Late last Spring, an idea popped into my head that involved paints, quotes and pay-it-forward.  I was inspired by the Creativity issue of Sprout Magazine in which there was a demo of how to create your own inspirational cards.  To put my own twist on it, I envisioned these cards being passed around all over the world.  I wanted people to connect eye-to-eye and say, “Here, take this card and have an awesome day!” and I also wanted people to come up with creative ways to pass the cards on to strangers.  Slipping one into a library book before returning it, or leaving one in a gym locker, for example. The idea became a fun, colourful beach ball that bounced around in my head and entertained me while I brainstormed materials and researched quotes.

Somewhere around the time I had primed a few cards for painting, I learned I was pregnant.

The project was then put on hold as I was too nauseous to even think about painting, or doing much else for that matter.

And then when I was 11 weeks pregnant, I miscarried and just like that my world changed a little.

What didn’t change was my insatiable thirst for expressing myself with colour or my desire to make kindness a larger part of my work. So a few weeks after my pregnancy ended, I began a process of healing through art.  I chose colours to suit each quote and then just played with swirls, splotches and solids.  My daughter, then 5, quickly became my Creative Consultant; she was there when I wanted to talk colour combinations, or font styles…or just needed a hug.

As I painted with brushes and my fingers, I got lost.  The house always seemed to get really quiet when I was alone with the pinks and greens and blues and yellows – something that doesn’t seem to happen often in a home with two young children.  I also found myself again in the quotes I was printing, then ripping, then gluing.  The words spoke to me in the stillness and kept me moving forward.

When I had my first dozen designs ready for the world my childhood friend and now graphics designer, Hyedie of Happy-D Designs, got them prepped for print and worked hard to make my dream a reality. And a few weeks later, I had my first order in my hands.

My then 2 year old son jumped on board as Partner in Sales and Marketing.  We made trips to local stores and while my son charmed the storeowners with his big eyes and smile, the cards touched their hearts, and soon these wonderful people were making space on their shelves for my dream.

Looking back, I see how quickly I came out of a dark time with the help of some beautiful colours, uplifting words, quiet time with the process, and the love and support of my family.  I also believe the process was enriched by my desire to help others through these cards.  Again, I learned the lesson: service makes my soul feel at home.

Each month I am dedicating 50% of online sales of these cards to different charities.  If you have a charity that you would like to see supported, please contact me.  To view these cards in my online store, please click here or on the picture below.

Disclosure: The link to Sprout Magazine is my affiliate link.  I do receive a percentage of sales of this magazine.