Happy Monday, crafty friends! I hope that you are having a great start to your week! Pinkfresh Studio is honored to be partnering with Scrapbook.com for their Cards for Kindness™ initiative that delivers handmade cards to people who could use an emotional boost, smile, or a helping hand.

 I speak from experience that when you are in your darkest of days, opening a card from a friend or loved one let's you know that you aren't alone. It's a beautiful reminder that you are loved and remembered at that very moment, and something that is so very important to me. It's why I love cardmaking so very much. I was recently given the opportunity to record an episode of Scrapbook.com's Life Handmade Podcast, where I speak candidly about the loss of my children. I also talk a lot about crafting and Pinkfresh Studio, so we would love for you to check it out!

Today I wanted to share a card I made for Cards for Kindness™ featuring the Forever in our Hearts stamp set. This stamp set benefits Layton's Legacy, a fundraiser for NICU parents that I do in honor of my son each year. All funds raised go towards purchasing items for parent's with babies in the NICU, or get donated to a charity that benefits NICU parents. $5 for the sale of every stamp set, and $3 from the sale of every coordinating die are donated to Layton's Legacy.

I decided to create a background with the beautiful butterfly that is included in the stamp set, and heat embossed it in gold multiple times to water friendly smooth Bristol cardstock. I applied a light water wash to it, then dropped liquid watercolor in Bubblegum and Clementine in a few different areas. I lightly spritzed it with water to get some movement of the colors, then used a brush for more control over the color placement.

To soften the colors and give the background a beautiful shimmer, I spritzed it down with iridescent white mist while it was still wet. I dried it with the lower setting on my heat gun, but you could also just let it air dry. Once it was dry, I carefully wiped the mist off the embossing so it would really shine through. Finally, I diecut the background panel with our largest Essentials: Stitched Rectangle die to give it that nice finished edge.

I stamped the sentiment from the Forever in our Hearts set to white cardstock in Detail Black ink, then trimmed it into a thin strip with banner edges. I wanted to bring up the meaning behind this sentiment, because some people believe the sentiment should read "You're on my heart." Both are technically correct, but this sentiment stems from deep loss. And much like we carry those we lose within our hearts, when I grieve with someone...I am carrying them IN my heart. That is why we chose to phrase it this way.

With all the pieces complete, I mounted each one to the front of a white A2 top folding card base with foam adhesive. I added a knot of gold thread underneath the sentiment for some added texture, then finished by accenting with clear iridescent sequins and our Essentials: Crystals Mix in clear & pink.

I don't normally take images of my cards standing up, but I wanted to share that one above just to show the amount of gorgeous shimmer & shine on this card!

We hope that you will be able to partner with Scrapbook.com for their Cards for Kindness™ initiative! Be sure to follow the submission guidelines and fill out the necessary paperwork. All of those details are included in that link above. Just think of all the smiles your beautiful handmade cards will bring to faces all over!

That is all I have for you today! If you have any questions about my card, feel free to leave them in the comments and I will be sure to reply.
I've also started updating my CRAFTY SALE page more lately, so feel free to see what great deals there are out in the papercrafting world right now. It's a great time to support these small businesses if you are able!

Before you move along with your day, I wanted to invite you to follow me on social media. I would love to be crafty friends!

Hi there friends, and welcome to the 2nd annual Layton's Legacy Card Drive & Fundraiser for NICU Parents. I plan this event each year in honor, and in memory of my son, Layton Caleb Lawson.

Layton was born 11 weeks early on June 9, 2016, weighing in at almost 3 pounds with two critical medical conditions. He had a heart condition called Double Outlet Right Ventricle with Ventricular Septal Defect (aka: DORV w/VSD), and he had a stomach condition called an omphalacele. Because of his premature birth and those two complications, he also struggled with very bad lungs. Layton's life in the NICU wasn't easy, but he fought for every moment of it. He touched more people in his 5 months on this earth than most do in a lifetime, and on November 17, 2016, he made his way to Heaven to be with his big sister, Ellie.

My husband and I have been dealt a very hard hand, and every single day we miss those beautiful babies more than we can put into words. But I can't think of a better way to honor their memory than to give to those who find themselves in a similar situation to us. The medical diagnosis and prognosis may be different but one thing will always be the same...being the parent to a critically ill baby in the NICU is hard.

Before I get to all the fundraising info, I wanted to let you know that this month was deemed Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness month on October 15, 1988 by President Reagan. Did you know that 1 in 4 are affected by infertility, pregnancy & infant loss? That is 25% of our population, which is a staggering statistic. And while this type of loss is so common, talking and sharing about it has been stigmatized & shamed for many years. We are finally becoming more sensitive as a society, but there is always more work to be done. We are conditioned to believe that death happens at the end of a complete and full life, and it is uncomfortable when we are taken out of that mindset. But the truth is that sometimes lives are taken before they even have a chance to begin. Some lives are taken at the very beginning, and others are taken far too soon. But that doesn't mean they weren't as loved and as wanted as a life that continues, and it is important that we allow parents to talk about their children, and grieve their little ones in any way they need to.

This looks different for anyone grieving the loss of a pregnancy, infant or child. October 15th is known in the loss community as the Wave of Light. Some draw comfort from lighting a candle in honor of their lost child, and sharing on social media. I find more comfort in doing good in honor of my babies, and thus, Layton's Legacy was born.


1. DONATE - directly to Layton’s Legacy GoFundMe Fundraising Page.

2. SHARE - not everyone is able to financially donate, but sharing on your social media outlets is welcomed & helpful!

3. CREATE - this year’s card drive theme is “Sensitive Sympathy” geared towards parents who have lost a pregnancy due to miscarriage or stillbirth, infant or child. You can get all the card drive info HERE.

This fundraising & card drive effort wouldn't be possible without some amazing companies who have supported me, lifted me up and chosen to honor & remember my little ones right alongside me. You will see these company owners, design team coordinators & members, and my closest crafting friends sharing about Layton's Legacy all over social media & on their blogs. They are also offering up some fantastic prizes to help make this fundraising & card drive effort FUN!

This year prizes will be drawn randomly from all donation & cards linked to the card drive. You get one entry per item, and winners will be posted on the Layton's Legacy Prize page during the week of November 17th. (Please note that it might be later in the week, as this is the anniversary of Layton's passing, and it isn't the easiest week for me. I will need you to extend me some grace.)

Finally, I wanted to share something that is basically my heart in photopolymer. I came to Kinnari, the owner of Pinkfresh Studio, earlier this summer and asked if she would be willing to manufacture & sell a stamp & die set for Layton's Legacy. She gave me a resounding yes, and we got to work on this special stamp set called "Forever in our Hearts". This stamp set is a beautiful collaboration of my thoughts, my heart & sentiments, with the butterfly being brought to life by our graphic designer/illustrator Inna Moreva, and the sentiments coming to life by Kinnari Zaveri.

This stamp set is full of sensitive sympathy sentiments, with some being geared specifically towards pregnancy & infant loss. But we were sure to add enough sentiments that can be used for any type of loss, giving you some really honest & loving ways to send your condolences and sympathies.

I chose a butterfly for this stamp set, because this is what they use in hospitals to signify there has been a loss of a baby. They put up a butterfly on the number plate to your door, so that all staff members know to only go into the room if they absolutely have to, and to be quiet & quick if they must. Apart from that, when you think about a butterfly and its life cycle...it also just seems fitting.

I've created a video today for Layton's Legacy & for this card set, and I would love for you to watch it below or HERE in HD.

I have created a set of cards with this stamp set today, and I am so excited to share them with you. I left them relatively simple, so the butterfly & the sentiments could take center stage.

HOW TO CREATE:
1. Ink blend the clouds to heavyweight white cardstock.
2. Stamp the sentiment to the bottom in onyx black Versafine.
3. Diecut the panel with the largest Diagonal Stitched Rectangle, then adhere to an A2 card base with foam adhesive.
4. Stamp & heat emboss the buttefly in Gilded embossing powder to vellum, then diecut.
5. Adhere the butterfly to the front of the card.
6. Accent the card with the Essentials: Jewels Mix in light pink, gold & white.

For this card, I used my FAVORITE paper from the Just A Little Lovely 6x6 paper pad. I've used the inlaid diecut technique for the butterfly on this card.
HOW TO CREATE:
1. Diecut a patterned paper panel with the largest Stitched Rectangle.
2. Diecut the butterfly from the left side, then stamp the sentiment to the lower right corner.
3. Mount the entire panel to the front of an A2 card base.
4. Stamp & heat emboss the buttefly in Gilded embossing powder to vellum, then diecut.
5. Adhered the butterfly inside the negative space on the card front.
6. Accent the card with the Essentials: Jewels Mix in light pink, gold & white.


I couldn't bare to waste the beautiful butterfly that was cut from the patterned paper above, so I used it to make this very quick & simple card.
 HOW TO CREATE:
1. Round the opposite corners of an A2 card base, then stamp the sentiment to the upper left corner.
2. Flick gold splatters to the front.
3.Stamp & heat emboss the butterfly in Gilded to the patterned paper diecut.
4. Adhere the butterfly to the card front.
5. Accent the card with the Essentials: Jewels Mix in light pink, gold & white.


I hope that you like my card set for today, and the heartfelt meaning behind them. As always, leave a comment if you have any questions about them. I will be sure to answer them.

Be sure to check out the Pinkfresh Studio blog post today, as many of my friends (some who are our team members and some who are guests) have also created cards with this special stamp set, and they are all gorgeous! You will definitely want to see them.

There are many different ways that you can follow along with Layton's Legacy. You will get most of the info from here on my blog. But I will be sharing on all 3 of my social media accounts as well, and you can follow me on those below.


Thank you SO much for reading this post, and for being part of the 2nd Annual Layton's Legacy. I appreciate it more than I can say. With your help, we can make this fundraising effort & card drive another success!

It's that time of year when I feel it more. The anxious reminder of everything that happened that night…of everything I saw.

When I write that, it doesn't mean this is the only time of year that I feel the depth of Layton's death. The sting has dulled, but grief has become a constant companion. It's like a soulmate. Always there. Invisibly holding my hand in the moments when I weep alone. A constant that will be with me until the moment I take my last breath. And while the weight of Layton's death doesn't feel like it's trying to drive me into the ground any longer, it will always be part of my daily life.

What I'm talking about is the nightmare. The flashbacks of everything that I watched happen to my son that night. Everything that had to be done to try and save his life…and in the end it just wasn't enough. I've always said that I will never verbalize what I saw that night, and I stand by that truth. While it haunts me, it's not how I want Layton to be remembered. He deserves to be remembered as the sweetest, cutest baby boy who fought for every moment of his incredible life.

When I look back on what I wrote last year, I was so angry. But I think that is pretty normal. Year one is hard…raw…everything still feels so volatile. Over the span of year two that rawness has softened. I still feel his loss deep within the depths of my soul. Every single day I miss that beautiful baby boy more than I can share in words. But it's easier to talk about him without bursting into tears. It's easier to answer the question, "Do you have kids?" And if I do cry, I'm okay with it. Because grief and the tears that come from it are just love in action.

Layton's life, though far too short, was an incredible blessing. He touched more people in his 5 months on this earth than many do in an entire lifetime. I wish he were here. But since he can't be here, I can think of no better place than in the arms of our Savior, waiting for us in Heaven's Nursery. What a day that will be, my friends, when we are reunited not only with Layton, but our sweet Ellie too. Until then little ones…we love you and miss you every single second of every single day.

Love, mommy & daddy.