With Sympathy -- ScrapbookPal.com

I've said before that sympathy cards are tough ones for me, usually because I'm so emotionally connected to the person I'm making it for.  I want to keep the card fairly simple so that the sentiment can be the star, but I also try to add a few special touches to make sure the receiver knows they are special and loved.  I probably put way more thought into the design than the receivers will ever notice, but when all you can do for someone who is suffering is send them your love in a card, you want to put your whole self into it, right?

One thing that helps me when I'm making a sympathy card is having just the right sentiment, so I was really excited to receive the Sympathy sentiment collection by Pink by Design, courtesy of ScrapbookPal.com.  Stamps are a new category, and they've already got an impressive selection!  These sentiment sets have a ton of different sentiments, and I was very impressed with how well they stamp.  (Some acrylic stamps leave a lot to be desired, but are nice and crisp and feel sturdy.)

I have two cards to share with you today, both using the Sympathy sentiment collection.

I added the sentiment on this first card to a vintage tag, then used a rolled flower to accent it. (More about those in a later post.)  I used these great Liquid Pearl Accents in Bisque to create a center for the flower, and then to add accents to the edge of the patterned paper and to the flowers in the paper.  That was the perfect "special touch" for this card.  I am a big fan of Liquid Pearls -- they are so easy to use, and they add such a nice pearly touch to projects.

Other Materials: Patterned Paper -- Daisy D's; Cat's Eye Chalk Ink in Dark Brown; Green cardstock -- DCWV

For the sentiment on this card, I stamped it onto a small strip of coordinating patterned paper.  But cutting a triangular notch out of the end and using my fingers to bend the paper into a wave shape, I easily created a pretty little banner to really accent the sentiment.  I cut a flower from the Home Decor cartridge and used the Liquid Pearls to accent that, as well.  I also added a pretty sheer ribbon, which I attached by sewing it with a single stitch at regular intervals.  Then I covered each stitch with a dab of Liquid Pearl -- so pretty!

Other Materials: Patterned Paper -- SEI; Cat's Eye Chalk Ink in Charcoal; Cardstock for flower -- DCWV