Touching those who hurt

When someone is hurting, a handmade card is a very special way to say, "I am thinking of you, and you are not alone." And when the handmade card is made especially for that person, I think it means even more.

A while back, a high school friend of mine had lost her dog in a most tragic way. The dog's name was Coral. My friend grieved so, and my heart just broke right alongside hers. I thought the best thing I could do was make a special sympathy card, with many thoughtful details.

Sentiment:  Papertrey Ink Tag Its #5; Paw print: Papertrey Ink With Sympathy: Loss of a Pet

I pulled out some cardstock from Stampin' Up! called Cameo Coral with a nod toward my friend's beloved Coral. I added feminine details that I hoped would please my friend:  a die cut doily, pink pearls, and a pink "Colleen Bow" (my term for the way I tie my fancy bows).

My friend deeply appreciated this card, and she displayed it alongside photos of her precious furbaby. {{{biggest hugs to my friend}}}

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My husband's father has been going through some difficult health trials these last couple of years. He is hanging in there, but I know there are some days that get him down. I made a card for him with one of my favorite Scripture verses:  Jeremiah 17:7.

I surrounded the stamped verse with lots of autumnal touches. Thought it's hard to see, the bottom portion of the acorn is golden.  So pretty in real life.

Sentiment: Verve Jeremiah 17:7; Martha Stewart Branch Punch;  Lawn Fawn Stitched Leaves dies; acorn die from Stampin' Up!

Thank you so much for joining me today, as I pause and take a peaceful break during the busy Christmas season.  God bless you!

Long post with lots of cards - part 2!

Hey!  I'm back with another big batch o'cards to share.  And this is probably it for a while, until I can catch my breath again!  Christmas is coming, and you know how busy that can be.  {smile!}

Thanks so much for taking a look.  Not too many words in this post, just lots of cards!

Alrighty, that's it for now!  Wishing you a wonderful week ahead, and once again, Happy Thanksgiving!  God bless you all.

Long post full of cards!

Hello again!  I had a chance this evening to edit some card photos, and I've got a long line of pics to share today.  Some are simple, some are fancier, some make good use of scraps. ;-) I hope you enjoy!

Thanks so much for joining me today!  Happy Thanksgiving once again!

Give Thanks for Autumn

Hey there, hi there, ho there!  We're approaching Thanksgiving in America in just a few days. I have plenty to be thankful for. Every night at dinner, after we say grace, my family and I each say one thing we are grateful for. On a particularly hard day, when it might seem like there's nothing to be thankful for, we can say simply that we are grateful for the food in front of us.

I made this Thanksgiving card in a rather eclectic fashion. :-) I was actually trying to use up some scraps that were on my work table, and this design emerged.

The leaves were fun to make, using Tim Holtz Tattered Leaves dies and oodles of Distress Ink sprays.

The sentiment and tag are from Papertrey Ink's Tiny Tags collection, and the wreath die is also from Papertrey Ink.

I've had some time this evening to edit a batch of card photos.  I'm putting together a post to share right after this one goes live, so you can see a bit of what I've been up to, creatively speaking!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

More Catching Up

Hello everyone!  I cannot believe how crazy my life has been for, well, this whole year!  We've had {more than} our share of illnesses and injuries, for one thing.  My husband fell off a ladder at the end of August and dislocated his knee cap, rupturing the patellar tendon in the process.  Painful, yes.  Disgusting-looking, yes.  He had surgery a week later, and has been in a full leg brace since. Surgery went really well, and he's on the mend, doing his physical therapy.  He can't drive, as this happened to his right leg (of course!), so a lot more is resting on my shoulders for now.

Hurricane Harvey hit my beloved family in Texas pretty hard.  My brother and his wife had up to five feet of water on their property, and about two feet of water inside the house. They lost a lot, but thankfully have they flood insurance. They are luckier than some of their friends and neighbors who do not have flood insurance. What a tragedy. For now, my brother and sister-in-law are living with Mom, and her house remained dry and did not lose power - praise God!

Our family has been living with storms this year, both in nature - like the hurricanes - and other kinds of storms like mental illness in a cherished loved one; my husband's untimely fall; slipped discs in my back. These things can slow us down, but they also provide a new perspective for me. I am extremely grateful for the grace of Almighty God, the love in my family, the kindness of our neighbors.

1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Thanks for taking a look at a handful of my creations today.

The calendar says Autumn has begun, but it feels like summer here this weekend, with high temps in the low 90s. I'll pass, thanks.  LOL I'm ready for cooler days and nights, and packing away summer clothes, and pulling out comfy, cozy fall and winter clothes.

Thanks so much for coming by here today.  I hope you are well!