Sympathy cards

Hi! A friend of mine unfortunately needed some sympathy cards made, so that's what I've been stamping the last couple of days, even though I was going to try for a more upbeat post after the last one :-)

These were fun cards to make - I really like that set but it doesn't get pulled out that often. It's so pretty though, and I will make an effort to use it more often. It seemed to go with the hues in the Periphery paper pack, so I used a few sheets of that for these cards. For the berry card, I accented the berries with my aquapainter and added a cuttlebugged panel behind. (This was the third or fourth piece I tried. This layout wasn't very cooperative.) The Soft Sky panel is stamped with a Sunshine Designs berry-and-leaf stamp, but is very subtle. DH doesn't like the vertical word positioning, but I do, so too bad, so sad! It just goes better with the layout. On the inside is a good, old-fashioned horizontal sentiment. I love the velvet ribbon on here - it suits. I think it's only the second time I've used the velvet ribbon (tsk tsk).

The twiggy card needed to be flatter to go in the mail, so no embellies here, just lots of texture from stamps and paper. I added some framing lines with my choc chip marker (deliberately crooked, since there was no vertical message to annoy DH - hehehe).

Tonight's stamping therapy will be one more sympathy card for her and hopefully a chance to play with some borrowed stamps from Heather's to work up a class sample. I got some Versamark dazzle too to play with and some fantasy film. Now that will be a cheerier card! Anything called "dazzle" and "fantasy film" must be cheery! We have a great Family Fun Friday planned for tomorrow - over to friends' for pizza and skating in their backyard. Can't wait!

My demo group had a shoebox swap this week, and was that ever fun. It was Sale-a-bration sets (coming 1 Feb!!!) and new sets from the Spring/Summer IBC. It was a blast and so good to see old friends. I hope to post some of the things I made that night, but I will have to finish them first. I'm really bad for not finishing make-and-takes because I want to add something from home, or fix something, or leave the cutting, etc. This wouldn't be so bad except I am really bad at finishing them once I get home. They tend to never get finished... This time will be different

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: Stamps: So Lovely (SU), berry-leaf (Sunshine Designs), with sympathy (Anna Griffin); Ink: Basic Brown, Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, Always Artichoke; Paper: mellow moss, blue bayou, soft sky, Periphery (BasicGrey); Other: River Rock velvet (SU ribbon originals), oval punch (SU), choc chip marker, espresso acrylic paint, cuttlebug embossing folder