Hi everyone. Again, I must apologize for not having my CHA products post finished, but things were turned upside down right after my last post on Friday. I've debated whether or not to bring this deeply personal issue up here, and my intention is not to bring anyone down, but I do consider all of you to be my friends, so here goes.
My best friend from about the end of 8th grade passed away last Friday night after a heavy battle with cancer. I was very fortunate enough to be able to spend many extended times with her to relieve her husband for work, and I cherish those memories, but I so wish I could have been there at the end. I whole-heartedly believed she would make it much longer than she did, and the sudden turn around for the worse was very unexpected. Needless to say, I was sure glad I had my husband to lean on, as he had made the trip to Las Vegas over the weekend. We made it home in time to go to the funeral on Monday, and it was a beautiful service. I am glad she is not suffering anymore...so glad...and I know she was needed elsewhere, but she is sorely missed, and I am finding it hard not to think about all the time.
Although not in the mood to craft a lick, I thank Tim Holtz and his monthly tag series, for reminding me that I made a commitment to myself to participate each month, and I know my friend would want me to keep on keeping on, so I made this July tag with all Tim's techniques, but with my beautiful friend's spirit on my mind, rather than the freedom theme, and just in the nick of time too as it seems.
I love the Fanciful Flight Die, and thought the Mini Heart would make a great body for it. |
I loved the brayer technique that Tim used. I know I will use it again many more times. |
I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!
Ah, Anita...now I know why I had you on my mind all last week. I've been there, and it is so hard to say goodbye to someone you love. I, too, had a dear friend who passed from a rare form of cancer at a very early age. I was able to be with her almost until the end, and she, too, took a very quick downturn and was gone. Too soon. It is hard to wrap your mind around. I love that you poured your grief and your love into this wonderful tribute to her. I feel the love and tenderness you had for her. The butterfly is a wonderful symbol. I'll be praying for you...and I am here if you need me. Big ole hugs....me
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry about your friend Anita. Will say a prayer for you and her family. Hugs and hugs my dear and love the piece you created. I know she would love that you did it. Heal at your own pace. xoxo
ReplyDeleteThank you Anita for sharing this with us. I know we don't all get to meet face to face but you are such a great friend, generous to a fault with your time and effort and it it's good to be able to give a tiny amount of that back. Losing someone is hard and for so long it's on your mind constantly. That gets easier to bear as time goes by and having your family at your side makes such a difference. Your friend must have treasured her time with you and now thankfully is free from her pain. I hope and pray that your pain and that of her family eases too. You are in my thoughts and prayers, Jenny xxx
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to hear about the passing of your childhood friend, Anita. You've created an outstanding memorial tag in her honor, so I'm sure she's smiling at you from Heaven. May the peace of the Lord be with you.
ReplyDeleteThis is an amazing tag. Love your background! Looking forward to seeing your CHA projects. My sympathies about your friend.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear about your friend. That's so tough. Your tag in her honor is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteHi Anita, please accept my sincere condolences concerning the loss of your dear friend. I pray for comfort for her family and you. It seems like a long time since we've chatted. A lovely tribute in your tag. Please take care. Hugs, Yvonne
ReplyDeleteYour "take" on Tim's inspiration is always amazing! I am so very sorry about your friend. My mother's death in April, after just a year since her diagnosis, is so fresh on my heart that I truly can empathize with you. Everything seems surreal, and it's often very difficult to move forward. But I know your hope is in The Lord, and I am praying for you during these tough days.
ReplyDeleteAnita i'm so sorry to hear this about your best friends! Please accept my sincere condolences. Your tag in her honor is fabolous as always! hugs Barbarayaya
ReplyDeleteYour tag is so beautiful. I love the heartfelt sentiment.
ReplyDelete...a wonderful tribute to your friend Anita, this Tag is simply beautiful and captures your thoughts and feelings...Mel:)xx
ReplyDeleteAnita, I am so sorry, my condolences to you & to your friend's family. Your tag is beautiful & I have no doubt that she would have loved it. Hugs.
ReplyDeleteHello Anita
ReplyDeleteI can sympathise with how you feel, as I lost a good friend last year and tears flowed everyday while I was creating, but time healed the loss and now I think of her fondly, you will miss your friend but you have all the memories to carry you through. Your Tag is the first step through the grieving process. Yes, your Tag is dark but that is how you interpret your feelings at the moment, in time the colour will return. You know that your Art will help you immensely through the months ahead.
Smiles:)
Sue
Your beautuful tag made me cry. I know what a blessing you were to her and her family. And I know they are so grateful for you being in their lives. Cherish your memories of her, today and always. Hugs, my friend.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful tribute for your friend. May you be comforted by the memories of a special friendship. Take care.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sad and sorry to hear about your friend, and wish you so much sympathy and love, and to her family, in the times ahead. I know that crafting in such circumstances must be so hard, but you have created such a wonderful tribute and commemoration of your friendship in this beautiful tag. A beautiful, caring, heartfelt piece of art.
ReplyDeleteAlison x
Oh Anita, how very, very sad. My deepest sympathy to you and to your dear friend's family. Your tag is a beautiful tribute. MMx
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear this Anita. I am sorry for your loss, and said a prayer for you and your friend and family. I lost my husband to cancer and it is such a horror. I believe she will always be with you. Glad you got to do your tag, and by seeing it, I am sure it was extra special for you to work on, and I'd like to think her spirit guided you. It is so awesome and a lovely tribute. Hugs to you!
ReplyDeleteA very special tag. Hang in there and just keep on keeping on as you put it. She will always be on your mind, allow that and enjoy the memories.
ReplyDeleteA great collaged tag Anita...together with your story about the great loss of your best friend, I thought...she might be the butterfly in your heart...
ReplyDeleteSincere condolences Anita and cherish the great memories.
kind regards, Alie :-)
Oh WOW! I'm completely and utterly blown away! What an awesome piece of art ... I'm so sad to hear of your loss :-( and I wish you all of the strength you need and can get. The butterfly and the sentiment are such a great way to picture her passing and the loving thoughts you have towards her. (((hugs))) Suzanne xx
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry for your loss, Anita. What a special tribute to your dear friend.
ReplyDeleteOh Anita ... I am so sorry. Thank you for sharing this with us. Your tag is absolutely beautiful in its own right at a piece of art, but your words of friendship, love and thankfulness as well as sincere loss and grief are what really give this piece its "wings". You and your friend's family are in my prayers. God bless you. A big hug to you ... Mary Elizabeth
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear of your loss, Anita! What a tragedy. But your tag is absolutely wonderful, chock full of awesome techs! Best wishes to you during this time!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear about the passing of your best friend , remember all the fond memories of her forever in your heart .Love your beautiful tag!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you shared your story with us Anita. It made you tag even more beautiful and meaningful. I love your blog and you are helping me grown. Yes, you are an artist!!!!!
ReplyDeleteSandy
Anita, so sorry for your loss. Praying for you all. Your tag is gorgeous and so full of meaning to you. The butterfly is the perfect symbol of rebirth, and I love how you used the hinges. Take care.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful tag to commemorate your dear friends passing Anita. Hugs Annette x
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you shared your story too Anita, it is a reminder of how mortal we are...... your tribute to your beautiful friend is wonderful and hopefully it gave you some release too. It is hard to lose any loved one, be it friend or family and I hope that time will heal your pain. You are such a wonderful friend, kind and generous and I bet your friend is smiling down on you for being so. My thoughts are with you and your friend's family. Big hugs, Anne x
ReplyDeleteWell crap! There go the tears.... I'm so proud of you for doing something so difficult at a time like this and crafting. You're right, I'm sure your dear friend is smiling on you now and knowing that the sentiment you put on your ever incredible tag is so genuinely true.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you took the time to share this with us all as unfortunately we all have crappy crap that we deal with and the strength and encouragement from others can only be a good thing.
I won't comment on the techniques this time around, but just to say that your soul and heart and displayed ever so beautifully here.
Virtual hugs to you and may you find comfort in your memories and motivation in knowing it's not the end...
Humongous virtual hugs,
Lisa xx
p.s...hey...thank you also for stomping around my blog too. You made me smile.
Wow, that's a breathtaking take on tim's tag.
ReplyDeleteDear Anita, I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your much loved friend...I love your tag it so special... Time will heal your pain & keep those special memories in your heart... Hugs May x x x
ReplyDeleteHi Anita, so sorry to hear of your sad loss. I'm sure in time you will be able to remember just the happy times you spent together rather than the dark days. Although i have never met you in person you strike me as being a fun, kind and caring person who values her family and friends, i'm sure it must have been a great comfort for your friend to be able to have your love and support. Your tag is a beautiful tribute. Best wishes Toni xxx
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the backstory to your tag Anita. I'm sorry that you suffered such a personal loss. Your tag is just beautiful. I know you didn't lose a dear friend, you gained a guardian angel.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to hear and I so know what you are going through. I actually found once I got back to creating it was truly what I needed to sooth my heart. Focus on the great memories and it is a blessing she isn't suffering now. Beautiful tag and a great tribute to a friend.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry for your loss! I'm sure your friend appreciated all that time you were able to be with her when she was ill. Your tag is a lovely tribute to her. Sending big hugs your way. ~Renee
ReplyDeleteHi Anita, I love your tag even (much) more than Tim`s...it is fabulous!! With all details and right colour combination is just perfect!
ReplyDeleteHave a nice weekend!
So sorry for your loss Anita. I know it is painful right now but I know that crafting always helps me when life is tough. You tag is a lovely way to keep your friend close and to remember the friendship you shared. Sending you hugs Helen x
ReplyDeleteOh Anita! So sorry for your loss. The tag is beautiful and a wonderful tribute. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry about your friend Anita. Wonderful tag.
ReplyDeleteGreetings Asia:)
I am so sorry for your loss & I appreciate you sharing with us. . .one of my best friends just lost his sister and I couldn't be there for him (he is in CT and I live in CO now) and it broke my heart. We have all lost loved ones and it never gets easier. I hope your heart lightens knowing she is at peace and in no pain and she isn't gone, she just took a different form :) Your art is a beautiful tribute to her XO
ReplyDeleteOh Anita this is such a beautiful and special make and a wonderful tribute to your friend. I am so sorry for the loss of this special person in your life but she would be so proud of what you created for her and love this gorgeous tag. It is filled with beautiful elements and passion that shines through. Take heART my friend she still loves you too.
ReplyDeleteHugs Brenda xox
Oh oh sweet friend I am so saddened to hear about the loss of your dear friend! Even sadder that I am just reading about it now. This is such a beautiful tribute to her and I can see that your heart and soul went into this creation! My thoughts and prayers are with you and I know your friend is smiling down on you from above. For the past few days a butterfly has been hanging around my garden. I just ran to the store a few moments ago and the same butterfly fluttered around me as I was getting out of the car. It moved towards the front door as if it was telling me there was something urgent inside requiring my immediate attention. I went to my iPad where a tab to this post was open waiting for me to read it. Anything you need Im here for you...big hugs to you!
ReplyDeleteAmy*
I am so very sorry for you, this must be a difficult and very emotional time , but you have done her memory proud with this gorgeous and wonderful tribute! A wonderful tag ...hugs trace x
ReplyDeleteYour tag is beautiful and it is a lovely tribute to your friend. So sorry to hear of the loss of your friend, but how lucky you are to have known and loved each other so dearly. Blessings to you as your heart heals. Cathy
ReplyDeleteOh my, Anita! I'm so sorry for your loss! Can only imagine what you must be feeling now and going through. What a great tribute to your dear friend! I'm sure she would have loved it! It's fabulous! Hope your heart will feel better soon. Hugs, Sandra
ReplyDeleteThat is so sad, Anita, but good too, you know what I mean? So good you were there all those times, and so good she isn't suffering any more. It sounds as if both of you were very much blessings to each other. And a little art therapy is always a good thing.
ReplyDeleteHugs to you, my bloggy friend.
Beautiful tag Anita, and a beautiful way to remember your friend. Your creativity, as always, is astounding. Sue C x
ReplyDeleteAnita, I am so sorry to hear about your friend and can certainly understand your sadness of losing someone so young! She was blessed to have someone like you there with her during her time of need. I love this tag and the meaning behind it, such a wonderful tribute to love and friendship! Hugs!
ReplyDeleteOh Anita............this truly is a wonderful tag and I can see the love that you have put in to it as well as the sadness at the loss of your dear friend. Sending you a huge hug my dear friend
ReplyDeleteAnnie xxx
Anita - this is a beautiful tag and tribute to your friend. Sadly, I know too well of what you speak. Corrine Gilman said something beautiful to me - Grief is the feeling of being in the presence of someone you loved and lost. So whenever I am overcome by grief, I try to feel my friend's presence around me and feel the connection instead. It does help a bit. xoxo
ReplyDeleteHello friend. We too lost a good friend a few weeks ago and my heart just too somber to consider playing. Your heart ache is felt thru your words. The personal committment we have made to making a small piece of art is so good for our soul, even more so when it's the last thing we want to do. Your tag is a wonderful tribute to your best friend and an acknowledgment of your loss. (hugs)
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry I am just seeing this post now. My heartfelt sympathy to you. And what an amazing piece you have created for your friend. I think your inspiration came from such a strong bond that has carried on beyond life itself. Time is a healer and so are warm wishes and much love and appreciation from all of your blog followers,family and friends.
ReplyDelete