sweetsteph card creations: Swimming for Katie!

Hi, everyone! I'm here today with a very special card to share with you for a dear crafty friend, Katie. I've been following Katie's blog for a while now and her candid and open approach to telling her story makes me feel like we've been friends for years. Katie and her family are always in my thoughts and prayers and I am SO excited to be part of such an important blog hop in her honor.

Here's a little more about Katie and the hop:

From October 10-12 some of the best stampers are joining together to support and encourage our friend and fellow stamper, Katie Renz, who is currently battling inoperable gastric cancer. If you're not familiar with her, Katie’s cancer story started just before Christmas last year. This young, beautiful, healthy, vibrant mother of 3 with her infectious smile was suddenly diagnosed with an inoperable cancer, virtually overnight. A few tummy aches and then stage 4 gastric cancer. Her first post about it is here. The idea of “Swimming for Katie” came from her recent post here.
This exclusive stamp used in my sample, designed by Becky Oehlers is available as a clear stamp, as well as a digis or a dig and SVG cut file. 100% of the profits go to Katie's fund to help her and her young family. Her husband Kevin and her three young children need our help and support. In addition to the Keep Swimming Octopus, Marianne Walker and True =D Doodle Designs both also donated digis that are for sale. Direct donations are also being accepted. Information central is HERE. This is a permanent page that will stay active at i {heart} papers with current information and the full 3 day blog hop listing, as well as the donation button.

Here is the card I made for Katie with the new Keep Swimming Octopus stamp!

Here are all the items available for sale.

Keep Swimming Octopus - Peachy Clear Stamp $5.50

Keep Swimming Octopus DIGIstamp $3.00

Keep Swimming Octopus DIGIstamp And SVG cut file $3.50

Keep Swimming Mermaid DIGIstamp $3.50

Keep Swimming Ribbon Fish and Digipaper Kit $4.00

Keep Swimming Bubble Digipaper and Fish Digistamp $4.00

InLinkz.com

I hope you will join me in supporting Katie through a purchase or donation. There's a donation button on my sidebar!

To help raise money for Katie, Creating for Causes(www.creatingforcauses.org) has generously donated a FREE ticket (value:$249.95) to one of their upcoming 3-day Scrap & Stamp Retreats.

The winner of the free ticket will enjoy 3 days of non-stopfun and creativity with fellow scrappers, stampers and paper crafters, and canchoose between the Charlotte, NC Scrap & Stamp Ritzy Retreat at TheRitz-Carlton on October 21-23 or the Orlando, FL Scrap & Stamp Retreat atthe Marriott World Center on November 4-6. Both retreats promise to spoil youand provide 48-straight hours of creating, camaraderie and fun!

To learn more about the events, please visit:http://www.creatingforcauses.org/our-events/scrapbook-events/.

Not only will you be raising money for Katie by making adonation, you get a chance to win a wonderful weekend getaway for yourself!And, because all of Creating for Causes' events are charity events that raisemoney for local charities, you'll be giving back twice!

Wow, a weekend retreat for you and two chances to helpothers. Does it get any better than that?

Here's how it works:

Simply make a $33 donation (or more) for Katie and indicatethat you want to be entered in the Creating for Causes Retreat ticket drawing.Everyone who makes a qualifying donation will be entered into the drawing andone lucky person will be attending this 3-day retreat for FREE! That luckyperson could just be you! (If you have already donated and wish to beincluded, just email kate(at) iheartpapers (dot) com)

DEADLINE TO ENTER FOR THIS GIVEAWAY IS FRIDAY 9PM EST,although other donations will be accepted for weeks to come.

If you would like to send Katie a card, her mailing address is:

Katie Renz
PO Box 5913
Bellingham, WA 98227-5913

The following is a list of everyone who has projects posted today. I hope you will be inspired by them and moved to purchase or donate. From here you're off to visit Susanna Boyd! Happy hoppin'!