Hi there! Welcome to release day for the July Neat & Tangled Release!
All of the new products are available in the Neat & Tangled Store!
Today we are showcasing a very special stamp set called Celebrate You. This stamp set is to help raise funds for a very special cause. You can read all about Danielle's story below.
Danielle's Story
As many of you know, my dad become very ill unexpectedly last year. You can read much much more about his story HERE. The gist is that after a routine knee replacement he developed and was diagnosed with a condition called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), which is an unimaginable disease. Sadly, it has earned the nickname "The Suicide Disease", as the physical, mental, and emotional pain that it brings often becomes too much to bear. Here is a video sharing the story of 2 CRPS sufferers that paints a clear picture of life with this disease: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2_5dTBIrhw&feature=youtu.be
My dad's journey is almost identical, it took him through many misdiagnoses, countless failed, and in some cases harmful, treatment attempts ranging from physical therapy to pharmaceuticals to spinal nerve blocks. Sadly we were very misguided by traditional medicine, as there is just so little known about this condition. One very late night after a google search of "holistic approaches to CRPS", I stumbled across an article written by a chiropractor, Dr. Katinka van der Merwe. As soon as I read what she had written I KNEW without a shadow of doubt that she was the answer. I called her and spoke with her for over an hour, in which she answered every question I could have thought of, and for the first time in our journey to getting my dad back, expressed true understanding and compassion for our situation. This is a more recent article she has written that really does a great job of explaining how she came to treat these patients, and her protocol for getting them into remission: https://rsds.org/crps-awareness-day14-anatomy-hope/
I have designed a stamp and die set, Celebrate You, that we will use the sales of (both wholesale and retail) to help families of CRPS in financial need. Customers will also have the option to just make a straight donation without purchase on our website. Donations we collect will be made to the Burning Limb Foundation, a non-profit created by a former patient of Dr. Katinka's. Dr. Katinka and the Burning Limb Foundation will work together to distribute the funds to families at the Neurologic Relief Center that are most in need, some will be patients already at her center, others will be those that have not had the funds to begin treatment. I am calling this campaign "Crafting with Compassion", as the definition of compassion is the humane quality of understanding the suffering of others and wanting to do something about it, which sums up my mission with this.
My hope is that with sharing my dad's story, and this fundraising campaign we can 1. Raise funds to help those in need 2. Spread awareness of CRPS and alternative non-invasive treatment options 3. Give others hope.
For my card, I created the background with the Snake Scales Stencil and some pink and yellow dye ink. After that, I used the MISTI stamping tool to stamp the Let's Celebrate You sentiment in various shades of ink. The second part of the sentiment was heat embossed with white embossing powder on black card stock and cut out with the banner from the Scalloped dies. I added the two little hearts which were cut out with the dies from the Life's A Game coordinating die set. I also added a few dots with Nuvo Crystal Drops.
Be sure to stop by the Neat and Tangled Blog to see all of the design team inspiration!
All of the new products are in the Neat & Tangled Store Now!
Winners will be announced today on the Neat & Tangled Blog!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
