Two unrelated cards...

Hey, all!  I have a couple of cute cards to show you today.  This first one was for soon-to-be mom friend's baby shower, and I enjoyed using the New Arrival cartridge for the first time in a long time!  Such cute shapes on that one.  I also used stamps and a punch from Stampin' Up for the little tag.  The paper is from Imaginisce.

The second card requires some explanation.  It was for my dear friend Ramona (who, by the way, is an extremely talented digi-scrap kit designer and owner of Brownie Scraps).  Ramona is a hero to me -- she has 6 smart, funny, talented kids, one of whom has special needs.  She recently wrote an article called "Welcome to Switzerland" about how having a special needs child changed her life, and the challenges that come from it.  The article really touched me -- I recommend it for anyone, whether you have a special needs child or not, because we all have experiences that send our lives in directions we never expected.  Well, then Ramona and her family have just had a string of unbelievable bad luck lately -- everything from a car accident to an awful flooded basement, with lots in between.  I wanted to make her a card to let her know that she was in my prayers and how much I admire her, that also reflected her writings and life philosophy.  Here's what I came up with:

I freehand cut a couple of tall snow-capped mountains, then crinkled them slightly and inked the bumps to make it more mountain-y. I drew a little hiker on her way to the top and added a Swiss flag at the top to tie it in to her article.  For the sentiment, I added a quotation from the leader of our church.  In case you can't read it, it says: "My dear sisters, do not pray for tasks equal to your abilities, but pray for abilities equal to your tasks.  Then the accomplishment of your tasks will be no miracle, but YOU will be the miracle."  It's one of my favorite thoughts, because I truly believe that God can help us do things that seem impossible to us.

Hmmm... I guess these cards aren't completely unrelated after all.  They both have a sky-ish paper background, which I have to admit is a go-to for me.  I actually stockpile papers I think will make a good sky backgroun -- I have at least 5 sheets of each of these.  Are there any particular crafting supplies that you stockpile?