Messages of Sympathy from Peaceful Moments

Unfortunately, we all have a need for a message of sympathy here and there.  It seems that we have an increased need for them as we get older ourselves.  But I recall keeping a selection of cards in my desk at work for those sad events as well.

This card is one of those that could be used to send a loving note of comfort.

This particular card is much more about the inking technique than a particular stamp set.  In this example, I have used my go-to Stampin’ Up! Peaceful Moments stamp set for both sentiments and the silhouette floral image from Nature’s Print stamp set.

The card cuts are very standard – and there aren’t many:

I used a circle die that measured 2-1/2” in diameter to create the “mask” that contains the inking on the front of the card.  Although I have a paper punch with this measurement, the Layering Circle Die Set is the other way to create the mask.  The benefit of the die set is that you can place the circle anywhere on the 4-1/4” x 5-1/2” panel where the paper punch limits the placement.

I then used washi tape to hold my mask onto the outside panel for inking

Here is the fun part:  use a piece of computer paper to tear a jagged edge across the sheet.  I made sure that there were some straight tears along with some that were pointed in either direction.  This paper will allow you to create that misty mountain and cloudy sky effect.

I used Night of Navy and Smoky Slate inks for this design, as well as Stampin’ Up! Sponge Daubers, to paint the design.

Place the torn computer paper mask across the circle at varying angles and use different parts of the edge to create a mountainous look.  With the sponge dauber, start with the Night of Navy ink and gently brush in an upward motion.  That upward motion will color the lower section of the open space, but it will then allow you to deepen the color along the edge of the computer paper mask.

I brought the Night of Navy portion of the design to around half of the circle mask and then changed over to the Smoky Slate ink to create that ominous sky…or mountains further back in the landscape…it depends on how you see it!

Continue inking until the entire circle contains the design.  Avoid touching up as that always leads to a problem – for me at least.  And always remember that it is better to use less color than more.  You can always add – but you cannot take color out easily.

I used the floral spray from Nature’s Print to create the design in Basic Black ink.  Using my Stamparatus, I stamped the sympathy message in Basic Black ink as well.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love the Stamparatus?

I LOVE the Stamparatus!  I mean I love it BIG TIME!  I have invested in almost every stamp placement tool on the market…heavily invested in them.  But the Stampin’ Up! product is by far the best!

Why, I hear you query? 

• Because of the movable plates that fit into the base perfectly.  They allow you to stamp the same image multiple times.  That is so very important when you are not good at stamping – and I am not good at stamping.  Using blocks to stamp images is a disaster for me – almost to the point of giving the hobby up many years ago.  The stamping positioning tools fixed that problem for me.

• But in addition to that, the Stamparatus allows you to reposition the stamping plate itself so that you can create beautiful stacked stamped effects!!  (Love!!!)

• And then, because you can have multiple plates, you can align your stamps and create multiple images on a single panel.  It works perfectly when you are creating a batch of cards that have intricate stamping without having to realign stamps for each panel.  (Love!!!)

But I have digressed from today’s card design…

This design did not seem to need embellishments on it, as I wanted the design to be somber for this occasion.  But you could certainly add a small twine bow to the stem of the floral spray if you wanted.

Adhere the inked design to the Smoky Slate Panel and then add both to the Night of Navy card base.

I used a Basic White Mat for the inside of the card and stamped the sympathy message (also from Peaceful Moments) and the floral spray from Nature’s Print.

I love the contrast of the deep Night of Navy with the Smoky Slate gray.  But, as usual, I seldom think to use it until I am inspired by one of the card challenges!

Because of that inspiration, I have entered this card into the Color Throwdown – The Original Throwdown Challenge #726 that requires the use of Navy Blue, Grey, and White.

I need to keep this color combination in mind as it is very striking and perfect for so many types of cards.

Thank you so much for checking in on today’s card. 

I hope that it offers you some inspiration as well.  I love this technique.  It is easy and so very effective.  In fact, I look at them weeks after I have made these cards and wonder at how artistic I must have been feeling at the time!!  And it isn’t that at all…it’s all about the ink and the daubers!

And try different color combinations for some truly amazing results from somber (like today’s card) to seasonal (summer or fall colors), or fantasy world (like pinks and greens).  It’s all about the daubers!

The following is a list of supplies that I have used for this card: