Spoonie Squad

So, if you don't know me well, you may not know that I am a "Spoonie". I have Fibromyalgia, simplified this means I suffer from overactive nerves, anxiety, depression, migraines, stomach problems, mid to extreme pain at any given time... the list goes on. Audra at Kindred Stamps, (that's my referral link, you'll get 10% off your first order and I will be rewarded too), was excited to create a stamp set to celebrate and give voice to myself, and those like me, the Spoonie community. "Spoonie" is a term used by those of us with chronic illnesses, chronic pain, and limited energy.

"Spoonie Squad" was released by Kindred Stamps last month, and it features an excellent assortment of sentiments, spoons, and a couple little leaves. I created 4 cards myself for the release.

First, I used silver embossing powder and the four unique spoons to create a border on both the top and bottom of the card, next I chose the sentiment. I felt like this one was a great celebration for my friends who suffer like me, I kept this card in cool colors, silver, white, and a little turquoise.  

My next card, I used the Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Inks and layered the colors light to dark to create a simple, but beautiful background. I felt a bit snarky, so I thought "you can just fork off" was perfect here.  I sandwiched the saying between two silver spoons.

Typically, I find myself doing a lot of layering but I wanted to keep this one simple so I used a corner punch to add a touch of elegance and finished it with dimensional tape to make the featured part pop from the base.

My next card, again, I kept simple but used more layers again. The black background makes the red and touches of green and silver pop. I used a single spoon with this sentiment to make the impact that much more powerful. I wanted to show off the leaves and put it in the corner.

My last card was a little more work. I chose a nice green base and used these beautiful roses from So Suzy Stamps to create a pretty little card. I colored them in using Copic and StyleFile Markers by Brutus Monroe.

I felt like the glitter tape behind the sentiment makes the impact of the sentiment a little better. This sentiment is super powerful for me. My anxiety, energy, and pain levels are always putting a kibosh on my plans. My friends and family always seem to have to move on without me.

It's been a while since I was able to create a blog post just because I wanted to. I am SO happy that I was able to finally get these up for all to see! My disease means a lot of missed events, laying around in pain, trying all sorts of medicines, both homeopathic and prescription, little to no answers, glares from people that think I'm faking, concerned looks from strangers, and so much more. I am beyond grateful to have crafting in my little world. Being able to create something beautiful makes my life qualify infinitely better, the friends that I've made in this community, and the friends I've brought to this community keep me going even on the hardest of days.

I hope you've enjoyed this post and please remember that not all disabilities are visible, you can't the pain some people live with daily.

~R. Winn