What’s The Spoon All About?

I was challenged to make a one-layer card in a new group that I joined on facebook (more on that later).  I had an idea in my head of what I wanted to do but upon execution I wasn’t happy with the result. 

My goal was to stamp an image and mask it off and then use my Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens to make a background.  Easy- peasy-pretty right?! Ummm, nope, nada, no siree, lol. 






I picked out the colors I wanted and, after using an acrylic block to scribble the marker on, I added some water.  I dipped the a paint brush into the watered-down ink and ran my fingers over the brush hairs to create flecks of colored drops across the cardstock.  I did this with each color I chose.  As you can see in the photo, it turned out terribly.  When I masked off the image I used a post it note and applied it to the bottom corner on top of the image. This left me with a square edge around the image and I did not like that so I tried adding flecks of paint,  first by just dabbing the pen straight to the paper – nope, not a good idea, lol – and then using the same technique as above with the paint brush.  I didn’t like that the flecks covered up the image in some places and it just ended up being very messy.  

So I came up with another idea. Instead of flicking the paint off the brush with my fingers, I dabbed the brush into my watered-down ink and then blotted it on a paper towel.  Then I took the brush and dabbed the cardstock in random places.  I did this for each color that I chose to use. As I layered on the ink, the colors became more vibrant.  I think the 2nd idea resulted in a much better outcome.  What do you think?

So, what’s with the spoon on the card you ask?  “Spoonies” is a term used for people who battle chronic illness on a daily basis.   The term “spoonie” originated from The Spoon Theory, a story written by Christine Miserandino.  Essentially, the Spoon Theory illustrates the challenges that someone living with a chronic illness faces every day.  As anyone living with a chronic illness can attest, taking medicine, crying in pain, or struggling through the simple tasks of life are hard enough but then factor in the reality that the illness, which happens to be “invisible,” is difficult for even good friends and family to truly understand.  Chronic illnesses can range from fibromyalgia, lupus, chronic pain, depression or other mood disorders, and chronic fatigue, among others.   Because a spoonie is relatively mentally and physically healthy in appearance, it’s very hard to explain what it feels like to live with a chronic illness.

One day, Christine was out for lunch with a friend when her friend asked her what it felt like to have lupus.  She started to tell her all about the aches and pains and medications but her friend kept pursuing and wasn’t satisfied with those answers.  Christine, realizing that words alone were not going to cut it, grabbed some spoons and began illustrating her life with lupus. She laid the handful of spoons out on the table and explained that the spoons symbolize all of a patient’s daily energy reserves. Every activity, no matter how thoughtless and automatic, depletes from the energy supply. Getting out of bed, showering, brushing your teeth, getting dressed, eating, and any number of ordinary tasks threaten to deplete energy at any given time.  The longer the list of activities, the less spoons available to move on to the next task.  Very quickly her friend realized that, with every spoon taken away, it makes it more difficult for a person with chronic illness to keep up with daily tasks and responsibilities.

I started this post by mentioning a group that I’ve recently found on facebook where people living with chronic illness, like myself, can gather for support.  It’s a place where we share our crafty creations but also feel safe enough to share our struggles.  The group was created by Rachel Winn who is a fabulous encourager.  If you consider yourself a spoonie, we would love to have you join us in our “Stampers Without Spoons” facebook group.
Last, but not least, I want to give a shoutout to Beth Duff Designs.  She’s a relatively new designer on the scene (to me, anyhow) and she’s wonderful.  Her facebook group is how I found out about the spoonie group so thank you Beth!  You can find her facebook group here and her shop here.  Please go take a look.  I’m certain you will like what you find.

Thanks for stopping by.  I will be back again soon with more cards to share.