Sunday, August 16, 2015

One Stencil = Three Sympathy Cards

As usual, when I need a sympathy card, I don't have one handy.  Since this one was for an Asian friend, I decided to pull out my 'sympathy' Japanese character stamp, only I didn't have one (or couldn't find it).  I did have a Dreamweaver sympathy stencil which worked out for what I wanted to do.  I started with a fibrous lavender washi paper torn to fit a standard card blank. Tip: To get a straight tear, hold a ruler along the line you wish to tear and run a small wet paintbrush along the line before tearing.
I used a Sizzix die (from a set) to cut the inner panel from a Japanese specialty paper.  After taping the stencil down with a small piece of washi tape it was run through my Big Shot machine using an embossing foam pad.  Before removing the washi tape, a little perlescent lavender ink was rubbed on the Japanese character.  All the layers were mounted with Merikan  double stick tearable tape (purchased at HM Ben Franklin Crafts).
For this version, I used a specialty paper that had leaves encased in the paper fibers.  I used Bo Bunny gold glitter paste in the stencil to wet emboss the 'sympathy' character.
Of the three, I think this one is the most visually pleasing.  I had trouble getting the color of the stenciled character just right so I started smudging my extra 'mistakes' and made one that worked.  Funny how sometimes messing around results in the best look.  I was pleased with the sympathy card I created for my friend and happy to have two extra ones for my stash.  Hopefully, I won't have to use them for awhile.  Wishing you a splendid week of crafting!

6 comments:

eunice said...

Nice work with these sympathy cards, Lynn. The colors and papers you chose are perfect--calming, serene and comforting. I always enjoy reading through your blog posts... I always learn so much as you go through the process of experimenting with different techniques.

Unknown said...

Wow, gorgeous! Such peaceful and beautiful cards. Love the layering with such beautiful paper!

Annette Allen said...

I think the color looks perfect.. very pretty

Cheryl M. Alipio said...

They're all very pretty!

Creations by Shirl said...

Great choice of colors, simply soft mellow perfect for that occasional use of it.

Leanne said...

These are lovely Lynn. The colors are soothing and the design is very appealing.