Another Birthday Card and a Card for an Excellent Cause

Hey friends! Happy Monday evening! I had a great finish to my birthday yesterday because I spent it with new friends eating chocolate cake and hearing the stories of how they grew up and met. Fun times! This card came in Saturday's mail from Nicole Cooke, a blogging friend I've never met face to face, who shares a September birthday with me.


It is simple, but so cute! I love the "magnifying glass" detail in which she stamped part of the sweet little bird from Fun & Fast Notes. She colored it in the same colors as the retired Cutie Pie DP, one of my favorites from the last catalog, and created a wonderful focal image. Thanks, friend!

EDITED TO ADD: Nicole wrote me a little email this morning in response to my post, asking if I'd seen what's UNDER the birdie! I ran to look, and found this! Isn't that great?

Now onto a card I created for a great cause. Yesterday was World Alzheimer's Day, and a Carolyn King created a stamp set in honor of her grandmother, who died from the disease. The stamp set was produced by Gina K. Designs, and 100% of the proceeds Carolyn earns from the sales will go to the Alzheimer's Association.

She challenged the stamping community to make cards for those we might know who are caregivers to those with Alzheimer's, in order to encourage them. (You can read about her efforts HERE.) My mind went immediately to one of my customers. Pam and her mom, who suffers from Alzheimer's, come into my store every day. They get 2 short coffees in tall cups and a pastry. They come, Pam has told me, because her mom finds the banter behind the counter among the partners humorous, and because it gives their day some structure. Pam is caring for her mom at home because it's too expensive to have her in a facility. She is shouldering this tremendous burden with only one day of relief a week, when a hired nurse comes to spell her from her duty of love and honor. So, I made her this card. Her mom can't thank her, but I want her to know that I think what she's doing is wonderful and heroic, even though I can tell it's really hard.

If you want to participate in this challenge, please feel free! If you don't know someone personally who's caring for someone with Alzheimer's, do a little poking around to see if there's a facility in your area where you could drop off a card. Here's a list of places in my area in GA. If you go to the home page, you can choose your city and state.

Yesterday my pastor challenged me in his message by saying that reaching out to others in life is not a matter of being qualified or equipped, but simply responding to God's invitation to do what I know I can do, and then watching what He can do with that willingness that I give Him. I don't know if this will mean anything to Pam or not, but I'm going to take the risk and give God the opportunity to do with it what He chooses. I challenge you to do the same.