A little sunshine

I live a few miles from where George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer last week. He died too soon and suffered an unimaginable death. I can't imagine how it feels to lose a friend or a brother or a father that way. I can't imagine how it feels to live your whole life -- generations of lives -- afraid of the very people who are supposed to protect you. I can't imagine being a parent and having to teach my children how to act or what to say so they aren't arrested or killed by the police. We need to do better.

My neighborhood has been relatively quiet in terms of the protests and riots that followed Mr. Floyd's murder. The corner grocery store had a window broken, the gas station a few blocks away had extensive fire damage, and several stores and restaurants in nearby business districts were damaged and/or looted. The destruction has been much, much worse in other areas of the Cities -- and at least some of that damage was caused by people who had nothing to do with the protests. It will take time to heal and rebuild, but ultimately those buildings can be repaired or replaced. A life cannot be replaced. Black lives matter.

Despite all the pain and sorrow, there have been glimmers of hope. Minnesotans are taking care of their neighbors. Collection sites have been flooded with donations of food, toiletries, diapers, and other items for residents whose neighborhoods have been destroyed and who don't have access to stores or supermarkets. And people of all colors and faiths, from around the country and around the globe, have been coming together to demand justice for George Floyd and too many others who came before him. I know there are people who condemn the protestors, but I see support and solidarity. Maybe White people are starting to understand, maybe we can finally see some of the systemic racism that Black people have lived with for hundreds of years, maybe change will finally come. I hope so. We need to be better.

I want to be an ally in this movement and help end racial, social, and economic injustice, but I have a lot to learn. I started a notebook filled with lists of websites to visits, Instagram accounts to check out, books to read, and so on. There is a lot of information to process -- and I recognize my privilege in being able to take a step back and figure out what steps to take next. One simple thing I am doing is following more Black crafters to start learning their stories. If you are interested, Kristina Werner has compiled a list of Instagram accounts of Black crafters (as long as the accounts aren't private, you should be able to view them even if you don't have an Instagram account).

Through all of this I have struggled with blogging and card-making. Sitting down to make a card seemed so trivial when so many people are out risking their safety to fight for social justice, when so many people have suffered for so long. And what would I say in a blog post? I didn't want to pretend nothing happened, but I also didn't want to say something wrong. Ultimately, though, if I want to be an ally, I need to say something and be willing to learn.

Of course I will continue to make cards. It's my creative outlet and part of who I am. And I want to share them, too, if for no other reason than to bring a little sunshine into the world. And on that note, here is a little sunshine for today:

Supplies (all Taylored Expressions unless otherwise noted):

Stamps: Over the Rainbow, Rainbow Sentiments

Paper: Whisper White card stock (Stampin' Up!); Salt Water Taffy, Guava, Pineapple, Lime Zest, Plum Punch card stock

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko), Salt Water Taffy

Accessories: Over the Rainbow, Rainbow Cloud Duo, Rolling Clouds dies; Here Comes the Sun stencil; blender brushes; sparkling clear sequins (Pretty Pink Posh); Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute); foam tape (3M)

I made these cards with the Somewhere Over the Rainbow kit from Taylored Expressions. The kit is sold out, but I believe the kit components will be for sale individually in the future. I used the rainbow die to cut rainbows from four different card stock colors, and then I distributed the strips so each rainbow has four colors. I added die-cut clouds, stamped or stenciled the backgrounds (for two of the cards), stamped sentiments, and then finished the cards with clear sequins.

Thanks for stopping by today. I wish you and your loved ones peace, sunshine and rainbows.