myasperations 5-13-26

    I love the photo inspiration for the current challenge at Time Out, which inspired me to make this card. It features a free digi from Beccy’s Place, which I’ve always thought would work beautifully on a Sympathy card. So… that is what I did! I punched a circle from a Post-it note, adhered it to the scene, and sponged layers of yellow, orange, and rusty red to create a rich sunset. After removing the “sun”, I added sentiments to the front and inside, then finished the card with butterflies, which I use on sympathy cards to represent new life!

    The timing of this photo inspiration challenge was almost unbelievable, as the day it was posted was the day that my sister’s husband, Marty,  went into hospice after a 7-year battle with colon cancer. He passed away the next day, and my hubby and I just returned from his funeral. 

    I knew Marty as an amazing man who, for nearly 47 years, cherished my dear sister, whom he called “The love of my life”, and was one of the best dads I’ve ever seen. He was loved and respected deeply by my sister, Carol, his three sons, and their wives. He was also the beloved grandfather to four little girls who called him "Papa" and enjoyed his generosity with hugs, treats, and especially his funny stories and cartoon voices!

    What I did NOT know is that during his career as a teacher, coach, and later the manager of a few businesses, he mentored hundreds of other people’s children.  His funeral was probably one of the most touching that I have ever attended. If you’d like to “meet” this real-life hero, you can view a recording of the service on YouTube HERE.

     My card features bands of color similar to those in the inspiration photo, plus Marty's life shimmered with light and encouragement, which he poured into the lives of so many people. His legacy is that the helped make the world a better place because he was in it! 

Supplies: 

·   Digi- Freebie from Beccy’s Place (Free Silhouette Digi) (Beccy closed her digi shop, but continues to offer a large number of free digis on her blog, and sells clear stamp sets online. Check HERE  to see which sets are available!) 
·  Colored with assorted inkpads a sponge from my stash, and a circle mask. 

·  Front Sentiment-Gina K. Designs (Sentiment Set-Mixed Messages)
·  Inside Sentiment- Computer Generated
·  Butterfly images- trimmed  from the upper margin of a 12x12 sheet of American Crafts paper from JOAnnes Crafts (sadly no longer in business)
·  Sookwang double-sided tape- Available from several sources on the web.
·   All other misc. items and tools from my stash.

Entered into: 

Time Out Challenge- Challenge #312 (Photo Inspiration)