Purple and Pink Daisies

I love Flowers For Daisy. Here is another card I made a month or so ago for the launch of this wonderful set that Asela Hopkins illustrated. The designer paper I used is from Basic Grey and since it had swirls all over it, I wanted to recreate that same effect behind the flower image too.

The swirl stamp from Baroque Motifs was a perfect match for the swirls in the Basic Grey paper!! I first stamped the daisy with Memento Tuxedo black ink onto Whisper White cardstock. Then, I used a mask to mask off the daisy, and over the mask I stamped the swirl image with Lovely Lilac ink. To color the daisy, I used my Copic markers.

The sentiment "celebrate" came from a set called Birthday Centers, which I bought from CHF.

I would like to thank you, once again, for your generous support of this amazing set! Because of you, Gina K. Designs (thanks Gina!!!) will be able to make a sizable donation to the American Cancer Society and we'll all be one step closer to eradicating this deadly disease. Every little bit makes a difference, so don't think for a minute your part in making Flowers for Daisy a success doesn't matter. It does, and we thank you. The good news is, you have until September 1st to buy Flowers for Daisy in case you haven't gotten around to it yet! Click here if you are interested, ok?

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Flowers For Daisy

I've had this card in my stash for over a month now, and thought it was time to share it with you. Why?

Well, because I felt it was time to remind you that this set, called Flowers For Daisy, is a stamp set that allows ALL of us to make a difference in the life of someone suffering from cancer.

How? Well, because for every set sold, Gina K. Designs will donate a total of $4.00 to the American Cancer Society. Can making a difference get any easier?

To give you a little background in case you're new to my blog, this set was drawn by my special friend Asela Hopkins (Hop Art Studio) in honor of her friend Daisy who currently suffers from cancer. She shared her idea with Gina one day, and Gina was quick to jump onboard with the project! There is no one more generous and caring when it comes to special causes than Gina. I have been really honored to be a part of the Flowers For Daisy launch to fight cancer because my brother-in-law Ken is currently battling lung cancer. If I can lend my creative abilities to help the fight against this evil disease, I'm there. It was the least I could do.

And that's why I'm posting a card again today using the set. I didn't want you to forget about the set or the mission behind it. Help make a difference today!

Hugs,
Amy

More Flowers for Daisy

I thought I'd share with you another one of the cards I made using the Flowers for Daisy stamp set from Gina K. Designs.

Have you ever worked with Fun Flock? That's what I've used on the petals of the daisy. Bright yellow (and I mean bright) in the center of the flower, and bright pink for the petals. This is really fun stuff to play with for a change of pace. It's really easy. I just use my glue pen to put glue down on the image, and then I sprinkle flock over the top of it. I press it down with my fingers, and then tap the excess off. You can see a close-up of the flower in this shot.....

In case you haven't noticed, for all the Flowers for Daisy cards that I've made over the past week, I chose to make them with bright and cheerful colors. I specifically wanted all my cards to bring happiness and energy to their recipients because in most instances, the recipients are going through a tough time right now. In my personal opinion, dark and dreary colors would only add to the darkness of the situation. I do not want to be responsible for adding more darkness to someone's life, even if it is only used on the front of a card!

I know that the most recent release over at Gina K. Designs was her biggest release EVER, and that includes this amazing little set. I personally want to thank you for wrapping your arms around this set and purchasing it on behalf of someone you love who's battling or has battled cancer in the past. I know both Gina and Asela (and me!!!) appreciate your loving support of their mission.

I know that all the sets that Gina released last week sold out so fast, that she had to have more rubber made to restock the shelves! If you go over with the intent to buy Flowers for Daisy and find it's out of stock, please know that Gina will send it off to you the minute it's back in the store!

I have to tell you, on a personal front, my heart is aching today. I picked up Eldest Son last night after a week up at COP. He had another great week, but once he got home, the mood soured quickly. He and The Girlfriend of four months broke up last night. He was crying and sooooo sad. The breakup was caused by a few factors; distance being the biggest. They live 20 miles away from each other and go to different schools. Eldest Son doesn't drive yet, and her parents won't let her drive all the way out here. To get around this, we either drove him over to her house, her parents would drive her here, or, when the hubster's dad would come out to visit, he'd pick The Girlfriend up and bring her out with him as they lived fairly close to each other.

The other issue is The Girlfriend is a stuffer (of emotions) and is currently suffering a bunch of emotional turmoil. And last but not least, Eldest Son has been gone up at camp so much this summer that they've lost their "connection". I was so sad last night when he said that he wondered what would have happened if he hadn't gone up to church camp so much, if that connection wouldn't have been lost. He had the best summer EVER up at camp this year, and I told him he couldn't second guess his decision to spend his time up there versus staying home with The Girlfriend. I asked him who was supposed to come first in his life, and he replied "God". I told him that was right. Not The Girlfriend, not The Parents. God. Then family, then friends. It's a very hard concept for a 17 year old to accept. But it's a concept I'll be talking with him about as the week wears on. I just hope he's not too heartbroken. How did the rest of you handle your son's first breakup? I think they plan on being best of friends still (famous last words). I told him regardless of what happened, there is always something wonderful you can take from the situation, and something you can learn from the situation. And that's what he needs to think about for a little while now. What good will he take from his relationship with The Girlfriend, and what can he learn from the bad. I will be on my knees this week big time asking God for his guidance!

I've got to run. Have a great day.

Hugs,
Amy

Flowers For Daisy

Boy, today is a busy day here at Heartfelt Greetings.....so many posts, so much to share!

Here is another card I created using the new Flowers For Daisy set released last night by Gina K. Designs. Asela Hopkins is the illustrator behind the magic.

The great news is that $4.00 from every set sold will go to benefit the American Cancer Society on behalf of Gina K. Designs.


You all know I am crazy for paper piecing, so when I figured out this amazing daisy could be paper pieced, I squealed! I used some scraps from my stash of Webster's Pages for the daisy, as well as for the patterned Nestabilities scalloped layer you see. There really is so much you can do with this set....have you ventured over to Asela's blog today to see what amazing fashion piece she made with the set? You must see it. The wheels in that girl's head are always spinnin', I tell ya!

I really am lovin' this set ladies. I can't wait to show you some more of what I've done with it!

Hugs,
Amy

Ways You Can Help

Have you ever wondered how in the world you can help a friend or family member recently diagnosed with cancer? If so, you're not alone. I think we can all relate to feelings of helplessness, guilt and sadness when we're on the outside looking in on someones personal, private and overwhelming emotional pain due to a cancer diagnosis. We think to ourselves, "how can I help, or what can I say to make this time easier from my loved one"? Sometimes we find ourselves retreating and not saying anything at all because we don't want to cause more pain. But retreating is the worst thing we can do. There are many things we can do to help support our loved ones.

This week, as we celebrate the launch of Flowers for Daisy, the new stamp set illustrated by Asela Hopkins and supported and released by Gina K. Designs, I will share with you ways in which you can help a loved one suffering with cancer. I'm not offering any earth shattering ideas you probably haven't thought of yourself, but I'm just refreshing your memory in case you find yourself in this situation and unable to realize how you can help.

First off, let your friend/family member know you love them and are willing to be there to help in any way you can. We all have different gifts. Some of us are good cooks and can provide meals for the family. Others of us love to drive and wouldn't mind driving our loved one to and from chemo treatments. Still others of us have creative abilities (ahem....that'd be YOU!!) and are able to create a set of thank you cards for our loved one so they can thank friends and family members for their support throughout treatment (this is how I've helped my SIL...my hubby just left to visit Jayne and Ken and I sent along a set of handmade thank you cards for Jayne to use to send to people that have helped them out). Just remember, if you make a commitment to help, it's important to follow through. If you promised to bring a meal over on Sunday, don't forget!

And one last thought for today....allow your friend/loved one to feel sad. Don't be afraid to talk with them about uncomfortable topics or feelings. On the other hand, talk about things besides the cancer too. Sometimes people suffering from cancer need to talk about something other than cancer for a change! Remember, not everything changed with the diagnosis. They are the same person during the cancer as they were before the cancer. They didn't suddenly turn into an alien once they got diagnosed! Chances are if they liked to talk about politics before they got cancer, they'll probably still want to talk politics after they got cancer (or stamping:))!


OK, it's time to talk to you about my card using the new Flowers For Daisy set......it was the first one I made, and it took me the longest because I wanted so badly to do this set justice for my friends Asela and Gina. If you look closely at the background I made with one of the daisy stamps in the set, it looks like it's oil painted! Now, I'd love to tell you I've invented a brand new technique to make your cards look like they are oil painted, but that wouldn't be true. I sort of stumbled across the technique after many failed attempts at coloring my daisies. In the end, here's how I managed to get my daisies to look like they do.

First off, I took the two-daisy stamp from the set, and stamped it all over a piece of kraft cardstock with Versamark. Then I embossed the daisies with off-white embossing powder. The next step involves filling in the petals on the flowers with my Galaxy Milky Way White Marker, which I've had in my stash for a million years and never used.

I've never used it because it's sort of translucent, not opaque. Once I colored in all the petals using this marker, I colored over the translucent glaze with a purple Copic marker. Because of the translucent glaze underneath, the purple Copic marker appears somewhat translucent as well. And because when I colored each petal I went out of the lines of the embossed image, it looks like each flower petal is created using oil paints. I know, strange, but in real life, that's really how it looks! I had so much showing you my first card with Flowers For Daisy! I hope you like it and realize you too can make a difference in someones life by purchasing this set for your own. It will be released tonight during the release party over at Gina K. Designs! Remember, for every set sold, Gina K. Designs will give $4.00 the American Cancer Society to help in the fight of this awful disease. I am honored to be involved, if only in a small way, in this crusade lovingly battled by Asela and Gina.

Have a great day!

Hugs,

Amy

Have You Been Touched By Cancer?

I know I have. And I'd venture to say that nearly every one of you reading my post today has been too.

I feel confident guessing that just about every one of us who's precious feet still walk this earth probably has lost a loved one to cancer, or watched in silent agony as someone they loved battled, yet survived the ravages of cancer. On a personal level, cancer recently touched my family in the most intimate way.

At the end of March we found out that our brother-in-law Ken (Doug's sister's husband) has Stage IV lung cancer. A thousand miles away, the Hubster and I watch in silent agony as Ken valiantly battles this vicious disease. Being so far away, we feel helpless in so many ways.

But now, thank heavens, there is a way both you and I can help. We are not powerless in the fight against cancer. Thanks to Gina K. Designs and Asela Hopkins, we have been blessed with the opportunity to help. Gina and Asela have teamed up together to release a special stamp set called Flowers for Daisy (official launch day is Thursdsay, July 24th!). Asela is the magnificent artist who drew this set in honor of her special friend Daisy, who is currently battling cancer (please see Asela's blog, Hop Art Studio, for a heartrending story about how Flowers for Daisy came to be).

Asela wanted to use her God-given talents in a way that could help Daisy. This new set, Flowers for Daisy is the direct result of Asela's desire, and I'm so, so, so honored that Asela invited me to be a part of the design team for the launch of this special set. Personally, it couldn't have come at a better time for me. That I am able to use my God-given talents to help Gina, Asela, Daisy, and indirectly, Ken, humbles me. We must all do what we can, with what we've been given, to make a difference in this world.

You can help make a difference too. For every Flowers for Daisy set that is sold between now and the end of August, $4.00 will go to the American Cancer Society on behalf of Asela Hopkins and Gina K. Designs. I encourage each and every one of you consider buying this set in remembrance of, or in honor of, a loved one in your life that has been affected by cancer.

Today, Gina's own team of talented designers is previewing Asela's new set, so be sure and stop by each of their blogs throughout the week to see what they've done with Flowers for Daisy:

Emily Giovanni
Joanne Basile
Julie Koeber
Michelle Giraud

I am so excited to show you the cards I've made with Flowers for Daisy that I might just have to email Gina this morning and tell her I want to post my cards earlier than Friday;0)! Gina is giving away Flowers for Daisy on her blog today, so be sure and visit her to try and win one for yourself!

Hugs,
Amy