Sympathy in Plum

I dug out a sheet of a long-retired SU designer paper pack. The colors are subtle, yet beautiful, and appropriate for a sympathy card. Pale Plum and Perfect Perfect Plum was one of my favorite color combos when I first started stamping. This combo was a frequent go-to when using 2 step stamps and I love how it looks on this flower. 

Recipe:

Stamps: Too Kind, Brighter Tomorrow - SU
Paper: WW, Perfect Plum, Pale Plum, Always Artichoke, DP
Ink: Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Always Artichoke

Accessories: Border punch, Dew Drops, MISTI

Close as a Memory

Sympathy cards are my least enjoyable cards to make because it means that someone I know is grieving the lost of a loved one.  Death is something that happens to everyone as Psalm 89:48 says,
"What man can live and not see death?  Can he deliver his life from the power of the grave?"
Therefore there will always be a need for sympathy cards.  They are one way to show care to someone who is grieving.  

I made several of these cards to keep on hand as the need arises.  I CASEd the design from this card I found on Pinterest.  It is a simple and beautiful design.  My card is different in that I used slightly different colors, used Dew Drops for the flower centers, and chose butterflies for the embossed background. 

When I see a butterfly I am reminded of what the Bible says about death for those of us who believe in salvation through Jesus Christ's death and resurrection.  I love what Romans 6:5-10 says about death for those whose faith is in Jesus Christ,
"5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God."

A loose correlation is like a caterpillar becoming a brand new butterfly by metamorphosis, believers in Christ are transformed from old the rotting mortal bodies to glorified eternal bodies living in heaven because of the work of Christ.

Recipe:
Stamps:  Close as a Memory - SU
Paper:  WW, Perfect Plumb, Mellow Moss
Ink:  Perfect Plumb, Mellow Moss, Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories:  Embossing Folder, MISTI, Dew Drops

Daisy Sympathy

This is a sympathy card I CASE'd from this card I found on Pinterest.  I changed the card from the original by using soothing blue tones, and small flower brads instead of ribbon.  I added a butterfly with a sequin to cover up a small smudge.  It was easy to get perfect placement of the stamped images using my MISTI.

Recipe:

Stamps:  Upsy Daisy, Close as a Memory - SU

Paper:  WW, Midnight Muse, DP

Ink:  Midnight Muse, Baja Breeze

Accessories:  MISTI, Butterfly punch, Brads, Sequin

Heartfelt Sympathies

I made these cards a couple of months ago.  A co-worker had a death in the family and everyone in the office signed the card.  I used my MISTI tool to do the shadow technique.  The MISTI made it so simple that I could easily make a similar card using different colors.

Recipe:
Stamps: New Mercies - Verve
Paper:  WW, Certainly Celery, Almost Amethyst, Perfect Plumb
Ink:  Certainly Celery, Almost Amethyst, Perfect Plumb
Accessories: MISTI

Serene Sympathy

I'm sure that every artist or creative person experiences a mojo-block.  A mojo block is when you want to create but the ideas are not coming.  When I experience mojo blocks I go to Pinterest to jump start the creative flow. This card was made almost a year ago during a block.  I got the inspiration from this card.  At the time I wasn't looking to create a sympathy card but I loved the design and it was easy enough to recreate with the stamps I have and I can change the sentiment for other occasions.

Recipe:
Stamps:  Fine Lace, Secret Garden, Brighter Tomorrow - SU
Paper:  WW, Brocade Blue
Ink:  Brocade Blue - SU, Tea Dye - Tim Holtz
Accessories:  Stick Pearls

Masculine Basic Sympathy

Sympathy cards are my least favorite to make because they represent loss of somebody's loved one.  This card is for a co-worker who recently lost his mother.  I needed to create a card with a masculine but soothing design so I turned to Splitcoast Stampers for inspiration.  This card immediately caught my eye and I knew that it would be perfect to CASE for this occasion.  

I used the same stamp and design as the original card but different shades of green.  The stamped image is created using the reverse image technique that you can learn about here.  It was easy to do and I love how the card came out.  I will be sure to use this technique for future cards.

Recipe:

Stamps:  Butterfly Basics, Beautiful Borders - SU

Paper:  WW, River Rock, Lucky Limeaide, Mossy Meadow, DP

Ink:  River Rock, Lucky Limeaide, Mossy Meadow

Accessories:  Twine, Word Window Punch, Brads, SU Markers

Praying Tree

This card was made for the family of a dear man who went home to the Lord recently.  At his memorial service it was so wonderful to hear numerous people speak of his encouraging faith and his long service history.  This man left quite a legacy that impacted many people for Christ.  I am glad to have known him, even though it was only for a short time.

Going back to school has kept me away from my craft room.  I have made a few cards over the weeks, including a large batch of Christmas cards, that I will post later.  The service I use for photo editing has been giving me problems so that has added to my posting delays.

Recipe:
Stamps:  Thoughts and Prayers
Paper:  WW, Really Rust, Soft Suede, DP
Ink:  Soft Suede, Summer Starfruit, Really Rust, Cherry Cobbler - SU Markers, Antique Linen - TH
Accessories:  Cuttlebug, Nestabilities, Ribbon

Indigo Sympathy

A couple people that I know recently lost a close family member.  This is one of the cards that I made.  The other card below is this one but I just added the sentiment.  The colors from this card are from SCS Color Challenge 381.  I used my Nestabilities to make the card shape and it's layers.  I used both image stamps of the now retired SU Inspired By Nature.  This was a fairly quick card for me to create.  Once I decided on the colors and stamps to use it took me less than a half hour to make.  That is unusual for me.

Recipe:

Stamps:  Inspired By Nature, Warmest Regards

Paper:  WW, Pool Party, DP

Ink:  Pool Party, Island Indigo

Accessories:  Nestabilities, Ribbon, Modern Label Punch, Stick on Pearls

Pearls and Prayers

This card is going out to someone going through a very difficult time right now.  I originally was making this card using the colors from SCS Color Challenge 363 without a sentiment so it could be generic.  I received the difficult news before I finished the card so I thought I would send it as an encouragement.

The main image is cut out from DP.  I used my colored pencils and Goo-Gone to add a little depth to it.  The little butterflies I cut out from a border punch.  This card qualifies for the Flutterby Wednesday 191 challenge.

Recipe:
Stamps:  Serenity - Verve
Paper:  WW, Pretty In Pink, Pink Pirouette, Basic Gray, DP
Ink:  Basic Gray, Pretty In Pink, Pink Pirouette
Accessories:  Cuttlebug, MS Punches, Word Window, Spellbinders Impressabilities, Pearls, Buttons, Prisma Pencils, Goo-Gone, Ticket Punch

Soft Sympathy

It feels like I have sent out a few too many sympathy cards over the past week.  This one is for a friend who had a close family member die very unexpectantly.  The sketch is from last weeks SCS Sketch Challenge 355.  The colors I pulled from the DP.

Recipe:
Stamps:  Upsy Daisy, Beautiful Borders - SU
Paper:  Mellow Moss, VV, DP
Ink:  Mellow Moss Craft, Crumb Cake
Accessories:  Clear EP, Heat Tool, Nestabilities, Ribbon, Mulberry Paper Flower

Thoughtful Sympathy

This card is made for some friends who recently lost a loved one.  The sketch is for the challenge at MFTWSC41 and the colors are from SCS Color Challenge 311.

Recipe:
Stamps:  Thoughts & Prayers, Beautiful Borders
Paper:  Perfect Plum, Always Artichoke, WW
Ink:  Always Artichoke, Rose Red, Perfect Plum
Accessories:  Ribbon, Cuttlebug, Nestabilities, Pearls

Mojo 196 Sympathy

I learned that a friend's mother passed away recently so I made the is card him. I used the sketch from Mojo Monday 196 again. I love this sketch, just something about it that is very appealing to me. It is quick and easy and will probably be one of my go-to sketches when I need to make a quick card.

Recipe:

Stamps: Refuge and Strength - SU, Circular Sayings - Verve

Paper: River Rock, Close to Cocoa, Dusty Durango, WW

Ink: Dusty Durango

Accessories: Cuttlebug, Embossing Folder, Sizzlet, Nestabilities, MS Punch, Corner Rounder, Twine

Home Going

Yesterday I started out on a card that has taken me more than a day to complete because I am very rusty and most of my craft stuff is still in boxes. However, today I received very sad news that a friend’s husband suddenly died. These are friends from church. I’m sorry to say that I didn’t know Steve as well as I would have liked. The times that I did talk with him he was full of humor and the conversations often lead to us agreeing on how good God is. Steve knew Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He knew that the only way to know the Father and have eternal life with Him is through Jesus Christ and His sacrifice and resurrection. Even though we who knew Steve are grieved, we know that he is seeing Jesus face to face and worshipping him. We will miss him but we know that our hope in having eternal life with Jesus Christ has now been fulfilled for Steve. My prayers and heart goes out to his wife Kathy, their kids, grandkids, and other family and close friends. This card is for Steve’s family. The crystal in the cross symbolizes hope, light, and new life in Jesus Christ. What we can only see dimly, Steve now clearly sees and knows. 1 Corinthians 13:12

Recipe:
Stamps: Notes of Prayer - Verve, Close as a Memory - SU
Paper: Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, SU DP
Ink: Old Olive - SU
Accessories: corner rounder, stick on crystal, copper brads, SU border punch

Sympathy for Neighbor

One of my neighbors passed away last week and I made this card for his widow. I chose the colors from SCS Color Challenge 230 and the sketch from SCS Sketch Challenge 277. Since it is such a beautiful day outside, I took the photo from my back deck with the camera on my Moto Droid.


Recipe:

Stamps: Close as a Memory, Beautiful Borders - SU

Ink: Blush Blossom, Close to Cocoa

Paper: Very Vanilla, Certainly Celery, Blush Blossom, Close to Cocoa, SU DSP

Accessories: Cuttlebug, Shapeabilities, Ribbon, Brad, Prima Flowers

Sympathy card for a co-worker

This card is for one of the nurses I work with who lost her mother last week. She is fairly new to the hospital doesn't know many others well yet. I used SCS sketch 266 and color challenge 257.

Recipe:

Stamps: Close as a Memory, Thoughts and Prayers - SU

Ink: Sage Shadow Craft, Dusty Durango

Paper: Dusty Durango, Sage Shadow, Chocolate Chip, Confetti White

Accessories: Cuttlebug, Embossing folders, Nestabilities, Paper Flower, Button, Pearls

Praying for You

Last week was full of sad events. The one that hit me the most was the unexpected passing of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Michael was the first crush I had. I was about 4 or 5 years old at the time. I remember seeing him and his brothers on old shows like Soul Train. I remember the Jackson 5 cartoon and "little Michael" was the one who always got in trouble. My friends and I always had contests to see who could name all 5 of the Jacksons in order. Yes, I was born in the 70's but I won't share the year.

When I was in elementary school, my friends and I would sing and dance to songs from Michael's beginning solo career. I could not get enough of "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" and Workin' Day and Night."

Thriller came out when I was in middle school and I was really crazy for Michael then. MTV was my favorite channel and I would scream and act real silly as all the other pre-teen girls when the "Beat It" and "Billy Jean" videos played. I remember when the world premiere of the "Thriller" video was to air on MTV. I raced home from school and ran to the den to be one of the first watch it. MTV had become "Michael TV!" When Michael's hair caught on fire while filming the infamous Pepsi commercial, I cried. When Michael first debuted the Moonwalk on live TV, I wanted to faint.

As I got older I didn't have such an infatuation with Michael but I always considered myself a fan. I never got to see him in concert but every time one of his songs played on the radio I always listened to it and would sing a long. Even with all the problems he had in his life and the disturbing allegations against him, I still saw him as a great musician and entertainer. I chose to think more of him in his earlier years and often would wonder what went wrong with him that brought about the bizarre behavior in his latter years. Often I would pray for him to find forgiveness and salvation through Christ and then even healing.

On the afternoon of Thursday, June 25, 2009 Michael's life came to a very abrupt end. I, along with the rest of the world, was in utter shock. I was driving home when I first heard the news on the radio. I had to pull over to the side of the road for a few minutes to cry. When I got home, I couldn't pull myself a way from the TV news reports on what had happened and all the tributes to his life. I was in disbelief for a couple of days.

We may never know what Michael was thinking in those last few seconds before his heart stopped. I like many of my Christian friends who admired Michael, hope he had asked Christ for forgiveness and salvation, but on this side of heaven we may never really know.

This card was actually made the Friday before last. I wanted to play with some of my new SU stuff and use the new colors but the batteries died on my camera and I couldn't replace them until later. I didn't have anyone in mind when I originally made this card. I had no idea that we would lose 3 prominent celebrities all in one week, let alone 2 in one day. If I could, I would like to dedicate this card to the family, friends, and fans of Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson. My prayer is that you all will find comfort and peace in this time of grief by putting your faith in Jesus Christ.

Soft Summer Sympathy

Sympathy cards are always my least favorite to make. A good friend's mother passed a couple of weeks ago so I needed to come up with a card. I originally stamped this image to make another card for SCS Inspiration Challenge # 175. I think it turned out well and my friend said she really liked it.

Recipe:

Stamps: Soft Summer, Brighter Tomorrow - SU

Paper: WW, Ballet Blue, Vellum

Ink: WW and Ballet Blue Craft

Accessories: Cuttlebug, Embossing Folder, Clear EP, Heat Tool, Nestabilities, MS Butterfly Punch, SU Flower Punch, Brads, Pearl Beads

Tulip Sympathy

Sympathy cards are so hard for me. I couldn't come up with an original idea so I CASEd this one.

Amethyst Sympathy

Very different from all of the other sympathy cards I have made. I hope the colors aren't too bright for the occasion.

Blue Sympathy