Hi friends. Making sympathy cards can be one of the hardest cards to make. Emotionally, you're sad while trying to think of some way to convey your sympathy using ink and paper. Visually, you want to make something beautiful, and yet stay with the mood of the card. This lovely Unity Stamp Co. stamp set called "...My Sympathies" designed by Graciellie Designs is perfect in so many ways. What drew me initially was the gorgeous floral arrangement, but then I read the sentiments. They were perfect for this difficult time.
In this blog, there are a few techniques I'd like to share with you...
- Using one stamp set for several different layouts
- Stamping and coloring on patterned paper
- Creating a border with simple lines
In the first card, I stamped the floral first, but I probably should have stamped the sentiment first to make sure I had enough room. I make this mistake more than once, but I'll show you later how to make it work. Because I'm stamping on a patterned paper, you will notice the pattern when you color with lighter colors. (Note: When picking a patterned paper to stamp and color on, I recommend using neutral and subtle colors such as pastels and beige.) I used three different shades of pink and two shades of green. Once I was done coloring, I stamped the sentiment. In order to line up the sentiment, I used my SSS Grid Transparency to line the words up. Once that was done, I used a ruler and a black Momento marker to make lines without crossing over the floral or words. This completes the first card.
I also stamped the beautiful floral on the lower left hand corner of the envelope to make receipt of this card a little more special.
For my second card, I stamped the floral in the upper left hand corner. I stamped the sentiment next and then stamped the floral again on the opposite corner. Using some blue/violet colors, I colored in both flowers. Greens were done the same way. Lastly, I added the line border Using a ruler to create a little more dimension. Another great technique to add dimension is to trace your image with a light grey marker. This gives the illusion of a shadow, making the image pop a little more.
For the third card, I added used the leaf stamp that is included in the set to create a floral border. Here's where I should have stamped my sentiment first. Once again, I used my SSS Grid Transparency to line up the sentiment properly without ruining my card. For a little extra... I added some black polkadots to create a little more of a whimsical border.
And for my fourth card using the "...My Sympathies" Unity Stamp set, I just placed the florals on the top and bottom of the paper and stamped the sentiment in the center and used all the techniques shown above.
I encourage you to take a look at some of your stamp sets and try to make several cards at a time. You'll be amazed at how far your stash can go! Click the arrows below to view a slideshow of all the cards (and their coordinating envelopes) shared today on this blog post.
Thank you so much for joining me today. I hope I have sparked some creativity for you today and encourage you to subscribe to my blog for more inspirations!
Until next time... happy crafting!
Jules
Supplies used:
- Copic Markers