Canine Sympathy Card

Hello and happy Friday! Do you ever get into a crafting slump? Lately I've had a hard time getting motivated to make anything. It hasn't stopped me from buying supplies but using them is a different story. Well, I'm sure it's temporary. 

This Canine Sympathy Card was made for a coworker who recently lost her dog. I've used this design before, but if you've followed my blog for a while then you know I love to see the same design in different colors. You can see the original card HERE. The colors for this card was selected to coordinate with the heart dsp which I pulled from my scrap bin. The dog silhouette was cut with a Cricut machine and the flower is a Spellbinders die cut. That's pretty much it. Thanks for stopping by!

Challenges entered: Simon Says Wednesday (Anything Goes), QKR Stampede (Anything Goes) and Watercooler Wednesday (Anything Goes).

Purple Lasting Lily Card

Well it's time to say goodbye to the month of February but not before I share this Purple Lasting Lily Card. Purple is my favorite color and the color of amethyst the birthstone for February. This week I received my latest Stampin' Up! order and had to play with the Lasting Lily stamp set which is a freebie for Sale-A-Bration. After stamping the lilies in Gorgeous Grape, Highland Heather and Wild Wasabi for the stems they were die cut with the coordinating Lily dies. The background paper is Highland Heather gingham from the Gingham Gala dsp and it was matted to a piece of Gorgeous Grape cardstock. The cardstock was also used to anchor the bottom of the focal oval. After arranging the group of lilies a strip of Highland Heather cardstock was placed over the stems to add the perfect spot for the sentiment label. The label shape is from the coordinating Lily Framelits Dies. That's it and thanks for stopping by!

Challenges entered:

• Aud Sentiments: Bingo + Sentiment (Patterned Paper/Stamp/Favorite Color)
• Creative Knockouts: Lots of Layers
• Little Red Wagon: LOVE it! (Color Purple)
• Watercooler Wednesday: All About Occasions
• Word Art Wednesday: Anything Goes

Loss of Pet Sympathy Card

For those of you who have lost a pet you understand the heartbreak it brings. My friend and her hubby lost their 14 year old Yorkie yesterday and I know they are devastated. He was sweet and cute and went everywhere with them. They, like us, have no children and their dog was the center of their lives. I made this card for them in the hopes that it will help in some small way. 💔

The layout and design for this Loss of Pet Sympathy Card was based on a card I made in 2013 (click here). I moved the twine and used a different paper and embossing folder, but the sentiment and paw print stamps are the same. Thanks for stopping by and give your fur baby and extra hug today.

Challenges entered: Just Add Ink (Just Add Embossing), Make My Monday (Make it Krafty) and The Creative Crafters (Anything Goes).

Dog Sympathy Card

Last night before I went to bed I checked my Facebook feed and was heartbroken to read one of the dogs from Animal Aid of Tulsa named Stella passed away. Her story is tragic as she was shot in the head and left to die. Animal Aid and veterinarians worked with her and ended up removing one of her eyes. It had been seven months since her rescue but she had night terrors from her abuse, phantom nerve pain and so much psychological damage that she was miserable. Her caregivers made the hard choice to free her of her suffering. She was a victim of abuse and abuse is what killed her. May she rest in peace!

This Dog Sympathy Card was made for Stella's caregivers. I know they put a lot of love, time and effort into her recovery and their hearts are broken. Their work is so important and I hope this card helps in some way. The layout for this card came from this weeks sketch at Tuesday Morning Sketches. If you have animals give them an extra hug today. Thanks for stopping by!

Challenges entered:

• Crafty Animals: Anything with Animals
• Sunny Day Crafting: Anything with Animals
• Tuesday Morning Sketches: Sketch #471

Photo of Stella

Sketch

Heartfelt Sympathy Card

Last week a longtime friend of our family passed away and I made this Heartfelt Sympathy Card to send to her family. Unfortunately another family friend passed away yesterday, so I have a few more cards to make. When it comes to making sympathy cards I like to make them when the need arises. I have a few on hand, but I try to make a card that reflects the person who passed. Of course, sometimes that's easier said than done.

This card is entered into the following challenges:

• Stamping Sensations: Close to Nature
• A Gem of a Challenge: Get Well/Sympathy
• Crafty Girls Creations: Anything Goes

All supplies used on this Heartfelt Sympathy Card have been in my stash for a while and include:

• Paper: Natural, Fresh Fig, Pistachio Pudding and Crisp Cantaloupe cardstock by Stampin' Up! with text patterned paper by Prima Marketing Madeline Collection (2011).
• Stamps: Visual Artistry by Tim Holtz, With Sympathy by Hero Arts, Bitty Butterfly and sentiment stamp both retired by Stampin' Up!.
• Inks: Fresh Fig and Crisp Cantaloupe by Stampin' Up!.
• Other Stuff: Big Shot, retired Framed Tulips embossing folder by Stampin' Up!, Cuttlebug Flourish embossing border, oval punch, scalloped oval punch and butterfly punch all by Stampin' Up!, along with three small pearls by Recollections. 

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Love and Prayers Card

Today marks the 23rd anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. I've lived in Oklahoma my entire life and although I didn't know anyone who lost their lives that day it still leaves a lasting imprint in my heart. It was the day that 168 individuals lost their lives and their families were forever changed. These families are in my prayers today as another anniversary is observed.

This Love and Prayers Card was made for my Mother. She recently mentioned that many of her friends are losing their parents and she needed more cards. So, I used the same layout from a previous card (click HERE) but I changed the colors and sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Oh So Eclectic Sympathy Card

Happy Saturday! When I sat down to create this card I knew I wanted to use the Oh So Eclectic stamp set with coordinating dies by Stampin' Up! but I didn't plan on it being a sympathy card. The sympathy sentiment just seemed fitting and I'm low on sympathy cards in my stash, so I just went with it.

All supplies for this card are by Stampin' Up!. First I started by inking the bricks using a stencil from the Pattern Party decorative masks along with Soft Sky ink (a retiring color). Then I stamped and die cut all the flowers and punched the bitty butterfly. Cardstock and ink colors include: Soft Sky, Pear Pizzazz, Old Olive, Berry Burst, Fresh Fig, Sweet Sugarplum, Pink Pirouette, Crisp Cantaloupe, So Saffron and Crushed Curry. The hardest part was deciding how to arrange the flowers. Once the sympathy sentiment from the Flourishing Phrases stamp set was in place the flowers were adhered flat in place. Three small rhinestones were added to the butterfly and that's it. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

This Oh So Eclectic Sympathy Card is entered into the following challenges:

• SU-Only: Favorite Florals
• Crafty Creations: Anything Goes
• Crafting with Dragonflies: Use Dies and/or Punches
• Watercooler Wednesday: All About Occasions

Elephant Sympathy Card

This past week at the Tulsa Zoo their long time resident Gunda an Asian elephant passed away at the age of 67. She lived two decades longer than the average lifespan of an Asian elephant. My hubby and I were planning a trip to the zoo, so I made this Elephant Sympathy Card to give to the Zoo Keepers and Staff.

The elephant image is by Bugaboo Digi Stamps and it's one of my favorite older images. It's been in my stash since 2012 and I already had several printed to make a set of note cards. A paisley embossing folder by Cuttlebug, another older favorite, was used along with a scalloped frame by Taylored Expressions and the Petite Petal stamp set by Stampin' Up!. The colors include: Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Perfect Plum and Pear Pizzazz all by Stampin' Up!. That's it, thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Challenges entered:

• Allsorts: Old Favourites
• Creative Moments: Anything Goes
• International Art & Soul: Do Something Digital

Coral Butterfly Sympathy Card

Hello! I'm feeling much better after my surgery almost two weeks ago. It's easier to sit now and I've been crafting at my computer desk on the pull out keyboard area. Honestly, I really like crafting at this lower level. I can see things better and it hasn't hurt my back. It would be nice if the surface area was larger, but it does force me to clean up when I'm done. Anyway... onto my Coral Butterfly Sympathy Card.

The challenge at SU! Only is to use Butterflies or Dragonflies and I like them both but decided to use the Watercolor Wings stamp set to make a sympathy card. All supplies used on this card are by Stampin' Up!, with the exception of the sentiment, sequins and Tip Top Taupe ink everything else is currently available. Supplies used include: Whisper White, Old Olive and Calypso Coral Cardstock, Petal Garden paper stack, Watercolor Wings stamp set, Calypso Coral and Tip Top Taupe ink, Flourish thinlits, Big Shot, sentiment from retired Simply Sketched stamp set and Fancy Frost sequins. That's it! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Challenges entered:

• SU! Only: Butterflies or Dragonflies
• RETARTE: Anything Goes
• Crafty Sentiments: Anything Goes 

Feminine Sympathy Card

Last week I made a sympathy card using this same layout and stamps but I really wanted to see what it would look like in different colors. You can click HERE to see the first card. Don't be surprised if you see yellow butterflies on the next attempt.

For this Feminine Sympathy Card I dug out some long retired patterned paper by Stampin' Up! called Twitterpated. Colors include: Pear Pizzazz, Blushing Bride, Baja Breeze, Island Indigo and Basic Gray. The butterflies are from the Watercolor Wings stamp set with coordinating Butterflies Thinlits and the sentiment and label die are both by Verve Stamps. The embossing folder is retired and I added some zig zag stitching with my sewing maching. Dimensionals were used to pop up the sentiment and butterflies. That's it! Thanks for stopping by my blog and enjoy the rest of your day.

Challenges entered:

• Just Us Girls: Something Old and/or Something New
• Sweet Stampin': Sympathy or Thinking of You
• Glitter 'N' Sparkle: Things with Wings
• Ooh La La Creations: Anything Goes
• Use Your Stuff: Free Week

Give You Strength Card

It's been awhile since I've made a sympathy card but this week a church friend, from my high school days, lost her husband. Although I haven't seen her in a very long time I want to send her a card. This Give You Strength Card was inspired by and example on Verve Stamps website for their Forever in Our Hearts stamp set, click here. The butterflies are from my favorite stamp set by Stampin' Up! called Watercolor Wings and they were stamped using Peekaboo Peach and Cajun Craze classic stampin' pads. The patterned paper is by Quick Quotes and the Fancy Fan embossing folder is retired by Stampin' Up! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Challenges entered:

• Inky Chicks: Sentiment Instead of Image
• Shopping Our Stash: Butterflies, Bees & Bugs
• Simon Says Stamp: Anything Goes

Vintage Leaves Sympathy Card

Today marks fifteen years since the attacks on 9/11 and eighteen years since my grandfather passed away. Although time has passed the heartache is still real for those who lost loved ones. In remembrance of this day I made this Vintage Leaves Sympathy Card.

To make this card I used the sketch from Create with Connie and Mary, CCMC423. All supplies for this card are by Stampin' Up! and at this time they are all still available. Here is the supply list:

• Paper: Very Vanilla, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake and Pool Party cardstock, along with the Serene Scenery designer series paper stack.
• Stamps: Vintage Leaves and Flourishing Phrases.
• Inks & Coloring: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, VersaMark and Copper embossing powder.
• Other Stuff: Big Shot, Brick Wall embossing folder, Flourish Thinlits, Heat Gun, Linen Thread and dimensionals.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

This card is entered into the following challenges:

• Create with Connie and Mary: Sketch
• Addicted to Stamps: Trees/Branches and/or Leaves
• Brown Sugar: Anything Goes

Watercolor Wings Sympathy Card

Hello! Last night I was playing around with the Watercolor Wings stamp set and I created this Sympathy Card. It features my favorite retiring patterned paper by Stampin' Up! called Pretty Petals. For the focal panel I stamped onto patterned paper and it really softened the ink colors. The leaves are from the Kinda Eclectic stamp set and the sentiment is from a retired hostess set. I love angled panels and really enjoyed using this weeks sketch at Mojo Monday for the layout. When it came time to stamping the sentiment I debated about making it read straight or on the angle with the panel. I went with the angle because it fell in line with the polka dots. The finishing touch were three retired Crisp Cantaloupe sequins for a little sparkle.

This card is entered into the following challenges:

• SU-Only: Papers We'll Miss!
• Mojo Monday: Sketch 448

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Feminine Sympathy Card

This Feminine Sympathy Card is being sent to my grandmother. I wanted something that included a butterfly and was simple. The patterned paper from The Paper Studio was selected first and it set the feminine style of the card. Pulling colors from the paper, I used Pear Pizzazz, Soft Suede and Very Vanilla cardstock by Stampin' Up!. A little white lace was added before the paper was adhered to the cardstock.  The sentiment was stamped using Soft Suede ink and then the layered butterfly by Hero Arts was stamped using Blushing Bride ink along with Soft Suede. Then the focal oval was layered onto a scalloped oval die cut using a Spellbinders die and adhered to the card with dimensionals. That's it!

I would like to enter this Feminine Sympathy Card into the following challenges:

• Allsorts: Feminine
• Alphabet Challenge: Anything Pink
• Jo's Scrap Shack: Anything Goes

Strong Tree Sympathy Card

This Strong Tree Sympathy Card is being sent to a relative who is a teenage boy. His mother, my aunt, passed away this week and I wanted to make both of her children their own cards. I have to admit this card was a challenge for me because I have no idea what teenage boys like, so to play it safe I went with the Strong Tree image from the Lovely as a Tree stamp set and the sentiment is from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set both by Stampin' Up!. The layout is from a sketch by Freshly Made Sketches (FMS108) that I saved from 2013. All patterned papers are by The Paper Loft. It's simple, it's masculine and it came from the heart.  

Serene Sympathy Card

Happy Friday! I look forward to the weekends, since I spent all week by myself. Although by Monday I'm ready for the hubby to go back to work. This weekend we are expecting 70 degree weather here in Oklahoma. I'm hoping we can get a few outdoor chores done.

This week I need several sympathy cards. My Aunt passed away on Tuesday and I have several family members who I'll be sending a card. I made this Serene Sympathy Card for my Aunt's husband.

The design and colors were inspired by a card I found at Taylored Expressions (click here). The cardstock colors I used are by Stampin' Up! and they include: Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla. The images were heat embossed with clear embossing powder. I used four stamps on this card: Serene Silhouettes by Stampin' Up!, Agapanthus Cluster by Stampendous!, With Sympathy set by Hero Arts (sentiment) and Bohemian Borders set by Stampin' Up!. The twine started out white but I dyed it using a Soft Suede ink refill. This card is 4.5" x 6". That's it!

Wishing you a lovely weekend and thanks for stopping by!

Floral Sympathy Card

Making a handmade sympathy card is a lovely way to express your condolences when someone you know passes away. I usually make sympathy cards only when needed but I liked the way this sentiment looked with the flowers on this card.

For the design of this card I have cased an example from page 6 of the Stampin' Up! Sale-A-Bration brochure. I started with a base of Crumb Cake and layered a piece of patterned paper from the Love Blossoms paper stack. Then using a slightly smaller piece of Botanical Gardens Vellum I stamped three leaves with VersaMark and embossed them with Wild Wasabi emboss powder (retired). The vellum was then adhered on top of the patterned paper. Next I stamped all the flowers from the What I Love stamp set onto Whisper White cardstock. It was hard to decided what colors to make the flowers but I love purple, so that's what I used. The outline is Elegant Eggplant, then Wisteria Wonder was used with the larger solid piece, then Perfect Plum  for the smaller solid piece. To add some sparkle I heat embossed some Iridescent Ice emboss powder on top of the smaller solid piece. The little yellow flowers are So Saffron ink sponged onto Whisper White cardstock and then stamped with Crushed Curry. Garden Green was used to stamp the smaller leaves and then the leaves and flowers were fussy-cut. The sentiment is from the Bloom with Hope retired hostess set and was stamped using Crumb Cake. Once all the stamping was done the purple flowers were adhered with dimensionals and the leaves and yellow flowers were adhered flat to the card. That's it! 

This Floral Sympathy Card is entered into the following challenges:

• SU-Only: Use Sale-A-Bration Products
• Cute Card Thursday: Florals
• Crafty Gals: Anything Goes
• Craft Your Passion: Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Lasting Hearts Card Drive

Today I want to share with you a card drive for mothers who have lost a child. With twenty percent of all known pregnancies ending in miscarriage there are numerous grieving hearts created everyday. Click here for the complete story behind the card drive. I hope you will decide to participate and make a couple of cards for this heartbreaking cause. 

Here are a couple of cards I made today:

To help spread the word I'm entering the Thinking of You Card in a few challenges:

• Moving Along With The Times: Things with Wings
• Crafting With An Attitude: Anything Goes
• Crafting By Designs: Anything Goes
• Crafty Sentiment Designs: Anything Goes

Sympathy Card with Enamel Cross

Hello and thanks for stopping by my blog today! I would like to share my latest handmade card, it's a Sympathy Card with Enamel Cross. It's been awhile since I've made a sympathy card, but unfortunately this week I need one. I had a couple of sympathy cards in my stash but they weren't what I wanted for this recipient, so I made something more appropriate.

The  retired Trefoil Cross was stamped with Blackberry Bliss ink, fussy-cut and then was heat embossed using Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel by Ranger. I used a new to me stamp set for the flowers called Watercolor Flowers by My Favorite Things. The ink colors used include: So Saffron, Daffodil Delight, Crushed Curry, Hello Honey, Wisteria Wonder, Rich Razzleberry, Blissful Blackberry, Pear Pizzazz and Old Olive all by Stampin' Up!. Once the flowers were stamped I used the coordinating die set with my Big Shot. I adhered everything onto a white swirl embossed background that was created using a Cuttlebug embossing folder. That last detail was adding the stamped butterfly from the Papillon Potpourri stamp set by Stampin' Up! I decided to leave a sentiment off the front and stamped the inside with a sympathy message.

Many find making sympathy cards difficult, but if you create something from the heart you can never go wrong.

This Sympathy Card with Enamel Cross is entered into the following challenges:

• Allsorts: Roses
• Crafty Cardmakers: No Patterned Papers
• Crafting with Dragonflies: Make it Floral
• Get Creative: No Printed Papers

Furry Friend Sympathy Card

Yesterday my parent's Great Pyrenees, Puffy, passed across the rainbow bridge. She was a wonderful dog and lived long past her life expectancy at seventeen years old. My parents raise sheep and she was their keeper and our family friend. She will be greatly missed!!!

To create this Furry Friend Sympathy Card, I used the Tall & Skinny sketch #404 at Mojo Monday. All patterned papers are by DCWV and are layered onto Very Vanilla by Stampin' Up! This card is 3.5" x 6". The sentiment stamp is from the Kind Words stamp set by Verve Stamps. I added some twine and that was it! The patterned paper did all the work on this card.

My Furry Friend Sympathy Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Mojo Monday: Sketch
• The Pink Elephant: Anything Goes
• Crafty Cardmakers: Sentiment
• Craft Your Passion: Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!