With Sympathy

 Last weekend my team lead at work, lost her Mum.   She had been ill for a while but it is still sad when your Mum passes.   The team wanted a card for all of our team and the other team (both teams work together) to all sign.  

I decided I needed to make a slightly bigger card - 5.5" x 8" card so there was space for all the expressions of sympathy and condolences.

I made the card very CAS - using Altenew Fairy Tale Floras which I stamped and black embossed.  I used the matching simple colouring stencils with some pink and green inks.   The sentiment is from a Hero Arts set which is my favourite to use for sympathy cards.   Ran a gold paint pen around the edge of the panel.   

Always sad to have to make this sort of card. 

World Card Making Day/weekend.. Part 1

 Hi there.   I get to have a whole weekend of WCMD action as it's Saturday here. (7.40pm as I write this.) I also like taking part in some of the challenge that are on Saturday US time.... so Sunday for me.   Luckily the spring weather is VERY WET here in Auckland so I got to spend a bit of time in the craft room this afternoon after a quick but wet trip to the Mall for some new jeans.  

I had a friend ring me yesterday to ask if I had any Sympathy cards on hand - as she needed one.  Looked and only had one... so after work yesterday I made one and this afternoon did two more. 

Here's Friday's card 

I was inspired by a card I saw on Pinterest.  It used leaves for it's focal image.   I decided to use an unusual colour - because I had the maroon coloured card sitting on my desk.   I found a colour of ink that worked with it - Catherine Pooler's Peppermint Scrub ink.  I found some leaves in an Altenew Wallpaper Art that would work for what I wanted.  I die cut the panel with a Gina K Master Layouts before stamping.  I also took a very old wooden stamp from a local NZ company - Rubbadubbadoo that was an Old Script stamp.  I masked a little off each side and stamped it in second generation stamping as a subtle background.   The sentiment is from Hero Arts - With Sympathy set (from 2011) .  Matted with the maroon card.  For added texture I embossed the bigger panel with Gina K Tapestry folder before layering that onto a maroon panel.  

Next up are the two cards I did this afternoon

This one was inspired by a number of cards I have seen using torn edge masking and ink blending.  I chose to use Distress inks - Squeezed Lemonade, Mustard Seed, Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade and Ripe Persimmon.   I used a variety of silhouette stamps from Hero Arts - With Sympathy and Catherine Pooler - Wild Garden to add the flowers.   The sentiment is from Winnie & Walter - A Tree for All Seasons.   A few little yellow gems finished this one.

A very simple card to finish.  I have an embossing folder which embosses the sentiment only.   I then used a Hero Arts cling stamp (from 2010) called Garden Bouquet.   I stamped it twice and then clear embossed it.  Trimmed it down and added to a white card base.  

I also had a bit of a play with making bubble backgrounds.  It was my turn to choose the challenge for my local NZ swap group and I chose Bubble backgrounds.   You add water and liquid soap with a colour medium and blow bubbles and pounce your paper onto the bubbles.   One of the video tutorial I saw used instant coffee granules - so I had a try 

The brown used the coffee and the blue was Distress Paint.  Such cool backgrounds.   

Thanks for stopping by today.  Hope you get to spend some time crafting over the weekend. 

A Sympathy card and Grace's 3rd birthday card.

 Two very different cards to share today.  

First up is the Sympathy card I sent to my team mate and bloggy friend - Linda - who recently lost her beloved Mother. 

I wanted some thing bright but still elegant - the heart is a Poppy Stamp die called Lacy Floral Heart split border.  I die cut it from white and used the dark pink behind it.  The card base was embossed with a frame folder and the pink and white panels where cut to fit inside the frame.  The sentiment was white embossed onto some of the pink card.  I added little pearl gems to each of the flowers on the die cut. 

And secondly is the fun card I made for Grace's 3rd birthday.

I made this cute little caterpillar using punched circles.  I added big googly eyes to the head.   After I took the photo I decided to add little feet to the caterpillar.  The sentiment is an older Hero Arts wooden stamp.    

Grace had her birthday party on Saturday..

She had a face painter come and she and her friends got their faces painted... and Nanny had to have a little butterfly too!   It was a lovely day and she had so much fun with her little friends.  

WWC 268 Dawn's Challenge: All About Occasions

Hi there - time for another challenge at Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.  I am the hostess this week, with an All About Occasions challenge.

Today I have a Sympathy card to share.  Recently I bought a Simply Cards and Papercraft magazine that had a beautiful Clearly Besotted stamp and die set.

It's a Snowdrop set.  I used the sentiment stamp to make the background.  I stamped and die cut the large flowers and three of the smaller flowers.  I used some very pale green and grey to colour the flowers and green to colour the leaves.  Once the die cutting was done I added the smaller flowers to the main flower bunch.  I used an Altenew sentiment stripe to finish the card.

Come and join in the fun at  Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and check out the project from the other designers.  Then take our challenge and link up your project to the challenge post.    We'd love to have you join us.  You have until Monday at 5 pm Mountain Standard Time (Tuesday at 12.00 noon NZ time ) to link up your project.

As Snowdrops are a Spring Flower, so I am entering this into The Flower Challenge  - Spring/Autumn  

With Deepest Sympathy

I managed to get a few moments in my craft room on Saturday while my daughter, son in law and Grandson were having a nap after their long trip from Perth.    I like to have a sympathy card or two on hand just in case.   I was sorting some stamps and other stuff on my desk and found my roll of Altenew washi "Monochrome Washi"  I was inspired to use it like I've seen one of the newer washi tapes being used... added to white card and then fussy cut, although the newer washi can be die cut with a matching die.  

I added the washi to white card and then did my fussy cutting 

I prepped my panel by using my score pal to make score marks around the card.  I stamped the sentiment from the "Fresh Freesia' set from Altenew then added the cut out floral tape.  I finished with some Ice Cube jewels from Lucy's Little Things.  I'm loving these lovelies.

It's really was a quick, CAS card.  

I'm adding this to the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes.  
WordArt Wednesday - Anything Goes

And I'm finishing with a sweet photo of my two grandies

Archie and Grace.

Sympathy cards

Last week the wife of one of my work colleagues, passed away.    We are taking up a collections and I got asked to make a couple of sympathy cards.  Her favourite colours were Pink and Purple and her favourite flowers - Roses.

I chose two different Altenew flower sets to make the cards.

I used Sweet Rose Bouquet  with Tea Party ink set for the flowers and Green Fields ink for the stem.  I struggle with this set, so did them separately and fussy cut the flowers and added to the stems.  I used a Simon Says Stamp sentiment.  I took some pink card and used a Darice folder to emboss the oval.   This card is my Altenew Educator Certification Program... In the Mood for Colour - Pink.
The class teaches us how you can take your mood and apply to your cards.  Pink is Sensitive, Caring, Sweet.  Perfect for a sympathy card. I really enjoyed this class. 

For my second card I used the Peony Bouquet for the Big flower and Beautiful Day set for the leaves and the buds.  The flowers were inked with Shades of Purple inks and the leaves were inked with Green Meadows ink.  The sentiment came from the Beautiful Quotes set.  The background was sponged with a Catherine Pooler stencil and two of the purple inks.

I'm entering the second card in the the Anything Goes at Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.
Edited:  I made it as one of the Rockers with this one 

I had a great day yesterday at a Craft Fair - For Your Inspiration.  It was held at Mystery Creek - bout two hours drive south of Auckland.  I picked my friend Suna up at 7.20am and we drove down with a stop at Mercer for a cuppa and a cheese roll, arriving about 1/4 hour before the show opened at 10.00am.  There were about 16 exhibitors.  Suna and I meet up with Carol who is in one our NZ card group - she lives near where the show was being held.   I was quite restrained - my big buy was the Tim Holtz glass mat.  I've been wanting one for ages but postage cost are prohibitive.  I also got a few inks, a neat Prima Princess stamp, some glue and little bits and pieces.

thanks for stopping by.  I appreciate the visit.