Helping Hudson Thank You Cards

Hi!

I thought it was about time I showed you the cards I sent out to the wonderful ladies who contributed tutorials to the Helping Hudson fundraiser.  As I had  lot to make I needed to keep the design fairly simple but still very pretty.  I based the design on the card on page 111 of the current Idea Book and Catalogue.

I liked the idea of all the thank you's on the front of the card, I feel like I can't say thank you enough!

I made a One Sheet Wonder of Blushing Bride card stock stamped with the All A Flutter and Dreams De Jour butterflies which I then spritzed with my favourite Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint mixed with Isocol.  I love the subtle shimmery effect.

Stamps: Curly Cute, Basic Phrases, Happy Moments (2010 SAB set), Just Believe, All a Flutter, Dreams De Jour
Ink: Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz
Card Stock: Very Vanilla, Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz
Other: Stamp Positioner, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint

Catch you later,

Tina

Hudson in his KidWalk

Hi!

Today I have a video for you - my first blog video ever!  There are so many people out there who supported us in our Helping Hudson fundraiser and I wanted to show you Hudson in his KidWalk.

But first I want to tell you about how much of a difference it has made to Hudson's life.  For starters, he is much happier in the KidWalk than he has ever been in any of the other walkers we trialled or borrowed.  Just the fact that he is happy and not frustrated means that he wants to try to walk rather than fight to get out of the walker.

He has a new perspective on life - literally!  I took him to a park in the KidWalk and he was able to get right up close to some bushes and see and touch the flowers on them.  He hasn't been able to do that previously.

There have even been benefits when he hasn't been in his KidWalk.  He is starting to cruise around the furniture, which he wasn't able to do before the KidWalk.

Hudson received his KidWalk at the end of November.  At first he was only able to go backwards, but that is normal for kids as it is much easier form them.  We took the walker with us on our Christmas holiday so that Hudson could still have time in it.  Within about 6 weeks of getting his KidWalk he has started to walk forwards and has even worked out how to move the wheels to get himself unstuck if he backs himself into an obstacle. 

Hudson's movement trauma doctor is confident that given time, Hudson will eventually walk on his own.  Every step he takes on the way forward I am reminded of the Helping Hudson fundraiser.

I never could have imagined that he would benefit so much, and I can never thank everyone enough for all the love and support you have shown me and my family over the past 6 months.  Thank you to everyone who purchased the tutorials or entered the challenges.  Thanks to everyone who donated money to the fundraiser, or who sold cards and scraps, or collected donations from their craft ladies.  Thank you to the very talented ladies who donated their time and tutorials to the fundraiser.

And finally, a very big thank you to the Helping Hudson team.  Christine, Gardenia, Genna, Jo, Nikki and Sue - I am so grateful to everything you have done to help Hudson get his KidWalk.  I am still amazed at how much we were able to achieve.  From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Thank you all so very much,

Tina, Rob, Alex, Ada and Hudson Gillespie.

Helping Hudson

Hi!

Wow - what a busy, awe-inspiring, fantastic, exhausting, emotional and incredible 3 weeks!  The 'live' part of the Helping Hudson fundraiser has wrapped up with the incredible news that we raised

over $16 000!!!!

My husband Rob and I were totally blown away by the generosity and support of the papercraft community.  The money will help us to make Hudson's life better than we could have imagined.  I will keep you updated when he gets his wheels.

The Helping Hudson blog will remain open until the end of Spetember 2010.  You will still be able to purchase the tutorial bundles and we are hoping to set up somewhere that you can upload pictures of the projects you have made using the tutorials that were very generously donated to our cause.

I can never thank everyone enough - you are all such amazing, incredible people.

Catch you later,

Tina

Helping Hudson and Just Add Ink

Hi!

I'm here today with the card I designed for both the Helping Hudson Colour Challenge and the latest Just Add Ink Challenge.  Hudson is my little man and we are trying to raise the money to purchase him a Kid Walk mobility aid.  The fabulous girls at Just Add Ink have been a fantastic source of support for our fundraiser.  You can find out all about it at Helping Hudson: A Wheely Great Cause.

The Helping Hudson colour challenge was to design a monochromatic card and the JAI challenge was to Just Add Wheels.  Here's my card:

I've used the So Swirly Jumbo Wheel to create the background of this card.  I'm so pleased that we're not losing this wheel in the next catalogue - I love it lots!

There's a fantastic prize up for grabs in both challenges - so please pop on over to both and give them a go.

Stamps: Lovely As A Tree, So Swirly Jumbo Wheel

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel

Card Stock: Creamy Caramel, Close To Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White

Other: Chit Chat Rub Ons (retired), Chocolate Chip Button, Sponge Dauber, Word Window Punch

Catch you later - hopefully over at Helping Hudson!

Tina

Cherish

Hi!

My poor little blog has been rather neglected lately.  I've been flat out with a lot of stuff, but mostly with the Helping Hudson fundraiser.  Have you been to check it out?  There's lots of things happening all day, and 3 challenges weekly with some awesome prizes, all donated by Stampin' Up! Australia.

Anyway, today's post is a card I made for the current Just Add Ink challenge.  Amanda and Danielle and their fabulous team have been very supportive of Helping Hudson.  Aren't they sweet?  Their challenge this week is a colour challenge:

I had intended to combine this with one of the challenges at Helping Hudson, but once the mojo started flowing I just had to follow where it went.  This is how the card ended up:

Here is a close up of the flowers.  I used Crystal Effects on the centers of the flowers and raised the centre flower on dimensionals.  I also used a chopped up flower from the same stamp set to create the leaves.  I saw this in a mag once, but I can't remember which one now.

Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Fifth Avenue Floral

Ink: Rose Red, Always Artichoke

DSP/Card Stock: Bella Bleu DSP, Rose Red, Always Artichoke

Other: Dimensionals, Paper Snips, 1/4" Very Vanilla Grosgrain Ribbon, Crystal Effects, Stamp Positioner

Catch you later - hopefully over at the Helping Hudson blog!

Tina

Helping Hudson

Hi!

I would like to let you know about a fundraiser that is very close to my heart. My son Hudson was born with an incomplete brain and as a result he is legally blind and has both cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Despite these problems, he is a gorgeous little boy who finds a lot of joy in his life. He certainly adds a lot of joy to my life!


When I mentioned to a group of fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrators that Hudson needed a Kid Walker to get him up and walking, they grabbed their stamps and ink pads and took up the challenge to raise the money for Hudson.

The Helping Hudson: A Really Great Cause was born! We have set up a blog and Stampin' Up! demonstrators from all around the world have donated tutorials for us to sell to raise the $5000 we need for the Kid Walker.

On the blog you will find:
- Tutorial bundles for sale
- 3 major challenges a week with fantastic prizes up for grabs
- Daily giveaways
- Hudson's story
- and lots, lots more!

So, I'd love it if you'd pop on over to the Helping Hudson blog and find out for yourself how much fun the next three weeks will be.

Thank you so much for your support to get Hudson up and walking - it means the world to me and my family.

Tina