Our Special Tea!

I've had about 10 strangers going in and out of my house yesterday and today, and it will continue for another couple of days with more strangers entering the mix. We tried to get a quote on our roof a few weeks ago, just to make sure that everything was good and he went into our attic and didn't go any further. He discovered that our attic had a lot of mold in it and that it was serious enough that we had to deal with it as it was a health concern. By the time the mold specialist came one week later, the pictures he took showed that the mold had doubled in density and area in only one week. Yesterday, they started removing the insulation and they are still going at it today. Someone will be here later today to start removing the mold using liquid nitrogen and then the clean up will take place and the new insulation will be installed. THEN the roof guy can do his thing. Savings? What savings? Once this is all fixed, our savings will be completely wiped out. I've applied for a teaching position in the fall because I really need this job. We have to be wise and have some money in reserve in case another emergency comes up and while we've been living on only one salary, we can't do it anymore since my husband's raises are no longer keeping up with cost of living increases.

And so I come down to my studio where I stamp and sew. I close the door on the strangers upstairs and breathe for a couple of minutes. I have planned out my daughters grade 9 grad dress and it is cut and waiting for assembly. I have a bridesmaid dress hanging here that I need to alter down 10" around the top because the girl has lost 40lbs. And I just breathe for a few minutes. Breathing is important on this cold, rainy day. I'm trying not to watch jumbo bags of blackened insulation as they are thrown from upstairs and land on the driveway 15 feet from my studio windows, but the thump as they land makes me jump a little. Then, I take a deep breath and thank God we were able to pay for this without a loan and that my house will be healthy again soon and there will be increased ventilation in the attic so it will never happen again. And I REALLY need this Junior High teaching position...

I thought it would be appropriate today to share with you a little encouragement. I made a little tea bag holder from a tutorial on Splitcoaststampers.

I was inspired by the main sentiment from the newly released Tea with Bella set from Heartfelt Creations for my project today. I think it's absolutely perfect for this little appreciation gift. I framed the sentiment using Fancy Tags 2 and I love the vintage elegance it lends to these very hotly coloured papers I've used.

This lovely little sentiment is from Inspire Me Sentiments and is perfect for the spirit of this project. I used the rosebud from Bold Bella Rose and coloured both it and the sentiment on the tea bag holder cover using the thumping technique. I used some hotly coloured markers to coordinate with my papers and some fresh, bright greens for the foliage. (Tombow markers; N57, 173, 195, 755, 847, 925)

From the Splitcoaststampers Tutorial, I chose to make the sleeveless version for which instructions are at the very end of the tutorial. I even found a brightly packaged tea bag for my holder - yay, me!

I do like the brightness of this project and need to listen with my heart for a friend who could use a little encouragement.

And I would encourage you to both leave a comment on my blog because I love hearing from you and to pop on over to the Heartfelt Creations blog to glean some inspiration from the stunning projects there.

stamps; bold bella rose, tea with bella, inspire me sentiments (heartfelt creations)
paper; mango frost (dcwv), yam, white canvas (bazzill)
ink; black soot distress ink (ranger)
accessories; 1/4" white grosgrain (offray), tangerine blast rhinestones (bazzill), fancy tags 2 (spellbinders), border punch (martha stewart), orange rhinestone brad (making memories), tombow markers


crafty creations - get well (is it a stretch?)
freshly brewed challenge - anything but a card
high hopes stamps - create a 3-D item 
paper romance - anything but a card
my mum's craft shop - favourite colours (I adore coral!)
my time to craft - use a die cut
crafts 4 eternity - recipe challenge (flower, ribbon, bling)
fun at fairy knoll - flowers
creative card crew - anything goes
craft your passion - let it all hang out 
paper play - sparkle galore