"Be YOU".....FWF 10-9

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CAT LOVERS HOP

Oct. 26-30, 2015

Right here at Her Peaceful Garden

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Hi, Friends......

I am back to share a card I made for this week's Unity - Friends with Flair link up and also for the Hop to Stop Challenge over at Becca Cruger's Damsel of Distressed blog.

I'm sure you have seen the purple cards all over the papercrafting blogosphere, but in case you don't know.....October is National Domestic Violence Awareness month and purple is the color they have chosen to help us remember this important issue.  

I am very touched by the stories I have read on Becca's blog and elsewhere from women who have suffered violence at the hands of their husbands or boyfriends.  My work at our local crisis pregnancy and family resource center (before my daughter and granddaughter came to live with us last year) put me in contact with many women with similar heartbreaking stories.  In fact, domestic abuse is one of the unifying themes among the clients there.  In the middle of the pain and devastating loneliness these victims experience, we offer a listening ear, prayers, encouraging words, and referrals to agencies and organizations that can help.  What a joy to see women be strengthened and empowered to make healthy decisions for themselves and for their children.  Thank you, Becca, for hosting this important hop.

For my card today, I made a watercolor background inspired by the Winnie & Walter WCMD watercolor challenge.  I smooshed Distress Inks around on a craft sheet and misted with water.  Then laid my wet mixed media paper on top.  

I used this lovely Wistful stamp that I recently won from Penny Black (THANKS, PB!!!) and a neglected Unity grab bag stamp - "Be YOU".  (I am still challenging myself to use my under- or never-used Unitys!)  Both are stamped with Versafine ink in Onyx Black and heat embossed with clear powder.  I added some little bits of bling from my stash and tied it with a soft yarn bow.  LOVE how it turned out!!!

Yes, I really DO craft surrounded by this mess!!

Winnie & Walter is also having another fun little WCMD challenge to post a "craftie" of your workspace in action......at least they didn't require a selfie!!  lol...  Here's my "adopted" workspace since my real craft table doesn't have a spot for me to work in, anymore.  Ha.  My son is moving his bedroom library down to the basement, so sometime in the future I will have his room as my craft room!  Yay!!!  In the meantime, my craft space is in several places.  :)

This photo shows today's card in process.  

That's all for now.  Thank you so much for all your wonderful comments you made on my ATCs!!!  Since it was my first attempt, I was pretty unsure of myself.  I appreciated each of your encouraging messages!  Have a wonderful weekend!!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1.  Unity Friends with Flair Link-Up
2.  Hop to Stop
3.  Winnie & Walter WCMD Craftie Challenge  GP
4.  Winnie & Walter WCMD Watercolor Challenge GP
5.  Simon Says Stamp World Card Making Day Challenge
6.  DL.Art October Challenge - Anything Goes
7.  Fashionable Stamping Challenges #103 - Words
8.  Crop Stop Linky Party #8 - Anything Goes with product that CS sells (I used Distress Inks and Fiskars Triple-Track Blades in my Fiskars cutter, shown in my workspace photo.)
9. Your Next Stamp Sketch and Color Challenge #24