It's Jest 'er Clay!!!

Handcrafted Polymer Clay Art

Hearts 4 Heroes

One of my favorite pastimes is making Hearts 4 Heroes and sending them to our
troops and veterans so they will know that they are appreciated for the sacrifices
they have made on our behalf.   I joined the Hearts 4 Heroes Project at the
beginning of 2005 and have made over 12,000 hearts to date.  Below are a few
pictures of the hearts I've made. 

        

 

        

      

Below is a picture of a card that is sent with each heart.  The heart and the
card are put into ziplock bags prior to being shipped out.  You may request
a heart (or hearts) by going to the Hearts 4 Heroes website for your loved ones,
friends, or care packages going to troops overseas.

                                  

Guidelines for making H4H

Anyone interested in making and contributing hearts for the Hearts 4 Heroes project may do so by following these guidelines or you can  Email Me 

 
 
 
Guidelines For Volunteers:
 
 
1.  First and foremost..the hearts need to be high quality.  Sanded and polished or smoothed to a very clean, fingerprint-free matte finish.  A nice design, suitable for men as well as women.  Quality of the hearts is more important than the quantity... the heart should be something you would be proud to wear and put your name on!
    
    We want the GIs to be as proud to wear our hearts as we are proud of our soldiers.  We also think they may like having them as a keepsake so quality is of high importance. 
 
2.  Hearts are to be no bigger than a quarter!  A little smaller would work but, please, no larger than a quarter.
 
     We feel the men and women prefer the smaller hearts so they will be comfortable to wear on their dogtags, flak jacket or carry with them.  Anything bigger than a quarter is a bit cumbersome and probably would not be worn.
 
 
3.  Hearts need a clip on them.  Either a size 5 or 7 fishing swivel or a lanyard.  Lanyards will need a ring..a jump ring, split ring or a ring you make using a strong wire fir clipping the lanyard onto. 
 
     Be careful to get the right kind of swivels.  There are swivels without the clip on them and they won't do much good if the GIs can't clip them onto their dogtags.  You can find swivels at places that sell fishing supplies or at Walmart.  The lanyards you can get from Walmart or craft stores.
               
 
4.  Cards can be the size of business cards for a 3"x 4" ziplock bag or small enough to fit in a 2" x 3" ziplock bag.  The cards you send to us (if you choose to make your own) need to have the H4H website address on the front of the card - www.hearts4heroes.com .  Also, they should have suitable clipart..a flag or banner, etc. and the words we use are "You are my Hero.  As you hold this heart, know that you abide in mine.  Thank you for your service."
 
    You may put your guild name or a personal wish, your first name and email address on the back of the card but we prefer that only the H4H website be on the front of the card, please.  If you do not want to bag and tag the hearts, that is fine, I will be happy to do it.
 
 
After you get your hearts made you may ship them to me for distribution.  Email Me for my mailing address or any questions or concerns.
 
Sincerely,
Linda Weeks 

Bottles of Hope

Bottles of Hope is another charitable project that I love participating in.  Bottles of Hope
are little glass medicine bottles that have been decorated with clay in a variety of techniques
and given freely to people with cancer or other serious illness to offer that person care,
hope and dreams.  Each bottle I make comes with a little card that says "A Bottle of Hope,
Created for You, Holds Wishes and Hope, Your Dreams Come True".  To request a
Bottle of Hope you can visit the Bottles of Hope website or Contact Me.

Here are a few of the Bottle I have made and distributed.