The cards we hate to make . . .

When I lived in my old house in NY I had the best neighbor ever, John. Well, with a heavy heart I had to make a Sympathy card for John's family as he passed away this weekend. John was retired from Eastman
Kodak and he loved woodworking and working on his project boat in the garage. Left behind is his wife of many years, who became blind in her later years, and their adult children.

To make a simple black and white sympathy card is not John --- this is the guy that would use his snowblower to clean the driveway of an elderly widow across the street so she could get in and out of her driveway.  In our snowy winters he would use his snowblower and make paths in the backyard for his dog, Miss Marcie, so she could get around in the deep snows. He also would then make a path across his front yard with the snowblower for the mailman to get from his house to others. In the spring he would make birdhouses and they all hung from his trees in his yard. He nursed a sickly looking Japanese Maple tree back to health and to this day it is quite sizable. He had a few rose bushes and he also tended to them.

John never complained about anything and just enjoyed life --- he was the neighbor that would pick up your mail if you were out of town, the neighbor that would run out in the rain if the UPS guy left your package by your side door, the neighbor that would help you when you put up a fence, planted a tree, re-roofed your house, and anything else to help you out.

Here is my card to remember John and black and white is not John --- I had to use a layout I have used for a card before as thinking of a new format was not working --- I used the SU stamp set Thoughts and Prayers for the tree/flowers stamp and the "Sharing in your Sorrow" is from the Gina K Designs stamp set Stately Flowers #2 that I just got at the customer garage sale @ Betty's.  Used markers and the huff method for the tree/flowers stamp and then used a small scallop punch for the blue flowers. Added clear crystals from the stash as is the ribbon. Embossed border is a folder by SU.

TFL and lucky me to have known John for the years I did. I miss him already and will miss all the email forwards he sent me. YOLO