Yesterday I had a great day selling my finished projects at the Christmas Craft Fair in Wentworth, Nova Scotia. Despite the forecast torrential rain (courtesy of post-tropical storm Nicole), almost 500 people turned out to buy local. I’m always interested to see people’s reactions to the things I’m selling. Sadly one of my most popular items was sympathy cards, with customers saying they like to keep a selection on hand “just in case”. So now I need to make more, starting with this one using the Inspired Thoughts Stamp Set.

QUICK AND EASY

This card really was quick and easy to make and I started with the Neutrals 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper (DSP) pack. From the 10 colours I chose Gray Granite, and then from the four patterns I decided to use the dotted design.

First I cut a 2-1/4″ x 6″ piece and fixed it to the flap of a Basic White Medium Envelope using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow). Then I trimmed off the excess paper with my Paper Snips, using the edge of the flap as a guide.

Next I cut a 3/4″ x 5-1/4″ strip of the DSP and a 4″ x 5-1/4″ piece of Basic White Card. Using liquid glue I fixed the DSP along the bottom edge of the card and set it aside.

For my card base I chose Gray Granite Card. Using my Paper Trimmer I cut the card at 5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″. Then with the long side at the top I used the scoring blade to score the card at 4-1/4″. After folding the card along the scored line I sharpened the crease with a Bone Folder. Then I glued the Basic White layer on the inside with the DSP strip at the bottom.

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

Now I was ready to start on the front of the card. First I trimmed the remaining DSP piece to 3″ x 5-1/2″. Then using liquid glue I attached the DSP across the card front about 5/8″ from the crease.

Next I took the “With heartfelt sympathy” sentiment from the Inspired Thoughts Stamp Set and stamped it onto a 1″ x 5-1/2″ strip of Basic White Card using Basic Gray ink.

My original idea was to simply fix this strip on top of the DSP layer but then I remembered my stash of card scraps. Always keen to use these up, I grabbed the pocket containing all the Basic Gray pieces. In the end I chose two and glued them to the back of the sentiment strip. The one on the bottom was 1/2″ x 4-1/4″, and glued 1/4″ from the left end of the sentiment strip with 1/4″ showing below. The second Basic Gray strip was 7/8″ x 3-1/2″ and glued 1/4″ from the right-hand end with about 5/16″ showing above the sentiment.

With the contrasting strips in place all I had to do was attach the assembled piece to the card front using Stampin’ Dimensionals and my sympathy card was complete.

I love the simple design of this card and especially that unlike many sympathy cards it doesn’t have any flowers. I hope I’ve inspired you to try something similar for yourself.

Now I’m off to prepare for my annual 24 cards in 24 hours design challenge which was postponed from World Cardmaking Day due to Hurricane Fiona. I hope you’ll follow my progress over on my Papercraft With Me Facebook Page starting today at noon.

PRODUCT LIST

SEASONAL SALE – The Inspired Thoughts Stamp Set is just one of the items included in this year’s Seasonal Sale. The sale runs from November 15th to 18th, 2022 and features selected products from the Stampin’ Up! 2022/2023 Annual Catalogue. Check out the Seasonal Sale Flyer for the full list with discounts of up to 20%. Just remember the sale starts on Tuesday November 15th, and the products will only be available at a discount while stocks last.