Once a month for the past two years, friends have gathered at Bonita Kothe’s home to create handcrafted cards to send to soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait. Happy to receive them, the soldiers, in turn, can write on the blank cards and mail them back to loved ones in the United States.
Kothe and crew rubber-stamp and decorate 10-20 cards at a time before shipping them as part of care packages to units from Michigan. The cards range from “Thinking of You” to “Happy Birthday” to holiday and other common card types, says Kothe, who came up with the idea after visiting a Web site that promotes sending care packages to soldiers overseas.
Kothe addresses the packages, which also include items such as magazines, snacks, razors and toothbrushes, to soldiers who serve as liaisons between the www.anysoldier.com site and members of a particular unit. Kothe writes, “ATTN: Any Soldier,” on the address line to let the liaison know the contents should be dispersed within the unit, according to need.
“They really liked the cards and thanked me for sending them,” says Kothe, who has received a signed photo from one unit and thank you and Christmas cards from another in response. “It was something personal they could send back,” says the senior administrative assistant for the Study of Instructional Improvement in the School of Education.
In addition to making cards for soldiers in the Armed Forces, Kothe also crafts creations for family and friends for special occasions. She tries to convey optimism through her work by making the cards bright and cheerful. “I love what I do and I want to share it with other people,” she says.
To construct a card from scratch, Kothe says she peruses magazines, books and Web sites to generate ideas. She then chooses two or three of 48 colors of paper stock to layer each card. A stamp featuring a design or letter then is inked, using one of the coordinating colored inkpads, and imprinted on the paper. After stamping each card, Kothe adds beads, buttons, glitter or ribbons.
Kothe, a demonstrator with Stampin’ Up!, began rubber-stamping as a hobby four years ago when she attended a party thrown by her sister. “I had a lot of fun with it; it’s really creative,” Kothe says. “You use your energy and your mind to make different designs.”
For instance, with Easter approaching, Kothe has created themed cards and gift items to give to others for the springtime holiday. She recently received a request from a friend to create a Passover card—a challenge she joyfully accepted.
As a demonstrator, Kothe goes to people’s homes to teach scrap booking and card making. She also conducts four classes a month in her home. To create the samples she teaches in class, Kothe stamps once or twice a week.
Kothe says her joy comes in the relaxation and the self-fulfillment of a hobby/business. “For me, rubber-stamping is very relaxing. It’s easy to do, and it’s very duplicable,” she says. “You can actually see your beautiful project when you’re finished and it makes you feel good.”
Kothe’s creations make others feel good, too, as they bring smiles to soldiers stationed thousands of miles away.
