No, it is not Breast Cancer Awareness month

Nope, you didn't sleep through the year, it isn't magically October. You know, the month where pink flows from every where. Pink shirts, shoes, hair, stamp sets, pink everything, everywhere. We celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness month in October every year and A Muse has celebrated for the last few years by releasing a free stamp set (gasp! free!) yes, I said it, FREE! And I wanted to show you the versatility in this little free stamp set.

I've had this little stamp set for three or four years and I get more use out of it than probably any other set I own. I create and send cards of hope each month. I send them, usually anonymously, to people who are fighting cancer. I wanted to share this because I wanted you to understand why I am sharing this little stamp set and card in February and not October. Well, because we should all be aware of what cancer can do to a person and family all year round.

The stamp set has 8 different stamps with great encouraging sentiments and one ribbon image and that awesome push pin.

This month I had 18 cards to create for 18 different people who are fighting for their lives. I usually sketch out a rough idea of what I want the cards to look like and then I create. Well, the creative process can sometimes be a little laughable. Here, I sketched these two little doodles on the bottom of a to-do list

They are pretty rough but they give me a jumping off point. I rarely show bloopers but here is the first blooper for this card design.

This just doesn't do for me. What you can't really see in this picture is that the tag is die cut from the Kraft paper and the Margarita is the card base. The petite onyx stripe is just a strip of paper tucked under one edge. I know I could send this and someone would appreciate it but I wouldn't feel ok with sending something I'm not proud of.

So I reworked it!

This is the finalized card. I used the die cut from the first to stamp HOPE on. I cut a second out of Onyx Black Card Stock and then die cut a piece of the petite pinstripe in Onyx black popped up the Kraft tag using foam adhesive, used a little twine and I was so much happier with the way this turned out.

So, I will be making 17 more cards using this design, all with different color bases to represent the recipients specific type of cancer.

These cards bring a little joy to someone who really needs it. My little way of helping the world be a little bit of a better place.

A Muse Studio Products Used

Ink
Versafine Onyx Black

Stamp Set
Fight Like a Girl

Card Stock
Petite Pinstripe in Onyx Black
Kraft
Margarita

Embellishments
Twine onyx/white
foam adhesive

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or here: Because of Delaney Jane