For Melissa

Hello Stamplings!

I'm slowly getting back to my routine after dealing with unpacking two suitcases and climbing Mt. Laundry. Unloading my "craft suitcase" and putting everything away took the longest, especially since I stopped with most items and enjoyed the memory of my time at the lake house.

I'll have more photos and fun to share another time, but today I wanted to share a card I made in honor of my friend, Melissa Lane, who passed away suddenly on October 2nd at the age of 47. You can read a very beautiful tribute to her by Shery on the STAMPlorations blog. Thank you, Shery, for putting this link up for us to contribute in memory of Melissa.

Here is my card.

The flowers are "Fancy Flowers" from MFT and the sediment is from "You're My Person" by Concord & 9th. I used my Clarity Brushes to color a stencil by Kaiser Craft (a gift from Lolly) for the background panel, which I stitched with a Paper Smooches die and backed with an aqua panel. I used my Ziggies to color the pretty flowers and Hammy wanted to join in, too, with his winking speshceeality!

I first met Melissa online in January 2015 when she joined in one of my NBUS challenges and then I had the absolute pleasure of meeting her, her husband Chris, and their four wonderful children in person at the Swindon Retreat in the UK in 2016. Of course, I had to make an entrance the first night by coming into the hotel dining room decked out in a Miss USA sash, white gloves, and a tiara! All the ladies took turns wearing the tiara for photos, but Melissa wore the whole package because she was a fellow American who loved having fun!

Rest in peace, my friend. You will be greatly missed. You have a lot of Blogland keeping your grieving family in their thoughts and prayers. 💖

~~~

Enjoy your day! No, seriously, enjoy! LITS!* Tell your family and friends how much they are loved.

As always, thank you for coming by to visit the Playhouse and special thanks to you if you take the time to join as a follower! Please let me know you came by so I can be sure and return the flavor!

*Life is too short!

Challenges

• Back to Basics and Beyond: Stencils or Masks.
• Butterfly Challenge: Spin the wheel with the letter "B." Butterfly, burnt orange, border.
• Double D: Stripes and dots. The straws inspired me.
• STAMPlorations: A tribute to Melissa and a celebration of her life.
• The Flower Challenge: Add schparkle.

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