by Jackie Bultje | Nov 1, 2021 | blessings, Honour and Remember, Painted Poppies, Peaceful Poppies, remembrance day |
Hello stampers and happy Monday to you. Card ministry? That is the subject of my blog post today and it is ever so fitting that I am at my parents’ while I am writing this. You see another card from this “card ministry” by Sonja arrived in the mail for them today. Let me tell you a little about Sonja and her card ministry.
Sonja and her Card Ministry
I met Sonja many years ago when I did a fundraiser called Hearts for Haiti. That was the beginning of a long friendship. I found out later that Sonja was part of a card ministry at her church. Every month she would send a card to the people on her list, mostly elderly and shut-in people. She also sends cards to as many veterans as she can, not just in November, but every single month! Sonja has taken her hobby and turned it into a ministry and my family is also now on her list.
My parents and even my brother Oliver now feel like they know Sonja. You see, she doesn’t just send a card, she writes a lovely, newsy letter in her beautiful handwriting in each letter. My mother was touched that Oliver is now also included in the salutation. What a wonderful example you are to all of us Sonja. To make it even more significant, you should know that Sonja is also a long term caregiver to not one, but two people!
Sonja’s Card for Veteran Fred
What an amazing idea for a Remembrance Day card. You see, Fred’s family is so grateful for Sonja’s monthly cards that they send her a picture of their father with his card every month. Sonja asked if she could share his story and his photo with her card ministry people and this is the result. I am so blessed to have met people like Sonja in my business. We really can change the world one card at a time, this is proof of that.
Card for my Family
Here is Sonja’s October card for my family. I had to include a snippet showing her beautiful handwriting and how she included my brother Oliver because she knows that he is the primary caregiver for my parents. What a blessing!!
What Can We Do?
I would love to shower Sonja with cards of encouragement. Share you stories with her and show her some love. Here is her mailing address (she has no idea that I am doing this and I hope it will be a wonderful surprise!) Sonja Russchen 388 Talbot Street West Blenheim, ON N0P1A0, Canada
You could also do what Sonja does. Start gathering names of people who could use monthly encouragement. Word will spread and you will be asked by family members to send their loved one a card.
Thank You!
Thank you for joining me today on my blog. I hope you were inspired. The latest International Create With Us Tutorial has just been released and it features the Painted Christmas Suite. You can get it for free with a $60 purchase or you can buy it for $20US. Just click here and it’s almost yours!! If you want any of the supplies that were used in today’s cards, just click on the links below to shop in my online store. I appreciate it!! Have a super day.
Here is our talented team!
Product List
by Jackie Bultje | Mar 10, 2020 | Honour and Remember, Peaceful Poppies, So Sentimental |
Hello stampers and happy Tuesday. Today I simply want to share a very meaningful journal which will be part of my Honour and Remember campaign. A journal is a perfect place to record memories and stories as well as photos. I think it will be perfect for the Honour and Remember event. Let me tell you more about it.
Meaningful Journal for Veterans
I am hoping that there are some people who have stories to share with our veterans and their families. This journal is the perfect size for holding some small but extremely meaningful stories and pictures. Our veterans and their families have given so much in World War 2 and a story of how their sacrifice affected someone’s life would be priceless. If you have not had a chance to share your story personally with a veteran or their families, now is your chance!
The Journal
Here is a picture of the journal. I have kept it very simple. A mossy meadow ink pad was swiped across the journal cover for this amazing emboss resist look. Peaceful Poppies paper was added to the front as well as some black ribbon and a sentiment from So Sentimental. A poppy element was added to the edge of the frame to make it complete.
Here is a closeup of the journal. The stitched label die is from the Stitched So Sweetly dies. The sentiment is from So Sentimental and you can save 10% when you buy those two products as a bundle. Until March 31 this bundle will also come with a free saleabration item of your choice. Yay!!
Thank You!
Thanks so much for joining me today, for sending cards for the happy mail for Gerard contest (three more cards came in today!!) and for participating in the Paper Pumpkin for cancer campaign. Together we can make a very meaningful difference in this world. Please help spread the word about the Honour and Remember campaign too. Stories are powerful and are meant to be shared. So often we don’t hear about how we impacted someone’s life, so this will be a great way to do so.
Have a super day!
Product List
by Jackie Bultje | Mar 4, 2020 | gratitude, Honour and Remember, Peaceful Moments, Peaceful Poppies |
Hello stampers. Mindful gratitude. Think about that for a moment and really let it sink in. How often do we practice mindful gratitude? I know that for me it can go in spurts, but when I practice it, I am so much happier. Gratitude transforms us. It can transform the world around us as well because gratitude is contagious. Just like smiles.
Mindful Gratitude for our Veterans
I am planning a very meaningful project that will help us exercise mindful gratitude for our veterans and their families. May 5 is Liberation Day in the Netherlands and this year will be the 75th anniversary. If you have ever had the chance to go to Europe to see some of the battlefields of either of the world wars, you know how what a moving experience it is. We have not had war on Canadian soil since 1812, so we have no idea how a peaceful countryside can turn into bloodsoaked soil, how cities and villages can be laid to ruin in a moment. Our freedom came at a high price and I would love to thank our veteran community in a tangible way.
If you want to read more about how our troops were involved in the World War 2 liberation of the Netherlands, you can read about it here.
A Tangible Thank You
When I saw the Peaceful Poppies stamp set from Stampin’Up! I was immediately inspired to use it to thank our veterans. I wanted to do something big, something that would involve our entire community and maybe even inspire other people to do something similar.
This has now become an official project!! You can join in too. On Saturday April 25 from ten am till noon you can make up to ten cards or a journal. There will be cards for varying skill levels so you can choose which cards to make. The important part will be what you write inside, a heartfelt thank you for the sacrifice that was made for us. If you have personal memories of that time there will be small journals that you can share your stories in and even put in pictures if you like.
I will be going to Holland to attend the festivities as will the Chatham Pipe Band, so there will be lots of people to help distribute the cards and journals. Let’s see how many we can make! Here are the cards for you to see.
Honour and Remember Cards
If you really love to get creative, there will also be a table set up where you can unleash your own creativity and make whatever you want with the supplies provided. As a thank you for helping with this Honour and Remember project you will be able to keep five cards for yourself. If you want to see more cards made with Peaceful Poppies, you can check out this blog post.
Share this Event with Everyone
Please help make this event successful by sharing this blog post with everyone you know. Social media is a great tool for doing this quickly and easily. Here is the link for the event. If you cannot come to the event in person, you are more than welcome to send your cards to Jackie Bultje, 81 Delaware Avenue, Chatham, Ontario, N7L 2W3 and I will make sure they get to Holland in the hands for the veteran community.
Last Month of Saleabration
If you are not familiar with Stampin’Up! you might not know that they have a huge annual event every year called Saleabration. It goes from January through March and with every $60 purchase you get a free item. In the last few years they have also made some items available for free with a $120 purchase. This is in a addition to regular host benefits. The free stamp sets, paper and accessories are exclusive to salebration and are not available after this promotion ends.
A few new things have been added to the offerings including Flowering Foils paper, Rise & Shine stamp set, Well Dressed stamp set, So Very Vellum paper and the Tags in Bloom stamp set. If you want to see these items, just click here. If you have any questions, feel free to message me. Of course I would love to have your business if you live in Canada. Just click on the images below and you will be in my online store.
Product List
by Jackie Bultje | Mar 3, 2020 | Honour and Remember, Peaceful Moments, Peaceful Poppies, World War 2 |
Hello stampers and happy Tuesday to you. I’m finally writing my daily blog post, some back issues have slowed me down a bit today. Honour and Remember is the name of the project that I am hoping to engage the community in to add a personal touch to the 75th anniversary of the World War 2 Liberation of the Netherlands by the Allies. Our Canadian soldiers played a huge part in this liberation effort and many of them or their families will be attending festivities in the Netherlands in May. I plan to be there too.
Honour and Remember
Since this event took place seventy five years ago, it is highly likely that many of our veterans are no longer alive. Their families will be there to represent them and it is my hope that we can give these family members visible tokens of our appreciation. This can be in the form of a hand made card or a journal with stories and photos. How wonderful would it be if we could get a card or a journal to each person there?
The power of a handwritten note and a shared story is incredible. If you have stories that you would like to share, please send them to me and I will include them in a journal. You are also welcome to send photos along with your stories. I am flying to the Netherlands on April 29. The community event will be on Saturday April 25 from 10am till noon.
The Cards
Here are the cards that we will be making. Some are meant for beginners and some are meant for those who like to so more detailed work.
Tomorrow I will post all the cards individually so you can have a closer look at them. I used the notecards and envelopes to make it extra easy for everyone.
Thanks!
Thanks for joining me today, I appreciate you. If you don’t already have a demonstrator, I would be over the moon happy if you ordered from me! Of course there is a spot waiting for you on my team as well. Be sure to check out all the new saleabration offerings that became available today. If you have any questions, please let me know.
Happy Mail for Gerard
I am hoping that you will all participate in the happy mail for Gerard contest! This is what I wrote yesterday:
Please don’t forget about the happy mail in Canada contest where we want to shower Gerard with some love when he comes to Canada. If you send a masculine card for him by March 29 I will enter your name into a contest for a masculine stamp set of your choice from the mini catalog and I will blog about your card. I will also video Gerard opening all his cards so we can all enjoy his surprise and delight. Here is the address: Gerard van der Sar, c/o Jackie Bultje, 81 Delaware Avenue, Chatham, Ontario N7L 2W3 Canada
Product List
