So Much Sympathy

Last night I received news from a friend of a serious infection she has. A few minutes later there was a call of a cousin who had a heart attack. As I sat to begin writing this post I received a call that a dear friend had just passed away. Life as an older adult brings so many challenges, so much bad news. The good news is that God is with us and loves us through all our trials.  His strength is made perfect in our weakness. I'm thankful I had just made these two cards and will certainly need more.

I was playing with the color orange. I used Nectarine dye ink and a water brush for the first one and watercolor paints for the second.

I'm sharing these cards with the following challenges:

613 Avenue Create #217 - anything goes/option watercolors

Make My Monday #87 - use words or a sentiment

Unicorn Challenge Blog #39 - Things with wings

Word Art Wednesday #370 - 371 - anything goes

Thank you for visiting! May you be strengthened by the Lord when life brings its trials. 

365 Promises:  Promise #18: My power will rest on you when you are weak.2 Corinthians 12:9 (WEB)

He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me.

Strength, Peace, and Comfort

One of the things I love about crafting is that I can do most of it sitting when I'm battling illness. This weekend I've barely been able to walk thanks to auto-immune challenges. It seems to attack a variety of joints and tendons. This time my foot and ankle have it the worst, with joints all over joining in after a couple of days, so I finally relented to take the steroids to stop the progression, gritting my teeth against the side-effects. And I was thanking God for wheelchairs in the urgent care office!

What made me smile was the Bible verse and devotional I read today at 365 Promises. I usually share the promise at the end of my posts, but today's verse said, " He makes my feet like deer’s feet, 
and enables me to go in high places."   So my faith was bolstered by the similarity and I'm asking for deer's feet after two days of not being able to walk without severe pain.  You never realize how much you have to walk or stand until you can't and need someone else's help. (Thank you, dear hubby!) I usually don't like to share my weekly battles with health issues because they're pretty frequent and I don't want to sound like a whiner, but sometimes it seems to be appropriate to share what encourages me, hoping it may encourage someone else, too. 

The other thing I love about crafting is being able to use my craft to let others know how much I care, especially when I can't get out of the house as much as I used to.  More than anything else, it gets my mind off of my own pain and on how I can bless someone else. One of my friends from church lost her sister, so here is the sympathy card I made for her today to let her know I'm praying for her.

I have Christmas paper pack scraps out on my desk, so I gleaned the gray x paper and gold stripe from last year's CTMH Silver and Gold paper pack. I'm still using long-retired CTMH butterflies. I added black dots with Nuvo Crystal Drops.  The PTI sentiment was stamped on vellum with Black StazOn and framed by the Reverse Confetti die cut.

Thank you for visiting! May God strengthen you during life's challenges and help you to encourage others with your cards!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
Addicted to Stamps and More #301 - anything goes
Craftaholics R Us Challenge #29 - anything goes
Crafting By Designs - anything goes
Crafty Catz #426 - anything goes with dies or punches
Creative Fingers #150 -  anything goes
Moo Mania and More - butterflies
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge  -  use a die or punch
Sum More Fun Mood Board #33 - I chose the butterflies
Word Art Wednesday Challenge #344-345 - anything goes
Habakkuk 3:19 (WEB) Yahweh, the Lord, is my strength. He makes my feet like deer’s feet,
and enables me to go in high places.
365 Promises of God - Promise #203: I will strengthen you with feet like a deer so you can reach great heights.

Atlantic Hearts Sketch With Deepest Sympathy

This morning I read the daily encouragement at 365 Promises.

That promise sounds like something I'd love to share with two of my friends who recently lost loved ones.Weeping comes for a time, but there will be joy again. I never have enough sympathy cards so when I also saw the challenge at A Gem of a Challenge to make Get Well or Sympathy, I knew what I needed to make. I want to always let those I know who've lost loved ones that they are in my prayers.

I used this sketch from Atlantic Hearts Sketch turned on it's side:

 

I wanted my card to be simple with a light colored background and decided to choose the subtle glacier-colored flower outlines to be cut using Cricut Artfully Sent. I sized my image for this 5" x 6.5" card and you are welcome to use my cut file here.  I put a charcoal mat under the cut layer and a rectangular vellum mat as the 2nd mat. A piece of gold glitter cardstock lined the cut flower and the gray ribbons includes the middle one with a stripe of gold. 

I kept the inside simple with three stamps from Our Daily Bread Designs. I cut off the top card base part of my Cricut cut and used part of that rectangle to decorate the sides inside.

Thank you for visiting! May you find the joy that drives away sorrow! I find my joy in Jesus Christ!

365 Promises- Promise #119: My everlasting joy and gladness will drive all sorrow and mourning away.

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

4 Crafty Chicks #400 - anything goes with optional Less is More (CAS)

613 Avenue Create #208 - Anything goes with optional twist - add vellum

A Gem of a Challenge #218 - Get Well or Sympathy

Atlantic Hearts Sketch #261 - sketch above
Word Art Wednesday #332-333 - Anything uplifting

Tic Tac Toe Challenge #45 -  top row across and middle row down

5" x 6.5" Card Recipe:
CTMH Paper - Chelsea Gardens (stripe), retired Happy Times (floral outlines), Charcoal CS, Vellum, Gold Glitter Paper
Stamp - ODBD With Heartfelt Sympathy
Ink - Black
Embellishments - CTMH Light Gray Ribbon and Basics Ribbon Pack (gray with gold stripe)
Tools - Cricut Design Space and retired CTMH Artfully Sent cartridge

As long as I have breath...

A dear friend lost her husband this week several decades too soon, so I've been frequently praying for her. Another family at our church lost a sister/daughter/aunt this week.  I seem to need sympathy-type cards frequently. Here is the first. It simply started with this blue and kraft colored image from Graphic 45's Botanical Tea, which I've nearly used up. I had wanted to make it for this week's Color Throwdown challenge using light blue, kraft, and white, but of course mine also has the neutral cream color so much a part of Graphic 45. I added white glitter tape, white sequins, and white for the sentiment and card base.

I  chose two Psalms about prayer for this card from Verve's Scripture Medley Five: "Because He bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath." Psalm 116:2 and "Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you." Psalm 55:22. The truths in these verses will be needed for life's challenges to come. I'm so glad the Lord listens, cares, and is always near to help those who take their cares to Him. 

I embossed the Sky blue cardstock with the CTMH Rose embossing folder. I used a PTI border die to cut the kraft border and added the leftover inside. Some burlap twine seemed to go with all the kraft.

Thank you for visiting. May you, too, take your cares to the Lord who wants to sustain you if you'll only ask.

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

4 Crafty Chicks #386 - with Sympathy

Aud Sentiments Challenge #195 - anything goes

Color Throwdown Challenge #476 - kraft, light blue, white

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Birds of a feather

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - add a sentiment

Word Art Wednesday 318-319 -  anything goes.

Blessed Sympathy Card

I had been sick over the weekend and Monday my doctor was out sick, so I went to urgent care who sent me to the ER, which was so crowded I thought we'd be there all night. When I was checked in, they informed me that all of the hospitals in our metropolitan area were closed to ambulances. My hubby and I wondered what would happen to people who needed emergency care via ambulance. Then today I learned that the mother of one of my friends died unexpectedly during the night from a heart attack. She only lived a few blocks from the fire station and ambulance, maybe a mile from a small hospital. My friend and I had scrapbooked together on Saturday. As a single adult who had already lost her father, the loss of her mother is overwhelming. They did so much together.

My heart has hurt deeply for her since I heard the news, which prompts me to keep praying for her. I'm praying she will feel God's comforting arms and presence as He helps her through this storm. I wanted to make her a special card so today I chose this PTI stamp and die, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted" for her card. I'm so glad she's an active member in a large church. At times like this, God's people are His comforting voice, His comforting arms.

The MME "Sundshine" papers and this sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches were perfect for this card. The black diecut was from Cricut Flower Market.

I'm also sharing this first card with Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and Word Art Wednesday Challenge #266-267.

When our scrapbook club met this weekend, several of us made 12 sympathy and get well cards using leftover CTMH "Oh, Deer" papers:

I sprayed this card with Fern reinker in water, dried it, then stamped the parsley image using Juniper ink and the new "Good Thymes" stamp set.

(The butterflies on this card were cut using leftover Calypso paper.)

Take Heart Sympathy Card

When I saw the color challenge at Watercoolor Wednesday I thought it would be great for a sympathy card. Since our church has a number of older adults, I never seem to have enough at the right time to encourage someone that they are in my prayers. Here's their color palette:

Thank you for visiting! May God bless your crafting and may your crafts in turn bless others!


I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
Alphabet Challenge - K for Kindness
Aud Sentiments Challenge #160 - anything goes with sentiment
Crafty Calendar July - punches and/or dies
Crafty Friends #36 - use your dies
Scrapy Land Challenge #46 - emboss it! (& using Spellbinders dies)




5.5" x 4.25" Card Recipe:
Paper - CTMH Cardstock: Juniper, Colonial White, Outdoor Denim, unknown pink, older scrap of Juniper and Cream dp
Stamps - CTMH "Take Heart"
Inks - CTMH Juniper, Thistle, Outdoor Denim, Copic B99 Agate (to color the blue sequins darker)
Tools - Spellbinders "Foliage Two" and "Splendid Circles Nestabilities;" CTMH Quatrefoil embossing folder
Embellishment - CTMH "Magical Sequins"

Flower Vase Sympathy Card

I saw the challenge at Just Add Ink and knew I needed to make a LOT of these. Usually when I make a sympathy card I use soft colors and subtle patterns, so I started working on my stash with this card, but decided it wasn't my best. It was too soft for some friends.

I was thinking of some of my friends who have had a celebration of life for some of their family members. Drab colors would just not be appropriate, so here is my final card that I'm sending to a friend whose father passed away.

I wanted to include a vase and flower on my card, so I looked for color ideas for the vase. The colorful photo inspiration at the Time Out Challenge inspired the color and pattern of my vase, using a piece of Basic Grey, and the other colors. The Cricut cut vase is from the Serenade cartridge.

Thank you for visiting! I wonder how YOU feel about brighter sympathy cards. Feel free to leave a comment.

I'm sharing this second card with the following challenges:
Creative Card Crew #110 - Die Cut (Cricut vase, ODBD stitched oval)
Creative Corner - Flower Power
Just Add Ink #306 - Sympathy
Robyn's Fetish #311 - Add a sentiment
Time Out Challenge #54 - photo inspiration

Card 2:
Papers - Bazzill Cardstock, Basic Grey scrap for vase, CTMH Sapphire Cardstock
Stamp - CTMH retired "Words of Comfort"
Ink - Memento Black
Accents - retired CTMH chocolate opaque pearls on retired butterfly, Bitty Buds glitter flowers, lace and leaf ribbon from my stash, Recollections red flower
Tools - Cricut Serenade cart, Our Daily Bread Designs stitched ovals, "Stylized Flowers"Cuttlebug embossing folder

Card 1 retired CTMH patterned paper from my scraps, retired ribbon flowers, ribbon from stash, CTMH silver sequins, same stamps and ovals from above.

With Heartfelt Sympathy

I never have enough sympathy cards. I was glad to see the challenge from Bitten By the Bug2 today to make them with the Cricut. Sympathy cards seem to be hard to make sometimes. I've been on the receiving end enough to realize how much it means to know that someone cares, that someone is praying for you when you've lost a loved one. Here are two I made ahead, hoping I won't need them yet.

I chose a swirly frame stamp that uses a shape from Cricut Artfully Sent, sized 1.75." I cut two larger mats by adding an eighth and a fourth of an inch more to the heighth.  I used some old, retired scraps I had sitting out. All of the papers and embellishments are from Close To My Heart (except the flower and pink ribbon).

Thank you for visiting. May God bless your crafting for those you love!

I'm sharing them with the following challenges:
Bitten by the Bug 2 - Sympathy Card
Come and Get It - Ribbon and bows
Crafting for All Seasons #94 - Things with wings
Fussy and Fancy #131 - things with wings
Glitter n Sparkle Challenge #121 - both pearls (mine are black) and swirls (design in paper, frame, and pearl flourish)
Kitty Bee Designs #39 - use scraps
Sunday Stamper #342 - Wind beneath my Wings
Suzy Bee's Bloomin' Challenge #64  - add layers  (5 layers on my sentiment on last card)
Word Art Wednesday #167 - anything uplifting

Stamps used:
Sincere Expressions  and   Cricut Artfully Sent Curlicue Tags  and retired set

Twist of Faith #62 - In Remembrance

I was "absent" from my blog a lot lately. I had the privilege of being a crafter at a large craft fair in a local church last week. It was so much fun to visit with other ladies who also love crafts and to see what each shopper liked. I did find that I need to make many more sympathy cards for others as well as for my own use.  This week the challenge at Twist of Faith can be interpreted in any way - In Remembrance. My interpretation was to make a Sympathy card.

I was glad that My Sheri Crafts and Kaboodle Doodles also encouraged us to make Sympathy or Thinking of You cards, since they are such an important way to reach out to others in their most difficult days.

I loved the sentiment I found on our sponsor's website. It was perfect! It's called "In Sympathy Sent."

Our lovely sponsor is Digi Darla's Designs! Our random prize winner will receive their choice of  FIVE images! 

 

 

I used this sketch #283 from Sketch Saturday this week:

 

 

 

One issue I've always had in making sympathy cards is how to make it lovely and cheering without seeming inappropriately cheery. I used some retired paper from Close To My Heart that I'd been saving for wedding cards, but the floral gray, chocolate, cream, and peachy colors seemed perfect and soft for a sympathy card as well. Since that paper had butterflies and birds, I cut out a butterfly using the Cricut Artiste cartridge, then I backed it with gray patterned paper from the same packet and inked the edges. 

 

 

 

The inside has the rest of the sentiment from Digi Darla's Designs and a Scripture that I typed.

 

 

If you'd like to save my word art to use in your own card, you can left click on it to enlarge it, then right click to "save as." I saved it as a large jpg, so you can make it smaller to fit the size you need.

 

 

 

I hope you'll join us. Be sure to share your card creation with scripture, or uplifting verse or quote!

 

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Blogger's Challenge - Things with Wings

Brown Sugar #66 - Things with Wings

Chocolate Coffee and Cards #51 - Bugs and little critters -  butterfly

Flutterby Wednesday #259 -  any winged creature

Kaboodle Doodles #196 - Tribute to a Loved One

My Sheri Crafts #122 - A Little Comfort - Sympathy or Thinking of You

Sketch Saturday #283 - sketch 

Word Art Wednesday #104 - anything goes with scripture or uplifting/encouraging sentiment

The Perfect Sentiments Challenge #75 - Coral Orange, Aqua Blue, and Latte

I always think color challenges are fun. This week at The Perfect Sentiment we are challenged to
CREATE A CARD FOR THE OCCASION OF YOUR CHOICE USING THE COLORS LISTED BELOW.  DON'T FORGET TO INCLUDE A SENTIMENT ON THE FRONT. Please check with the Perfect Sentiments Challenge Blog for information on the prize.

I see this color combination in nearly every store where I shop. Jennipher listed them as Coral Orange, Aqua Blue, and Latte:

 

 

 

One of my friends at church lost her sister this week so I made this card for her using a sentiment from Our Daily Bread Designs, "With Heartfelt Sympathy."

 

I  used this sketch from Viva La Verve April Week 1:

 

 

 

 

I  used an older Juniper patterned paper from Close To My Heart. The front side of the paper is in the background and the back side of the paper made the banner. I cut and embossed the CTMH Sorbet cardstock using Spellbinders Nestabilities Lacey Circles and a medium polka dot embossing folder. The die cut that I stamped was from a set of shapes I had forgotten about, an "ancient" CTMH page of punch-out die cuts before the age of the Cricut. It was inked with Sorbet ink just like the  Bazzill "Peanut" cardstock which was embossed with the Cuttlebug "Poppy" embossing folder. I actually used the debossed side, which seemed interesting at the time. Simple embellishements seemed appropriate for a sympathy card, so I tied a sorbet ribbon on top and added two Petaloo flowers with pearls.

 

Please consider joining this lovely color challenge. I can't wait to see what you create!

 

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Alota Rubber Stamps - ribbon or lace plus a round element

Blogger's Challenge - Emboss Me

By the Cute and Girly - Vintage

Card Crafter's Circle - Die Cuts and/or Embossing

Card Mania #18 - die cuts and punches

Craft-room Challenge - So Sentimental, clearly showing the text/sentiment

Cuttlebug Mania - Sentiments only (+ Spellbinder's Lacey Circles die and Cuttlebug "Poppy" and The Paper Studio "Medium Dots" embossing folders)

LEJ Designs - Emboss It

Lexi's Creations - Lace or Ribbon (sorbet polka dotted ribbon to match the sorbet polka dotted circle)

Love to Scrap #4 - Cut it out (die cut lacey circle)

Pile It On #15 - Embossing

Through the Craftroom Door - Anything Goes

Viva La Verve - Week 1 April 2013 Sketch

 



PSC73 - Sympathy or Thinking of You

This week at The PerfectSentiments Challenge #73 we’d like you to create a card with a sentiment of Sympathy or Thinking of You.

Our sponsor this week is Robyn's Fetish who will award 5 free digis to a lucky winner. Many of our design team used digis from Robyn's Fetish in their cards today. Be sure you check them out.

 

Easter Sunday I saw the first daffodil open in my yard. Today I saw more. There is something so soothing and exciting when new life emerges in the spring. I seem to need a lot of sympathy cards for older adults, so I chose to make one with a floral image from Graphic 45's Botanicabella paper pack. I chose my color palette from those blooming bulbs.

 

The background cardstock was embossed with the Cuttlebug folder called "Poppies" which also came with a strip of embossing folder that I used on the Petal cardstock strip. I used three dies made by Spellbinder's Nestabilities. The reddish Tulip cardstock was cut with the Lacey Ovals.  I used a very dark purple Bazzill to cut the Fleur de Lis Rectangle and the Colonial White journaling spot was cut with their Scalloped Oval. The sentiment is from Close To My Heart.

 

The sketch came from Mojo Monday's Contest sketch #287.

 

Thank you for visiting. Now I'd love to see your creations at The Perfect Sentiments Challenge.

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Mojo Monday #287 - sketch

City Crafter #153 - anything goes plus special item- mine is from Linda's - embossing folders

LEJ Designs #47 - Your favorite style (vintage)

Lexi's Creations #87 - punches or DIES

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes ( I didn't use optional extra kraft cs)

 

 

Mojo Monday 283 Sympathy

One of my husband's uncles died and the funeral will be this week. Here's my first card for an aunt and uncle. I thought the Mojo Monday sketch was perfect, although I'm really late getting a chance to make this for the challenge #283.

The papers and stamp are from Close To My Heart. I embossed it with Cuttlebug's Kassie's Brocade.

PSC44 CAS Sympathy Card

"The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms . . ." Deuteronomy 33:27.

Quite often we have a difficult time knowing what to say when a friend has lost a loved one. I like to send a message to friends that God is their comfort and that I'm there for them, too.
This week the Perfect Sentiment Challenge #44 is to make a Sympathy card. The twist is to use a Clean and Simple design, which means there is lots of white space and limited layers or embellishments, yet still have a strong design.

We're being sponsored by Shelly's Images. One lucky participant will be selected to win one of their free digital images.

Clean and Simple is a great style for mailing cards since the embellishments are limited.

I chose to cut two roses from my designer paper and color empty sections with my alcohol markers - very quick. I stamped the sentiment, then ran the background through the embossing machine. The shiny, gray dotted ribbon that holds the roses gave me the inspiration to add the dotted background. I added gray sparkles, hoping to draw the eye from the roses to the sentiment and still be really simple. I was thinking of my friend whose father just died and added them for her, knowing that I'd hand deliver the card this week, so bulky sparkles wouldn't be a problem.

The stamp set I used had this sentiment that I used on the inside:

I'm also entering this card in the following challenges:

Heart 2 Heart Challenge - (use Close To My Heart supplies) With Deepest Sympathy

Lexi's Creations Challenge #71 - Sparkle and Shine

Really Reasonable Ribbon Challenge #53 - Bling and Ribbon

6.5" x 5" Sympathy Card Recipe:

Paper - Close To My Heart "Flirty" (roses), White Daisy cardstock

Stamps - CTMH "Words of Comfort"

Ink - Black

Accents - CTMH Slate Satin Polka Dot Ribbon, Black and Gray Assortment Sparkles

Tools - Cuttlebug embossing folder



Words of Comfort

Today I needed a card to comfort a family from our church that just lost a husband/son-in-law. I was very close to my grandmother, so when I was in my twenties and she was dying John 14:1-6 comforted Grandma and me. I stayed with her in the hospital one night so that my grandpa would go home. In her pain she whispered to me "I want him to take me home." I thought she meant Grandpa, since that night was the only night he had gone home to try to sleep. I told her that she needed to stay in the hospital so that the doctors could help her. She said, "No, I mean I want God to take me home." I had misunderstood, but the truth was so rich. Her home wasn't here on earth.  I had quoted it several times to my grandmother while she was ill and she believed that Christ did have a home for her. A couple of days later, she did go home. I miss her still, sometimes, but I know that she'll be one of the first ones I see whenever I go home. I hope the verse I chose for this card will be an encouragement for Lucille and her family like it was for me.

I made this card using the sketch and the Perfect Sentiments Challenge #25 "Uplifting Sketch" for a card of encouragement.

I chose the verse from  Our Daily Bread Designs Scripture Collection #2. The Shining The Light Challenge #102 on their blog this week was to show our favorite Our Daily Bread Designs stamp set. I pondered this quite a while since I like them all, but I went back to this one that I purchased first. I'm passionate about all of the verses in this collection.

I started designing the card using this Lucy paper and some light gray dotted paper, but needed another color for contrast, so I was happy to see the CR84FN Challenge #51 color palette for this week. The light blue was just the thing.

I hope God will bless you with the comfort of this verse.

5" x ^.5" Sympathy Card Recipe:

Paper - CTMH "Lucy," "Dotty for You (gray),"White Daisy, Sky, Taffy cardstock

Stamp - ODBD "Scripture Collection 2"

Ink - CTMH Black, Dutch Blue, Taffy

Other - CTMH Pink lace, Just Blooms; My Mind's Eye sparkles