Sweet Sketch & Inkspirational Challenges

Good morning!  So I've been talking to my dad and trying to decide if I should go back East for a few weeks.  My mom goes for a consultation tomorrow to figure out if they are going to do surgery on her elbow (she fell and broke her arm badly at the elbow Sunday morning).  She's in a lot of pain, but she tries not to let my dad know.  My dad is actually my step-dad, but he's been there since I was a young teenager and I consider him my father.  Anyway, his mom has been suffering from Alzheimer's for many years now and my parents received word over the weekend that she would probably be gone by Monday.  Today is Tuesday and she's still hanging on - the whole thing is incredibly sad and emotionally draining and I hate being so far away from my parents right now.  My brother is getting worse and is back to nodding off at the kitchen table and walking around shivering when it's 100 degrees out... it's just so stressful.  I try not to let him and his addictions bother or affect me in any way and moving 3000 miles away sure did help - but when I see my parents going through so much at once, it makes me want to just beat the shit out of him for being so selfish and stupid.  Anyway, please keep my parents in your thoughts or prayers if you are so inclined.  They can use all the positive energy coming their way that they can get.  And if I do end up going back to help, I may need to take a few weeks off from blogging and stuff (which gives me slight anxiety, I admit - this is kind of my therapy!).  I'll keep you posted.

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Today I have 2 cards to share.  Yesterday I told you about my daughter's best friend Jamie, and how her dad had cancer and passed away Sunday morning.  I wanted to make her a special sympathy card, so I made her this one that I am entering into the following challenges:

 Cutie Pie Challenge #48: Cute & Cuddly

There She Goes Clear Stamps Challenge: Animals

TokBobok: Animal Friends

Creative Fingers: Anything Goes 

Sweet Sketch Wednesday (sketch below)

I used one of the new images from A Day for Daisies called Fairy Kitten, colored with Prismacolor pencils & mineral spirits and SU! Dazzling Diamonds Glitter for the wings. My papers are digi papers from Pixel Scrapper (Marisa Lerin).  I added a feather, a piece of pink rick rack, some text stickers, and a few diamond brads.  I hate that I had to make this for a young girl who lost her dad, but I love the way it came out and I know she will too.  Jamie and Cass have always had a "thing" for kittens and cats, so I just knew I wanted to use this image for her.

My next card is for the: 

Artistic Inspiration Challenge: Bling

Happy Campers Challenge: Bling

Inkspirational Challenge #27 (photo below)

 

I used Dilly Beans 420: Sugar Skulls Stack, colored with Prismacolor markers and 3 different shades of purple Stickles (Lavender, Purple, and Starry Night).  I attached the panel of skulls with foam dimensional dots to a plain black card and then just added some purple gemstone stickers.  I wanted the image to really be the focal point, I love all the purple glitter and this is one of my favorite Dilly Beans images.

Have a great day everyone!  Peace.