Yesterday was a momentous day as we learned of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. While we were separated by an ocean, my daughter and I watched the news unfold. Having heard that the Royal Family were all converging on Balmoral Castle in Scotland we knew things were not good. However when the news finally broke it still brought with it a sense of shock. We have never known a world without The Queen. Her selfless sense of duty inspired many and her presence will be sorely missed.

COTTAGE ROSE

So it should come as no surprise that I decided to make a sympathy card for my blog today. My sentiment would come from the Inspired Thoughts Stamp Set, but first I needed some images.

I really wanted this card to have a simple design so I chose the large rose spray from the Cottage Rose Stamp Set. This would be the coordinating feature throughout the project and I decided to work on them all at the same time.

First I needed to cut two pieces of Very Vanilla Card, one 3-1/2″ x 4-3/4″ and the other 3-3/4′ x 5″. Using Tuxedo Black ink I stamped the whole floral image over on the left side of the smallest piece of card. Then I stamped the image over the bottom left corner of the second piece of card. Finally I stamped it over the bottom left corner on the front of a Very Vanilla Medium Envelope. With that done I set work colouring the images using the Watercolor Pencils Assortment 2.

For the rose petals I chose Cherry Cobbler, and used the shading provided by the stamp designer as a guide for the darker areas. On the leaves I began with Garden Green, and then went over it with Granny Apple Green. Along the leaf stem I decided to use Cajun Craze. Then to complete the colouring I used Crushed Curry on the rose centres and the tiny flower stems.

Once the pencil colouring was complete I needed to ‘activate’ the pigment to give it that watercoloured look, however my choice of Very Vanilla Card and Memento Tuxedo Black ink were both unsuitable for water. So instead I used a Blender Pen to go over the pencil and smooth out the colours.

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

With the three images done I turned to the Inspired Thoughts Stamp Set for the “With heartfelt sympathy” sentiment. Using Tuxedo Black ink I stamped it in the top right-hand corner of the Very Vanilla layer with the complete floral image. Finally I was ready to put the card together.

I began by cutting a 5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″ piece of Basic Black Card. Then with the long side at the top I scored it at 4-1/4″. Once I’d folded the card along the scored line I sharpened the crease with Bone Folder to create a basic A2 card base.

Next, using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) I fixed the larger Very Vanilla layer on the inside of the card base.

That just left the smaller Very Vanilla layer with the sentiment and I decided to add a mat layer. So going back to my Paper Trimmer I cut a 3-5/8″ x 4-7/8″ piece of Basic Gray Card. Then I mounted the Very Vanilla layer on top with liquid glue, before attaching them to the card front using Stampin’ Dimensionals.

I had thought to leave it there but having look at the card for a while I decided to add a few embellishments. After some consideration I thought pearls would be fitting so I added three small Pearl Basic Jewels and my project was finally complete.

I am pleased with how this project turned out despite the sadness that inspired it. It seemed only fitting to create a sympathy card with a rose as colourful as Her Majesty’s outfits. Rest in peace ma’am.

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS EXTRA! I bought the Cottage Rose Stamp Set in a bundle with the coordinating Cottage Flowers Dies (not used today). Buying the two products using the single ‘bundle’ item number meant I saved 10% off the cost of buying them separately. I’ve included a link to the bundle below in case you want to explore that option. As an extra bonus if you buy this bundle before October 1st Stampin’ Up! will include a pack of Iridescent Pearl Basic Jewels for free!