Sharing in Your Sorrow

I was in need of a sympathy card for my wonderful blogging friend, Carol, who recently lost her father.  It broke my heart to hear that he passed on their 56th wedding anniversary...

Pretty sure Canada Post has not delivered this yet, so you may be getting a sneak peek at your card, Carol.  So wish I could deliver this to you in person, along with a huge hug - darn Rockies!  High hopes that one day I will be able to give you that hug in person!

I adore Stampin' Up's Thoughts and Prayers set.  The vine and tree image are right up my alley and the sentiments are fabulous!  The only down side to the images is the challenge of inking them by hand using my ink spots -- but it is definitely worth the battle!

I kept things simple for mailing purposes, but went a bit unconventional with the double hearts.  At first glace it looks more like a wedding card, but my thought process behind using the hearts was their representing my sharing in Carol's sorrow of her losing her dad, or the hearts representing Carol and her mom sharing in their sorrow of having lost a father and a husband.   A punched border down the side added some softness and some half pearls a bit of texture.

 

What's In It?
Stamps:   Thoughts and Prayers (Stampin' Up) 
Paper:  Pretty in Pink, Going Grey (Stampin' Up)  
Ink:   Pretty in Pink, Mellow Moss, Black (Stampin' Up)
Accessories:   Heart Die (The Cat's Pajamas), Border Punch (Martha Stewart), White Half Pearls, Dimensionals

Masculine Sympathy Card

Masculine sympathy cards are not easy to make...  I used this week's Viva La Verve sketch by Stacey, and the 1 Peter 5:7 verse from Faith Medley.  After humming and hawing for a while, I finally decided to go non-traditional with the colours and added some spiral clips I found in my stash.

My friend lost his father, who he was very close to, and though there is great sorrow at losing his presence here on earth, I know he takes comfort in the fact he will one day see him again in Heaven.   Yet amidst the comfort of that knowledge, there are always times of deep, emotional, heart ache when one misses having your parent to walk through life with, call for advice etc.  My prayer is that this verse will comfort him during those times.

A busy weekend ahead as we celebrate all the September family birthdays, along with a soccer game and my son reffing two games too.  Our schedules are in full swing now, and I think we will have a very low key Sunday to enjoy some down time!

Wishing you a fabulous day!

Challenges:  Simon Says - Anything Goes

 
 
What's In It?
Stamps:  Faith Medley (Verve Stamps)
Paper:   Kraft, Real Red, Night of Navy, Cool Caribbean (Stampin' Up), Cream Linen, Costco DP Pack
Ink:  Black    
Accessories:  Starry Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Crimper (Fiskars), Chicken Wire Embossing Folder (Provo Craft), Black Half Pearls, Spiral Clips, Dimensionals

VLV Recap and Viewfinder

It's my turn to do the Viva La Verve recap for this week's sketch provided by Diva Maureen.

I was in need of a sympathy card this week after hearing of the unexpected drowning of the husband of a mom whose kids attended the same elementary school mine did.  It is heartbreaking as they have three children, the oldest being fourteen and the youngest nine.  The autopsy found he had a brain tumor at the base of his skull which most likely caused a seizure when he was in the water, causing him to drown.  So thankful for the wonderful school community that has rallied around the family and many close friends that will walk along side them during this difficult time.

I used this wonderful verse from New Mercies and over stamped it with the foliage image in the same set for some dimension.  Added a secondary "praying for you" sentiment, along with a bow and some butterflies to finish things off.

Thanks for popping by and if you want to see which cards I chose to highlight for this week's VLV sketch and Inspiration Photo, head on over to the Viva La Verve blog and check it out.

Wishing you a fabulous day!


 
What's In It?
Stamps:   New Mercies (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  So Saffron, Kraft (Stampin' Up)  
Ink:  Black, Certainly Celery (Stampin' Up)   
Accessories:  Flag It Die Set (A Cut Above by Verve), Swiss Dots and Heart Blocks Embossing Folders (Provo Craft), Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart), 5/8" Satin Saffron Ribbon, Button, Black Half Pearls, Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

Oil of Joy

Julee has put together this fabulous sketch for us to work with this week, and/or this wonderful colour combination.  You can use just one or the other or combine them on your project.

I was determined to combine them this time round as last month I totally forgot about the colour combination.

Our ex-neighbours, dear friends and adherent third set of grandparents to our kids are grieving the loss of his mother this past week, so I wanted to get a sympathy card out to them to let them know we are holding them in our prayers and there for them.  I used the Award Banner die and one of my all time favorite go to dies -- Flutterby.  The sentiment is Isaiah 61:3 from Scripture Medley 1 and I love using it to encourage people during this hard season of life.

Thanks for popping by and if you want to see which cards I chose to highlight for this week's VLV sketch and Colour Combination, head on over to the Viva La Verve blog and check it out.

Wishing you a fabulous day! 

 
 
What's In It?
Stamps:   Scripture Medley 1 (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  In Bloom (Reminisce), Going Grey, Old Olive, Rose Romance,  Kraft, Cream (Stampin' Up)  
Ink:  Black   
Accessories:  Award Banner and Flutterby Dies (A Cut Above by Verve), Doily Die, Circle Nesatabilities (Spellbinders), Crimper (Fiskars), Swiss Dots Embossing Folder (Provo Craft), Buttons, White Half Pearls, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

The Card Concept

What a fun challenge Lesley has thought up over at The Card Concept.  Not only that, I can finally put a name to my style thanks to her descriptions!  Clean and layered it is :)

Loved the colour combination for this challenge and I pulled out some of my favorite tools to create this card.  This sentiment from Shining Star was perfect for my need of a sympathy card, because as God's promises give great comfort in times of deep sorrow.  

The sympathy card is for the wife of a wonderful man whose memorial service I will be attending this Saturday.  It was with great sadness that I heard of the death of this amazing man who loved life, loved people, and loved God with all his heart and soul.  Esophageal cancer that was misdiagnosed as acid reflux by his doctor early last year, claimed his life a few short months after proper diagnosis this Fall...    

He was one of the pastors at a church I attended for many years and yet he didn't stay in the comforts of the Western world, but followed a call on his life to work with an orphanage in the Ukraine.  For the past ten years or so, he ran the orphanage, which provided a home for orphans of all ages. He also didn't want to "lose them" once they were adults so he added a trade school to the orphanage so the older orphans could stay on longer, learn a viable trade, and by doing so have a new lease on life in a society that doesn't do much in the way of support for orphans. 

In addition, the trade school helped fund some of the costs of running the orphanage, so those who grew up in the orphanage were able to give back to the place that gave them a new lease on life.  Not only that, he was also the man who married us almost eighteen years ago.  He will be dearly missed indeed...   On the bright side, I know it will be a wonderful memorial giving testimony to his life and the many ways God used him to touch the lives of others.  Legacy.   That's what it's all about, and it just so happens to be my word for 2014. 

Thanks for popping in :)

 
 
What's In It?
Stamps:   Bloom and Grow (Verve Stamps), French Script (Stampin' Up)
Paper:  Kraft, Pretty in Pink, Early Espresso, Creamy Caramel (Stampin' Up), Cream Linen   
Ink: Black  
Accessories:  Elegant Leaves Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Lacy Circles Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Flower Die (PTI), Martha Stewart Punch, Swiss Dots Embossing Folder (Provo Craft), Crimper (Fiskars), 5/8" Pink Sheer Ribbon (Michael's),  Pink Liquid Pearls, Button, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals    

With Deepest Sympathy

This week's sketch and inspiration picture are brought to us by Anya.  Just love this picture!  I was inspired by the flowers and all the green.  Orange got a bit left out so I can say I focused on the bottom left side of the picture wink, wink {grin}.

Unfortunately I was in need of a sympathy card.  A friend of mine lost her disabled son to pneumonia last week and it just breaks my heart to think about it.  

I used K & Company's Classic K McKenna paper and used Verve's fabulous Deepest Sympathy Plain Jane for the sentiment.

Want to win a $100 gift certificate to the Verve Stamps store?!  All you have to do is complete all the sketches in a given month and load them on the Verve Challenge Thread on Splitcoast Stampers and a random winner will received the gift certificate.   Easy peasy, and with a recent release and another one coming in the near future, it's the perfect way to get some spending money :)

Thanks for popping by today and have a fabulous day!

 

What's In It?
Stamps:  Deepest Sympathy Plain Jane (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Classic K McKenna (K & Company), Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke, Rich Razzleberry (Stampin' Up), Cream Linen
Ink:  Black
Accessories:  Lacy Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Leaf Punch (Martha Stewart), Flower Die (PTI), Scalloped Border Trim (Stampin' Up), 5/8" Rose Romance Grosgrain Ribbon (Stampin' Up), Cream Half Pearls, Bling, Button, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Amethyst Deepest Sympathy

Loved Janelle's sketch this week. The perfect layout for a sympathy card I needed to make for a dear friend who lost her grandmother this past week.

I decided to use purple on my card as purple is her favorite colour, and I'm trusting it will bring a smile to her face amidst her sorrow.

Verve's Deepest Sympathy Plain Jane is such a fabulous stamp!  Love the size and the mix of fonts - Julee's forte :)   It fit perfectly in the oval and I added a touch of lace and some pops of yellow as well as a bit of bling to finish things off.

 

If you want a chance to win a $100 gift certificate to the Verve Store, all you need to do is play along with all the sketches for this month on load them on to the Verve Forum over on Splitcoast Stampers.  Here is the link to Verve's Splitcoast Forum which gives you all the sketches and challenge details.

I'm barley coming up for air after and insanely busy week - phew!!  Weekend is going to be a crazy busy one again, and I for one am very much looking forward to next Friday as the kids will both be out of school and I don't need to set my alarm for 6 a.m!!

Back tomorrow with my Just Us Girls card.  Vicki has a fabulous inspiration picture for us this week!



What's In It? Stamps:  Deepest Sympathy (Verve Stamps), French Script (Stampin' Up)
 Paper:  Lavender Lace, Perfect Plum, Certainly Celery, So Saffron (Stampin' Up  
Ink: Black, Almost Amethyst (Stampin' Up)   
Accessories:   Flag It Dies (A Cut Above by Verve), Scalloped Oval and Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Lace,  Leaf Punch (Martha Stewart), Crimper (Fiskars), 1/8" White Satin Ribbon, Paper Rose (Recollections), Bling, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Just Us Girls #189 - Colour Challenge

This week's colour challenge is brought to us by Vicki and it's a lovely neutral pallet with a pop of colour.

I used Verve's second May sketch with this week's colours (plus my added touch of  black and cream neutrals).  The sketch was making me think I really do need to get some doilies...I have managed to put it off to date as I'm not a huge fan of them, but I think the need to succumb is in order as one would have been fabulous on this card.  Can you tell I do not like to follow trends that aren't "me".   Yes...I'm stubborn that way LOL!

Since my sympathy card stash is non-existent at the moment, I pulled out Verve's new Deepest Sympathy Plain Jane and stamped it on Verve's Curvy Bookplate Die and layered it over my lacy circle nestability.  Added a touch of cream and black neutrals to the mix and rolled a few roses to finish things off. 

The rest of the  JUGS team has some wonderful samples to get your inspiration going, so just hop on over to the Just Us Girls blog, and check out what the Design Team has created.  Then put your creative genes to work and add your card/project to the challenge post on the JUGS blog for the chance to be selected as Chic of the Week.  
 
Have a fabulous weekend everyone!  My son has a soccer tournament so we will be spending a lot of time at the soccer pitch.  Thankfully, due to late morning or early afternoon games, I will also manage to get a few sleep in days as I really do need them!!  Life is slowly getting back to normal as mom is doing better every day, and the push to get the big job for hubby done is just a few days away from completion - yeah!  Added bonus:  we get a long weekend!

Thanks for popping by today and if all goes well, I will be much more consistent with my posting.





What's In It?  Stamps:  Deep Sympathy Plain Jane  (Verve Stamps), French Script (Stampin' Up)
Paper: Kraft, Cream Linen, Tan, He Said She Said (Teresa Collins)  
Ink:  Black, VersaMark 
Accessories:  Lacy Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders),  Rolled Rose Dies (My Favorite Things), Leaf Punch (Martha Stewart), 5/8" Coral Grosgrain Ribbon (Michael's Ribbon Bin), Button, Black Half Pearls, Twine, Glue Dots

New Mercies

Love this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch and it's one I'm sure to use again.

Unfortunately, I am in need of a few sympathy cards, and this is the first one to be created.  One of my blog followers, Sharon Jones, lost her husband last week to a pulmonary embolism.  My heart aches for her and her thirteen year old son.

I immediately reached for Verve's New Mercies set as I just love this verse in Hebrews - such a powerful verse.  I over stamped the leaf image to pull in the pink from the paper and added a pink button and a bow to fulfill my "rule of three".  Hoping this brings them some comfort.  If anyone else knows Sharon and would like to send her a card, just let me know and I can forward you her address. 

Spring break has been great so far, with a nice balance of house jobs/chores getting done and fun times together.  We played Wii Sports doubles in tennis the other night and it was so much fun!  Biggest hazard was trying to to get hit by your partner as they swung their Wii remote to hit the ball!  Then on to the Wii Sports fitness challenge and I am proud to say this old gal scored an age of 29 - oh yah :)   No old mama here - just a fierce competitor LOL!

Have a fabulous day!



What's In It?
Stamps:  New Mercies (Verve), French Script (Stampin' Up)
Paper:  Garden Florals (Recollections - Michael's), Kraft
Ink:  Black and Pretty in Pink (Stampin' Up), VersaMark
Accessories:  Scalloped Trimmed Trio Die Set (Verve), 1 3/8" Circle Punch, 5/8" Pink Grosgrain Ribbon, Button, Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

A Simple Sympathy Card

I was in need of a sympathy card for a dear friend whose mother recently passed away and since I was crunched for time, this was the result.

I absolutely love Stampin' Up's Thoughts and Prayers sympathy set.  The images in the set just make me smile and have such a nice flow to them.  Plus the sentiments are wonderful.

I tend to like to use white or cream with a pop of colour on my sympathy cards, and pink was the "pop colour" of choice this time round.  An embossed background, some silver pearls and the ribbon jazzed it up just the right amount.

Thanks for dropping in today :)



What's In It?
Stamps:  Thoughts and Prayers (Stampin' Up)
Paper:  Pretty in Pink, White
Ink:  Mellow Moss, Pretty in Pink, Going Grey
Accessories: Lacy Circle and Circle Nesties, Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, 5/8" Pink Satin Ribbon, Button, Silver Twine, Silver Half Pearls, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

New Mercies

I'm behind on this months Verve's sketches so it's catch up time!

I needed a sympathy card for a friend whose mother recently died, and immediately went to Verve's fabulous New Mercies set.  So many fabulous sentiments for these difficult times - thank you, Julee :)   Loving these new Verve flower dies so they mysteriously appeared on this card ;)

Pulled out some DP from my dwindling Costco DP pack I got five years ago and matched it up with some purples.

One down and two more sketches to go.  Back soon with the next one :)  Until then, have a great day!

 

What's In It?
Stamps: New Mercies, Sunny Days (Verve)
Paper: Lavender Lace, Pretty in Pink, Rose Romance, Mellow Moss, Costco DP
Ink:  Black, VersaMark 
Accessories:  Lacy Oval Nesties, Flower and Leafy Sprig Dies (Verve),  5/8" Purple Satin Ribbon, Button, Twine, Dimensioanls

New Mercies

This week's challenge over on the JUGS Blog is a colour challenge and the mix is one of my favorites - happy sigh :)  Spring moss, light pink and cream and I tossed in a bit of white for good measure.  I also paired it with this week's Cards and Things sketch.

I used the fabulous Verve set New Mercies to make a sympathy card for the family of the man who used to be the Chairman of the Board at our church.  He was a warm, talented, very intelligent man who at a young age (age 50) had an amazing skill at taking input from people and condensing it all into a few key points that were right on the money.  He loved kids, was a huge overgrown kid himself, a great family man, husband and natural born leader.  His memorial service is going to be a big one and his presence will be dearly missed in many circles....

We'd love you to play along with this week's challenge. Simply make a card and link it to the challenge post.  If you don't have a blog you can use an online gallery and use key word JUGS128.  Who knows, you could be this week's winner :)

 

What's In It? 
Stamps: New Mercies (Verve)
Paper: Cream Linen, Mellow Moss DSP (SU), Pretty in Pink 
Ink: Black, Sahara Sand
Accessories:  Lacy Square Nesties, Flutterby Die (Verve), 5/8" Pink Sheer Ribbon, Pink Half Pearls, Buttons, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

FTL 100th Sketch Celebration

This layout was too fun to resist, and I can see myself using it many times again.  Just love the scallops and  with it being FTL's 100th sketch, I just had to play along :)

Thoughts and Prayers, was my set of choice.  Just love the two images in this set!!  It is definitely one of my favorite SU sets.  I opted to go with the flowered vine image and used Mellow Moss and Pretty in Pink, one of my all time favorite go to colour combinations.  I was very saddened to see Mellow Moss retiring so I made sure I ordered enough to keep me going for a long time LOL!   Kraft was a fabulous match with these colours and some half pearls added just the right touch to the flowers.  Just noticed I love a pearl center to one of my flowers somewhere along the way to the picture taking!  It has been fixed and when I get a chance I'll retake the photo.

Have a fabulous day and thanks for popping in today :D






What's In It?
Stamps:  Thoughts and Prayers (SU)
Paper:  Kraft, White
Ink:  Mellow Moss, Pretty in Pink, Sahara Sand
Accessories:  Corner Rounder, Half Pearls, 5/8" Pink Satin Ribbon

Verve Release Rewind Sketch for February

Carrying on with the Verve Release Challenges, this is the sketch I chose from the February selection of Verve Inspiration sketches.  I basically cased this card as I needed a sympathy card for a friend who lost her mother this past weekend.

I dug into my Costco DP pack (will I ever get through this LOL!) and chose this fun DP.  Other change is the use of Swiss Dots to the background of the main sentiment panel.  Another fun sketch to be able to use again. 

If you wish to play along on a few of the challenges, just head on over to the Verve Forum on SCS.  Party is this Friday and the thread is here.

Two challenges down and three to go! Off to check out the March sketches.  Have a fabulous day :)




What's In It?
Stamps:  Thoughts and Prayers (SU)
Paper:  Brocade Blue, Certainly Celery, Costco DP
Accessories:  Circle and Scalloped Circle Nesties, 5/8" Satin Saffron Ribbon, Yellow and White Half Pearls, Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, Marvy Flower Punch, Scalloped Scissors, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

River Rock and Flowers

 

How things can change in a day.  Yesterday we had four inches of snow and today, it is basically all gone as it poured rain all through the night and it is up to 7C (46F) already.  Gotta love West Coast  snowfalls: here today, gone tomorrow!

I had two ideas in mind when I first saw this sketch, one being a focal sentiment and the other a focal floral (try saying that a few times quickly LOL!).  As you can see, the focal floral won out.  This Penny Black image has been a long time favorite of mine and I never tire of using it.  I decided to go with Black, River Rock and Cream because I wanted to stamp the flower image in black, and this lovely colour combination worked like a charm.  I used my Nesties for the ovals and had to stamp my  main image a few times because it isn't easy to get a good image on linen paper due to the texture it has.  However, after really inking up my stamp, attempt number three was successful LOL!   I used Itty Bitty Backgrounds for the River Rock panels for a subtle pattern as I didn't want to take away from the main image.  Wrapped things up (no pun intended LOL) with some sheer black ribbon and a sentiment.

Hope you are closer to being ready for Christmas :D  Have a fabulous day!

What's In It?

Stamps:  Penny Black, Itty Bitty Backgrounds (SU), Warmest Regards 

Paper:  Black, River Rock, Cream Linen

Ink:  Black

Accessories:  Oval and Scalloped Oval Nesties, 5/8" Sheer Black Ribbon, Dimensionals