Tuesday 27 September 2016

Hop Along with us and "Be Thankful"


Hello my Friends.

This is officially the last Mediterranean Achiever's blog hop (don't worry, next month we will be starting with our Thailand Achiever's blog hop!) and it is also, officially, my favourite themed hop of all.....Thankfulness!  
(You may be starting at my blog - Cynthia Millan - or maybe you've already been hopping?  Whichever is the case, make certain you check the list at the bottom and visit everyone else's blog too.  You don't want to miss any of the great projects!)


Anyone who knows me knows that I have a LOT to be thankful for.  And believe me, I am!  I could, quite literally, fill up the page with a list of just some of the things that I have to be thankful for.   But being thankful is also a choice.  A matter of perspective.  And if you will allow me to set a serious tone for a moment, I want to point out how absolutely perfect the sentiment on this card is.
In everything
Give Thanks
The list of what I have to be thankful for is long. I have a wonderful family. A husband whom I adore. Four children that fill my heart to overflowing. Customers who have become cherished friends and good friends who have become faithful customers. A team that is supportive and caring, encouraging and crafty.  I work for a Catholic charity that trains missionary disciples to go onto university campuses and help heal lost or wandering souls. And I represent Stampin' Up!, a company that has rewarded my hard work by sending me on phenomenal trips to exotic places (I earned the 2017 trip to Thailand!!). And even in all this, in all the blessings that I have received, even in my life there has been pain. 

Three weeks ago my mother passed away from cancer. 

I will not say more about that right now. It is one of the hardest things I have ever lived through in my whole life.  
Ever.  
And it is a subject for a different post on a different day. 
But even in this, one of the most painful moments in my life, I still choose and believe that in everything, I will give thanks.

Everything.

Almost too shiny to capture all that gold!!

So my card is bright and shiny and reflective of the joy that is in my heart and how truly thankful I am. I might add that this card is so shiny with gold, it was difficult to photograph properly!

My sentiment, heat-embossed in gold, is from the Suite Seasons stamp set from the Holiday Catalogue. Layering oval framelits and gold foil are the perfect way to display the sentiment, and metallic gold doilies add even more shine.


But the golden gratitude doesn't stop there....I layered these elements onto a mat cut from the Fancy Frost Specialty designer paper.  You might have missed this paper in the Holiday catalogue but I sure didn't...Six lovely pre-embossed white patterns.  I used the foliage pattern and very, very lightly and carefully ran a sponge dauber (that I had inked up using my versamark ink pad) over the embossed raised pattern.  A bit of gold powder and heat-setting of this and voila.  A vintage look with a burnished gold pattern of leaves.

Can you see it in the close up? Imperfect, perhaps.  But a perfect effect, nonetheless.
Close up of gold-embossed, embossed leaf pattern on the Fancy Frost designer paper.

Some metallic gold thread.    Strips of gold foil behind the Fancy Frost paper (to make it seem like there is a gold mat behind the Fancy Frost DSP...but why waste all that gold foil, right?  Just use strips!).  And a few cut outs from the Paisleys thinlits (I even used some of the discarded foil bits from the framelits to add a couple of extra, small, gold foil elements to the card).  And there you have it.  A golden ray of sunshine.  A testament to Thankfulness.


Hope you like my card and are enjoying the rest of the Blog hop too.  If you are anywhere in Canada, you can contact me HERE and I will be happy to place your orders for you (or you can place your own order online HERE.  If your order is less than $200, please use the hostess code EWRZMGSR when you check out).

Thanks for stopping by.  
Have an absolutely fantastic rest-of-your-week.  And remember.  In everything (EVERYTHING...) Give Thanks! 
God Bless you all,    ~Cynthia   <><

List of blog hop participants: 

10 comments:

  1. So sorry about your mother. My Mom passed away in May of this year, and you're right, it's very hard.
    Your card is gorgeous! Thanks for the inspiration. :)

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    1. Oh Carol - I am so sorry we both "have membership" to the same club. It is hard. To be honest, I wasn't certain I could 'create' anything last night. My mojo has gone awol these last few weeks. But the sentiment spoke to me and the card kinda made itself. Glad you like it. Hope the memories of your mother bring you much joy and peace. God Bless, ~Cynthia <><

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  2. May your mother's memory be eternal. Your card is stunning. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thank you for your kind words Melanie. I have great hopes of seeing her again someday. I am *also* glad you like my card. :)
      Hope the rest of your week is wonderful. God Bless ~Cynthia <><

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  3. Olivia ThompsonSeptember 28, 2016

    I don't think that anyone really gets the impact of losing a parent until they experience that loss themselves. It is the one person that you have known and more importantly loved since you were born. So a huge loss. It does get better with time and one is always grateful to have been given the ultimate gift of a good and loving mother. My Mom passed away at 92 and it was still too soon for me. You had many less years and I am sure the pain of losing her and the circumstances of that passing are painful and acute and I send sincere sympathy. Hang in there.

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    1. Thank you Olivia. The loss of a parent is, indeed, a truly crippling thing that you can only understand once you have experienced it. As my sister-in-law told me...you can only ever really understand once you "become a member of the club". But nobody wants membership! I know it will get easier with time. No less painful, perhaps. But 'easier'. Your kind words and the support of so many friends have helped sustain me in this. Thank you again. God Bless, ~Cynthia <><

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  4. Thank you for sharing your thoughts Cynthia!! You have such a beautiful soul!! I can feel your pain and I am so very sorry for your loss. I pray for further strength and courage in your journey to sustain you during your darkest days. I know the light will shine again....

    Your card is stunning and I'm sure it's even more beautiful in real life.

    Hugs and love my friend.

    Suzane

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    1. Thanks Suzane. I know you are only a phone call away. And the flowers you and Susan and Mireille dropped off are *still* beautiful. Thank you.
      As for the card? Yes, it is more beautiful in real life. It glimmers and shines wonderfully and my daughter has already requested a Christmas-version of it!
      Hope your day is bright despite the clouds my friend. God Bless, ~Cynthia <><

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  5. Jackie BultjeSeptember 28, 2016

    Dear Cynthia. Your card reflects your beautiful soul. So very sorry for the loss of your Mother- I pray for God's comfort and peace to sustain you. I hope to see you in Ottawa at OnStage. Blessings dear friend. I am not yet a member of the club so I cannot truly know what you are going through.

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    1. Oh Jackie - it will be wonderful to see you at Onstage! Something to look forward to in the coming weeks. And thank you for your prayers. God's comforting hands have held me in my littleness and reminded me that I will see my mother again. I am quite happy that you are not a member of the club, to be perfectly honest. But I will hold out hope that when that time does arrive, the love, support and prayers of family and friends will be as much a comfort to you as they have been for me. Have a wonderful afternoon my friend and God Bless, ~Cynthia <><

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