Embrace Life...and all that comes with it.

So where have I been and am I OK? Yes thank you so much for those who emailed me to check in to see that I was OK :) I love that you guys care so much that you will send a quick note to check in...it means a lot to me!

Last week we had to put our very old, sweet dog to sleep because she had lost most of her faculties and it just wasn't fair to watch her suffer any more :( Olivia, had been one of my mother in law's dogs who we have had for the last 10 years, and when we got her Bill and I figured that she was about 7 years old. When my husband took her to the vet that his mom used to, she was registered there and we found out that she would have been 21 years old this year...

Bill's mom has since passed away almost 3 years ago now and on the same day that our sweet dog went to heaven, my step father in law called to say that he had sold the house that he lived in with my mother in law. I didn't expect to feel strange because Linda has been gone for almost 3 years now but it just seemed so final...it was a tough week for sure.

In this past week there have also been a few passings of some people around me with both a cousin's husband from a short battle with cancer and someone that all of us stampers know through the web - Shannan Tuebner's husband rather unexpectedly. I have been kind of in a void and putting life into perspective. With life we have to take the good and the bad with it no matter who it affects. We have to appreciate all the wonderful things that it brings and be thankful for it, as well as cope with the the rest that nobody wants to deal with including the finalness of death - I sometimes have to remind myself of this.

My heart goes out the Maureen and her family and Shannan and her family who are laying to rest the loves of their lives this week. I can't pretend to know what you both are going through but please know that I shed tears for your heartaches and that my thoughts are with you always.

I have to admit that I have also been stalling on making any cards lately as I know the ones that I will be making are for these families and sympathy cards are not easy to make. Yes, life...the good and the bad...it's a force to behold. It has been a tough week for sure.



The card that I made to show you today is the first that I have made in almost 2 weeks. I needed to make a thank you card and I was hoping that this would jump start my creativity to pour myself out on paper to make those sympathy cards.

This card one was made with a set that I actually traded recently. I had actually water coloured this flower 2 weeks ago and it was the last time that I will get to use this stamp. The title of the set (Embrace Life) I found was kind of appropriate for this posting.

The flower was water coloured using my tombow markers. I coloured 2 flowers and them cut the out to layer them on top of each other to create a more "full" looking flower. I then added the little metal floral embellie with the gemstone brad to hold it all together. This card is 4 1/4" square I and finished it off with one of my newer Spellbinders Dies and some scraps of paper.

Card Recipe:

Stamps - Embrace Life
Paper: Black, Turquoise, Gina K, SU, Basic Grey DP, Watercolour
Ink: Black, Navy, Mustard, Olive
Accessories: Sewing Machine, Cuttlebug and Embossing Folders, Spellbinder's Fleur de Lis Pendant Die, Square and Scallop Square Nestabilities, Tombow Multi Adhesive, Tombow Markers, Water Brush, Pop Dots, Sponges, Metal Flower (Clear Dollar Stamps), Gemstone Brad, Sizzix Leaf Die