Share Joy: C'mon Get Happy

I love the new Share Joy Challenge. Besides a great sketch and a second inspiration of some kind each week, they also challenge us to actually send the card.  Does anybody besides me end up with stacks of unsent cards?  I love the idea to actually plan for a specific recipient and get it sent.  The challenge is sponsored by Taylored Expressions, but please realize that there is not a requirement to use TE product (although you could win some in the weekly random drawing!)

Here is this week's graphic - you can use either or both:

This card will be sent to my oldest son.  He decided to defer college for a year and he's living on his own for the first time.  We agreed because we knew he needed to grow up a little and be more responsible for his own life, so we said he could take a year off only if he didn't live in our home (how do you learn responsibility if mom and dad are always there?!)  He's doing quite well in many ways - he works, he pays bills, he feeds himself, and he says he gets laundry done(?).  He's had a few hurdles - the most recent being that he didn't figure out that the furnace wasn't on until the temperature in the apartment was below 50°F. He kept calling and saying it was cold but it never occurred to us that the furnace wasn't on. Finally my husband asked him what it sounded like when the furnace cycled on and the air started to blow and Andrew just said "huh?"  I don't remember ever not knowing as much as he doesn't know - and I didn't have the internet to look things up!!!

The only downside is that he's lonely. He moved about 100 miles away and doesn't know anybody. Frankly, one of the things we wanted him to learn was that friendships take work. He's a good kid, but he never quite got the fact that you had to make an effort and go out of your way with friends (or for that matter, to be an active part of a school, etc.)  I'm sad that he's lonely, but I do see the growth in him.

Anyway, I'm sending him regular cards, often with little gift cards.  This was designed for him, although I might hold on to it until he's a little happier.  I love the saying - but it's a little in your face if you are truly sad.


I love the fonts in this stamp set. I kept the card really simple so the sentiment would shine.  I used the new Stitched Rectangle Stacklets dies but I need to say that I had to stretch the die for the sentiment panel.  It is so easy to stretch or shrink stitched dies. I put half the die between the cutting "sandwich" with the other half sticking out so it didn't cut.  Then I moved the die to make it longer and cut that half.  The stitching makes it easy because you can feel it click into place with the already cut stitching and you know it's lined up!
Hopefully this card makes my son smile!
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C'mon Get Happy

Stitched Rectangle Stacklets

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