2019 Layton's Legacy Fundraiser & Card Drive

Good morning! I'm so honored today to be joining in with a special release from Pinkfresh Studio called Forever in Our Hearts. You can find more details on this special even on the Pinkfresh Studio Blog and Lea Lawson's Blog.

This stamp set (and available coordinating die) is to honor the memory of the son of our Marketing Director, Lea Lawson. Here is some more info from her in her own words:

In honor of remembrance of my son, Layton Caleb, we are raising money to purchase a $50 Starbucks gift card for all 50 beds in the level 4 NICU at the U of M Masonic Children's Hospital in Minneapolis, MN.

Fundraising will run from October 15th - November 10th. Shortly after we will purchase the gift cards, and bring them to a social worker at the hospital the week of November 17th. This is the anniversary of the date we lost Layton, and I can think of no better way to honor his memory than to give a small comfort to parents who find themselves thrust into NICU life.

If we raise in excess of the amount needed to purchase the gift cards, the remaining balance will be donated to the Upper Midwest Ronald McDonald house in Layton's name.

I was in the NICU with Layton for 5 months and 7 days, and I remember the day a social worker handed me a card with a $20 Starbucks card in it. I broke. It's really hard being a parent to a very sick baby in the NICU, and it's really nice when you are reminded that so many people out there understand that. 

I also really want to be able to help keep the memory of Layton alive, and be able to share his story. I am so grateful for any donation, no matter the size, as it allows me to tell people about that amazing little boy who fought for every single moment of his life. Thank you SO much for your donation - I appreciate it more than words can explain.

WAYS PEOPLE CAN HELP

-DONATE - directly to Layton’s Legacy GoFundMe Fundraising Link.

-SHARE - not everyone is able to financially donate, but sharing on your social media outlets is welcomed & helpful

-CREATE - this year’s card drive theme is “Sensitive Sympathy” geared towards parents who have lost a pregnancy due to miscarriage or stillbirth, infant or child. They can get all the card drive info HERE. (It will also be linked in her main post.)

**October is Pregancy & Infant Loss Awareness month, and October 15th is what many in the loss world call Wave of Light. It is a public way to share the memory of your lost pregnancies and/or babies. This is my version of Wave of Light 2019.**

I have created this simple set of cards using this beautiful set to share with you today:

The image and sentiments in this set are so beautiful - I really wanted to let them shine on my cards. So stamped the butterfly on watercolor cardstock, then did some loose watercoloring around the outside using some of Pinkfresh Studio's beautiful liquid watercolors. Once those dried thoroughly, I stamped a different sentiment to each card.

For each card I mixed together two different shades of liquid watercolors to create my own custom colors. The pink one uses a mix of Bubblegum and Clementine. This next green one uses a mix of Lime Green and Aquamarine.

The final one with the blue uses a mix of Sky Blue and Sapphire.

I finished off with some sparkly jewels in coordinating colors from Essentials: Jewels Mix. While these sentiments on this card set are geared toward the loss of a baby or child, I so love that there are so many beautiful ones perfect for any kind of sympathy card. While we all love happy cards, I can speak from experience that some of the sympathy cards I've received over the years have been some of the most meaningful and important ones I've ever received. Because they are also some of the hardest to make and give, it is so helpful to have such a beautiful set to work with - I know I will be using it a lot in the future!

Product links are all below - including affiliate links where possible, which simply means that if you use one of the links below, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks so much for supporting my blog, and stopping by! Have a wonderful day!!!