SYMPATHY CARDS THAT GIVE A NOD TO "RAINBOW BRIDGE"

Just a couple of days apart, I found myself needing two sympathy cards for friends who had each lost one of their furry family members.  At first, I was at a loss as to what kind of cards to make, but then "rainbow" came to mind.  I love this design so much!  As I was making the two cards, I couldn't help but think of many of my own pets that have crossed the Rainbow Bridge.  People who don't have pets might have a hard time understanding how we can refer to them as "family members" and not just a cat or just a dog.  I actually think the best way to treat a family pet is like a member of the family; otherwise, a loving relationship and mutual desire to take care of and please one another might not exist.  There is no denying that our Ramsour (Border Collie) has studied our habits, movements, etc. long enough to know when to give us "that" stare that lets us know he wants to play, needs to go out, is begging for a treat, etc.  And since I know that our furry family members bring so much love and warmth to our home and heart, I felt the need to send a rainbow sympathy card to each of my friends.  This is definitely a design that I will use again!

The top and bottom right corners were rounded on this card.  The right edge of the  brushstrokes are flush because the watercolor paper was taped to my table to keep the edges from curling, and the strokes went past the tape.

The "sorry" sentiment was stamped with VersaMark ink onto the paper, and then heat-embossed with black embossing powder.

Got a furry family member?  Give him/her an extra few minutes of your time today!  They're one of many things to you, but you are EVERYTHING to them.  ;-)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOTHER!!!

Today is my mother's birthday, and I couldn't resist the temptation to create a watercolored scene for her card.  I started with a piece of watercolor paper, an Aqua Painter, watercolor markers, and several Art Impressions stamps.  I knew that I would use the chair image, but that was the only pre-determined plan.  This is what the front of the gatefold card looked like:

The inside looked too boring in its stark-white blankness, so I decorated it just a bit:

After I finished decorating the envelope (forgot to take a picture of it) and putting the postage on, I ended up hand-delivering it.  Oh well . . . at least my mother has two useable postage stamps if she can peel them off successfully.  

Join me in wishing her a blessed and HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

MERMAID SHAKER CARDS

When you need a card that is sure to deliver a bit of cheer, what do you make?  A shaker card, of course!  Last week, I needed two of them, and it was mermaid to the rescue.

Each time I make a shaker card, I realize that I don't exactly remember how it goes.  LOL!  Unfortunately, the card on the right was a bit crooked--but not by much--and it was my learning curve.  I was reminded (after making the first card) that the layer with the shaker pieces needs to be slightly smaller than the front layer and, once those two are adhered together, THEN it's much easier to see what you're doing to attach them to the front of the card.  In other words . . . the shaker pieces shouldn't be part of what looks like the actual card front.   I'm going to try to remember this going forward, even though I always seem to forget.

Stampin' Up!'s Magical Mermaid stamp set wasn't on my radar the first few times I looked at the catalog, but then it kept calling my eye.  I don't have any little girls, so why would a mermaid keep waving at me?  Well . . . mermaids aren't just for little girls, and this set has some great images!  I made one of the cards for an 8th grader, and the other one was made for my aunt Betty, who is 90 y/o.  I'll bet they both enjoyed their shaker card!

"ABSTRACT IMPRESSIONS" THANK YOU

The first stamp set that I worked with from Stampin' Up!'s brand new catalog is Abstract Impressions.  I knew when I first saw this set that it would live in my craft room, and I love it!  I already know that this one will be a "go to" set when I need to make a card but am short on ideas.  This card features Soft Sea Foam, Blueberry Bushel, and Whisper White cardstock and Garden Impressions designer paper.

I don't have a picture of the envelope that went with this card, but it was also decorated with the grass and flower images.  

There's a set of dies (10% off when bundled with the stamp set) . . . just look at the beautiful images:

Click HERE to see a video featuring this bundle

This is truly one of those stamp sets that you will reach for because you love it and it's so easy to work with, but also because the images can be used for so many occasions.  It's even perfect for those times when your creative muse isn't working.  ;-)  

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