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I never like making sympathy cards, but this one was particularly difficult to create. My brother-in-law's sister, only 44, died Tuesday morning. When you live far away from your loved ones, it's more challenging to communicate adequately your care and concern, so I wanted to get this right.I thumbed through my archive of cards for inspiration and came across one I'd made using the Medallion background stamp inked in earth tones. Finding a suitable color palette for a sympathy card is a struggle for me, so I took this as direction and pulled out More Mustard, Cajun Craze, and Bravo Burgundy, all from the Regals Collection. I patted each pad directly on the stamp, layering color and creating some interesting texture. I used Very Vanilla card stock for this image.I chose More Mustard for the card base because the darker colors are harder to read handwriting on, and pulled out my retired Linen background stamp and added Bravo Burgundy to it to give the card base a textured look.I only had 3 scraps of Cajun Craze and none of Bravo Burgundy, so I went with a simple layout. I crumpled the strip of CC and then ran it over the same color ink pad. I like that it looks a bit like leather. At the last minute, I felt it need something to soften it a bit, so I added some Victoria Crochet Trim. The sentiment is from Word Play and it said just what I wanted to say. I used Bravo Burgundy ink to coordinate with the rest of the color palette.
I love a good color combination. It takes a lot of the thought process out of a project and allows one to focus on being creative with other elements. Such is the case with this card by Karen Thomas, which I adapted slightly but CASE'd mostly.
Some of the colors Karen used have been discontinued, so I used More Mustard, Crumb Cake, and Not Quite Navy. The main stamp set in use is Extreme Elements, one that grows on me more each time I use it. It just creates a really cool vibe without much effort, and I need all the help I can get to craft a hip look!
The base barely shows here, but More Mustard is one of those colors that's best used sparingly. Two mats, Not Quite Navy and Crumb Cake, cover the base mostly, and the CC piece was stamped in CC ink with the Wonderfully Worn background stamp. The Very Vanilla panel was stamped with More Mustard, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, and Not Quite Navy, using half of the design pieces from the set. Wish Big, from Word Play, is stamped in Soft Suede. I love how different one stamp can look when paired with a different layout and a different set of stamps!
The stars were made using the die for the Big Shot. If you don't own this machine, you really should consider investing in it or asking for it for Valentine's Day. I use it so much and it adds so much to my cards--texture, cutting shapes, letters--quickly and simply cannot be overstated.
The last feature of this card is the use of the Decorative Label Punch with a Jumbo Eyelet to create visual interest and an anchor for the twine. I folded the punch in half and punched a hole for the eyelet in it using my Crop-A-Dile. The correct tools make things easy peasy!
Here's a Snowpocalypse update for those interested: the entire week of school was cancelled, and the kids have Monday off in observance of Martin Luther King Day! We went back to work on a normal schedule Friday, but the roads are still a bit dicey in the subdivisions, exit ramps, and intersections. This is one storm that will not quickly be forgotten!
There's always need for a birthday card, and when my new downline, Bekah, found a card by Angie Leach on the gallery for demonstrators only that she wanted to make, I knew I'd be using the layout too. It's just too cute and really quick to assemble! I used the Designer Series Paper Patterns Stack for the InColor Collection, which features Concord Crush, Pear Pizazz, Poppy Parade, Peach Parfait, and Blushing Bride. These colors are in the same order as the packages, with BB featured as the card base. The boxes measure 1.75" wide x 1.25" high, 1.5" wide x 1.25" high, 1" square, and .75" wide x 1" high. There are many many different patterns to choose from, so I could make this card again using the same paper but the flip side of the DSP, and it would look different. That's BOING for the buck, friends! The bow at the top is made using Whisper White 1/8" taffeta ribbon. Can't believe we didn't have this width ribbon as an option for cards before this year! I use it all the time! It's adhered with a glue dot. The sentiment is colored direct to rubber using the Stampin' Write Markers for the InColor Collection. I don't own the stamp pads for these colors, but with the markers in my supply cabinet, I can color coordinate my card anyway. Wish BIG is from Word Play, a versatile new set featuring 12 different sentiments crafted using unique font combinations. When Bekah made this card at her workshop, she gave the gals the choice of sentiments. It was fun to see how a different stamp can make the card applicable for a completely different occasion. Tomorrow I'll show you how the same sentiment, combined with Extreme Elements, makes a fantastic birthday card for a guy. See you then!
I never like making sympathy cards, but this one was particularly difficult to create. My brother-in-law's sister, only 44, died Tuesday morning. When you live far away from your loved ones, it's more challenging to communicate adequately your care and concern, so I wanted to get this right.
