I am crazy for the PAPER SMOOOCHES stamp images. They just make me happy. They're fun and quirky with plenty of room for coloring and I love that. They're also perfect for kids and that's why I chose them for some important cards that I've worked on this week.
On the day before Easter the young (44), beautiful, and vibrant wife of my husband's cousin passed away after a two year battle with brain cancer. To say that their family is devastated is an understatement. On top of the injustice of such a short life is that fact that they have four children under the age of 13. It's so very tragic an unfair. They don't live nearby but we, of course, sent flowers and I wanted to make a card for each of the children plus their father and their grandmother who has also been dealing with the weight of this the whole time. For the kids, I didn't want "down" cards. I wanted "up" cards. To give them a smile and let them know that we're thinking of them. I hope that I'm doing the right thing. I only have three of the six cards that I need to make but I wanted to share them with you.
I don't usually go for bright and colorful but this one's for a girl who would appreciate this silly flower from the PERKY PLANTS set. The patterned papers are from the Echo Park Summer Days 6x6 pad. I also used JEN DEL MURO'S new Sketch For You To Try for May. Remember that Jen does a new sketch each month and has a guest designer and prizes too. You can check that all out by going to Jen's blog using the link above or in my sidebar.
This one is for the youngest of the boys. My son is 10 but he has always loved our cat, Tom. That's why when I'm coloring cat images there's almost always one that looks like Tom. He's the "special" cat there on the right. This image is from the CHUBBY CHUMS set and the "you're special" sentiment that I used on the inside of the card is from the SENTIMENT SAMPLER set. The blue polka-dot, green brocade, and graph paper are in the new 8x8 5 & Dime pad from October Afternoon. The mustard dotted paper is from Bo Bunny.
This one is for one of the older boys....slighly more serious but still colorful and fun. The sentiment, bird, squirrel, branches, and pine tufts (?) are from the new HANG UPS set. The patterned papers are all in the Campfire 8x8 pad from October Afternoon.
I actually decorated the inside of each card too but not as fancy as I'm seeing some of the girls do these days. Do you know how much these cards weigh now?! Thankfully, I'm going to put them each in their own envelope but then mail all in a padded package together. I think the biggest reason that I don't end up mailing more of my cards is that those oh-so-fabulous buttons and bows really bulk 'em up.
Okay, off to get ready for the neighborhood Cinco de Mayo party. It's a yearly thing and the day looks perfect for it. I hope you're doing something fun today too!