Love, Joy, Hope: I Feel the Love

Happy Tuesday, my crafty friends! :o)

A new month means a new recipient of the treasured I Feel the Love Project, faithfully hosted each month by the sweet and talented Madison of Funky Cards. Each month she highlights a particular person, family, or organization in need of extra love and sunshine. In turn, we have the privilege of crafting for a higher purpose; one that gives me more joy than I could ever adequately express.

This month's focus is a precious little boy named Brandon, who is 4 years old. As the story unfolded, I knew I wouldn't be able to solely focus on him... which is why you see a girly card below. Rather, I need to make a little card for each immediate family member. The sweet family was involved in a tragic car accident last September. As a result, Brandon is considered tetraplegic, which means he can move one limb from time to time. He remains trach and ventilator dependent. Due to the neurological damage suffered in the accident, there is little likelihood that he will ever be weaned from the ventilator. (Although I will pray for all miracles to abound.)

Brandon's mother, his 2-year-old sister Ashley, and still-hospitalized aunt were all seriously injured in the accident. His mom's sweetheart (Ashley's father) did not survive. :( As endless beautiful cards have been posted around Blogger for Mother's Day, I couldn't stop thinking about this special mother and all she is enduring. So before Brandon's and Ashley's cards, I was inspired to share the love for a mother I do not know, but am connected with in prayer. She is truly special.

"Love. Joy. Hope."

I wanted to deliver this message through an elegant card, which hopefully will bring her a moment's comfort as she takes in the flourishy design. In life's most dire trials, we need to cling all the more fiercely to God and the endless love, joy, and hope that He offers. Those are often the hardest times to do just that, which is why I wanted them as the focus of the exterior. Whenever her eyes land upon this card, hopefully it will serve as a reminder of where to keep her focus and of how much she is truly loved. The joy of the Lord is our strength, after all.

A slightly closer look at the focal point, which is popped up with foam tape for dimension. (No worries, that mysterious black fuzzie will not be making the journey to California.)

The Storybook butterfly has three layers to make it 3D because I wanted it to have a nice presence on the card, to whisk her to a place of joyous hope on its whimsical wings. The body is lined with pearls to coordinate with the frame... and because you can never have too many pearls (or chocolate chips).

A few technical details for this card that was such fun to create, beginning with the gorgeous oval. I valiantly tried to resist the Spellbinders Floral Ovals, but upon discovering it's the perfect size for some of my beloved Elisabeth Bell stamps, all restraint vanished. The timing was perfect, as I thought it would make a lovely backdrop for this marvelous mother. Layered upon the pearl-accented floral oval are two Spellbinders Classic Ovals. The Love, Joy, and Hope stamps are from Close To My Heart, which came with the Art Philosophy bundle. I decorated it with a few Wild Orchid Crafts roses, which are sprinkled with glittery Star Dust. They rest atop my favorite Storybook leaves, which are embossed with the Swiss Dots folder.

The patterned papers are from the Kaiser Craft English Rose collection, and I was ecstatic to see they perfectly match this pretty American Crafts lace ribbon. :o) I wanted her to have elegant lace and a pretty bow, so I had no choice but to add more ribbon! Woohoo! The Vanilla Bean crinkle ribbon is from My Craft Spot. It is (somewhat) tied in a double bow, thanks to a fabulous tutorial by my dear friend Sherrie of Sherrie Scraps with Passion. It may have been wise for my first attempt to be with satin ribbon, or anything a touch less crinkly than crinkle ribbon. ;) It was fun, though!

The corner details are single scrolls from Art Philosophy, which I doubled up to make a fancy corner. Lastly, I added two tiny butterflies, secured in pearly love. The edges of the base papers and ovals are inked with Walnut Stain Distress Ink, while the butterflies are inked with Victorian Velvet. I also stitched around the perimeter with my sewing machine.

My hope is that having a card for Brandon, Ashley, and their mom will deliver a heap of love to the entire family. That way, I can almost hug all of them since I pack these cards with all the sappy love and hugs possible. :o) I hope you'll consider making a card for Brandon this month. It will mean more to the family than we can truly understand.

Challenges entered:
 * Craft Your Passion~ Torn or Distressed Edges
 * Frosted Designs~ Recipe Challenge; I chose: glitter (on the flowers, which didn't photograph well), ribbon, butterfly, and flower
 * Really Reasonable Ribbon~ Mother's Day or Feminine with Ribbon
 * Sentimental Sundays~ For a Special Woman

Thank you for fluttering on by today! I hope you have a sparkly, beautiful week! :o)

Key Recipe Components:
 * Cricut cartridges: Art Philosophy, Storybook
 * Cuttlebug embossing folder: Swiss Dots
 * Spellbinders Nestabilities: Floral Ovals, Classic Ovals~ Large
 * Paper: Core'dinations, Kaiser Craft, Papertrey Ink
 * Stamps: Close To My Heart
 * Ribbon: Crinkle~ My Craft Spot (Vanilla Bean); Lace~ American Crafts
 * Flowers: Wild Orchid Crafts
 * Ink: Victorian Velvet, Walnut Stain
 * Miscellaneous: Pearls (Recollections), Stickles