Hello, Friends!
This week is flying by and it's already my fourth day as the Growing In Unity Gal! Please don't forget to leave a comment at the end of my blog because two random people are going to win grab bags from Unity with 25 stamps in them for FREE! Let's face it- there aren't many thing better than free stamps!
Today's card features the Unity Stamp Company stamp "Lizzie Girl Showered with Love." I admit that I made this card quite a while ago and it was for me as much as it will be for the person who receives it. Over two and a half years ago, I was getting ready to move from Arizona to Illinois and hurt my back. I thought I had just pulled muscles, but it just got worse and worse. I went to a chiropractor, to my family doctor and to a pain clinic. They did different procedures thinking each one would solve the problem, but none of them did. Finally, a test that was painful like you would not believe, showed that there was no disk between my bottom two vertebrae and there was just a small amount between the next two up. The fact that there was bone rubbing on bone explained why I was in so much pain. I needed back surgery but it took five months to get it done because I had to change surgeons. It took 25 months from when I hurt my back until I had surgery. Although everything is healing correctly which is wonderful, it will take months for me to recover from the surgery. During all of this time Frank and I have lived with my parents because I wasn't able to do anything for myself. What I did find while I was in pain and waiting for some cure, was that with my parents help of bringing things to the table for me, I could still stamp. That was about all I could do because I was in too much pain to leave the house. Stamping kept me sane. During the time I sat up and made a card, I could think about something else besides the pain I was in, that I didn't have a job, that I wasn't supporting myself-my parents were, that my parents should be vacationing in Florida during their retirement, not taking care of me. Stamping was something I could still do and it was fun.
So, I made this girl in the rain, because we all face rain in our lives at one time or another. It could be a back injury. It could be a broken heart. It could be a lot of different things. However, the rain doesn't have to be gray and dark and depressing all the time. For my back, I tried to keep my spirits up. Some days, I did much better than others. But on the day I made this card, I had to face the rain, but I was going to face it in a bright yellow raincoat with a spiffy umbrella and cute colorful matching boots!
On the inside, I used another Unity Stamp Set and put this message.
It may have taken a long time, and I may still have a long recovery ahead, but there are blue skies and sunny days in my future. Whatever rain clouds may come your way, there are blue skies and sunny days coming for you, too, which is why I created this card.
I stamped my image on the front in black and colored it with Copic markers. I added lace, patterned paper and a thin bright layer of card stock over the base. Inside I stamped my sentiment and cut it out with a circle die. I gave it a matching yellow scalloped background and this card was complete.
Don't forget to leave me a message so your day might get sunnier with 25 free stamps!
Happy Stamping!
I used the following products to make this card:
Lizzie Girl Showered with Love and Feel Better Soon (the April 2014 Sentiment kit) stamp sets by Unity Stamp Company
Tuxedo Black Ink by Memento
Copic Markers
Pure Luxury White Card Stock by Gina K
Daffodil Delight and Baja Breeze Card Stock by Stampin' Up
Garden Party Patterned Paper by Pebbles
Shades of Teal Fancy Trims by Petaloo
Circle Framelit Dies by Sizzix
Scallop Die, but I cannot find who made it. Sorry!
