Have Faith...Joy Clair's Saved by Grace

Hello there inky friends!  I'm back with another crafty inspiration!  As I prepared this post for Joy Clair's blog,  I was fighting through the most difficult days of my life. Walking through a devastation to the heart like no other I've experienced.  Sadness, guilt, sorrow beyond any sadness I have felt in my life.  Unexpectedly, I said goodbye to my beloved pooch Mason on June 29.  After a necessary dental procedure the day before, he seemed to be recovering well until the early morning hours.  We rushed to the emergency room and they tried everything to help him but his tiny body...and head could not sustain the pressure and trauma.  Through my heart-wrenching grief and sorrow, I immersed myself in stamping and creating, and in prayer.  To this day, it is still so very difficult to be around anyone, I just want to hide away and escape the world.  I can't stop the tears, the "I miss you" and the "I'm so sorry".  I miss him so much.  

Stamping has always been a comfort to me during hard times and has allowed me time to escape my sorrow and work through my grief.  And on that day when I worked on this project for Joy Clair, it helped my heart, a tiny bit.  I appreciate this gift from God and know that through stamping and creating, He gives me the most amazing and comforting embrace.  I am sure many of you understand this completely, and know you too can lean on this form of therapy when the time comes.  

I pulled the "Saved By Grace" Bible Journaling set and listened to an unexpected song that came on TV.  Cyndi Lauper was on public television and was singing the song "Time after Time".  The words in this song pierced my soul.  It was everything.   So while she sang, tears rolled down my cheeks and I created,...an envelope, with a message tucked inside...

The doodly flowers were stamped with VersaClair pink ink and the flowers were stamped in black and colored in green Copic markers.  I used some hot pink Bazzill cardstock to stamp the flowers and some white cardstock to stamp the leaves. 

The bold sentiment was stamped repeatedly with black ink and cut out.  I then assembled this floral panel onto a Jillibean Soup black gift bag (A2 size) that I could tuck a card into.  

I hope this post inspires you to have FAITH even when devastation hits your heart. HE will always help carry you through times of sadness, sorrow and troubles.