Thinking of You...

A really simple card to share today, made with the Hello and Thinking Trio sets. The images are stamped with midnight versacolor (which has a chalky sort of finish) and then I just rounded the edges, added some black brads, and layered it with a simple black print (7gypsies). I like the clean lines of the card - it would make a nice sympathy card or could simply be used to encourage someone going through a rough patch...

I also want to tell you about the very cool challenge that Dina has come up with for the next Tea Party (March 11). Head over to the smARTworks design blog - then pick a card, any card! :) And now... create your very own version of that card! When you post your creation, please include a link to the original card just so we can all see the "starting point." And just a reminder, too, that you are in no way limited on the stamp company - obviously, if you have smARTworks images, we'd love for you to use them, but you can use whatever... the whole point is to share your creativity. So hop over and peruse the eye candy, and hopefully you can find some time to join in the fun!

Late to the Party!

I'm definitely running behind today; it's time for the smART Cookie Tea Party, and I'm just now arriving (blush, blush).

Our hostess Peggy challenged us to mount our focal image in an oval. Things are quite busy around here with Christmas looming on the horizon, so I kept my card pretty simple. All the images are from the "Purpose Small" set. I stamped the main image onto some pale bluish lavendar cardstock, then die cut it and matted with a black die cut. I knew I wanted to accent it with ribbon, but the white card base needed something more, so I pulled out my box of glimmer screens and grabbed some glimmer mist to create a soft, shimmery design along the bottom. Stamped the phrase, and good to go! It's definitely not a Christmas card, but I can't help but think of how timely the sentiment is... how that baby born so long ago truly can heal.

Be sure to check out the oval-riffic stuff that Susan (also sharing Peggy's card), Dina, Giovana & Donelda have created.

Enjoy today - and a BIG sale!!

I have two more cards to share featuring the Borders & Seals set, both simple but elegant.


For this first one, I started by lightly drawing a grid on the white cardstock so I could make sure that the images were stamped evenly. The sentiment is from Sunflowers, and it's layered with white organdy ribbon and two pearls.





For this card, I stamped the long image from the set onto taupe cardstock with versamagic ink, used sticky EP, heated, and then applied gold leaf foil. I matted the strip with black, and then adhered it to the card, where I had stamped selas along the bottom edge. The sentiment is from Bleeding Heart, and I split it using my stamp-a-ma-jig.

So would you like to purchase any of these sets for yourself? Well, head on over to smARTworks ~ it's birthday month, and all in-stock rubber is 35% off!! Order $50 or more of stamps only, and shipping is free; if your order includes accessories, then shipping is half off. Get all the details here. What better way to kick off the week than ordering new stamps! :)

Simple Sympathy

It's Day 2 of Denise's Spring Fever Challenge, and today we were to make a 4x4 black and white card - using only black ink, any stamps, but no patterned paper. Well, I've needed a lot of sympathy cards these past couple weeks, and I thought I'd use today's challenge to help replenish my supply. I kept it extremely simple - the sentiment is from an old SU set (Hope for Comfort), and the flower is smARTworks (Sunny Delight). Went together in less than ten minutes, and I'm very happy with the outcome.

Check out All Things Stamped to see what others have created!

Sympathy Card

Just a simple card I made to send to my MIL. Black card base, scraps of BasicGrey Scarlet's Letter, some swirly black ribbon, and SU's small scallop circle punch. Sentiment from "Hope for Comfort" (retired SU).

Sympathy Sunflowers

I played around with my Sunflower set last night, so finally have some new things to share! Today's card couldn't be any simpler - I stamped the image onto a fabriano notecard then added a sentiment. I originally planned to use black ink, but it just seemed too stark. I debated about adding a bit of color, but decided to leave it alone and simply tied on a bit of narrow ribbon (Rusty Pickle). Simple, but I think it conveys the appropriate "feeling" for those difficult times.

I'll be back tomorrow with a VERY different approach to the flowers!

With Sympathy

I just found out that a friend of mine lost her grandmother; I generally have a number of cards for birthdays, etc. made up and ready to go, but I've depleted my Sympathy stash over the past few months.

I kept the design relatively simple. I used the Brocade Background designer paper (SU), and stamped a single swirl (Autumn Leaves). I cut a strip from one of the other papers in the pack, and added just a bit of distress ink to help it stand out from the background. I stamped the sentiment (retired SU set - Hope for Comfort) on some River Rock cardstock, and then glued it all down and added a single prima. I matted the panel and then mounted it to the card base. I added another River Rock panel to the inside so that it's easier to read the sentiment. I used another stamp from the HfC set, and it reads "May you find comfort in God's word and in the knowledge that others care and sympathize with you."

I do like how it turned out, and I may have to make a couple more to keep on hand for these difficult times.

Artfully Asian Sympathy

Sympathy cards are my absolute least favorite to make - necessary, but definitely not fun. I generally go with dark tones and a simple layout with very little embellishment. I needed to send a sympathy card to a friend, so I pulled out this card I made last year. I really like the "Artfully Asian" set, and used the floral image to create the very simple pattern. I then stamped the sentiment from "Close as a Memory" onto a strip of white, which I then wrapped a few times with gold cord. Simple and somber, but most importantly it lets my friend know that I am praying for her.