Garden Rose Sympathy Cards

Sadly I've been needing more sympathy cards than any other type of card lately. Thankfully I just purchased Altenew's Craft-A-Flower: Garden Rose die set and was able to put it to good use creating these two cards. 

I used pearlescent cream card stock for the flowers, vellum for the leaves, and black card stock for the flower centers. After die cutting and assembling the flowers, I chose how to place the vellum foliage for each card and added glue strategically so it wouldn't show once I adhered my flowers in place using foam tape. I heat embossed the "Heartfelt Sympathy" sentiment (from Altenew's Craft-Your-Life: Bewitching Rose set) and added that using foam tape, too. I feel like the one with the black card stock background is better for a sympathy card, and I think if I do the cream-on-cream colors again that I will use that for a wedding or anniversary card. Every card is a learning experience, isn't it? 

 Challenges I'm entering: 

The Diva's that cut ....paper! (die-cut-divas.blogspot.com): With Sympathy (4/4; ends at the end of the month)

Word Art Wednesday: ATG 

Beautiful Blossoms Challenge: ATG with flowers as the focus (5/6; ends 9/12/24)

Spring Blossoms Embossing Folder Thank You Card

I needed a thank you card for a friend and thought I would use a watercolored and sprayed background I had made recently. I trimmed the panel to fit an A2 card base and then embossed it using Altenew's Spring Blossoms 3D embossing folder. I added some Catherine Pooler metallic ink to the raised parts of the embossed design to make them stand out a little more and then heat embossed the "thanks" sentiment from Altenew's Billowing Peonies set using Altenew's Rose Gold embossing powder. I have a lot of cardstock I've watercolored and sprayed in a rainbow of colors (it's just fun to play with paints and sprays!), and I don't always remember to get them out and use them for embossing. I tend to use them more to do die cutting, especially layering flower sets, but this is a good reminder of how they can be used to make a quick card. 

Challenges I'm entering:

 Can You Handle The Pressure? (cyhtp.blogspot.com): ATG with a twist of leaves (3/3; ends 9/11/24)

The Paper Funday Challenges: ATG with a twist of make your own background (2/6; ends at the end of the month)

 Word Art Wednesday: ATG (ends 9/11/24)

Beautiful Blossoms Challenge: ATG with flowers as the focus (4/6; ends 9/12/24)

You Are in My Prayers Fall Card

I recently took an online class about making fall cards with Mary Polanco. She's a wonderful teacher, and I've enjoyed all the classes I've taken with her. 

For this card, the technique Mary taught was using the negative around a die cut leaf to create a stencil and then ink blending through the stencil. I used a few colors of distress inks for the leaf and then added some Nuvo drops to form the veins of the leaf. I stamped the "You are in my prayers" sentiment from a retired CTMH set and then fussy cut it. I splattered some of the distress inks over the card panel and then added a couple die cut leaves I had stamped with VersaMark and then heat embossed with Altenew's Rose Gold embossing powder. The leaf stamps and dies are from a retired SU! bundle called Love of Leaves.

To finish the card, I adhered the panel to a yellow A2 card base. 

 Challenges I'm entering:

TIME OUT Challenges: Friendship/encouragement/support (5/5; ends 9/11/24)

simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/: Stamp it! (1/5; ends 9/11/24)

simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge: Stamp it! (1/5; ends 9/16/24)

Word Art Wednesday: ATG (ends 9/11/24)

The Paper Funday Challenges: Create Your Own Background (I used splatters to make my background) (1/4; ends at the end of the month)

No more challenges. 

Fall Brick Wall Card

This card was inspired by a Mary Polanco class I recently took that had a fall theme. The technique she shared for this card was a spotlight technique that creates a bit of a glow by using 3 shades of distress inks through a stencil and leaving the diagonal middle section of the card blank. I started by doing the stenciling and then adding a bit of splatter with my Altenew watercolor brush markers to the center strip where I didn't do any stenciling. Then I ink blended some leaves I had die cut from a retired SU! bundle called Love of Leaves. I added the leaves to the card panel and then stamped "I'm praying for you" using an Our Daily Bread rubber stamp. 

 Challenges I'm entering:

TIME OUT Challenges: Friendship/encouragement/support (2/5; ends 9/12/24) C5

simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/: Stamp it! (4/5; ends 9/11/24)

simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge: Stamp it! (4/5; ends 9/16/24)

****Pammie's Inky Pinkies**** **********Challenges********** (pammiesinkypinkieschallenges.blogspot.com): ATG (3/3; ends 9/16/24)

Crazy is our fame - STENCILS are our game! (stencilfun.blogspot.com): ATG with stencils; optional twist of fall (1/3; ends at the end of the month)

No more challenges. 

Love of Leaves Stenciled Card

The inspiration for this card comes from an online class led by Mary Polanco with the theme of fall cards. She had a great idea of using 3 different colors of distress inks through a stencil, and I love how that looks. I used a Tim Holtz stencil and only inked up the left diagonal portion of the card panel. Then I added some leaves I had die cut from the retired SU! bundle Love of Leaves. I did some ink blending on the die cut leaves before adhering them to the card panel on the diagonal. I love the way they have stitched veins on the leaf die cuts! I used my Altenew watercolor brush markers to add some splatters to the panel and then stamped the "I'm praying for you" sentiment from an Our Daily Bread stamp set onto some cardstock I had sprayed with Hero Arts Bright Yellow + Copper Metallic Spray. Then I adhered that to the upper right side of the card. 

 Challenges I'm entering:

TIME OUT Challenges: Friendship/encouragement/support (3/5; ends 9/12/24) C5

simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/: Stamp it! (3/5; ends 9/11/24)

simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge: Stamp it! (3/5; ends 9/16/24)

The Diva's that cut ....paper! (die-cut-divas.blogspot.com): Sympathy (3/4; ends at the end of the month)

Word Art Wednesday: ATG (ends 9/11/24)

No more challenges. 

Psalm 91 Feather Card

I recently purchased Altenew's Dreamy Feather layering die set, and I wanted to pair it with my stamp of Psalm 91:4: "He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge" to create a set of praying for you themed cards. I feel like that verse is such an encouragement! God truly is our refuge. 

To create this set of cards, I started with burgundy 5X7 cards bases and cut some feather-themed pattern paper down to 2 3/4 inches by 4 1/4 inches and adhered that piece to the top right of the card base. Then I stamped the verse on cardstock that I trimmed to 2 3/4 inches by 2 inches. 

For the layering die, I die cut the 4 layers using various snippets of cardstock I had in my scrap collection. I chose papers I thought matched the colors in the feather-themed pattern paper and the card base. I made a total of 15 cards, and each one is a little different based on the scraps I used. The first one I made used black for the top layer of the die set, but then I decided to use my gold mirror card stock for the top and bottom layers. I like the shine it adds to the cards. On my prototype card, I also used foam tape to give the feather more dimension, but for the others, I just adhered the feathers using liquid glue. They are already several layers thick, and this will make them easier to mail. 

I have found that I really love assembling layering die sets, so this was relaxing rather than tedious for me. I found that using my precision tip liquid glue bottle was easier than putting double sided adhesive sheets behind the cardstock and then fighting with all those sticky bits that needed to come out of the frame (at least for the top outline layer). 

For the inside sentiment, I used stamps from Altenew's Craft-Your-Life: Casual Bouquets set. 

Here's a look at the prototype card with the black outline layer 

and the feather adhered with foam tape:

All 15 cards:

 Challenges I'm entering: 

TIME OUT Challenges: Friendship/encouragement/support (4/5; ends 9/12/24) C5

****Pammie's Inky Pinkies**** **********Challenges********** (pammiesinkypinkieschallenges.blogspot.com) (2/3; ends 9/16/24)

simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/: Stamp it! (2/5; ends 9/11/24)

simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge: Stamp it! (2/5; ends 9/16/24)

The Diva's that cut ....paper! (die-cut-divas.blogspot.com): Sympathy (2/4; ends at the end of the month)

No more challenges. 

Chestnut Tree Sympathy Cards

I needed a couple sympathy cards and turned to Altenew's Rolling Hills 3D embossing folder paired with Altenew's Chestnut Tree Layering Die Set. I used some watercolor papers that I had water colored and used different green sprays on to die cut the foliage parts of the trees. I used brown card stock for the tree trunks. 

To create the cards, I first embossed 2 white A2 card panels using the Rolling Hills EF. Then I die cut the tree elements from the Chestnut Tree set and adhered them together using the layering guide. Finally, I stamped "Heartfelt sympathy" using a stamp from Altenew's Craft-Your-Life: Bewitching Rose set. Then I adhered the panels onto white A2 card bases. 

 Challenges I'm entering:

simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/: Stamp it! (5/5; ends 9/11/24)

simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge: Stamp it! (5/5; ends 9/16/24)

****Pammie's Inky Pinkies**** **********Challenges********** (pammiesinkypinkieschallenges.blogspot.com) (3/3; ends 9/16/24)

TIME OUT Challenges: Friendship/encouragement/support (1/5; ends 9/12/24) C5

The Diva's that cut ....paper! (die-cut-divas.blogspot.com): With sympathy Top 3 Pick 10/3/24

No more challenges.