Sympathy Cards
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The last quarter of 2024 was harsh for many of us. There were four of us stampers who lost our mothers and one of my Bible study friends lost his father. The old saying that deaths come in threes didn’t prove true this year.
Stamps: Stampin’ Up! ‘Love & Sympathy’, and Acushla Stamp by Petticoat Parlor- I will link Petticoat Parlor in the computer below.
That second one is the stamp you won at the Scrapbook Fair!
Yes, Sal, and I stored it in the ‘Love & Sympathy’ stamp case to remember that I have it.
Dies: The BigZ Lattice Die, the Window Frames Framelits Dies, Cherry Blossom Dies, Cross of Hope Die, Forever Flourishing greenery die
Recipe
- Base: Basic Gray, 5 1/2 X 8 1/2, scored @ 4 1/4
- Layer 1: Basic White, 5 1/4 X 4, die cut with Window Frames Framelits Dies
- stamp Love & Sympathy in lower right corner
- use the cut out for the greeting on the inside
- Lattice under the Layer: Basic White, 4 X 4 1/4, die cut with BigZ lattice Die
- Bouquet: Flowers from the Cherry Blossom Dies
- Flirty Flamingo cut outs with Petal Pink centers; 2 large & two small flowers, (one for the inside), glue the flower on top of the Petal Pink for centers
- Mint Macaron stems using Forever Flourishing dies, 5 outside and 1 inside die cut
- Cross: Silver Foil cut with Cross of Hope Framelits
- Embellishments: Pearls on the lattice
While I had all the dies out I made a Thank You card with the same design and a butterfly in the middle.
I used the Love and Sympathy stamp set a little differently for this sympathy card:
Thanks for stopping by!
SAL, Sailing ALong into the new year
Karen
Riddle of the day:
Question: Kids can make it, but never hold it or see it. What is it?
Answer: Noise.
Birthday Pop Up Card
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A milestone birthday needs a special birthday card!
You are back! I thought maybe your computer had crashed- which means I crash, too!
No, Sal, the last quarter of 2024 was tough and I can’t seem to manage my time very well with all that has happened. I will do better in 2025! Starting today I will begin catching up my journaling of cards and shoebox events, one at a time, and even make a thank you card.
To create this card, I pulled out the Pop-Up dies from Dare 2B ArtZy, which I purchased from Teaspoon of Fun,
Click HERE to see the pop-up cards I made for Valentines Day with these dies and with examples of ones that we made in previous classes manually without dies. There is also a video on that blog post showing the construction by Deb Valder with the die set.
It would be pretty time consuming to make all those cuts and scores manually.
We love a challenge, Sal, but if you can purchase a die set you certainly get a card done more efficiently with less mistakes winding up in the trash. Divinity Designs even has dies for purchase that will perfectly cut out bases and layers if you have trouble measuring and cutting just right. https://divinitydesignsllc.com/a2-landscape-card-base-with-layer-die/
I used the ‘Happy Birthday To You’ Stampin’ Up retired stamp set and ‘Birthday’ dies for the cake. I made a mirror image of the cake, die cut them, and glued them back to back so the back would look nice when popped up. To create a mirror image you stamp your image 2 or 3 times on a Silicone Craft Sheet using the Stamparatus. You then place your white cardstock on the silicone sheet and rub-rub-rub. You place your die under the image and face up to die cut it correctly.
The greetings are in the ‘Birthday Blooms’ Stampin’ Up! stamp set.
I used Evening Evergreen cardstock for the base with a Soft Succulent layer and DSP- designer series paper- with floral images which incorporate both those colors. I wanted the cake to ‘pop’ so I used Rich Razzleberry for the main color.
With the dies, I found the pop up didn’t stay up very well so I added a rectangle of DSP, using another of the dies in the set, and mounted it on the pull out layer under the greeting so it hooks on the edge of the layers and stays up. That worked well.
For the numbers I used the ‘Playful Alphabet’ dies.
I linked the Teaspoon Of Fun dies in the computer with little Sal.
SAL, Share A Love
Karen
Riddle of the day:
Question: A cowboy rode into town on Friday. He stayed for three nights and rode out on Friday. How is this possible?
Answer: His horse’s name is Friday.
Sharon Fincham’s October Shoebox Event
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Our October Shoebox Event was hosted by Sharon Fincham and she had such fun Halloween goodies and cards.
Of course, these were filled with goodies that disappeared quickly.
This first card uses a die and stamp set from Stampin’ Up! Sharon’s use of the glimmer paper and silver embossing made the card very special.
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SAL, Share A Love of handmade cards
Karen
Riddle of the day:
Question: I’m a ball, but I can’t be kicked, thrown or tossed. What am I?
Answer: Eyeball.
Lisa Christensen September Shoebox Event
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It is almost time for the November Shoebox Event so I had better get the September and October events journaled. Lisa Christensen was our hostess and we made two cards. She had numerous stamp sets from which we could choose our greetings, so I made one card a wedding card and one card a birthday card. Take a look:
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Isn’t that a beautiful card?! The colors Lisa chose and the variety of dies she used to make a bouquet are just wonderful! I think it is the Big Blossoms Dies from Scrapbook.com.
. You should take a notebook to the scrapbook events so you can write down the products they use.
Should a – would a – could -a!
Lisa’s second card used Designer Series Paper to make a beautiful statement with strips on a panel to bring in the base color.
I can’t even guess the products used on this card but the idea is awesome!
Thank you for stopping by.
SAL, Send A Lot of handmade greetings
Karen
Riddle of the day:
Question: Forward I am heavy, but backward I am not. What am I?
Answer: Ton.
Retirement Wishes and Sympathy Wishes
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Paul received many cards for his retirement and we also received so many cards expressing sympathy for the passing of my mom. Thank you everyone! This post will display the many cards that were handmade though all the other cards were just as wonderful and touched our hearts. This post is for crafters – and myself- when we are struggling to find a retirement or sympathy idea in a handmade card. We can pull up the blog and type ‘retirement’ or ‘sympathy’ in the search bar and get ideas.
RETIREMENT CARDS
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Thank you, dear friends.
SYMPATHY CARDS
My Mom passed away September 2, 2024. She had a fall August 30 and broke bones in both her lower legs. She was 91 years old and had lived a blessed life.
SAL, Soaking In A Lot of Love
Karen
Riddle of the day:
Question: What is always by your side, yet never stands in your way?
Answer: A true friend.
Retirement Party Card
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Paul,my DH (darling husband), retired after 18 years of working at the same facility. He climbed the ladder and went out on top so that was a success deserving of a very special party and a very special card – of course!
In retrospect, I wish I had made it as a bridge fold card so the scenes would be side by side and the mushy words on the back!
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You could use AI and link them for the blog.
No way, Sal. I prefer reality instead of artificial intelligence. My previous post uses the Lovely Layered Eagle from Honeybee Stamps and I wanted to use it for this card with the eagle holding the fish instead of the branch.
Recipe
- Base: Sahara Sand, 7 X 10, scored at 5
- Layer 1 (X3): Evening Evergreen, 6 1/2 X 4 1/2
- Layer 2 (X3): Pool Party, 6 1/4 X 4 1/4
- Top (X2): Basic White, 6 X 4
- Stampin’ Up! Wild About Flowers – Retirement Greetings stamped on scrap white and cut to look like cloud
- Stampin’ Up! High Tide – Water and Grass
- Stampin’ Up! By The Dock – Frog, Fish, Dock
- Stampin’ Up! In The Meadow – Deer & Fawn, Mountains
- Stampin’ Up! Swan Lake – Little Swans
- Stampin’ Up! Special Celebrations – Inside left greetings – both
- Divinity Designs Silhouette Couple Die
- Stampin’ Up! Be Mine Stitched Framelits – Hearts
- Eagle –
- Soft Suede, large wing feathers
- Early Espresso, body and top of wings; talons
- Shimmery White, head and tail
- Crushed Curry, beak and feet
- Dk Grey and Lt Grey for the fish
Stamp the mountains, the dock, the grass, the deer and the frog. Mask them and stamp the water. Sponge the sky and add white to the mountain tops with a white gel pen. I stamped the swans and fish after the water was stamped and then used the white gel pen to color the swans and grey for the fish.
It was fun to use all the stamps I have collected over the years to make this scene.
I had a party for Paul at the Rhyolite park where I could rent the pavilion; Flying Horse catered a great BBQ meal. Paul invited all his coworkers (telling me only a couple would show up) and almost all of them showed up, even some who came and then went back to the site to work and let someone else come. His hunting buddy and his wife came and my stampers came (thank you) and the church small group came as well as our daughter’s and their families and several of our neighbors. Paul got a bit emotional at one point saying “I had no idea I had this many friends.” It was a wonderful party.
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SAL, Such A Lot of loving people
Karen
Riddle of the day: What can be stolen, mistaken, or altered, yet never leaves you your entire life?
Answer: Your Identity.
Layered Eagle Thank You
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Hello friends, bear with me as I catch up on my blog posts – or journaling as I like to think of it. Let’s start with the Layered Eagle die set that Sharon gave me for my birthday. I used it for thank you cards. The patterned paper is Whaline Patriotic paper I purchased on Amazon.
I guess it makes sense if someone gives you a die that you make a card with that die to thank them.
It also makes me use it to see how it looks. The eagle die is from Honey Bee Stamps. I will link the site down below where little Sal is waving at us from the computer.
This is a Starburst card, however the diagonal strips are not adhered next to each other, there is a gap between each strip where the navy blue shows. This keeps the card from being overly busy.
Recipe
- Base: Red, 8 1/2 X 5 1/2, scored at 4 1/4
- Layer 1: White, 4 1/8 X 5 3/8
- Layer 2: Navy Blue, 4 X 5 1/4
- Base of Starburst: Navy Blue, 3 3/4 X 5
- Patterned Paper:
- 2 pieces, 4 1/2 X 1 1/2, cut on diagonal
- 4 pieces, 3 X 1 1/2, cut on diagonal
- Mark your center point on the Starburst base and position each strip on the base. When you are happy with the placement of the strips, adhere them to the base and then turn the base over and cut off all the excess sticking out from the base. Now you can adhere the base to the larger Navy Blue layer.
- Circle: White 2 3/8″ die cut with circle dies
- Eagle:
- Soft Suede, large wing feathers
- Early Espresso, body and top of wings; talons
- Shimmery White, head and tail
- Crushed Curry, beak and feet
- Evening Evergreen, Branch
- Soft Succulent, Berries
- Inside Greeting, Patterned paper for shadow, Navy Blue for letters, 3 3/4 X 1 1/2, die cut with Scrapbook.com Word Dies Grateful Sentiments
- Heart: Cut out from a Kokorosa starburst die
That die you started with that didn’t work very well?
Yes, it wouldn’t cut out all the detailed cuts without having a metal shim plate, so I wasted a bit of paper but saved the heart! I ordered the metal shim plate from Amazon so I can try again another time.
- Star Embellishments are silver star gems I colored with red and blue alcohol markers.
I hope you found some inspiration for your card making today!
SAL, Saluting A Land we love
Karen
Riddle of the day:
Question: What game is dangerous for your mental health?
Answer: Marbles; you don’t want to lose them.
Joy Meadows August 2024 Shoebox Event
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I am too excited to wait until next week for another post, so let me show you the amazing cards designed and presented by Joy Meadows for us to make at our August Shoebox Event. Her first card uses a stamp from Pink Inc Designs. It is a British company but their stamps are available on Scrapbook.com. I linked that stamp below with little Sal in the computer. I laughed out loud when she showed me her card. It is so sooo cute!
Let’s zoom in to see those glasses and long eyelashes!
For the greetings Joy used the Stampin’ Up! ‘In Your Words’ stamp set. She had Washi tape that was the perfect embellishment for the front and back and punched out stars with one of the new textured dots bling for the middles offered by Stampin’ Up!
Not to be outdone by the cute giraffe card, her second card was just as awesome! She surprised us when she held it up and said, with a twinkle in her eye, – “looks like a regular card, right”; then she opened it up to a pop up fun fold. Joy said it is a design by Susan Campfield who calls it a ‘million dollar fun fold’.
Drum roll…….. Voila! A surprise inside.
And the middle flap folds down and has the greeting on that part of the flap so you can write on the inside.
Here is a side view.
How special is that card!
And you love monochromatic cards!
Yes, I do, Sal. Let’s look at the products Joy used from Stampin’ Up!
- New In Color, Petunia Pop
- Wildly Flowering Suite Collection.
- Dies from the suite – Wild Flower Designs Dies
- Translucent Florals designer series paper
- Dashing Designs 3D embossing folder
- Happy Birthday – Translucent Florals stamp set
- Inside Greeting – Happiness Abounds stamp set
Thank you, Joy, for looking up those products for me to share on the blog and thank you for your creations! I have seen lots of layering dies but the scalloped layer (check out the first picture) is really special.
PS When you put Joy’s name, or the name of any of our Shoebox designers, in the search box on the blog, it will pull up all the lovely cards that she, or any of the others, have designed. You can also access the cards by going to the ‘Recipe Box’ tab at the top of the blog and then clicking on the card to be taken to the specific blog post for that card.
Thank you, Joy, for giving us a pinch of creativity to spice up our crafting worlds.
SAL, Shoebox A Lot for inspiration
Karen
Click on Little Sal in the computer to go to Scrapbook.com which has the Pink Inc giraffe.
Riddle of the day:
Question: What has cities, but no houses; forests, but no trees; and rivers, but no water?
Answer: A map.
Thank You Cards & Bumble Bees for the Teachers
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God has blessed me with wonderful friends to encourage me, to celebrate me, to bring a casserole or send a card if I am sick, to be that listening ear on occasion, or to keep me company while Ruger is being groomed. It is always a delight to make a thank you card for them, to pray for them as I create it and always to give thanks to God for them.
I saw a card on Pinterest made by Kristi at stampingwithkristi.com and chose her idea for this thank you card. I added more layers for additional color, used a different embossing folder, different ribbon, different inside greetings and different bling but the die tools and flower stamp were the same. Thank you, Kristi.
Recipe
- Base: Thick Basic White, 5 1/2 X 8 1/2 scored at 4 1/4
- Matte: Black, 5 3/8 X 4 1/8 (1/16 reveal)
- Layer (X2): Lovely Lipstick, 5 1/4 X 4
- Top (X2): Basic White, 5 X 3 3/4, emboss one with dotted diamonds embossing folder
- Design Frame: Black, 5 1/4 X 2
- die cut with Stampin’ Up! Detailed Bands Die
- use a scrap of black and die cut just the band part of the die (X2) for extra length on the main black die cut; (I wanted the band to cover the pink layer so it blends with the black layer).
- Flower, leaves and inside of the black detailed die: Basic White, 5 1/2 X 4 1/4
- Using the same die as used for the black, position it so it just cuts the white for the inside
- Flower and leaves are from Band Together SU stamp set, stamped in Memento Black Ink and colored with alcohol markers – Polished Pink Lt & Dk
- Greetings: Waterfront SU stamp set, stamp in Memento Black Ink, ‘Friends make….’ and the inside ‘hard times….’
- So Glad We Are Friends is in the Band Together stamp set used for the flowers and leaves
- Inside Strip: Black, 5 X 1, die cut with another of the Detailed Bands Dies, trim edge after adhering
- Bling: 5 pink sequins
How many ideas like this have you saved in Pinterest to make ‘someday’?
Let me check my Pinterest, Sal; just 6,200 ideas! When I bought a new set of stamps or dies I would save all the examples that I liked and then take bits and pieces from different cards to create something for classes that was unique. Sometimes just the visual would spark my creativity and send me down the path to create something totally different.
This next thank you card is a case but it is not in my saved Pinterest cards; it is a screen print from somewhere and was saved in pictures so I don’t have the creator’s name. She/he made it as a Mother’s Day card and I changed it up a bit, added a colored base and matching DSP layer and greetings from the Stampin’ Up! Messages Die stamped with the Many Messages stamp set.
I love that your greetings don’t cover up the pretty flowers.
Thank you, Sal. The greetings I had in the Many Messages that were cut with the Messages die set were perfect for what I wanted to say.
What you need to know:
- Standard Base, Standard White Layer with 1/8 reveal, DSP layer with 1/16th reveal
- Base: Petal Pink, 5 1/2 X 8 1/2 scored at 4 1/4
- Layer: Basic White, 5 1/4 X 4
- Top: DSP, 5 1/8 X 3 7/8
- Flowering Tulips Stamp set and Tulip dies; Using DSP for die cuts of blossoms and leaves
- Inside greeting from the stamp set, inside die cut squares and bottom tulips from Tulip Dies & DSP
- Daffodil Daydream Stamp set and Daffodil dies
- Daffodil Delight die cuts with Crushed Curry layers, all sponged for depth
- Garden Green die cuts for leaves sponged on edges
- Pansy Patch Stamps and Pansy dies
- Petals are White, Fresh Freesia and Dark Purple with a Crushed Curry middle
- Leaves are Evening Evergreen and Soft Succulent
- Embellishments: 3 brass butterflies, gold bow, 6 yellow jewels
Well, Sal, I used scraps for the die cuts and I do not have measurements for how much I used. At least the above list will show the dies and stamps that I used should I ever do another bouquet of flowers like this one. Or if I want to pull the die I used on the inside to cut little squares (bringing more of the base color into the inside) then I can go to the recipe box and click on the card to go to the blog and find the die set.
Moving along…. I had a birthday celebration with a friend and wanted to make something special so I pulled out the Big Shot Spiral Flower Die and lots of designer series paper to make a 3D bouquet. Michaels and the dollar store had tiny flowers and leaves I could add to the paper flowers as well as a small vase.
They have mixed media creations so mine is a mixed 3D creation. There are seven spiral flowers in various southwestern colors which is my friends decor. Next time I need to remember to have the prettiest side of the DSP rolled to the middle instead of on the outside where so little shows.
It is back to school time for the grandchildren and my last Thursday watching the boys so I guided them in making bumble bee cards for their teachers. I bought apples and little single serving caramel treats and had them pick out a bag from my ‘bag of bags’ and put the apple on top of the caramel and then we made the card to attach by watching a Pinterest video. They love videos and it worked well to show them what we were doing.
The pin is from CraftISH corner.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/72479875249202152/
Jaxson:
Emmitt:
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Thanks to Robyn, my Australian friend, I had a bee stamp. I was sad about a stamp set I sold that had a bee I liked and she remembered me saying that I wished I hadn’t sold that set so she bought me a bee stamp. Thanks Robyn!
The boys didn’t quite understand stamping the bee but not writing the word ‘be’. I avoid some of the ‘pun’ stamps because I know they are learning to spell and it can be confusing.
Spoken like a concerned retired third grade teacher.
Need to help wherever we can, Sal.
Riddle of the day:
Question: What can be held in your right hand but not your left hand?
Answer: Your left hand.
Christine Dillon’s July 2024 Shoebox Event
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July’s Shoebox Event was hosted by Christine Dillon. She created two lovely designs and then made card kits for each of us to make the cards. We had fun crafting the cards under Christine’s guidance and then we went out to lunch to eat and visit. Such fun!
Christine used foiled DSP-designer series paper on both her cards which gave a beautiful shiny look to the cards.
Recipe- Some call this an ‘S fold’ others call it a ‘Modified Gate Card’
- Base: Blue, 8 1/2 X 5 1/2, Scored at 2 1/8 and 4 1/4
- Left Side Strip: Foiled DSP, 2 X 5 3/8 (1/16th border)
- Inside Layer: White, 4 X 5 1/4, (1/8th border)
- Base of Flap: Blue, 3 1/2 X 3 1/2
- Flap Layer: White, 3 1/4 X 3 1/4
- Medallion: Gold Foil, 3 X 3, die cut with Stampin’ Up! Eastern Medallions Die, glue directly down to flap
- Medallion Layer: Blue, 2 3/4 X 2 3/4, die cut with Stampin’ Up! Eastern Medallions Die, Pop Up
- Medallion Top Layer: White, 2 1/4 X 2 1/4, Stampin’ Up! Eastern Medallions Die, glued directly down
- Stamp with greeting from Petitie Pairs – Stampin UP
- Inside Layer: White, 4 X 5 1/4, 1/8 border
- Stamp with greeting from Colorful Seasons Stamp Set
Would you call this a masculine birthday card?
I will tag it as generic and masculine. It is so beautiful it could be used for either.
This next card is for a feminine birthday or a gardener who loves flowers. It is foiled DSP, and the foil is only on the edge of the flowers and leaves so each of us chose our favorite color and colored inside the images. The flowers were edged in gold foil and the leaves were edged in silver foil so it was a perfect guide for where to color. I wish I had taken pictures of the different colored cards. They were all beautiful.
I did say that and I have not done it yet. Sigh…… I even had to send a box card to a friend this past week and she will wonder if I sold all my stamps but…
BETTER A BOX CARD THAN NO CARD!
I say that because I have those who say they could never make a card and have quit sending me cards since they know I make cards; as if I would be disappointed to get a box card??! NOT! Receiving any card makes me smile.
I recently read someone comparing making a card to decorating a cake – you make the cake beautiful and it is admired for a short time, but then consumed and just a memory. Hopefully our cards stay on a mantel or refrigerator for longer, but the joy is in the creating and hopefully the recipient is blessed.
Are you going to take up cake decorating?
No way, Sal, but I admire those who do.
SAL, Shoebox And Laughter
Karen
Riddle of the day:
Question: Four cars come to a four-way stop, each coming from a different direction. They can’t decide who got there first, so they all go forward at the same time. All four cars go, but none crash into each other. How is this possible?
Answer: They all made right-hand turns.
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