Sincere Condolences

Sympathy cards are always a challenge to make, and I'm grateful for lovely stamp sets and supplies from Stamp Simply that convey thoughts and words that I find difficult to put together on my own.  

I often deliberately choose brighter, more cheerful color schemes for sympathy cards but for this one, this muted color scheme really spoke to me.  Our brand new cross dies are so elegant they make a perfect focal point.

For the embellishment, I put together a cluster of Prima roses with a few die-cut leaves and a sentiment stamped onto a banner die.  

The sentiment inside is from our other new sympathy set.  It's nice that these come separately or as a bundle.  Being able to mix and match is nice...a sentiment that fits perfectly for one person or family might not be so perfect for another.  

Here are the supplies I used for today's card:

• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Sympathy DUO
• Kaisercraft Rosabella - 6.5x6.5
• Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Fishtail Sentiment Banners
• Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Crosses
• Memento Full Size Dye Ink Pad - Rich Cocoa
• My Mind's Eye Wood Dots - Necessities Wood
• Prima Audrey Flowers - Taupe
• Spellbinders Die - Foliage
• Zig Wink of Stella Brush - Clear Glitter Marker
• Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue
• Scrapbook Adhesives-3L 3D Self-adhesive Foam Squares- Mix Black

Happy Birthday!

Our new Stamp Simply Birthday Sentiments set is so beautiful!  I love how our new sets mix and match with former sets, giving lots of options for combining sentiments and styles.

Two of our more recent dies made those sentiments the focal point on a double gatefold card that was fast and easy to assemble.  The Fishtail Sentiments Banner die was used to create the belly band, and 

a Farmhouse Pierced Nested Hearts die allows the inside sentiment to peek through the inside layers.  Gotta love that pop of this year's color, Living Coral and these beautiful designer papers.

Supplies:

• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps Birthday Sentiments Set
• Kaisercraft Rosabella - 6.5x6.5
• Memento Full Size Dye Ink Pad - Tuxedo Black
• Spellbinders Die - Standard Circles Small SM
• Spellbinders Die - Standard Circles Large LG
• Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Fishtail Sentiment Banners
• Seam Binding - Melon - 5 yard Bundle
• Rhinestones - Light Pink
• Scrapbook Adhesives-3L 3D Self-adhesive Foam Squares - Mix
• Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue

Peace and Comfort

Our recently released Stamp Simply sentiment sets make card-making so easy, especially when paired with papers that feature punch-out elements or ATC-like designs that can give one a head start in designing.

I added a stamped sentiment to the corner of this lovely ATC-sized print, then attached it to a Joy-fold card design.   I just love seeing a butterfly on a sympathy card...it's good to have a reminder that it is a transformation and not an ending. ❤️

Because the print was so full of lovely, vibrant color, I decided to add some distress oxides to my card stock to integrate the background colors with the rest of the design.  

The inside has another beautiful, prayerful sentiment.  Green and blue are such comforting, tranquil colors.  

Supplies, all from Stamp Simply:

• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps Sympathy Sentiments Set 1
• Graphic 45 Flutter 8x8
• Memento Full Size Dye Ink Pad - Tuxedo Black
• Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Pad - Blueprint Sketch
• Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Pad - Broken China
• Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Pad - Bundled Sage
• Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Pad - Carved Pumpkin
• Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Pad - Spiced Marmalade
• Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Pad - Wild Honey
• Ranger Mini Ink Blending Tool
• Seam Binding - Grass Green - 5 yard Bundle
• Petaloo Botanica Sugared Minis - Gold Sienna
• Pearls - Ice Green
• May Arts Burlap String - 10 yard Bundle (yellow)
• Scrapbook Adhesives-3L 3D Self-adhesive Foam Squares - Mix
• Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue

Loved and Missed

All of us at Stamp Simply are so excited to be sharing three new sentiment sets...and they are now LIVE in the store and ready for purchase!  We're also hosting a giveaway ON THE STAMP SIMPLY BLOG, so be sure you visit and comment on the give-away post THERE!  Hopefully you have already been following along there this week, as each day we've been sharing cards that our designers have created using these brand new sets.  

It's so very hard to lose a loved one.  Faith, family and friends help us through the hardest part until we are finally able to remember without so much pain.  Cards and letters bring soothing words of love, comfort and healing. Here's my card for today, using a beautiful sentiment from our new Sympathy Sentiments Set 2.

 

Treasured sentimental possessions help us to feel closer to our loved ones, too.   I guess I have a thing for silver spoons, so this poetic sentiment, paired with some heirloom silverware designer paper rekindled some warm, sweet childhood memories for me.  I was about 10 years old when my maternal grandmother passed away.  In my memories, she seemed to always be wearing an apron and had a spoon in her hand!  Their house was out in the country and had a spigot on the pump house wall just outside the kitchen window.  My cousins and I would play in the dirt there, digging mazes of canals and watching the water run through them, or mixing mudpies.  MawMaw would throw silver spoons through the crank-open kitchen window to us without a moment's hesitation so we could each have one to dig with.  To her we were much more precious than those silver spoons and she wanted us to have a good time when we were together, which wasn't nearly often enough.  Ha, those were the good ole days when we were little and it sure didn't take much to keep us entertained!  And those are some sweet memories of my beloved grandmother and the kind, generous person she was.    ❤️  

Here's the inside of my card, with one fussy-cut silver spoon to accent another beautiful (and powerful!) sentiment.  The designer paper at the top is black with white text, so I toned it down a bit with a layer of vellum over top, softening the contrast and keeping the focus on the sentiment at the bottom.    

Supplies:

• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps Sympathy Sentiments Set 2
• My Mind's Eye - Gingham Farm 6x6
• Vellum - 40# Clear/white
• Spellbinders Die - Labels Four
• Memento Full Size Dye Ink Pad - Tuxedo Black
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Black Soot
• Ranger Mini Ink Blending Tool
• Seam Binding - Smoke Grey - 5 yard Bundle
• May Arts Burlap String - 10 yard Bundle (black)
• Simple Stories Enamel Dots - Claus & Co.
• Scrapbook Adhesives-3L 3D Self-adhesive Foam Squares - Mix
• Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue
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I will be sharing two more cards using these new sets in the coming week, so I hope to see you again soon!

Coming Soon!

Stay tuned, and be sure to keep an eye on the Stamp Simply blog, too!

Strawberry Season

Today's Stamp Simply card looks like a Valentine and very well could be, but the local Strawberry Festival just a month away is what actually inspired it. I was flipping through a paper pad and came across this cute strawberry print.  Mmmm, I love strawberries!  They're my favorite!  Inspiration, and (I found out later) an OOPSIE...the sheet was actually tucked into the wrong paper pad.  It's Authentique, just not from the Authentique pad I thought.  😳  This one is retired.

 
I loved the look of this particular color of green seam binding against the vines in the paper, but didn't have the right color of green card stock to match.  No problem!  I die cut a few leaves from white card stock, colored them with a Copic marker and used the leaf die to "stencil" the veins/markings with distress ink.  With that beautiful seam binding, some jute thread and Petaloo mini blossoms, the leaves provide a focal point on the card front and bring a pop of color to the inside as well.

I had only this one piece of card stock in perfectly matching dark red.  Not even another single scrap for that little tiny heart...so I die cut the heart from one corner to use on the front of the card, then folded the card stock so that the opening was on the back/inside.  I glued a strip of the strawberries designer paper to the back of the card so that it peeks through the heart-shaped opening, adding a stamped/embossed sentiment, a couple more leaves and some enamel dots.  A cute solution that solved another card stock shortage problem.   I really need to make a card stock order soon!

Supplies:

• Authentique designer paper
• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Farmhouse Simple Sentiments
• Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Farmhouse Pierced Nested Hearts
• Seam Binding - Baby Pink - 5 yard Bundle
• Seam Binding - Grass Green - 5 yard Bundle
• May Arts Burlap String - 10 yard Bundle
• Petaloo Botanica Baby Blooms - Red
• Simple Stories Enamel Dots - DIY Christmas
• Spellbinders Die - Bitty Blossoms
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Evergreen Bough
• Copic marker
• Stampendous Super Fine Embossing Powder - Detail White
• VersaMark Watermark Stamp Pad
• Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue
• Scrapbook Adhesives-3L 3D Self-adhesive Foam Squares - Mix

I can hardly wait to show you the rest of the cards that came from this stamping session and the next! I had two productive afternoons in the studio.  Be sure to come back next week to see them!  ☺️