The Cutting Cafe Think Pink

Please forgive my indulgence to leave this post at the top

until the end of the month of October for

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS.

I was diagnosed with the disease in 2008...

and I'M A SURVIVOR!

October is here and to me, and millions of other women like me, Breast Cancer Awareness Month has very special meaning. When I saw Regina's Think Pink Digital Stamp Set from The Cutting Cafe I immediately knew exactly what my card design was going to look like.  This card actually incorporates two sets, the Ribbon Shaped Card and the Think Pink set.  The little black and white owl is from the Think Pink set and the card is the Ribbon Shaped Card.  The card set has the ribbon shaped card, a topper, an outline and four sentiments.  Think Pink is a fabulous set that comes with 50 images, 25 black and white and the same images done in pink.  Just so you know, the sentiment that I used is not part of the set. I did it up on my computer to fit me personally.  In August of 2008 after returning from a wonderful family vacation in Hawaii with fifteen family members where one of my daughters got married, I went for my first ever mammogram.  Shockingly, a few days later I received the news that I had breast cancer.  Of course, that is the short version of the story. Never in a million years did I think I would be a victim of this killer disease.  I thought I was pretty safe because no one in my family had EVER had breast cancer and I had five children that were all breast fed (which is supposed to be a protecting factor).  I'm telling this story today in the hopes that it will be of benefit to someone else. DO NOT THINK you are safe like I did. Let this month (October) be the reminder you need each and every year to go get a mammogram.  It could save your life like it did mine.  I underwent several surgeries, including a bilateral mastectomy, and months of treatments to be where I am today.  God has blessed me abundantly and I am very grateful.

Now to tell a few more details of my card.  I cut my base card using white cardstock, cut the outline in pink and used Melissa Francis Breast Cancer patterned paper Hope.  I decided to put a cute little pink polka dot bra on my owl.  I used my Cricut's Life's A Beach bikini cut to make it.  It's cut at 2 1/2" to fit on the owl with two layers that I pop-dotted.  I put a little pearl in the center to draw the eye.  The sentiment that I used is a common little saying that I heard at the hospital one time when I was going for a treatment.  It made me chuckle, and believe me there wasn't much to chuckle about going through those treatments. I added the sentiment to a tag I punched and embellished it with a sheer pink polka dot ribbon and a flower that I colored with a Copic marker so it would match my paper.  Thanks so much for visiting my blog and listening to my story.  You may see another card or two on my blog made up with these sets because I always make cards for my four daughters and one daughter-in-law to remind them to go for a mammogram, because now we know they are at risk and it does run in the family, even if it started with me.