Encouragement Card

Hello, my dear friends! I hope you're having a wonderful day. :o)

I'm happy to have a card to share with you tonight! I used some new goodies to create another card for this month's I Feel the Love Project recipient. We are sending love to a heartbroken couple whose 6-month-old baby passed away from injuries sustained in a car accident. :(

"Blessed are those who persevere"

I used my new Timeless Rectangles to make my first shaped-card with Spellbinders dies. :o) Such fun! I hadn't previously had any large enough, so I was excited when I discovered the largest die in this set is big enough to serve as a card base.

Here's an angled view to show the interior, as well as the filigree-designed back. I created the card base using the hinge technique I learned from Becca of Amazing Paper Grace. I'm thrilled to have the complete filigree design on the back, too. :o)

I wanted to send flowers to the grieving parents, so I used my favorite purple Copics (RV91-RV93-RV95) and this lovely Fred, She Said Tulip Trio image. It was a freebie (found HERE) donated to the amazing Operation Write Home organization. It made it extra lovely to work with, knowing that it was created for charitable purposes. Three years later, it's still being used to bless those in need in so many facets. :o) I added two Wild Orchid Crafts pearl sprays to the arrangement for a touch of elegance. A tiny butterfly flutters beside it, which kind of blends into the paper.

The beautiful papers are NitWit Collections' Potting Shed, which I truly adore. This was my first time using digital papers. At first, it went horribly and I was quite frustrated. Thankfully, after a couple of hours away, I decided to try it one more time and am so glad I did. After a few tweaks, it worked much better. I love the delicate flowers on the white background and the sweet heart-shaped blooms for the card base layer... they just felt perfect for this cause. Nature's beauty can be healing, especially when hearts are added in for good measure. :o) The papers are lightly inked with Walnut Stain distress ink.

The pretty butterfly in the top corner is a digital stamp from Wee Stamps, a freebie offered last week to coordinate with Sylvia's newest (adorable) release. I colored it with the same purples as the tulips and added some Star Dust to the outskirts of her wings. Inexplicably, I put this sweet butterfly on the wrong side... a mistake that confuzzles me. She was supposed to be on the opposite side as the bow for balance, but I'm trying to let it go. It's hardly something these heartbroken parents will care about, which is what I try to remember when creating for I Feel the Love. The recipients see love and reprieve, not crafty mistakes. It certainly teaches perspective.

The Scriptural truth is from K Andrew Designs Scripture Sayings stamp set, which I heat-embossed in silver. It is immovable, just like God's Word. :o) Pearls accent all three frames of the card, but they're hard to see on this little one. The ruffle-trimmed ribbon is from May Arts, which I had just enough left to wrap both layers. (Since I wanted to pop up the layers but have more ribbon visible, I opted to wrap it around each.) The bow is centered with a flat-back scalloped pearl from Wild Orchid Crafts.

It's not often I don't know what to say in my posts, but it's one of those rare moments. I wish I could do more to help those who are mourning the loss of sweet Baby Mason. Hopefully this card will encourage them to persevere through this nightmare. My heart is tucked inside, confident that their lives will blossom once again as beautifully as these tulips. 

Sweet Baby Mason... gone far too soon due to a drunk driver's tragic choice.

Thank you for visiting! I wish you a twinkly and blessed week. :o)

Challenges entered:

 *Craft Your Passion~ In the Garden

 *Crafty Catz~ Pick and Mix! (The optional embossing is my heat-embossed sentiment)

 *Crafty Ribbons~ Flowers Galore

 *Creative Creations~ Shaped Cards

 *DL.Art~ Thankful Thursday Linky Party (Anything Goes)

 *Inspire Me Fridays~ Anything Goes

 *Lady Anne's~ The Great Outdoors

 *Make It Monday~ Anything Goes

 *No Matter Which~ Bingo (Ribbons-Flowers-Bows)

 *Stampin' for the Weekend~ Anything Goes