Precious

I can't believe we're turning another page on our calendar already! We want to see "Precious" projects this fortnight, and as always, you're more than welcome to join and show us your interpretation of the challenge theme on the Alphabet challenge blog. Since I've been quite busy lately, I'll show you a card that I've created a while ago. It's a welcome card for a little Ukrainian refugee that went into a care package for a baby that has been or will be born far away from home. 

I can imagine that the arrival of a new baby brings many emotions to the family, a mix of wonderful expectations and joy as well as different fears and insecurities. However, I cannot possibly imagine the stress of fleeing your home land with a newborn in tow, or leaving your home while being pregnant to birth your child in a foreign land, not knowing when you'll be able to return home, let alone whether there'll be a home waiting for you upon your return. 

To make the start a bit easier for one little child at least, I packed a box with the most necessary baby items. As with my other boxes, I decided to include a little welcome card, too.

Not knowing the baby's gender, I decided to make it neutral and working with a sunflower motif instead. I stitched the pattern and embroidered it using a pastel yellow yarn. I added a bit of depth by colouring the image with coloured pencils. Then, I added a sentiment saying "Welcome" which I placed onto a brown piece of cardboard since I wanted it to blend with the center of the sunflower. 

After that, I placed everything onto a layer of soft blue background to resemble Ukrainian skies. This way, I'd be able to recreate the colours of the Ukrainian flag, even though in a slightly pastel version. 

In the very end, I added a tiny wooden ladybug for good wishes and good luck. For Ukraine to win this war. for people to return home and be reunited with their loved ones. For babies to be born into happy families, for children to play in endless sunflower fields of their independent country. 

challenges: 

- 613 avenue create: ATG
- a place to start: ATG

- allsorts challengeblog: celebrate (birth, newborn baby)

- classicdesignchallenge: ATG DT 

- crafty catz: ATG

- creative moments: ATG

- love to craft: ATG 

- morgans artworld: ATG
- my time to craft: critters

- pennys papertake: ATG

- through the craftroom door: ATG

- wortartwednesday: ATG
- worldwide open design team challenge: ATG