Thank You Forest Friends

Happy Valentine's Day!
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This is the day that is most commonly associated with romantic love. We express our love and adoration for the significant others in our lives through gift-giving, fancy dinners, and sweet sentiments. I feel blessed to have a wonderful husband and I assure you that I will express my love to him today. However, in this blog post, I would like to express my love and appreciation to another group of people who mean so much to me.

Less than a year ago I hosted my first card swap on Splitcoast Stampers. It soon became evident that the women who joined that first Forest Swap were bonding quite well. As we gathered in the forest each day, we shared our lives – our joys, our struggles, our goals, our creativity, our laughter, our tears – and we became more than swappers, we became Forest Friends.

As we neared the end of that swap, I opened my second swap and many of the same group of women joined again. I don’t think it is so much for the cards we make and swap as it is for the friendship that continues to grow stronger. We are now on our third forest swap and are already planning the next one.

This isn’t about me... I’m just the Ranger. This is about the women whose lives are woven together through the camaraderie shared in the Forest. And it isn't just a small exclusive group. I've noticed again and again how a newcomer will join the swap and soon is being welcomed with open arms. There are no strangers in the forest because each individual quickly becomes a friend.

I am so thankful to the Forest Friends for their friendship and on this special day I wanted to dedicate my blog post to all of them. I won’t name names, because I would most certainly unintentionally forget to name someone and I would feel horrible at the risk of hurt feelings.

Thank you, my friends! You mean more to me than I can ever communicate!

My card today is just one example of how special the Forest Friends are to me. One day I expressed my sadness (okay, maybe it was frustration) that by the time I got to Michael’s they had sold out of the adorable Cupid stamp that I was wanting. Many of the Forest Friends consoled me. Some volunteered to check at their stores to see if they could find the stamp for me. The next day Terry said, “I think I have the stamp you want.” I squealed in delight. She posted a picture on the thread and sure enough… it was the cupid I desired. She promptly sent the stamp to me (totally at her own expense). Isn’t that so so sweet?!?!? THANK YOU, TERRY!!!









Forest Friends, I’ve told you this before, but it bears repeating…. I think – no, I know – that Forest Friends are the best friends! Thank you for the joy that you bring to my life!

Hugs!



Image: Craft Smart Cupd
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers, and Copic Spica pen
Cardstock: Stampin’ UP! Green Galore, Pixie Pink, and Summer Sun
Designer Paper: from my scrap file
Embellishments: Stampin’ UP! ribbon, Darice felties flowers, and two brads