With Sincere Condolences

Hi everyone!  

It seems as we get older, we need sympathy cards more and more frequently.  On this particular occasion I wanted a simple card with understated elegance, with scriptural references and Christian symbolism.  The card measures a standard 4.25 x 5.5 but with the score lines offset so that when closed the edges meet slightly off-center.  

This photo of the belly band captures the colors of this project a little more accurately.  There's a peek of beautiful Grunge Light designer paper from underneath a die cut quatrefoil pattern that reminds me of stained/leaded glass, topped with our layered cross dies and accented with pearls. 

Here's the inside, with the belly band along side.  Every time I see this sentiment, it always reminds me of the hymn, "Great is Thy Faithfulness."  I hope it brings comfort for this family in the loss of their beloved brother/husband/father/uncle/grandfather.

Supplies:

• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Sympathy Sentiments Set 2
• Craft Consortium Baroque 6x6
• Craft Consortium Grunge Light 6x6
• Sizzix Thinlits Dies by Tim Holtz - Mixed Media #1
• Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Crosses
• Melissa Frances Self-Adhesive Round Pearls - Cream
• distress oxide inks

Here's a reminder of this week's product of the week!

Stamp Simply

Blessed are the Peacemakers

 

Welcome, friends!  

Today's Stamp Simply project brings together a couple of paper pads and a couple of stamp sets for a quick and easy vintage style card. I've used this particular plaid for several masculine cards...it is one of my favorites in a collection that is largely Christmas themed.      

The Vintage Emporium paper pad has a few sheets featuring sepia photographs.  I'm no historian but I believe they range from the Victorian era through maybe the 1920s (?!).  They sorta remind me of a photo I've seen of my dad when he was around three years old (late 1920s), so I wanted to use one.  That's what prompted the use of this particular verse.

So here's one of those photos alongside another sentiment from the same stamp set, with some random partial stamping using the "Love is patient..." verse from one of our background mini stamps.  I think this combination of verses works very well together, making a nice card for anyone in a leadership role...first responders/police, military, government service, etc.  I'm praying for all of the folks in those roles.  

Supplies:

• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Blessings/Beatitudes Bundle
• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Scripty Background Minis Set 1
• Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Fishtail Sentiment Banners
• Spellbinders - Labels 59
• Craft Consortium Vintage Emporium 6x6
• Craft Consortium Tartan Plaid 6x6
• Ribbon
• distress/oxide inks
• buttons from stash

Stamp Simply

Easter Blessings

Hello again!  

If you're like I am, your projects are most often fairly fast and easy, often even clean and simple, but every once in a while it just feels right to make some extra effort to make something a bit more special.  Today's card is one of those projects.  It is a little bit fussy to put together but imho, the end result is worth it.  

The card begins with a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inch piece of card stock scored at 2 1/8 (yay for using some paper scraps!).  When I made my card I mistakenly thought that I could glue the mat and designer paper layers onto the card base and then cut through the entire thing with one pass of the circle die.  WRONG!  So I will advise you to do as I say and not as I did!  Carefully measure and die cut the separate pieces before glueing them together.  While you do need to accurately measure so that everything will align properly, doing it this way should be much easier and neater in the long run!  

One more word of wisdom!  It would be a good idea to use heavier card stock or even cut and glue an additional layer for the gold "frame" and for the flowers to give them extra strength.  That will help prevent bending when this uniquely shaped card is opened/closed.  

I mentioned that I wrestled with cutting through all those layers! The inside edges on mine looked a little ragged, so I found a way to neaten them and make them a little more presentable.  I really love how green and full of life this designer paper makes this card feel!  I also enjoy putting that little trio of pearls onto the card front...threes are repeated here in a couple of places and it feels so right to include a little symbol of the Trinity on an Easter card.  ❤️❤️❤️

If you have been visiting my blog for a while, you might know that this is one of my favorite Stamp Simply stamp sets!  One of the reasons I wanted to make this card with this stamp set was because the graceful curve of the daffodil stems looks so lovely against the edge of this card's circular window.

Stamp Simply

For God so loved the World

 

Hi y'all!  Hope you're having a great week!  

The days are getting longer, and hopefully even in places other than Florida there are a few signs that Spring is on its way, or at least just around the corner.  It's the time of year when people of faith turn their hearts toward God and celebrate His greatest gift.  

Those ideas came together for a (masculine?) card for this week's Stamp Simply project.  I love this Vintage Emporium paper and the way it lends itself to this particular scripture.  Thumbing through paper pads and die cuts, this is what came to mind.  The tree line is cut from a scrap of a print from the Grunge Light paper pad which had colors that echo those in the Vintage Emporium map.  

Here's the inside.  From this angle the sentiment seems quite camouflaged because this print is definitely "grungy" but the sentiment is easier to see IRL.  

I love it because it feels so earthy and garden-ish which is the way Florida feels these last few weeks. 

Supplies:

• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Salvation
• Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Farmhouse Pierced Nested Hearts
• Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Country Church
• Craft Consortium Vintage Emporium 6x6
• Craft Consortium Grunge Light 6x6
• Gems
• distress oxide inks
• white acrylic paint "snow"

Stamp Simply