Tag: sympathy cards

Guest Star Stamper for Color Throwdown #280

I am delighted to be a Guest Star Stamper this week, for Color Throwdown Challenge #280. Here is the inspiration/colors photo:

And here is my creation:

The concept for this card came when a young neighbor friend of ours was hit by a car last Thursday night. Fortunately he suffered only a broken leg and a few broken ribs, with no head or internal injuries. All of us – in our close-knit neighborhood – are very grateful that it wasn’t much, much worse!

I’m afraid I’ve been in a rather somber mood since the event, and it had me thinking about a masculine ‘get well’ card that we could send to him. After I began to create, though, this card morphed into more of a masculine sympathy card instead. So I suppose I’ll have to start over on the get well card.

Thanks for stopping by today. 😉
-Ally

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Spring Tulips (Sweet & Sassy Stamps)
Paper/Cardstock: Classic Kraft, Dark Chocolate, Rustic White Cardstocks; Enchanted Evening and Ripe Avocado Patterned Papers (PTI); Soft Sky Cardstock (SU!)
Inks: Dark Chocolate (PTI); Tea Dye Distress Ink (Ranger)
Embellishments: Rustic Cream Button Twine (PTI)
Tools: Linen/Canvas Impression Plate (PTI)

Coloring on Kraft

On our previously-mentioned vacation, I specifically took some images stamped onto kraft cardstock in order to practice coloring with my Prismacolor pencils. I had seen some of these around blogland and loved the look of the colors on kraft.

Here are two cards created with two different images I completed:

This lovely image is from the Standing Tall stamp set by Annabelle Stamps, and the sentiment is from Papertrey Ink’s Boutique Borders – Birthday set. I tried to fit this card into the Retro Sketches #82 design, hope you can see it there. I think I’ll submit it to this week’s Seize the Birthday, also.

The image on this card is from the Wildflowers stamp set by The Craft’s Meow, and the sentiment is from Papertrey Ink’s Think Big series. And I think I’ll throw this one into the ColourQ #208 challenge as well.

Thanks for stopping by today. Hope you all have a great weekend!
-Ally

Challenge Photos:

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Standing Tall (Annabelle Stamps); Wildflowers (Craft’s Meow); Think Big Sentiments, Boutique Borders – Birthday (Papertrey Ink)
Paper/Cardstock: White Cardstock (Xpedx); Kraft and True Black Cardstocks (PTI)
Inks: Tuxedo Black (Memento); Prismacolor Pencils
Embellishments: Wink of Stella Glitter Marker; White Embroidery Floss

ColourQ Sympathy Card

It feels so good to make a card! Oh my goodness.

The ColourQ #208 challenge made it super easy on me, so here is a very simple creation with black and white and one additional color.

My favorite Wildflowers silhouette stamp, against a sponged background. And sentiment from my (relatively) new Peaceful Wildflowers stamp set. Beautiful sentiments in that set – I love them.

Thanks for stopping by today. 😉
-Ally

Challenge Photos:

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Wildflowers (Sweet & Sassy Stamps); Peaceful Wildflowers (My Favorite Things Stamps)
Paper/Cardstock: White Cardstock (Xpedx); True Black Cardstock (PTI)
Inks: Tuxedo Black (Memento)

And A Single

Well, I started with a triple, then a double, and now a single. Any guesses on what the prospects are for tomorrow….?? LOL. 😉

I recently bought a package of watercolor pencils, and I’ve been wanting to try them. I had a little personal time while watching some college softball on TV Saturday, so I grabbed a few supplies to try a rudimentary water-colored panel. The Retro Sketches #62 challenge looked like it would work for what I was creating, but I did flip the sketch 180.

Not too bad for a first attempt, I suppose.

The background is Smokey Shadow, though it looks pretty black here. I’ve been on a Smokey Shadow kick lately. I embossed that panel with the Wood Grain impression plate. I stamped one of the Long Stem Silhouettes images onto the focal panel and then added some white embroidery floss and a banner with a Gracious Vases sentiment stamped onto it, also in the Smokey Shadow color.

Very clean and simple here today.

Thanks for stopping by today. 😉
-Ally

Challenge Photos:

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Long Stem Silhouettes (Sweet & Sassy Stamps); Gracious Vases (PTI)
Paper/Cardstock: White Cardstock (Xpedx); Watercolor Paper (Strathmore); Smokey Shadow Cardstock (PTI)
Inks: Tuxedo Black (Memento); Smokey Shadow (PTI); Watercolor Pencils (Sargent Art)
Embellishments: White Embroidery Floss
Tools: Wood Grain Impression Plate (PTI)

Color Throwdown 235

Oh my word, y’all know how to make a girl cry!!

Thank you to all of you who have commented on my 120 Followers Giveaway post this week, and especially to those who opened their hearts to share with me why you visit my blog. I was very touched by your kind thoughts and generous compliments, and I’m grateful for the insights into how you perceive and appreciate my personal style of card-making. My ‘style’ is something that I often think is lacking, but the cards that stay truest to that personal style are the ones I love the most. It was refreshing for my heart to know that others enjoy that style as well. 😉

You’re all so kind and sweet, I wish I had a package for each and every one of you to win!!

Your comments were a boost to my spirit. And that was a very welcome respite amongst all I’ve been through this past month!

Thank you so much.

And I am amazed to see that there are 7 new followers just since Monday – Wow! I think I’ll have to find something to add to my prize package to make it an even 13 items now… 😉

I do have a card to share today. Something very, very simple for the Color Throwdown #235 challenge. These are some of my favorite colors to see together – the rose/brown/white combo. Beautiful! Here is what I created with them:

I’m not sure I do these colors justice, but I really like this simple, rose/brown/white card. I used my favorite Sweet & Sassy Wildflowers stamp set, heat embossing it in white onto a block of Primrose petals cardstock. Then I sponged the edges with Raspberry Ripple ink for a little shading. I adhered that panel over a block of Dark Chocolate cardstock using foam adhesive. The sentiment is from PTI’s Gracious Vases stamp set, stamped in Dark Chocolate ink onto a Double-Ended Banner die cut.

I tried to add some twine or a few rhinestones. But my simple side stopped me and said, “Let it be.” So there you go.

Thanks for stopping by today. 😉
-Ally

Challenge Photos:
Supplies Used:
Stamps: Wildflowers (Sweet & Sassy Stamps); Gracious Vases (PTI)
Paper/Cardstock: White Cardstock (Xpedx); Dark Chocolate (PTI); Primrose Petals Cardstock (SU!)
Inks: Dark Chocolate (PTI); Raspberry Ripple (SU!); Versamark
Embellishments: White Embossing Powder
Tools: Double-Ended Banner Die (PTI)

Dynamic Duos #40

The colors for this week’s Dynamic Duos challenge are Tempting Turquoise and Basic Black, with an optional ‘clouds’ theme.

At first, I wasn’t sure I could work clouds into a card. And then when I began working on the idea I devised, I wasn’t sure Tempting Turquoise would work on a sympathy card! But this is what I created with today’s challenge points:

I used an MFT Jumbo Cloud Stax die and two Memory Box Puffy Clouds dies as masks in sponging the Tempting Turquoise background. It was my first attempt at this kind of sky/cloud-scene sponging, and I don’t think it turned out too badly. I don’t really think of Tempting Turquoise as a sympathy card kind of color, but I thought it worked okay here, in the end.

Make sure you stop in to see what the rest of the Design Team have created and to check out the details for this challenge. I hope you will participate with us!

Thanks for stopping by today. 😉
-Ally

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Lovely As A Tree (SU!); Serene Silhouettes, Sheltering Cherry Blossom (Sweet & Sassy Stamps)
Paper/Cardstock: White Cardstock (Xpedx); True Black Cardstock (PTI)
Inks: Tempting Turquoise (SU!); Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Embellishments: Pearls (Recollections)
Tools: Guide Lines Grid Impression Plate (PTI)

PTI Anniversary Design Team Favorites 1

I am going to try to play along with some of the Papertrey Ink Anniversary challenges this week. I’m not making any promises! But I am going to try. 😉 I just really need some creative fun right now.

On one hand, it is great to participate in the fun. On the other hand, they make the challenges nearly impossible sometimes – like today’s challenge asking us to be inspired by ‘just’ one of the Design Team’s favorite items. I mean, really.

And I know we can do several projects (if one’s time permits, LOL!), but it’s tough to narrow it down when they are all so good, know what I mean?

Well, after a bit of deep thought, I finally went with Debbie Olson’s card found here. I really adore Debbie’s style, so clean and pretty. And I also adore her abilities with Copic markers! Wow.

So here is my little offshoot of her beautiful creation:

Some aqua MME paper in the background and also for the banner. I used my favorite Harvest Berries stamp set, and also my other favorite Communique Curves stamp set for the sentiment. Added a bit of edge inking and some stitching, too. The button is a neglected supply finally being used- Yay!

I also paired up this card for the Paper Players #131 challenge for a sympathy card.

Thanks for stopping by today. 😉
-Ally

Challenge Photos:
Supplies Used:
Stamps: Communique Curves Sentiments, Harvest Berries (PTI)
Paper/Cardstock: Dark Chocolate, Vintage Cream Cardstock (PTI); Designer Paper (My Mind’s Eye)
Inks: Dark Chocolate, Ocean Tides (PTI); Tea Dye Distress Ink (Ranger)
Embellishments: Pearls (Recollections); Rustic Cream Button Twine (PTI); Misc Button; Machine Stitching
Tools: Harvest Berries Die (PTI); Tim Holtz Distress Tool