Peace

After a short break due to family/health issues, I'm back on track with the Alphabet challenge design team. Our theme this fortnight is "Peace", which I'm sure is a heartfelt wish at the moment. You may interprete the theme however you like, and I'm sure we'll get to see many Christmas cards already. If you need a little help to get your fantasy going, you can always have a look at what the DT has prepared for you.

I for myself immediately remembered this embroidery pattern of a dove that I had stored in my crafting folder. It took ages for me to find it, but it was all worth it. It turned out to be even more beautiful than I had in mind, and I immediately went to work with printing the image. Once that was done, I took white cardboard from my stash, and made sure to prick and stitch the motif as instructed. I opted for natural yarns, as I intended to add a bit more colour in the background later. 

To be precise, I picked blue and yellow polka-dot paper from my collection, and cut a piece of each to match the size of my card base. I placed the pieces onto my card to create the Ukrainian flag in honour of everybody who keeps defending the land and its freedom. In the very end, I added a tiny golden sticker to frame the motif of the dove, as well as a tiny gemstone for the eye of the animal.

As shocked as I was almost two years ago when the full-scale invasion began, I'm furious now at the lack of unity and support among world leaders when it comes to providing the Ukrainian defenders with everything they need. The sacrifice of the Ukrainian people deserves the greatest respect, and we should be supporting their fight for lasting peace with everything we have. Who are we to think that shallow words of concern and timid statements of condemnation will stop an agressor who understands nothing but sheer power? I'm sure that a strong and timely response of the democratic world would not only help end this particular war in time, but also prevent the bushfires of violence all around the world, as every autocratic/terror regime would know exactly what awaits them if they start chaos. Turns out peace is neither God-given nor self-evident, and it takes enormous vigilance to make sure we preserve this precious commodity. Oh, well... 

I don't know when peace will come to the people of Ukraine, but I wish so much for a victory, and the return of life to the settlements that have been razed to the ground in this destructive madness. 

With the winter season at our doors, I'm afraid there are difficult months ahead for the people of Ukraine. It might be the right time to look into charities that provide help in form of heating and energy devices that will help the country going through the cold and dark time of the year. 

challenges: 

- 613 avenue create: ATG
- a place to start: ATG with optional twist "all that glitters" (golden sticker, gemstone)

- allsorts challengeblog: ATG

- C.R.A.F.T.: ATG

- classicdesignchallenge: ATG DT 

- crafty catz: ATG

- critter crazy: ATG animals

- lil patch of crafty friends: ATG handmade

- love to craft: ATG 

- morgans artworld: ATG

- path of positivity: ATG

- pennys papertake: ATG paper

- use your stuff: ATG

- wortartwednesday: ATG
- worldwide crafters and colorists challenge: ATG