Inspired by the Kindness of Others - How Beautiful

Hi Everyone,

I trust you are all well and enjoying your weekend, whatever you are doing.

While I was choosing a sentiment for this card this one jumped out at me and sent me off thinking about the numerous times I have been touched by the kindness of others. For example, through this blog I have been shown much kindness. Take yesterday, for instance ... I asked a question in my last post about crochet patterns and, two lovely bloggers, Cass and Angie, were able to help and give advice. And then there is Neet who found the time to look up and kindly pass on a recipe I had loved and lost.

There are so many others who have helped me in some way throughout my life, for whom I am eternally grateful.

I think I've mentioned it somewhere before on this blog but I'll risk repeating myself yet again to mention that I didn't go to university until I was in my mid-forties ... I was obviously a late-developer :)) And whilst at university I had the good fortune to go to the US for a year as an exchange student and study at Wellesley College, MA. There I met many amazing women, it's a women's college, one in particular who befriended me is Dr Ruth Harriet Jacob, the founder of the Red Hat Society.

Now in her eighties, she is still an outrageous older woman - and she wouldn't mind me saying that :) Author of several books, she gifted me a copy of her autobiographical work, Women Who Touched My Life: A Memoir, in which she gives thanks for the women who, in some way, influenced and inspired her life ... it's a fascinating and thought-provoking read, and one that I will treasure always - thank you Ruth Harriet.

In the spirit of Dr Jacobs I'd like to give thanks to all those who have influenced and inspired me in some way. There are so many that I can't possibly mention everyone in one post alone so I intend to make it a regular spot.

And I want to start by thanking Teresa Kline at Paperie Blooms. I have been inspired by Teresa's beautiful work for a considerable time now and frequently visit her blog to check out the latest work she is kind enough to share with us. A published crafter, she is on several design teams, I would describe her style as shabby chic - my favourite I'd say. This card was inspired by this design of hers:

I was even encouraged to get out the sewing machine to add the row of zig-zag stitching just like Teresa's.

So thank you for that, Teresa. I'm sure I'll be getting the sewing machine out more often in the future.

About the card I made ... the starting point was the strip of card I'd decorated using the H2O and distress ink technique I'd been playing with recently - see it described here. It was the narrowest scrap but the result was too pretty to throw away. However, I remembered Teresa's card and thought the design perfect for my snippet. So after stamping it with the Simply Script stamp from Inkylicious and dusting with silver mica powder, it was embossed with the Kassie's Brocade folder from Cuttlebug. The papers are from Kanban's Vintage Tapestry Paper, a gorgeous collection, and the sentiment, embossed with gold powder, is from the Inkylicious Sentiments 1 set. The butterflies, a gift from friend Chris - more kindness, have been given the VersaMark and mica powder treatment to make them shine.

As a couple of snippets went into the making of this card I'll be popping over to Di's playground, aka Pixie's Crafty Workshop, for her Sunday Snippets Challenge #42 although I suspect she is absent, playing hookie  at some WOYWW workshop in Wiltshire and having far too much fun to even think about what is going on in the treehouse today :))

I hope you will visit Teresa, Cass, Angie and Neet and enjoy their blogs as much as I do and I also hope you will read the article I've linked for Ruth Harriet - she truly is an amazing person and I have nothing but admiration for her.

All that said, it's late and I should be heading to bed now so I'll bid you good night and wish you all a fabulous weekend.

Happy crafting,