Thanks so much for visiting my blog! Today I'm participating in a Blog Hop with other Stampin' Up! demonstrators from around the world as part of Kylie Bertucci's Demonstrator Training Group. I hope you are creatively inspired as you hop along with us! One of the hardest times to find the right words of encouragement and support is when someone has lost a loved one. My sister’s husband passed away last week, and I found it hard to find the words to express what I wanted to say to her. Sometimes there are no words that will accomplish what we really desire, to take away or ease the pain and sorrow someone is feeling. A friend expressed it this way to me: “I wish I could think of something encouraging to say, but everything that comes to mind pales compared to you losing a family member. It just plain sucks.” I’m finding that creating a card for someone not only expresses a special message in words, but it also carries a part of me along with that message. The process is somewhat therapeutic for me as I choose just the right colors, stamp set(s) and layout design. Creating a card does not have to be hard. Even someone who doesn’t think they are a “crafty” can stamp a card with a special message for the receiver. The products and tools that Stampin’ Up! offers make it so easy to coordinate colors and create a special card. With my sister’s loss fresh in my mind, I chose to use the Lasting Lily stamp set to create a card using just Whisper White cardstock, Blackberry Bliss ink pad, and Whisper White ribbon for the March Simple Stamping challenge. The Lasting Lily stamp set is a Sale-A-Bration that can be received free with a $100 order during the Sale-A-Bration season. It is one of the Distinctive design stamp sets that create an impression of depth just from the ink. I used an 8.5”x11” sheet of Whisper White Thick cardstock cut in half for my card base, which when folded in half gave me my 4.25”x5.5” card front. I have never been a fan of stamp sets that required multiple colors or layers of inks to create a design, but using the Stamparatus allowed me to easily line up the stamped flowers, stems and sentiment. I stamped the lilies and sympathy sentiment in Blackberry Bliss ink and the stems in Old Olive onto a piece of 4”x5.25” standard Whisper White cardstock. A length of Whisper White ribbon colored with Blackberry Bliss ink was then glued to my stamped image and adhered to my cardstock base to finish my card front. I love to show how you can use the same stamp set in different ways to get different effects. Using the same stamp set, along with the coordinating Lily Framelits Dies, and the Subtle Embossing Folder, I stepped up the complexity of the card a bit here. Instead of the Whisper White Thick cardstock, I used Blackberry Bliss as my card base. I stamped the same images, but die cut them with the coordinating thinlits. I ran a piece of 4"x5.25" Whisper White cardstock through the Big Shot using the Subtle Embossing Folder, then die cut that with one of the rectangles from the Stitched Rectangle Framelits. To pick which size rectangle to use, I just laid my die cut lilies and stems on my embossed piece until I found a size that I liked. I glued my stems to my lilies and adhered them with Dimensionals to my embossed layer, added a piece of 1/8" Whisper White colored with my Blackberry Bliss Stampin' Blend, and adhered by embossed layer to my card base. I finished my card front by adhering my die cut sentiment with a Dimensional. Here is a list of supplies and tools used: Lasting Lily Stamp Set (149717) (Free w/ $100 SAB item) Whisper White Thick Cardstock (140272) Whisper White Cardstock (100730) Blackberry Bliss Ink Pad (147092) Old Olive Ink Pad (147090) 3/8" Classic Weave Ribbon Whisper White (144159) Blackberry Bliss Cardstock (133675) Lily Framelits Dies (150771) Rectangle Stitched Framelits Dies (148551) Subtle Embossing Folder (143706) 1/8" Sheer Ribbon Whisper White (144172) Blackberry Bliss Stampin' Blends Combo (147932) My recommended everyday tools for stamping used here include: Stampin' Trimmer (126889) Big Shot (143263) Big Shot Platform (142802) Magnetic Platform (130658) Bone Folder (102300) Simply Shammy (147042) Stamparatus (146276) Snail Adhesive (104332) Stampin' Dimensionals (104430) Mini Stampin' Dimensionals (144108) Thanks for hopping with all of us and stopping by my blog today. Don't forget to check out all of the other blogs in the hop below! Posted by Kim Thompson at 4:00 PM Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest
