What Do You Feel?

This is my card for a weekly challenge with some friends for the Need a Lift forum. My card is going to the mother of Maddy Mason's friend, who is turning 89 soon and is blind. Our challenge was to add some texture to our card that Ruth could touch and feel. We were also to case someone else and try to emulate their style. I cased this darling card by Julesiana.

It caught my eye in her gallery right away because of the big letters, and it got me thinking that perhaps Ruth can see some light and dark in the large letters. Mine are embossed with UTEE.

Jules has such a beautiful way of putting lovely colors together and this DP reminded me of her. I got it earlier in the week as a RAK from Billie (along with the white trim), so my colors were chosen and I went from there!
The chipboard flower is raised on dimensionals, as is the "Birthday." The Soft Sky layer is embossed with a Cuttlebug folder. The gems are a lovely blue and green.

It was interesting in light of this challenge card for Ruth that this past week I attended a workshop on blindness. I was a sponsor for the high school State Thespian Covention. We spent two days seeing one-act plays, performing our own one-act musical, attending workshops, and just generally being goofy. Our main stage workshop was presented by Leslye Orr. "Hand in Hand" is a unique theater experience seen through the touch of hands and the mind's eye. Audience members are led into the theater with eyes closed, holding hands, and seated in a spiral; objects are passed around while actress Orr, who is legally blind, enacts a drama inspired by the story of Helen Keller and her teacher, Anne Sullivan. Our eyes were closed for 90 minutes. At first it was a little uncomfortable - soon we were more aware of other senses, and images in our mind, as we touched and felt roses, velvet hats, old shoes, an apron, an orange, and many other things. We smelled apples, cinnamon toast and flowers. We heard footsteps, music and laughter. Orr had interaction with each of us - her introduction was taking our hands and putting them on her face ("This is who I am") and her head ("And this is what I am"). She "talked" with us through spelling in our hands.

After the 90 minutes, we could open our eyes and see the set-up of the room (we did not know it was a spiral, but could hear people in front of us and behind us). We could see where the non-participants sat and watched us. We could see Leslye with our eyes, and look at all of the things we had touched. During the time our eyes were closed, it was as if another door had opened - allowing us to hear, smell, and understand things that our eyes, had they been opened, would have distracted us from "seeing."

Orr, legally blind since birth, created "Hand In Hand" to share her belief that people with disabilities have unlimited possibilities, and has performed the play across the country in plush theaters and pool halls, from the Kennedy Center to Lisbon, North Dakota, for deaf-blind groups and girl scout troops, and for all those who wish to experience the feeling of being alive.

After what Leslye taught me, I was thrilled to make something for Ruth that she could enjoy with her hands. Thanks for reading and for coming to look!

Stamps: Headline Alphabet, Just B (Stampin' Up!)
Paper: Blue Bayou, Certainly Celery, Soft Sky, Basic Grey DP
Ink: Bordering Blue Craft, Blue Bayou
Accessories: chipboard flower, Suze Weinberg's UTEE, gems, circle cutter, scallop punch, Paper Frills by Doodlebug, Cuttlebug EF, dimensionals