Good Bye... for now

Professional associates and friends of ours have experienced profound loss.  The physical life of their 17 month old, Carl, was claimed by cancer last Friday.

To say that this has upset me is an understatement.  While my faith is not shaken nor moved, I have a deep sense of loss.

And creating a card for the death of a young toddler was not natural.  Subdued colors just didn't seem right... for there was nothing about this child that was subdued.

the inside:

For sympathy cards, I often go with butterflies... a symbol of resurrection and the recognition that though this life has ended... there is another to come.

I rejoice that Carl has a life now free from lumbar pokes, iv's, ng tubes, catheters, nausea, sores, confinement, sleeplessness... now he is full of joy and praise and in the presence of Christ!

Card Details: Stamps: Butterfly Inchies, Sympathy, Butterflies are Free Set, I will give you rest, all from Rubbernecker Stamps; Ink: Fluid Chalk Ink: Dark Brown; Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Peeled Paint, Shabby Shutters, Peacock Feathers; SU!: Bashful Blue; Papers: Bazzill: brown and embossed green; SU!: Whisper White and Bashful Blue; DP: Me an My Big Ideas; Accessories: border punch, Cut-n-Dry Stamp Pad Felt, label die, and foam tape;

Watercolors and Sympathy

I have a sympathy card for you today.  As usual with sympathy cards, I never make just one... I make a few.

The flowers were inked with distress inks. I use damped cotton swabs ($ store ones are best -- less cotton) with some ink from re-inker bottles.

When the stamp was fully inked it was misted with water and stamped onto white cardstock. (Regular office supply variety).

I masked the flowers with office paper (copy weight) and then stamped the background over it. The background stamp was inked in the same manner... Inked with Shabby Shutters and the edges with Peeled Paint.

The die was then lined up with masked area and run through my machine to emboss but not cut.


Supplies:

• Stamps:  Rubbernecker Stamps: Red Tulips - 744; Days ahead - 742-03; sympathy - 742-01; Antique lace - 767;
• Inks: StazOn Jet Black; Tim Holtz Distress Inks: Peeled Paint, Shabby Shutters, Ripe Persimmon, Faded Lipstick, and Spun Sugar;
• Accessories: Spellbinders Dies; foam tape; May Arts Ribbon; 

Thank you for stopping by, today.  I hope you don't need a sympathy card, but my advice is to make them before they are needed.

Sympathy in Navy

Today I was inspired by the Moxie Fab World, Tuesday Trigger: I'm Craving Navy!

I was completely inspired by the photo.(photo credit)  I love the clean fresh look... white accented by a good dose of navy.

I confess, navy is not a "go to" color of mine, but it is of my daughter and while working with it, a few other color/navy combinations came to mind... so don't be surprised if I go on a navy kick for a few days.

My project is a sympathy card.  I have always found they are best made ahead, since there is often too much emotion to make them when needed.

To ink this stamp(Red Poppies from Rubbernecker -- like the irony?) I inked the stems of this stamp with Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Stormy Sky and the blossom with Faded Jeans.  I then took a paint brush inked with Chipped Sapphire and accented some of the details of the stamp.  After a quick "huff" I stamped the image on white cardstock.  The sentiment "In Loving Memory" was stamped with black.

The rest of the card uses background stamps: Abstract Roses embossed in white & Flourish Shadow stamped with Faded Jeans (and edges sponged with Stormy Sky).

Details: 

Stamps: "Red Poppies", "Abstract Roses", "Flourish Shadow" and "In Loving Memory": all from Rubbernecker Stamp Company:

Inks: Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Stormy Sky, Faded Jeans, and Chipped Sapphire; Memento Tuxedo Black; Versamark;

Cardstock: Super Smooth white and navy from Bazzill;

Accessories: white embossing powder; foam tape, ink blending tool;

I can't wait to see how this Tuesday Trigger inspires others!

You can do this!!!

Am I the only one who was intimidated by the Kittie Kits from Rubbernecker???   I mean, sure they have all the stamps that she uses, and yeah she makes it look so easy…but…

…But will I be able to do anything with them??  Will I just look like a failed Kittie-wanna-be??? 

Am I the only one who thought like that??

Well, even if I am the only one who had these thoughts, I want to tell you that if I can do this—so can you. 

When in TX with Kittie I expressed my fears, but she encouraged me to just give it a try.  Not only was I amazed that I could make something that looked nice, but IT WAS FUN!!!

Here is my first attempt:

I just used regular Georgia Pacific cardstock, after all, I was just playing around.  The ground was made by sponging the edge of a torn paper mask.  I also watercolored a few branches.  I cropped out the parts that didn’t work—and the ribbon is covering an unfortunate smudge.  But I am fairly happy with the results.

My second attempt:

This time (taking Kittie’s suggestion) I used real watercolor paper.  I felt more in control of the ink and playing with my fine watercolor brush to make branches and fill in the trunk.  The clouds are my old standby for watercolored sky—a water color crayon. (Sadly I need a sympathy card for my dear SIL—who lost her stepfather last month). 

Does the world need another Kittie Caracciolo??  Nope, we have an absolutely WONDERFUL one. 

In fact, she is so wonderful that she encouraged me to try something that has brought her great joy and satisfaction.  (Yeah, she is REALLY like that!!)  And through this I am having fun making Kittie-ish scenes in my own Jules-ish way.

So if you have been on the fence on whether to try a Kittie Kit or two, I really suggest getting one of the masters (Outdoor Master or Beach Master) and giving it a try.  After all—it is only ink and paper!!

More Sympathy

A rough week at work for dh.  He needs another sympathy card.   Not to mention that the staff has lost three (all elderly) dogs in the past 6 weeks.

I used the Verve set, Serenity.  I intended to use this weeks sketch, but it got looking a little fussy.  I generally like sympathy cards to be a little more simple.  I did get to use my new "29th Street Market" paper by My Mind's Eye.  Yummo!!  To stamp on, I used SU!'s Whisper White mainly because dye ink tends to pool up on polymer stamps--and this paper seems to re-distribute the ink so it isn't splotchy.

Materials Used:

• Stamps: Serenity (Verve);
• Paper: Whisper White and Really Rust; DP="29th St. Market" (MME);
• Ink: Old Paper and Tea Stain Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Ranger);
• Accessories: Dew Droppy Thingies (Michael's); Sponge;

Thanks for looking. I sure hope my next project will not be a sympathy card!
 

More Birches

Sadly my dh needed a sympathy card (a family member of a co-worker died). So I used the handiest stamps (and mask that was already made)--the ones I used yesterday.

The base layer is watercolor paper that was misted with plain water. Then I stamped the birch leaf with Old paper, Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint and Brushed Corduroy Tim Holtz Distress Ink. The base was misted with a water, Perfect Pearl (pearl), and Shabby Shutters. So the base has a bit of a shimmer. The sentiment was placed with a Stamp-A-Ma-Jig.

Materials Used:

• Stamps: Birches and Birch Leaf (Rubbernecker); Sentiment from Close as a Memory (SU!);
• Paper: watercolor paper; Old Olive (SU!);
• Ink: Palette Noir (Stewart Superior); Old paper, Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint and Brushed Corduroy Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Ranger);
• Accessories: Creamy Caramel Watercolor Crayon; watercolor brush; plastic dew droppy thingies (Michael's);

Thanks for the kind wishes on my news yesterday--I am floored to be working with such UBER-talented women!

Edited to add Rubbernecker has extended the sale on Adirondack Pigment Pads and Re-Inkers till August 11th. Check it out!

Back in the Saddle

Well, the watercolor saddle.

I used to watercolor very often and since my colored pencils came onto the scene--I have gotten out of the habit. But last night I needed to unwind a bit (Christmas Stress) and I figured watercoloring was the ticket.

I also needed a few sympathy cards. I think simple is best for sympathy cards. So I just used this lighthouse stamp from Inkadinkadoo on some watercolor paper made into a card. This one is for my brother in law who lost his mom right before Thanksgiving. (Simple not flowery).


I also thought this was the perfect time to try out my new stamps from Starving Artistamps. These equestrian images are perfect for a family friend who is across the country going to the police academy. She has waited so long to get into an academy (there have not been any in Michigan due to budget constraints). She is entering *Hell Week* according to her parents. I hope this card can take her mind off of her stress for at least a moment. She loves horses (being away from her horse will probably be the hardest part of the academy). I am certain she will be able to relate to the sentiment!!




This last card is because I remembered that Tracey over at Starving Artistamps needs card in the portrait orientation rather than the landscape orientation. So I re-did the same design but in the other direction. I am so glad I did--because I like it much better. It wasn't the direction my instinct let me to go--but it is better!

I really like the sun stamp. I misted the stamp, colored it with watercolor crayons, re-misted it, then stamped it on misted watercolor paper. With the mistings, the colors ran a bit--giving the illusion of a hot midday sun. (Something that is lacking here in northern Michigan).

I made multiples of each card (it is that time of year when I need multiples of everything). And when I had completed watercoloring each card--I was a calmer person. Probably from visiting the summer shore and the hot prairie--and I never left my home.