Fine Feathers Sympathy Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Creation is a better means of self-expression than possession; it is through creating, not possessing, that life is revealed. - Vida Dutton Scudder, The Privilege of Age

 This quote was in the May 2012 issue of Real Simple magazine - something I was flipping through the other day (yes, I know it is already the end of July) :)  I haven't read Vida Dutton Scudder's book, so I am not sure the context in which this quote was stated.  Out of its original context the quote spoke to me.  As you know, I am always struggling with the issue of owning more "stuff" for my craft room and have found that purchasing more things can often be an excuse for not creating with the things that I have.  The truth is that when you really want to create you will do whatever you can with what you have.  I think about those who do not have the ability to go out and purchase a new craft/art supply and yet they release the need to express themselves with whatever they can find - scratching a rock against a surface, using a stick to draw in the sand, piling rocks one on top of the other to express that they stood in that very place.  Possessing things does say something about us...I'm not sure what it says about us is truly at the heart of who we are.  To tap into who we truly are at our core we need to explore our own gift of creativity...using whatever we have.
Today's card began with a desire to use a feather image from the Fine Feathers stamp set.  I stamped the image onto Very Vanilla cs and cut it out.  I then took a Baja Breeze card base and ran part of the front through the Big Shot with the Fancy Fan embossing folder.  Next I tore a piece of vellum and a piece of Sahara Sand cs and attached them to the card front with a bit of machine sewing.  I stamped the sentiment from Loving Thoughts in Basic Black and then added the feather with dimensionals.  Have a beautiful Tuesday :)