Vinnie

 A dear 4 legged family member of my niece's passed away suddenly the other day so I needed to make her a special card.  I wanted her to know our hearts went out to her.  Pets are an important part of our lives and not everyone recognizes the grief someone goes through when they lose a pet but our family does.  We are all animal lovers and we feel their pain.

 

 Every time someone I know losing their best 4 legged friend, I water color an image for them.   I used Arteza Metallic Water Color Paints and a water brush to color up the image...special for her. 

Inside:  ....so missed.

Letter B/ Black and White Sympathy

 I had to make a few Sympathy cards for a local nursing home.  These were on the simple side.  I have to keep them flat for ease of mailing for the nursing home.  To give a bit of depth, I glued down some punched flowers and add clear sequins.  In the photo they gave a pinkish hue.

I enjoying making sympathy cards for the nursing home.   It's a sad occasion but if my handmade cards brings a smile to someone...even for a moment,....then I have done the job.

They fit perfect for the challenge going on at Alphabet Challenge Blog.  I missed the first one but will go back and finish the A category.  This one was the use of Black and White.

 

Submitted to Challenge

 https://alphabetchallengeblog.blogspot.com/2023/04/b-is-for-black-and-white.html

 

Supplies

Black and White Cardstock 

JustRite Sympathy Handwritten Sentiments Stamp

Penny Black Blossom Branch Stamp

Versafine Ink Onyx Black

Clear Sequins

Fiskars Stitch Border Punch

 

Martha Stewart Punch

Simon Says Stamp Frames Die

Surrounded With Love

Someone very dear to me lost her mom a couple of days ago, so this morning I made her this card.  

I had the pleasure of knowing her mom over the years.  She was a sweetest woman and very close to her daughter.

There has been struggles over the past few years so it is one of those blessings in disguise.  No matter what...it is always difficult to say goodby.  Nothing about it makes its easy.

MJ, if my arms could reach you, I would give you the biggest hug.  I know you have the best support with Al.

Much love to you.

Netta

Memento Ink: TangeloDandelion, Teal Zeal, Summer Sky, Danube Blue,Desert Sand
Distress Ink Forest Moss
Stampin Up: Chocolate Chip and Baked Brown Sugar
Large Post It Note
Misty
Penny Black Stamp "Paradise"
Just Rite Sentiment Stamp "Sympathy Handwritten"
Clear and White Embossing
Sponges
Areza Water Color Real Brush Pens: Ginger, Coffee, Crocodile Green, Seawood Green, Sapphire Blue, Night Sky Blue,
Versamark pad and pen
Embossing Gun

Stamping Thoughts and Prayers & Tidbit

I have made a lot of sympathy cards in my past, but the one I had to make now was hard. I have put it off for a week now and today decided I just had to sit down and do it.  

Someone I knew through work passed away from ALS.  He was such a kind, strong and well loved man.  He fought it to the very end.  My heart just breaks for his wife and his family.  The past few years of their life was grabbing as many memories as they could and taking care of him.

He will be missed.

On todays card, I used my Misti to stamp on one side of the card, flipped it over and did the other side. After heat embossing in silver, I colored the image with colored pencils.  I love the colored pencils on black as it really makes the color pop.

I have a little tidbit for all of you.  It came from a 93 year old gentleman.  I gave him a card and I watched him struggle a bit to open it.  His sight was not the best and his fingers didn't work as well.  He suggested I leave one side of the card just a bit shorter than the other to make it easier for folks to open their card.  Something I never thought of before but it made sense.  Now, after I make my A2 card base, I trim the back of the card about 1/8th of an inch. Just enough to make it easier.  

I wanted to make sure to get a card off to the family to let them know I am thinking of them.  I knew it would be a while before I saw them due to what the world is experiencing right now.

A hard card to make.

Stay safe and healthy everyone. 

Netta

Stampendous! Class a'peel Dot Sparklers Black stickers

Crafters Companion Sunflower Stamp

Spellbinders Vintage Elegant Word Stamp

Derwent Inktense Ink Pencils

Silver Embossing Powder

Stickles Diamond Glitter glue

WaterColor Dog Sympathy

Most dogs and humans have long and close connections.  Many of us need them and they need us.  If you are like me...losing your 4-legged friend might be one of your worst days.  

I know two who lost their long time friends within the same week so making two dog sympathy cards was double hard.
I used Arteza water color brushes to color up the two different images to match the breeds.  They have already received them in the mail so it was ok to share now.

In time...may the memories of their precious friend soften the sadness of their hearts.

 
Westie

Schnauzer

Arteza Colors:

Bright Blue

Artic Blue

True Blue

Parma Gray

Bumblebee Yellow

Wisteria Purple
 
Big hugs to you both.

Netta

Junk Box Example

A few days ago I mentioned my junk-box.  All mistakes go into it for possible future use.  I wanted to show you how useful that junk box was....once again.

The background on this card was in that  junk-box and it was too pretty to leave in there.  When I had cut it out, the border was off and too skinny on one side.  I figured I might be able to cut a die out it or something so I saved it.  I decided I could use it and make another sympathy card by cutting an extra border for the edge to hide the mistake.  I glued the background down so it was centered on the card.  I glued the border down over the top of the background and now you can't see it was a mistake!  Border is now even all the way around and I have an extra sympathy card for my stash.

Keep your mistakes.  Some day you might find a treasure inside.

Have a great crafting day!

Netta

Season Has Begun

I wish I was referring to Christmas Season but I am not.  It is the season for banging out those Holiday cards but sadly it is also the season for Sympathy as well. 

If you have followed my blog for at least a year, you have heard me talk about it.  For those of you who are new....for the past 15+ years I make and donate all the sympathy cards to a local nursing home throughout the year.   Thanksgiving through New Years is always the worse.  There has been some years where I had to switch off...one Christmas...one Sympathy.  Last year was not as busy, which was good for the nursing home.  Not many passed away thank goodness!

This season started early.

I was asked to make 3.  I better make a stack and be ready.

Here is what I made.

I recently picked up a die from Diesire called "Classic Floral Frame".  My first one did not cut out all the pieces so for the rest I shimmed with a piece of copy paper and it worked excellent.  It may be time to switch out my plates on my Big Shot.  The sentiment outside came from Stampin Up set "Walk in the Wild".  The bow, which I LOVE, is an Impression Obsession bow.  I topped it off with Stickles "True Blue" on some of the flower centers.

Thank you for stopping by!

Netta

May You Find Comfort

Time for more sympathy.  It's always hard to come up with so many sympathy cards each month.  I am happy to do it for the nursing home to give out but the reason why is difficult.  I have been putting it off all week and now the deadline is up. 

Here is what I finally came up with today.

I ended up making 5 of these sympathy sunset cards.  

To make this card, I used 4 different stamp sets.  A Stampin Up set "High Tide",  a Stampendous Set "Seaside Chair",  Sheena Douglas set "A Little Bit Scenic" and another set from long long ago that I do not know the name of.  The Misti really helps getting several cards of the same done in record time.  I did my usual to get the sunset look...sponged the ink on.  

With the cards delivered, I can now go back to getting birthday cards done.

Thank you for visiting!

Manetta

Lighthouse

Two stamping sets.

Two versions. 

Two different reasons.

One day of inky fingers and fun!

Hope you are enjoying your day with a little crafting time!

Netta

Sympathy Sunset

One of my favorite stamps from Impression Obsession is called Trees and Lake.  I have used it for birthday cards before and this time it is a sympathy card.  The tree stamp was inked with Stampin Up Basic Black.  I used distress inks and sponges to create the sunset.

These two cards were easy but one of them was also the hardest.   One of the cards will go to a very close family friend, Jeff.   Jeff lost one of his sons a couple of years ago and on Friday, he lost his last remaining son to a car crash.  Both sons were very young and both were lost suddenly.  To top it all off, on Saturday his wife had a heart attack and is in the hospital.  I can't imagine the stress and what they are going through right now.  My heart goes out to them both. 

Manetta

Kaleidacolor Leaves

I have these leave stamps and 3 color combos of ink that has not been pulled out in over a year so I decided to play with them.  It was time to make more sympathy anyway. While I was at it, I made additional birthday card.  

The inks I used was Kaleidacolor Denim, Blue Breeze and Autumn Leaves.  I was quite sure they would be dried up by now and was shocked to see they were still nice and juicy!  They are made to slide apart so you can re-ink them without bleeding into the other colors.

The leaves are from a very old set from Close to my Heart called Skeleton Leaves.  It is a nice set of 4 different shapes clear stamps.   Not sure why but I have rarely used it.  The ink worked well on the leaves.  Reminds me of fall the way one leaf can have different colors.  Could be used for masculine cards easily enough.

These are very hard for me to do......one layer but I pulled it off.

Cards are already shipped off or used.  

Thank you for stopping by!  Have a great day!

Manetta

Sincere Condolences

A little embossing.  A little stamping.  A little die cutting.

You get a simple sympathy card.  

Butterfly Border

I recently bought a Memory Box Kensington Border die that is so pretty.  I used it to make two sympathy cards to add to my stash.  One I left simple and the second darker one I used a little bit of purple glitter on the butterflies.  

The sentiment "With sympathy" came from one of my favorite sympathy word sets from Impression Obsession.

Have a great day!!

Feather and Negative Space Scene

Another sympathy card done.  

I used a die called Feathers on the Wind by Spellbinders to cut a negative space in the white cardstock.  The piece I cut out and one other feather was sprayed with blue Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist.  While that was drying I also sprayed a mat with same color and along the edge of the negative space background.  

 One of the stamps from Crafter's Companion Luscious Landscapes, was stamped on a piece of white cardstock.  I just swiped with sponge across the image with Stampin Up ink colors So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie and Tempting Turquoise.  I glued the part of the scene that I wanted behind the negative space and cut the rest off.  Everything was glued down together.

Thank you for stopping by!  I am off to create some more!  Have a good crafty day.

Blooming With Memories

It is that time again.  The nursing home needs more Sympathy Cards.  I love making and donating the cards but it also saddens me that more of their members have passed.    On a good note, it was a very quiet season during all the holidays for the first time in years.  

I used a sketch to make this card for them.  Using a corner flower stamp in my Misti, I was able to get both corners stamped exactly in the same spot on all the cards.  I just stamped one corner and flipped the card over and stamped the other corner.  I may have said this before...and it won't be the last....lol....but the Misti, which can be found at My Sweet Petunia,  is the best tool ever!  It is perfect for speed stamping when you have a ton of cards to make of the same type.  

I roughly colored the flowers with Kimberly Watercolor Red pencil in the center.  A Blender Pen helped me to pull the colors out to the edge, leaving some areas white.  It is hard to see but the center has a drop of Black Diamond Stickles to give it just a hint of sparkle.  The butterfly is an EK punch.

I have submitted this to a SBR-US challenge to use black, white and red as the focal point.  

Thank you for stopping by!  I hope you have the best crafty day ever!

It's That Time Again..Sympathy

Christmas is such a happy time!  I love making all my Christmas cards and I have been busy!

But along with the Holiday cards. I have to make many sympathy cards as well.  For those who might be new to my blog, I make all the sympathy cards for a local nursing home.  They send out cards to family members when their loved one has passed.  Inside the card, they write a personal note about the one who passed.  During the holidays the passing of loved ones climbs higher than any other time of year.  There have been some years where I have to match card for card (sympathy and Christmas).  Thank goodness the past 2 years it has been on the quiet side.

The sympathy cards are usually mass production.  I give them a batch and they let me know when they are low. 

Now back to Christmas Cards!

Netta

Facebook Quote Inspiration

I came across a quote that was posted by many on Facebook and it was my inspiration to do this card. 

 Many liked the quote...I looked beyond the quote and took in the nighttime blues and the stars.  I thought..that would make a beautiful card!

I only used 2 stamps on it.  One was a Stampin Up tree stamp from the set called "Serene Silhouettes".  The other stamp "With Deepest Sympathy" came from Impression Obsession set called "Sympathy Sentiments".

To make the card, I brayered Stampin Up Pacific Point ink all over the entire white cardstock.  I stamped the tree 2 times on the card.  I used Black StazOn ink to stamp the tree facing up because I wanted a nice dark black color.  I used Versafine Onyx Black ink to stamp the tree facing down for the reflection.  The reason I used a different ink for the reflection is because I did not want that crisp black color.  I wanted to ink it and stamp off some of the color on a scrap piece of paper first and I could not do that with the StazOn ink.  

Next I tore a piece of towel paper with small bumps to mask off where I wanted the grassy knolls and inked up a sponge with StazOn.  After I was got the area I wanted sponged with black ink, I flipped over the ripped paper towel so I could ink the reflection of the grassy knolls in the water.

With another sponge, I sponged on Stampin Up Night of Navy ink to get the darker sky along the top and along the very bottom of the water.  

Finished the main part of the card with stamping the sentiment with Stampin Up Whisper White ink and using Gelly Roll Clear ink pen to make the twinkling stars.  Don't forgot to add the stars in the water as well for their reflection as well!

I made 2 more with same technique. One I forgot to take a picture before it was mailed off. =( 
 The sentiment on this card is from the same Impression Obsession set called "Sympathy Sentiments".

Hope this inspired you to try brayering and sponging on your creation!  Just be prepared to get some ink on your fingers!

Netta

Sketch Challenge #4-Butterfly Sympathy

Butterflies galore!

Well...3 anyway lol.  

My first attemp was a flop.  I did not get them even at all.  For the second attempt, I drew a light pencil mark across the card and it helped...still a little off but that is ok!  I stamped the first butterfly from a Martha Stewarts clear rubber stamp set and stamped that in the middle of the card with versamark.  The left and right butterflies were matched up wing tip to wing tip and the bottom of the wings were set along the pencil line.  I used heat embossed the images and sponged Versafine Majestic Blue all over it.  

This is the sketch from Challenge #4 that is used.

I used a ruler to draw another light pencil light where I wanted the blue to end and I cut along that line but going around the butterflies.  

I had a scrap piece of paper that had like a blue crackle paint on it.  It looked perfect for the bottom half.  

Thanking of you sentiment is one of the stamps in the Stampin Up Wet Lands set.

I am going sympathy, Christmas and birthday so I don't get dragged down by too many birthday or too many sympathy.  This way it also gets my Christmas cards started.  So far it is working!

Have a crafty day tomorrow!

Netta

Sketch Challenge 1

I belong to a small craft group and we started a new Sketch Challenge once a week.

We are on Sketch 3 so I am playing catch up!

Here is my take on the first Sketch

Here is the sketch from the challenge

Now off to go continue creating and getting the other two challenges done!

Back later!!

Manetta

Heartache and Memory

Quick post today to show you a card that was all done in gray and black.  Very simple and quick card. It is not often I make a card that has a verse on the front.  This time it just fit well.  

This Impression Obsession poem is my favorite and I use it a lot on my sympathy cards.  

If you click on the photo you will be able to see just a hint of sparkle.

Thank you for stopping by!

Manetta