GO RED Friday and Heart Health

Today is, "GO RED for Women Day!"  What that means, sport some red today!  Do it because you are now aware (if you weren't aware before reading this) that heart disease is the number one killer in not just men, but women too!  As I have stated previously in my blog, my mom died just over a year ago from heart disease.  This is the reason why I want to help spread the word with everyone!

So, in honor of my mom, I want to share some photos of her.  She was an amazing woman who raised six kids!  She was our biggest fan, was always a source of optimism and had a great sense of humor.  Her laugh was infectious and she loved with all her heart. 

In honor of my mom, check out a few of the ways I might be sporting some red.  I won't be wearing red just today, but often throughout the month of February.

If you want to learn more about how to be heart healthy, check out some of the links below. 

The Heart Truth
Go Red for Women
American Heart Association

Layered Hearts

I made another card with layered tissue paper hearts.  The reason for so many cards?  My MOMS Club is making Valentine's cards for a local nursing home.  Why do the kids get to have all the fun?  So I decided I would make some too.

Items Needed:
Cardstock
Tissue paper
Mod Podge (you can get away with Elmer's glue if you are in a pinch)
Scissors (and a paper cutter, but that's not necessary, just useful)
Paint brush
Adhesive

The first thing you are going to do is cut out lots and lots of hearts.  It makes it easy if you cut your tissue paper in strips and then fold it accordion style.  I used a template to make sure my hearts looked nice.  Cut your hearts in various sizes.

Take your mod podge and paint brush apply it to a small area.  Stick a heart to it and then paint some mod podge on top.  Don't worry if there are a few wrinkles, it adds character!

Keep repeating until you are satisfied with how it looks.

I added a little glitter mod podge once all my hearts where in place.  Totally not necessary, but I like sparkles.  Now it just needs to dry.

While you are letting it dry (for at least a few hours, I did it overnight), clean out your brush with cold water and some dish soap.  Once it is dry, the edges of your card stock will have puckered a little, so I trim the outer edges off.

Cut some card stock to the size you want and make a card.  Then cut down the size of your paper with hearts to fit on the front of your card.

I got 4 out of my sheet of cardstock.  I then used my adhesive (I used some photo mount) and adhered the hearts to the front of my card.  Isn't it just gorgeous?

This one was by far my favorite, but that's because of that bright pink heart in full on the left side.  Next time, I will use more colors.  I am thinking this would be very pretty if done in a rainbow of colors.

I posted this up at the linky part at Skip to my Lou.

Hand Print Hearts

This is a fun idea to do with your kids, actually I recommend doing it with kids.  Hand print art is a little weird if your kids aren't the ones doing it, not unless you are a super famous movie star putting your hand prints in cement and signing it.

Back to topic now.  My kids had an absolute blast doing this project.  Even my older kid, who likes to be super clean, liked getting his hands dirty.  That might have been because I promised him a bath afterwards, but that is besides the point.  It was messy and a lot of fun.

What you need:
Paper
Tray
Washable paint
Paintbrush or roller
Washcloth or Wet wipes near by!!!

Use your roller or paintbrush and apply it to one hand on your kid then place your first hand print down.  Works best if you keep your fingers together.  Couldn't really assist my 3 year old if I wanted to get a decent photo, but it makes for a more definite heart shape if the fingers are together.

Use your roller or paintbrush and apply it to the other hand on your kid and then place your second hand print down. The fingertips of your other hand will be in the same area as your first hand, but the back of the hand will be off to the side.  Make sure the thumbs are in the center of the heart.

This is what it looks like when you are done. 

Like I said before, if the fingers are together you get a better looking heart, which is why I am now showing you one that I assisted both my kids with.

A one year old's hand print is a success if you don't smear it all over the page, but as you can see with my 3 year old's hand print, this one has a better heart shape to it.

Now look at all the fun they had!

I believe Colton is saying, "yeah mom, you are a nutty loser, but I love you!"  I just find it funny that he is making the loser "L" on his forehead.

"Look mom, my hands are dirty and red!"  This is what Maben actually told me.

I hope you have as much fun doing this with your kids as I did.  All the red paint even came out of their clothes and mine.  YAY!

Heart Cards

I haven't done paper piercing since I was in elementary school.  I don't know what made me think of it, but was so happy that I did. I am so excited to share this tutorial with you.

Didn't these just turn out AH-MAY-ZING!?!?!  Keep scrolling down to find your step by step instructions on how to create your own.

What you need for this tutorial:
Plain card
Heart template
Pencil
Scissors
Needle
Cross stitch thread (at least two colors)

First you will need to lightly draw a heart on your card.  This will be used as your guide.  I split my cross stitch thread so instead of having 6 pieces of thread, I use 3.  Don't worry about cutting it super duper long, I will show you how to add more thread in case you run out before completing the heart.

The first technique I am showing is a freehand technique.  I started at the bottom of the heart and pierced the paper with my threaded needle.  Leave a 3 inch "tail."  This is important later on.  Keep a finger on it so you don't accidentally pull it through on the first few passes you make.

Make sure to work in opposite directions.  On my card, the bottom of the heart I am working towards the left and the top of the heart I am working towards the right.

I am not reproducing the same look on the back.  So when I start at the bottom, I go to the top.  I then punch through the top and come back to the bottom.  The inside of the card will start to look like this.

Keep going until you run out of thread.  You more than likely will if you do anything larger than a 1 inch heart.  I just simply tie off the old thread with the new one as shown.

Continue until your heart is complete.  Then tie off the original "tail," with the end of the thread for the heart and your second color of thread.

I then stitched the edge of the heart through the holes that were already created from doing the heart.  From the back side, go forward one, push through, come back one.  From the backside again, it will now continue go forward two holes, push through and come back one hold.  Continue until the outside of the heart is complete.

There are two different things you can do with the inside of the card.  I will show you both.  With this one, I left all the tie offs messy.  I cut out a piece of scrapbook paper to the size I wanted and used spray adhesive to glue it to the inside of the card.  The really neat part of that, it leaves you an embossed heart on the inside.

Before the paper was applied, it looked like this.

The completed first card.  Isn't it gorgeous?

Now for the second card.  Lightly draw your heart on your card.  Then on this one, I pierced the paper before threading it.  The trick to this, you HAVE to count all the holes and find your beginning and middle, otherwise you will end up with all the holes on one side filled and a few extras on the other side.

You then start your thread the same way as you did with the first one.  On the second card I decided to use two different colored threads for the heart.  I switched up the colors when I had half of the heart complete, like pictured below.

Once the heart was complete, I finished the outside edge of the heart the same way as the first card.  The biggest difference was the back.  I tucked all the extra cut offs under the thread used for the outline.

Here is the completed second card.  I can't decide which one is my favorite.  They both turned out so much better than I could have even pictured in my head.  Isn't it fantastic when that happens?

Now these two beauties are all set for a Valentine's message to be put inside.  Now, who to send these to?  Hmm....

I just added this post over at Vintage Wanna Bee.  Love that blog!

I ♥ February

I love Valentine's day and February.  I love any excuse to tell the people that mean the most to me how much I love them.  Also, since I know my hubby reads my blog...I LOVE YOU!  In honor of February, Valentine's day and love, I have lined up the rest of the week with heart themed crafts.  I hope you ♥ this week as much as I do! 

P.S.  I also am clearly aware that February does not start until tomorrow...I just wanted to start a little early.