work with paper between Spark a Smile get-togethers. I love doing paper crafts!

What has been the biggest reward or most fulfilling aspect of making Spark a Smile cards?

Knowing that they are being donated to good causes. The thought of bringing some joy to a stranger that might get one of my cards. Enjoying visiting with my card making friends at the monthly meeting.

What advice do you have for fellow card-makers?

Come to Spark a Smile! It's fun and you'll come away with new friends, guaranteed!

Anything else you’d like to add?

Even if you feel like you're not a "crafter", come and give it a try. We have tools to make crafting easier, people to help you out and we almost always have chocolate of some kind!

Thanks, Miss Marlene!

The I-Didn’t-Ever-Do-Anything-Crafty Crafter: Vivian K

2010-10-07T09:00:00.015-07:00

Here's our interview with Vivian K, who had never made cards before she came to Spark a Smile a few months ago!

What were your first thoughts when you heard about making Spark A Smile cards?
I thought it was interesting and a good way to make good friends

How long have you been paper-crafting?
3 months

Where do you get your card design ideas? Who or what inspires you?
I see different shapes and designs in scrap paper and other items and arrange them until I see something I like.
I believe God gives me ideas and inspiration.

What is your favorite product or technique at the moment?
I don't really have one

What is your biggest challenge as a card-maker?
Cost of supplies

[Editor's note: Anyone is welcome to dig through our Spark a Smile stash for supplies to take home! Many of the supplies we have were donated specifically for this purpose.]

What has been the biggest reward or most fulfilling aspect of making Spark a Smile cards?
Making people smile, and learning that I have a talent I never knew I had.

Tell us about the first time you made a housewarming card for your daughter and son-in-law.
I made a card for my daughter and son-in-law for when thet bought their first house and my son-in-law didn't realize I that I had made it until my daughter told him. That made me feel good about doing cards.

What advice do you have for fellow card-makers?
Lay out whatever you want on a card and rearrange it until you like it. It may surprise you on what will go together. Use scraps! They can make amazing designs.

Anything else you’d like to add?
I feel that going to Spark a Smile is fun and I'm making friends. God bless to all of you.

Join us tomorrow when we sit down with Miss Marlene, who always brings her experience to the craft table to share with new creators like Vivian!

Sparkle Poll!

2010-10-06T09:00:00.001-07:00

If you chose "Other", please leave a comment and share your glittery choice!

Behind the Scenes at Spark a Smile

2010-10-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

Ever wondered where all the supplies magically appear from every month? Or what happens to all those donated cards?
Here's a short tour of Spark a Smile, behind the scenes.

All the new card donations go into the metal bucket (find it in the middle of the crafting table at the parties!). After they get photographed, they go into the blue basket on the right until we can sort them into categories (Thinking of You, Holidays, Happy Birthday, You can do it, etc.).

The green basket on the left houses our Thank You and Welcome cards for people who refer new patients.

Finished cards are stored in the category baskets on the bottom shelf until they are wrapped up for donations.

Bottom right shelf: water and snacks.

Upper left shelf: All the supplies in cute little tins

Upper right shelf: Paper trimmer and big folder full of paper just waiting to be made into something beautiful!

Hope you enjoyed the little tour! :)

Think Pink!

2010-10-04T09:00:00.002-07:00

At last month's Spark a Smile party, we geared up for October's Breast Cancer Awareness month by creating happy pink gum wrappers. Our dental office received some free samples of Orbitz gum, so Miss Marlene came up with a way to recycle the packaging so we could make them pretty! We finished over 200 packages in one evening!

Here's the crafty, glitter-loving crew:

Hope you'll join us for our next party on Wednesday, October 13, from 5-7 PM!

Donation Locations

2010-10-03T09:00:00.007-07:00

In addition to randomly-mailed cards that we send to people we know personally who could use a smile, here's a list of the local community organizations that have received Spark a Smile cards this year. Do you know any others that we can add to our list? Let us know!

Crisis Pregnancy Center of Casa Grande
Casa Grande Regional Medical Center
Meals on Wheels
Seeds of Hope's Hot Lunch Program
Santa Cruz Valley Historical Society
Pinal-Gila Council for Senior Citizens
Home of Hope
City of Casa Grande

How Many Cards Have Been Donated?

2010-10-02T09:00:00.007-07:00

Any guesses on how many cards have been donated and created through Spark a Smile in the last year?

300? 500?

Guess again.

1,036.

WOW! What do you think of that?!

Happy Birthday, Spark a Smile!

2010-10-01T09:00:00.005-07:00

Spark a Smile turns “one” this month! We'll be celebrating with an SAS birthday party at Yang and Horsley Dentistry on Wednesday, October 13th, from 5-7 PM. We'll be making birthday cards to donate to local charities. Come join the fun with cupcakes and cards!

And, to celebrate a year of community card-crafting, we'll be posting EVERY DAY on the Spark a Smile Blog! Subscribe to http://sparkasmile.blogspot.com to make sure you don't miss out on the fun.

Hope to see you at the party!

(Photo by Janelle Horsley, at her niece's first birthday party :))

August's Spark a Smile

2010-09-07T10:34:00.001-07:00

We had a little smaller turnout than usual in August, but we really churned out smile-sparking cards! We focused a bit on quantity vs. quality, creating cards to accompany hot lunches provided by our local Seeds of Hope. They serve about 30 hot lunches per day!! Wow!

So, Miss Marlene had this cute idea. She cut scraps of sparkly metallic cardstock into business-card sized rectangles, and we decorated those instead of making full-sized cards. It was fun to experiment, yet keep some elements the same. It was especially fun to use such a teeny canvas! When I made my stack of snack-sized cards, I laid several out in front of me, stamped all of them at once, then went back and added little strips of paper or a sprinkling of embellishments. What about you? What ideas do you have for "batch" creating?

We also received more regular cards from Vivian K. Check back next time for details about those creations!

Join us TOMORROW, Wednesday, September 8th, from 5-7 PM! Our theme tomorrow will be PINK! to gear up for Breast cancer awareness month in October. Bring your girliest, fluffiest, cotton candiest ideas!

MORE New Smile Sparkers!

2010-08-10T09:57:00.000-07:00

July was by far our biggest turnout! Our newcomers included two teenage boys, a teenage girl, a baby girl, and a very excited Donna O.!

Check out this one, by Stephanie - she used pieces of several different recycled greeting cards to make something new!

I used Marlene's scrap brown circles to create a retro card.

Becky brought on the bling with this cupcake card!

"Grandma" Vivian brought her two grandsons along, and they were both super-creative!

Johnathon used a corner rounder, a scrap of glitter paper from a recycled card, and a brad to make a spinning wheel.

Robert found this "Cute as a bug" greeting and coordinated the punch and cute little ladybug!

Marlene made some tea for two.

Little Lex stamped this card (with Gma Paula's help), and somehow managed to get ink all over her little hands, but what's art without a mess?

What can you create? Join us tomorrow, Wednesday, August 11th, from 5-7 PM! We'll be creating cards for Seeds of Hope's Hot Lunch program. They feed about 30 people a day(!!), mostly homeless men and women and some families with children whose parents have lost jobs, so maybe we can help Seeds of Hope make Happy Meals!! Hope to see you there!

New Smile Sparkers!

2010-07-07T16:02:00.000-07:00

June's Wednesday-night turnout was great! Two brand-new faces joined our Smile Sparking crew... welcome to Vivian K and Terri!! Here are a few of the latest donations, plus close-ups of some of my favorites (forgive the blurry photos, will have to experiment with that technique a bit...).

The crew, intense with concentration

The colors are definitely getting lighter and brighter for Summer!

Marlene made almost all of these with some fun new vintage cardstock paper! Cute little birds! Check out her hen laying eggs in the bottom right. hehe

Terri put her graphic design background to use to create this creative card out of a watercolor calendar!!

"Grandma" Vivian made this one... very special to me because she used dental floss as the string for the balloons! Clever, right?

Vivian K. made this one, and armed with a basket of supplies gifted by Miss Marlene, she made another little stack when she got home!! We have a new convert! :)

And, Miss Janie, our fabulous assistant, created these 4th-of-July stars out of scraps of a fancy envelope (blue), foil envelope liner (silver), and reddish cardstock, made redder with ink!

The summer heat is settling in! Come stay cool and creative with us at our next party on Wednesday, July 14th, from 5-7 PM!

June Spark a Smile

2010-06-08T14:29:00.000-07:00

Well, Arizona, summer has finally settled in! Come beat the heat with our first Spark a Smile party of the summer! This Wednesday, June 9th, from 5-7. Hanging out at Spark a Smile is a lot like hanging out at the beach... calm yet energizing, but with air conditioning!! And, as always... free! :)

Spark a Smile Still Sparkles!

2010-05-05T15:51:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posting these last few months! If you haven't heard, Drs. Gene and Phil were in a train accident on February 12th, 2010. My dad did not survive the crash, but my husband had non-life-threatening injuries and is on his way to a full recovery. We are so blessed with great patients and supportive friends who help keep us strong throughout this difficult time! Here's the last photo that Phil took of my dad, just a few hours before the accident.

Our Spark a Smile parties now have a special place in my heart, because the last time I spoke to my dad was during our party on February 11th. He called to make sure I was safe as I locked up and left the office that evening.

During the last few weeks, Spark a Smile has been a great comfort to our family. Dr. Phil received a hand-made Get Well Soon card from one of our smallest patients, which made everyone smile. She even decorated the envelope :)

The Spark a Smile parties continue! We've actually had three parties since February - two were hosted by Miss Marlene Barber at her home. Trust me: crafting, chocolate, and chatting are good comfort for the healing heart! So please, we invite you to join us at our next card-crafting party, Thursday, March 13th, 2010, from 5-7 PM.

Starting in *June*, our parties will be held on the second *Wednesday* of every month, from 5-7 PM, so be sure to check your calendar for the future!

Casa Verde Valentine's Day Donations and next Party!

2010-02-09T16:43:00.000-07:00

BIG BIG thank-you to Ms. Jeanine Nalepa and Casa Verde high school for inviting Spark a Smile to their campus!

During their lunch hour, the Casa Verde students made 90 Valentine's cards. Their enthusiasm is definitely contagious! Ms. Nalepa did an incredible job of organizing everything. Here are a few close-ups; click here for the rest!

Aren't they great!??!

And, BIG BIG announcement: Spark a Smile parties will officially be on the second Thursday of every month, from 5-7 PM (at least from now until July).

THIS THURSDAY is the next one! We'll be making our own Valentines, of course...

A Bountiful Donation

2010-02-04T14:11:00.000-07:00

A few hours.
10 Participants.
90 Cards.

Here are some close-ups of these beauties:

Where'd they come from? These amazing cards were created by teenagers from the Pinal County Juvenile Detention Center. What a simple way for these kids to give back to the community, in a fun, safe environment. I LOVE this Spark a Smile potential!

What did the kids think of the project? They "really enjoyed the process and in the end were happy with the end results."

What do you think? Do you have any ideas on where else we can bring Spark a Smile crafting?

Spark a Smile Souvenirs

2010-01-20T14:33:00.000-07:00

Aren't these sweet? Miss Marlene created these Spark a Smile souvenirs, especially for Smile Sparkers! Come to our next party to get your own, or to learn how to make them!

I've seen these cute things at Target...

They're magnets!

And Spark a Smile chocolate inside... chocolate's always sure to spark a smile...

Why would a dental office hand out matchbooks?

Surprise! They're mints!

Thanks so much for the super-cute stuff, Miss M!!

Card-Crafting Party!

2010-01-18T10:46:00.000-07:00

Our next card-crafting party will be Thursday, February 11, 2010, from 5-7 PM! That time slot seemed to be our biggest turnout!

Here are some designs from our last party - we made 33 total!

I love how Miss Marlene filled all the circles with smiley faces!

My friend Amanda created this one from scratch, cleverly cutting out the sun and clouds (this is only her second card-making session, ever!!).

I used just scraps from Amanda's card to make a new one (negative image of the sun, and the little wavy border from her sea).

Check out the rest here!

Stay tuned this week for some special Spark a Smile crafts!

Fresh Calendar? Save the date!

2010-01-05T09:56:00.000-07:00

If you're like me, you were highly anticipating the Happy New Year... not only because of the fresh start, the resolutions to be better and do better... but mostly because of that fresh blank calendar, waiting to be filled with activities and memories!!

Don't forget to add Spark a Smile to your little blank squares! Our next party is THIS Saturday, January 9th, from 10 AM - 1 PM!

Our theme this month will be SNOW (which we don't really get in Casa Grande, so this could be a challenge!). Bring your icy blues, crisp whites, and pile on the glitter!

Want to add a Spark A Smile resolution to your 2010 list?

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Make a few postcards in January and try to send one once a month, to someone you don't get to see very often, just to let them know you're thinking of them.

As the holidays wind down, keep the spirit of giving going throughout the year! Make a stack of cards and give them away to friends, so they can Spark a Smile, too!

Taking down Christmas tinsel and thinking of tossing those Christmas cards? See what you can do with the pretty glittered Hallmark cards! Could you somehow recycle those amazing designs?

Maybe create a habit of leaving post-it-notes on the bathroom mirror for your son, or tuck a happy note into your husband's coat pocket before he leaves for work. The spirit of Spark a Smile, not the avenue, is what truly counts!

Happy New Year! See you Saturday!

Holiday Season Donations

2009-12-29T14:58:00.002-07:00

Here are a few of the most recent card donations - lots of them are hand-drawn, which adds a sweet touch to an already-sweet gesture!

This one was drawn by a boy who just moved to Arizona from Mexico!

These were store-bought, but the nice people at Norris Management took the time to write little uplifting messages on 80 cards!!

Click here to see the rest!

Also, a special belated thanks to Cindy Schaider from the Casa Grande Alliance, who thought of us as she collected a pile of blank Christmas and "everyday" cards to donate!

And... after three months of collecting great donations, we finally delivered five stacks of cards to places where smiles needed to be sparked!

We sent them off to Casa Grande Regional Medical Center, Pinal Gila Council for Senior Citizens, Deborah's House, United Way, and Meals on Wheels! Do you know of any other charitable organizations that could benefit from Spark a Smile? Let us know!

Did you find our blog because you received a Spark a Smile card? Please email us or leave a comment - let us know how you felt when you received your card! We'd all love to hear it!

Last-minute Christmas gift idea

2009-12-22T09:13:00.000-07:00

Looking for an easy, last-minute Christmas gift idea? Why not give someone the gift of card-making "therapy"? (Some of the ladies who participate in Spark a Smile report that crafting cards is a great way to ease your mind, get your thoughts off of the worries in life, and just make something pretty!) It's simple:

1) Stuff a stocking with scissors, pens, glue, some blank cards, and a few colored-paper scraps.
2) Add a bow (optional).
3) Give it away!

And, for the accountants out there, I've calculated an estimated cost for this little gift:
1) Scissors: You can find them on sale if you're diligent, but usually about $4 will get you a nice, sturdy pair.
2) Black scrapbooking pen: A nice pen/marker costs about $1.50 at craft stores.
3) Glittery scrapbooking pen: Just for fun! You can get them in value packs or singles, for about $1.50 each.
4) Glue stick (option #1): Two for $1.50 at discount stores
5) Glue runner (option #2): A dry adhesive that doesn't get messy. A dispenser at Walmart is about $3.50, refills approximately 75 cents each.
6) Card blanks: A package of 250 sheets of cardstock can vary from $7-10, and you can fold 2 cards out of one sheet. So, if you give away 10 card blanks, that's about 20 cents worth of card stock...
7) Colored paper scraps: Share from your stash! This varies, so keep an eye out for good sales and never underestimate the power of recycling junk mail or old cards!

Total Cost (high-end): $11
Hours of enjoyment: Approximately 50
Creating art with your own hands: Priceless ;)

Merry Christmas!!! Go spread some holiday cheer. See you January 9th!!

Last Thursday's Card-Making Party

2009-12-09T09:20:00.000-07:00

What a successful second card-making party we had last Thursday - we made over 50 cards that night!!

Some people chose to do all Christmas/winter-themed cards ...

Some people chose to take the card-recycling challenge...

(the blue wise men and the white border are from a recycled Christmas card!)

(the cute little birdie was cut out from an old birthday card!)

some people swore they weren't crafty, but made their very first card, EVER!!! She ended up making seven cards that evening!! How exciting!!!

Click HERE to see the rest of our creative results!

What about you? Ready to join the fun? Come join us on Saturday, January 9th, from 10AM-1PM. It's the perfect way to unwind from the holidays!

WOW!! 182!!!

2009-12-02T10:02:00.001-07:00

WOW!! Take a look at some of the *182* cards that were donated by the kids at Pinnacle High School! Thanks so much to Tamara S. for coordinating the card-creating classes, and for delivering the cards this week. Click here to see the rest of their amazing, encouraging artwork!!

P.S. Want to see some of these cards in person? Come to our card-making party on Thursday, December 3rd, from 5 - 7 PM!

Party this Thursday!

2009-11-30T15:10:00.000-07:00

What a fun way to continue the spirit of Thanksgiving, blessings, and gratitude! Come make a greeting card to share with someone in need of a smile!

Mary C O'Brien Donations !!

2009-11-24T15:57:00.000-07:00

Look at some of the great cards made by the kids at Mary C. O'Brien Elementary!! Thanks for your fun, encouraging cards - learning to Spark a Smile at a young age :)

Click HERE to see them all!

What an excellent example of creating on a dime... just a sheet of construction paper, crayons, and markers! What can you do with just a few art supplies?

Supply Donations, Next Party, and... We're Famous!

2009-11-18T16:30:00.001-07:00

So much has happened for Spark a Smile in the last few weeks!

First, we got a great supply donation from "Miss" Mandie McKinley, over at Casa Grande Valley Newspapers, Inc. She provided us with some decorative scissors, cute paper, sparkly little embellishments, and more! Thanks for the goodies, Mandie!

Are you cleaning out your craft closet? We can always use supply donations to share with local schools and charitable organizations who have partnered with us to Spark a Smile. We can use buttons, beads, rhinestones, stickers, brads, glitter, seashells, fabric scraps, paper cutouts, anything random or sparkly to add a little interest to an otherwise plain piece of paper.

Last Thursday, November 12th, Spark a Smile made the front page of the Tri-Valley Dispatch Newspaper's Valley Life section!! Check it out online!

A few of the local schools have also signed on to participate in Spark a Smile. Mary C. O'Brien's 6th grade class already donated a stack of cards (stay tuned this weekend for photos of their great artwork!), and Pinnacle High School will be having several card-making sessions during Thanksgiving week! Please email me if you'd like to get involved showing the kids how to make cards - I'm sure they'd love the help!

And, if you haven't heard yet, our next card-making party will be an evening celebration: December 3rd, from 5-7 PM. Bring a friend to join the fun!

Highlights from our First Card-Making Party!

2009-11-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

It was a success! Last Friday we had a small group of card crafters, young and old(er). We met in our office lobby, set up our paper supplies, and went to work! We even had three Cuttlebug machines (for cutting and embossing) to play with! We crafted over 25 cards for Spark a Smile, but most of the fun was being able to get together, share ideas, and chat.

Our next party is planned for December 3rd, from 5-7 PM. Come join the fun!

Here are just a few of the cards we created (check out our Picasa album to see the rest!).

Today's the day!!

2009-11-06T05:42:00.000-07:00

Today's the day!! Our FIRST card-making event!! Come craft with us!

Our office is right next door to ReMax and across the street from the Armory at 325 E. Cottonwood Lane. Between 11 AM - 1 PM, come and go as you please, bring your lunch if you'd like!

And best of all... it's FREE! See you there!

Another Loving Donation!

2009-10-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

WOW!

These cards, about 40 total, were superbly crafted and generously donated to Spark a Smile by "Miss" Marlene Barber! If you have any questions about how she created these beautiful pieces of paper art, post them in the comments. Maybe we can entice her to guest-blog and answer your crafty questions! :)

Aren't they cute? Thanks again, Marlene! You're awesome!

You're Invited!!

2009-10-25T15:27:00.002-07:00

Print some invitations for your friends!! Download the PDF

New Card Donations and a simple How-To

2009-10-19T19:32:00.002-07:00

Here are a few of our latest card donations!! We're so excited for the rest to start rolling in!

And here's a simple How-To for making your own!

Start with a blank card.

I usually cut a piece of plain white cardstock in half and fold it into a card instead of purchasing pre-made,

but "card blanks" are available at discount or craft stores.

I chose a simple clear star stamp and blue ink.

To get light and dark stars, I inked the stamp, pressed it down (dark),

then lifted it and re-stamped without inking (light).

Since my stamp was already dirty, I did a few more cards with the same technique. Saves time at cleanup!

Used a pen to add a little greeting: "Wishing you a speedy recovery"

I always add a little sparkle or button as a finishing touch.

From 20091003 Card Ideas

Let the glue dry, and you're done! So simple, but will definitely Spark a Smile!

Thanks for looking! Now it's your turn! What sparkling ideas do you have? :)

Card Donation Details

2009-10-11T16:18:00.000-07:00

For more information about Spark a Smile, check out our website.

* The cards we collect will be distributed to hospital patients, Meals on Wheels recipients, and anyone else who may be in need of a smile.

* Cards can be made for elderly people, children, moms and dads - anyone can use a smile sometimes!

* Cards can be anything uplifting, cheery, hopeful, comforting, etc.

* Postcards are easiest to distribute, but if you’d like to contribute greeting cards, that’s great, too! Please provide envelopes to fit your cards, if possible.

Welcome to the Spark a Smile Blog!

2009-10-07T10:15:00.002-07:00

Check here for updates about Spark a Smile, including: card-making parties being held around Casa Grande, inspirational and random thoughts, and photos of creative contributions from around the community!

Don't forget to add us to your blog reader and share us with your friends by clicking on the links at the right!