More Sympathy

I heard from another friend that a lady I used to teach with lost her mother recently. While I had met her mother, I really didn't know her but I know how it feels to lose a mother. I made this card to send to that friend.

I know opinions differ but I've always felt that sympathy cards should be fairly simple in design. I used plain black and white card stock for this card with a dark green ribbon and ink. I used the Love & Sympathy stamp set that SU currently has. (#122797) 

Love and Sympathy

 

Materials needed:

Love & Sympathy stamp set (#122797)

Very Vanilla card stock 8 1/2 x 5 1/2"

Slate gray card stock 2 x 3 3/4" plus

Textured Impressions Stripes (#123128)

Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430)

5/8" Whisper White Organza ribbon (#114319)

Wild Wasabi ink

Big Shot machine

 

This is a fairly simple card to make. I always am in a quandry as to what colors to use for sympathy. I really like using the Very Vanilla card stock but then the accent colors are what I wonder about. The Love & sympathy stamp set from Stampin' Up! is a great one to use for this type of card. Not only does it have a simple, nice flower, it also has great greetings for the outside and the inside of the card.

 

I think the embossed stripes give it a nice look also. I put the embossing folder on the front half of the card and just ran it through my machine. It worked very well. IMO, the ribbon just gave it that added touch.

 



Blooming Birthday card

When I saw the "Bloom with Hope" hostess stamp set in the new SU! catalog, I knew I had to get it. So when my sweet hubby asked me what I wanted for our anniversary and my birthday (2 weeks apart), I told him money! That way I was able to order enough SU! from the new catalog that it would qualify for a party & I could get my hostess set that I wanted. I was also able to play with the new SU!Blendabilities Markers that are in the new catalog. I've been playing with them but this is the first "real" card that I've used them on. Hope you like them.

Sorry this card is sitting side ways.

 

Materials needed:

Bloom with Hope hostess stamp set (#133952)

Crisp Cantaloupe card stock 4 1/4 x 5 1/2"

Lost Lagoon card stock

White card stock

Stampin' Blendabilities markers Daffodil Delight Asst. (#130998)

Color Lifter (#129369)

Memento ink pad (#132708)

Lost Lagoon 3/8" Stitched Satin ribbon (#133672)

Modern Label punch (#119849)

Framelits Labels Collection (#125598)



One cool thing about this card is that you can use it for more than one occassion. The stamp set has stamps for both birthday and sympathy. I think it will work for either one. Here is the card with the sympathy greeting.

 

It's easy to see what to do to build this card. If you have never used the blendable alcohol ink markers, you may need to practice some before you actually place it on a card or project. With this one, at first I colored the center section (the seeds) the same color as the flower. I didn't like that so I went over it with the light Pumpkin Pie marker. I wasn't sure how it would come out but I think it did ok. 

 

Another Sympathy

Here is another sympathy card. Actually, all you have to do is change the greeting for it to be most any type of card that you want. I took this one from Dawn Griffith. She had one very much like this a few weeks ago. I actually didn't change it a whole lot.

Materials needed:
Secret Garden stamp set (#129144)
Secret Garden Framelits dies (#129372)
Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set (#115370)
Bitty Banners framelits dies (#129267)
Basic Black card stock  4 1/4 x 5 1/2"
Crisp Cantaloupe card stock 4 x 5 1/4"
White card stock
Greenhouse Gala patterned paper  2 x 5 1/4"
Paper Studio embossing folder
Crisp Cantaloupe ink
Stampin' Pastels (105542)
Cotton swabs or Q Tips
Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430)

1. Place the Crisp Cantaloupe card stock in the embossing folder and run it through your Big Shot machine. Adhere this on to the Basic Black card stock.
2. Adhere the strip of patterned paper about 1/2" from the top of the card.
3. Stamp 3 flower images from Secret Garden stamp set on white card stock.
4. Color the flowers with your pastel chalks (SU! has not carried chalks for a couple of years now.) Use a cotton swab or your fingers to apply the color. I used 2 shades of pink for the flowers. Blend your pastels to give your flowers the shading that you want.
5. Place the framelit die over the flower and run it through your Big Shot. Do this for each flower image. Adhere 2 of the flowers directly on the patterned paper. Place Stampin' Dimensionals on the back of a third flower. Adhere it overlapping the other flowers some.
6. Stamp your greeting on Crisp Cantaloup card stock with Crisp Cantaloup ink. Place the banner die over this and run it through your Big Shot. Rub the edges of the banner across the ink pad to apply a bit of color. Add dimensionals to the back and place it on the top right side of the patterned paper.

I am leaving for North Carolina this morning for an area coordinators conference with Operation Christmas Child. I will be gone until Sunday but I have things set up to get cards on here for Friday & next Monday so be sure you come back to look. While I'm in NC, I will get a tour of the Billy Graham Library, the Samaritan's Purse International headquarters and Operation Christmas Child headquarters in Boone. I know that I will have many opportunities to learn so much about OCC and being an area coordinator. I have such a passion for this charity. We have the chance to be foreign missionaries without ever leaving home. No passport needed! The shoeboxes that we pack go to children in over 130 countries and take the story and the message of Jesus Christ to each of those children. I will post some pictures of my trip when I get back on a day that I don't usually post cards so that, if you are interested, you can see some of what I get to experience.

Simple Sympathy

I don't think that all sympathy cards need to be black, white or beige. Yes, those colors can look great but IMO other colors can look nice too.

Materials needed:
Birds of a Feather patterned paper (#126899) 4 1/4 x 5 1/2"
Wild Wasabi card stock 3 x 4"
White Card stock 2 x 3" 
So Saffron card stock scrap
Simply Sketched stamp set (hostess #129672)
Scallop Dot Border punch (retired)
3/16" Corner punch
Large Oval punch (#119855)
5/8" Whisper White Satin ribbon (#114616)
Old Olive ink

1. Punch the Scallop Dot border on one long side of the Wild Wasabi card stock.
2. Stamp the stem image on to white card stock with Old Olive ink. Use a round punch to round the corners. Adhere the white card stock to the center of the Wild Wasabi card stock.
3. Adhere this to the center left of the patterned paper.
4. Cut a piece of ribbon about 7" long. Apply adhesive to the back and place it on the right side of the patterned paper. Wrap the ends around to the back.
5. Stamp the greeting in the Simply sketched stamp set on to a piece of So Saffron card stock. Use the large oval punch to punch it out. Adhere this to the top right of the card front overlapping the ribbon and a bit of the embellishment.
6. Adhere the card front to a card base and place a note of sympathy inside the card. People feel more like you care when you actually write a message inside of just stamping a nice saying inside.

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."

Greens Sympathy Butterfly

Certainly Celery cardstock 4 1/4 x 5 1/2"
Old Olive cardstock 4 x 4 1/2"
Eyelet Border punch (#119853, retired)
Just Believe stamp set (#120453)
Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set(#127802)
Gumball Green 3/8" Satin Stitched ribbon (#126848)
Basic Pearl Jewels (#119247)
Stamp-a-ma-jig (#101049)
Beautiful Butterflies Bigz die (#114507)
Big Shot
thin wire

With Sympathy

This is a simple but elegant sympathy card. It's good to have one that's easy to make when you find out sad news about friends or loved ones. Night of Navy cardstock, Whisper White 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Lily from Fifth Avenue Floral (#113734), Whisper White Craft ink (#101731), Teeny Tiny Wishes(#115370), Modern Label Punch (#119849), Word Window punch (#119857), Old Olive brads (119740)

Old Olive Classic ink, Basic Black classic ink, Watercolor Pencils (#101879), God's Blessings(#114972)