Life takes so many twists and turns and it is one of those tough twists I share with you today. It was a complete shock to receive the phonecall from my mom this past June telling me that she had breast cancer. I don't know why it had never dawned on me that women of all ages can be struck by breast cancer. For some odd reason I had thought that if you passed menopause and not had to face breast cancer you were "home free." It was stunning to attend the class where I learned how to care for my mom after surgery to find the room filled with elderly women.
One of the messages I would like to convey today is that no matter your age, young and old alike, we must continue to do our breast self-examinations AND if we find a lump we must act on it immediately. I am so very grateful that my mom is still here with us and continually improving. It has also rung the bell in my head that I must to do this and that I must get a physical each year. My life is so busy that sometimes I just don't do a very good job of taking care of myself, but if I don't take care of myself I will not be here to take care of my children - not an option in my opinion!
The second message is one that I hope will help make another small difference. There are some wonderful people who have helped my mom (and therefore me) throughout this time and what better way to say thank you than with a special card! It is so very important to let other's know how much they are appreciated by saying thank you. Life get's so busy and yet it should never be too busy to say thank you.
Today and tomorrow we are featuring the Unity Stamps on our site and we have a special challenge for you, so please read through this post and join us in saying thank you or making it easier for someone else to do so!
One of the wonderful things about the Unity stamps is that many of the sets we carry are coordinates to the very popular 6x6 paper pads! For example today's project is a combination of Unity stamps produced using Cosmo Cricket images.
In thinking about this design the idea of creating another type of ombre background came to me. Ombre simply means to shade, or create a graduated change in color tone.
Begin by stamping these trendy women using a Distress embossing ink pad together with clear embossing powder. After heating use an ink blending tool in a swirling motion, being certain to start on your non-stick craft sheet to avoid leaving a "print" on your project. Work your way from the lower edge of the cardstock up your project without reinking so that as you move upwards the color becomes less intense until it completely disappears. I recommend practicing on a piece of scrap cardstock to see how much ink works best.
Tip: To add additional interest you could start at the opposite edge with a different color and work your way back in to the first color.
Create your focal point by stamping the bra on patterned paper and cutting out. To make the sentiment pop off the colored cardstock I used Butterscotch Adirondack embossing powder. The little clothespins and gemstone are the finishing touches to this simple card.
stamps: Unity Stamps: Upcycle's Hey Girlfriend and Sexy, Silly, and Sassy
ink: Distress Embossing Ink, Watermelon Adirondack Dye Ink
paper: Cosmo Cricket Upcycle Paper Pad
accessories: Cosmo Cricket Upcycle Jewels, Hero Arts Mini Clothespins
Breast Cancer Awareness Challenge
So here is our challenge - the first is to make certain that you do your self-examinations and schedule a physical/mammogram if you haven't done so yet this year. This first challenge is one that may save your life --- please do it!
The second is one that we can see that you are joining in and are excited to reward you with a special prize! This month Splitcoaststampers is hosting a month long series of Hope You Can Cling To challenges and asking participants to send the cards to a Cancer Center in Texas. We would like to encourage you to participate in this worthy cause! You could also contact a Cancer Center near you --- having blank thank you cards available to patients and family members will spread that feel good spirit and help bring positive thoughts to many.
These two simple words "thank you" do make a difference in life!
You have until 11:59pm Pacific Daylight time , Wednesday, October 12 to add your Breast Cancer Thank You note below using the InLinkz tool. We will be doing a random drawing and awarding TWO individuals a beautiful selection of Unity Stamps we have pulled from our inventory valued at approximately $50 to our lucky winners --- it is our way of saying thank you to all that participate. Good luck and go create something "pretty in pink!"
