Happy Thanksgiving, to all my US friends!!!! I hope your day is full of loved ones and gratitude for all we've been blessed with, delicious food and tons of laughter! I have such vivid memories of finding out last year that we were going to be spending Thanksgiving in the transplant unit in the hospital. Man, what a bummer that news was, but after the initial disappoint with that news, I decided to suck it up and adjust my attitude because I was EATING and NOT SICK (well, sick enough to be in the hospital, but you know what I mean - ha!). I decided that I could be grateful IN the hospital just as easily as I could if I was OUT of the hospital, so I decided to work hard at making the best of things that day. I decided to not make the poor doctors and nurses face a sourpuss when they came to my room and I did what I could to be cheerful and to try and brighten their days.....after all, they were spending their holiday stuck in the hospital, too. Kinda. Once I asked the Lord to help me with my little attitude adjustment, things looked a whole lot brighter. And you know what, I was just so grateful to be able to eat that hospital turkey. (I can't say the same about the weird gelatinous substance they tried to convince me was gravy though! lol!)
Anyway, to say that I'm grateful for my health and to be celebrating Thanksgiving at HOME this year, with loved ones gathered around, would be a massive understatement. I can't say enough about how thankful I am, for all the Lord has brought us through. So much of the last 8 or 9 years was so hard. So much of it, quite frankly, stunk. But I wouldn't trade having gone through it because of all the blessings that have come to me and to so many around me -- near and far -- because of what we've gone through. Seeing the Lord's faithfulness in the midst of such a looooong season of suffering, is something I'll always be grateful for. When you're going through something hard and I say to you, "He is faithful and He will carry you through this, some how, some way"....I say that to you not as lip service but I say it from a place of experience. I know He is able and I know He's faithful because I've seen it first hand in my own life.
All of that is just to say that the holiday season has me feeling especially sappy and emotional and GRATEFUL this year and while I feel like that most of the time these days now, today of all days, it's especially poignant for me. Remembering last year makes me immensely grateful to not be wearing a hospital gown this year.
I know that the holidays are hard times for some, and for a variety of reasons. But I hope that you're able to look at your life today, and as you reflect on all that you have, all that you've been given, whether you feel like that's a lot or a little (and I don't just mean "things" or "stuff"....I also mean people, loved ones, life experiences, etc....)....when you take a moment today to look at your life, I hope you're able to see first hand, God's fingerprints all over your life. Places where He's carried you, helped you or even corrected you because we know it's for our own good when He does that. I hope that you can see HIM in your life and I hope that fills you with so much joy and gratitude. I know I personally, would not want to be walking through this life without Him.
And if that's not you, if you look at your life and can't see evidence of Him at all, know that He's been there all along, friend. Even if you can't see Him, even if you can't find Him in the midst of the chaos or even the calm, He's there just waiting for you to let Him in. He doesn't force Himself on us....He gives us freedom to make our own choices. He's just waiting for you to choose Him.
Golly, I didn't mean to get all emotional on you! But all of the "firsts" this year post-transplant, seem to have that effect on me!! When you've been given all that I've been given, you can't help but be grateful for it!
Anyhooooo....you came here for a Throwback Thursday project, didn't you? So I guess we should get to that, now that I've talked your ear off!! :)
When I pulled out Polka Dot Parade #9 for this assignment, the first thing that came to mind when seeing those little tree layers, was an ombre effect, so I had fun creating one with a variety of ink colors! And let's face it...it's the holiday season and that means most of us are BUSY, right? This stamp set paired with a couple new release die sets made for a fast and easy set of tags and this is even one you could create with your kiddos! Die cut and stamp all the pieces and back them with foam adhesive and let your littles assemble them for you! There's no better time than Christmas, to teach them the joy of a family craft night and the value of a stack of handmade gift tags when you're done!
So for these tags, I die cut all the tree parts and stamped them. I die cut the four tags and I die cut the 4 Skinny Mini Banners. I stamped the "Merry Christmas" from Polka Dot Parade #9 on the tag and then stamped the little companion sentiment also from the set, on the Skinny Mini Banners. You guys, that skinny little companion sentiment is just the type of stamp that I designed the Skinny Mini dies FOR! That same type of little sentiment is in so many stamp sets and the Skinny Mini Banner Dies were designed specifically for them. It was such a treat to work on this assignment and see that little sentiment in the set, and know that I now have the perfect set of dies for it!
Once everything was stamped, all that was left to do, was pop everything on the tags with foam adhesive. This is just the type of project that is perfect for assembly-lining. If you're gonna make one, you might as well make several, especially since they're something we usually need several of when it's time to start wrapping gifts! Not only that, but if you get your stamping and die-cutting done ahead of time, you could totally sit in front of the tv and assemble tags like these in the evenings!
That's it for me today, but a couple of other girls on the Design Team are sharing some Throwback projects today too, so head to the Papertrey Blog to check out their projects!
Thanks so much for spending a bit of your day with me and again, happy, happy Thanksgiving to all of my US friends!
Oh, and in case you haven't seen them yet, I've shared several Holiday Gift Guides in the last couple of days, in case you're doing some gift shopping and need a few ideas. Scroll down to see them all! Hopefully they'll be of some help to you!
much love,
Follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest for all the latest updates.
(Affiliates Disclaimer: Just so you know, I sometimes use affiliate links here on my blog, which means that I participate in several affiliate programs, in which I may receive a small commission when you click one of these links and purchase a product at the corresponding product site (usually within a certain amount of time). There are no additional costs for you as a result of these links, but by shopping through these links, you are not only supporting me and the work I do here in the Raspberry Suite studio, but you're also helping me to continue to bring you beautiful content and inspiration here at my blog, for free! Please know that I share products with you that I use and enjoy and I make every effort to represent those to you honestly. Thanks so much, friends, for your support! I appreciate you!)
{Merry Christmas Tree Tags supplies -- click on thumbnails}
