Sunday, May 26, 2013

My Cards and Tags: Live, Laugh, Love

It's Memorial weekend and I love this tribute poem by Louise N. Parter that's framed on a plaque at the Theatre Royal in London:


1914–1918
Actors, musicians, writers and workers for the stage who have given their lives for their country. Honour to the immortal dead, that great … company of shining souls who gave their youth that the world might grow old in peace. Their name liveth forever more. These nobly played their parts, these heard the call for God and King and home. They gave their all.
Since ye who pass in quest of happy hours
Behold the price at which those hours were bought,
Strew here the fragrance of memorial flowers,
The silent tribute of a grateful thought.

The line hits me the most profoundly is the one that says, "That great company of shining souls who gave their youth that the world might grow old in peace."  I'm deeply grateful for those who've sacrificed and who continue to sacrifice so that we can indeed grow old in peace.


One way to show gratitude for those who've given so much is to try and live each day to its fullest.  With that in mind, I made this card with the statement "Live, Laugh, Love."


For this card, I used two dies: the fabulous "Ribbon Banner" die (a Simon Says Stamp exclusive) and a Tim Holtz ticket die.  I stamped out the shapes with paper from Prima.


I used a scallop circle punch from Stampin' Up! and punched out the circular tokens on a piece of patterned paper by Echo Park.  I also inked around all the edges with Tim Holtz distress inks: Walnut Stain, Black Soot, Picked Raspberries and Peacock Feathers.

The "Live, Laugh, Love" sentiment is a stamp from TPC Studio.

 
I also stamped half a crown on two of the tickets (crown stamp by Heidi Swapp) and cut numbers out of a piece of patterned paper from My Mind's Eye for the 24 and the 7.  I added buttons to the top, which I glued some paper circles onto.  I used circle punches from Stampin' Up! and ek Success to get the sizes I needed.  I added some bows made from embroidery floss.  I attached it all to background paper from Pink Paislee and finished it off with a piece of vintage lace at the bottom.

 
Life's certainly not easy, and I don't know that it's possible to laugh every second, but we can always love and live the very best we can.  This Memorial weekend especially, I'm thankful to have that opportunity.