With Sympathy

I always find it hard to choose colors for a sympathy card. While I was satisfied with the colors for my element, I tried several different colors for the background piece before I was happy with it. I tried Very Vanilla, Night of Navy, Whisper White and even black. I didn't want the card to look to morose but I didn't want it overly cheerful either. I decided that the So Saffron gave my card a more of a positive look without looking sunny (like other yellows might).

Materials needed:
Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set (#115370)
Serene Silhouettes stamp set (#127324)
So Saffron card stock 4 1/4 x 5 1/2"
Very Vanilla card stock 2 1/4 x 3 3/4"
Smoky Slate card stock 2 1/2 x 4"
Basic Gray card stock 2 3/4 x 4 1/4"
Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impression embossing folder (#117335)
Early Espresso ink
1/2" So Saffron Grosgrain Striped ribbon (#113699)
Word Window punch (#119857)
Modern Label punch (#119849)
3/16" Corner punch (#119871)

1. Cut all your card stock to the sizes listed. Use the corner punch to round the corner on all of them except the So Saffron.
2. Place the So Saffron card stock in the Polka Dots embossing folder and run it through your Big Shot machine.
3. Place adhesive on the back of a 7" piece of ribbon. Adhere it to the right side of the card, vertically.
4. Stamp the tree image from Serene Silhouettes stamp set in Early Espresso ink on to the Very Vanilla card stock.
5. Adhere the Smoky Slate on top of the Basic Gray. Adhere the stamped Very Vanilla on top of the Smoky slate. Adhere these layers on the left handed center of the So Saffron.
6. Stamp the greeting from Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set with Early Espresso on Smoky Slate card stock. Punch the greeting out using the Word Window punch. Punch out a Modern Label from Basic Gray card stock. Adhere the greeting on to the Modern Label punch.
7. Adhere the greeting punches on the top right side, overlapping the layered image and the ribbon.
8. Adhere this to a card base and add a greeting to the inside. Even though SU! has retired the God's Blessings stamp set (#114972), I still find it to be a set that has great sayings for many occasions. The one that I think goes well with a sympathy card is "May God's love heal your sorrow, and may His peace replace your heartache with warm and loving memories."

Celebrate You

Here's a card to celebrate any of life's events. This card can be used for birthdays, anniversaries, promotions, graduations, and on and on. Just celebrate who you are and who God made you to be.

Please be aware that for the rest of November, I am going to be extremely busy! I will do my very best to get cards & ideas on here 3 days a week, like I've done for a long time now. Please, though, if I don't get them posted as often as normal, be patient with me. Come back and check when you can. By the time Thanksgiving is over, I should be back to a normal posting schedule. Until then, all I can say is that I'll try my best. Our Operation Christmas Child area coordinator passed away back in Sept of this year and I have taken over her duties with our local OCC. Whether or not, I'll do it after this year, is in God's hands. He will have to let me know what He wants of me. National Collection Week is Nov. 18-25 this year and I have much to do now and until then.  I love cardmaking and will get as much done and posted as I can.

Materials needed:
Rich Razzleberry card stock 4 1/4 x 5 1/2"
Daffodil Delight card stock 3 7/8 x 4 1/2"
Kraft card stock about 2 1/2 x 1"
Best of Birthdays stamp set (#132929)
Serene Silhouettes stamp set (#127324)
scrap brown patterned paper at least 1 x 4"
Brights Candy Dots (#130931)
Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430)
Rich Razzleberry ink
3/16" Corner punch (#119871)
Modern Label punch (#119849)

1. Round the corners of the Daffodil Delight card stock. Center on the Rich Razzleberry card stock and adhere.
2. Stamp the tree and birds stamp in Rich Razzleberry ink on the left side of the Daffodil Delight card stock.
3. Cut the brown patterned paper into 2 strips that measure 1/2" by 4" each. Adhere both of these to the right side of the Daffodil Delight card stock about 1/8" from the right edge and about 1/8" apart.
4. Stamp "celebrate" on the Kraft card stock and punch out with the Modern Label punch. Place Stampin' Dimensionals on the back and adhere it over the patterned paper strips.
5. Add 3 Rich Razzleberry Candy Dots to the left bottom side of the Daffodil Delight card stock. Place the card front on a card base and you are ready to send it with your special message.

I love, love, love the Candy Dots in all the colors. They are great to add to a brad base that SU! has available but they are also great to just put on your card without the brad. They give you the brad look without punching more holes in your paper!