Cutting Edge

Welcome, 

I have a real short post today.    This die is made by stamping up (so sorry I don't know the name).  It comes in two two pieces.  At first I wasn't sure what I was going to do with the large chunk of space.  Then I remembered I had a few really large sentiments that I rarely use.  They fit perfectly.   I added one clay red heart to each one of them.  I really like how they turned out. I think I might make more of them.  

Pet Sympathy

 Hello, 

No one likes making sympathy cards, but sadly we all need them.   I really liked that I could switch the animal on the cloud to make it more personal.  The sentiments all came from a MFT sentiment set.   The cards are pretty simple, but they are heartfelt. 

I originally made these cards in November of 2022. I've made remade them a few times to have them on hand.

No copics used

Poppy Paper

 Hello all, 

This is just a real quick post today.  I couldn't resist sharing.  I just love this card.  Stampin up released this Poppy Paper a few years back.  I happen to find a partially used pack of it at a garage sale this Spring.  I just finished the card off by adding a sentiment.  The paper did all the hard work.    Thank you all for stopping by! 

-Chris

No Copics today

Peace and Comfort

Hello, 

Sadly,  I've had to make a lot of Sympathy cards lately.  This set from Technique Junkies is called Peace and Comfort.  It was perfect for these religious cards.   I had this cross from Simon Says Stamp. I love how this cross has an intricate piece and also a simple cross.  You create two cards at once.  This is really helpful when you need to make several cards. 

Materials: STAMPS: use code TJ10Chris to save 10% Peace and Comfort Ink- Memento Ink: Paper: Neenah: Patterned Paper from Hobby Lobby Other: Bearly Art Glue: Sticky Mat-

Cross is from SSS

No copics today

Stenciled Flowers

 Hello stampers! 

I'm so impressed with how much stencils have changed.  When I first started stamping, they were a must have in the craft room, but it was because we needed them to create circles and shapes for our cards.  There was no such thing as a die cut machine at that time.    Once die cutting came about, stencils faded into the background but this resurgence has made me fall in love all over again.   This card is so easy and fast to make because of stencils.  The only stamp I used was sentiment. 

Materials:

Stencil Set: Scrapbook

Sentiment: MFT

Poppy Sympathy Card

Hello friends, 

I need to build up my stash of sympathy cards again.  Sympathy cards can be tough because of the nature of the card.  I like to keep sympathy cards simple.  This way it doesn't distract from the message.  The poppies are from an older Stampin Up set.     I love the pop of color the poppies give the card.   

What images or colors do you reach for when creating sympathy cards?

Hugs, 
Chris

Copics: 

Red :R35, R37  I did really simple blending.  

Purple Hugs

Hello friends, 

Sympathy cards are always hard to make, but they are so necessary to have on hand.  I wanted to play around with purples.  I also chose to de-boss rather than emboss.  I could be my imagination, but I feel like it gave the card a softer look.  What do you think? 

Copics used:

Purple: V09, V06, V05, V04, V01, V00  or BV08, BV04, BV02, BV01, BV00
Green: YG67, YG63, YG61
White gel pen

Red Bird

Greetings,

I think sympathy cards are some of the hardest to make.   I try to keep the card simple so that the focus is on the sentiment.   I used this new set from Altenew.  You can see it here .   This is becoming one of my new favorite sets. I use it to create soft backgrounds for my characters to stand in or infront of.

On this card I used a really old bird from SU.  It has long been retired.  I did find a similar one and it is linked below.  I used a black and white gel pen to add some details to the bird. There is a close up below.

Leaves used:  Altenew
Similar bird: Bird

No copics today

Flower Perch- in copic-- video included

Hello,

My crafty friend Lisa and I were chatting the other day about how different stamps can look different depending on how you color.  We thought it would be a fun idea to see how each approached a stamped image.   We picked Penny Black's Flower Perch.

We picked the image because we thought it would look amazing in both watercolor (she is awesome with watercolor) and copic.   Other than that we didn't have a plan.  Here is how my card turned out.  Click here to go to Lisa's watercolor post.   Please be sure to leave her a comment and tell her hello!

Here is the video I made showing my process:
(If you are in your email the video won't play. You need to go to youtube or my blog)

Okay...so I made two of them.  Practice. Practice Practice.
Copics are listed in the video.

Please be sure to check out other project on

M Y C A R D  B L O G : http://www.purplelakestamps.com
F A C E B O O K: http://www.facebook.com/purplelakestamps
I N S T A G R A M : http://instagram.com/purplelakestamps
E B A Y:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/fargets?ref=seller-platform-mcnav

Layered Flowered-Sympathy

Hello stampers,

I have a beautiful, elegant card to share today.   I don't know what kind of flower this is...so I made it blue.  I love the contrast with the brown card stock.  I also thought it would work well for a sympathy card.  What do you think?

No copics today

Cat Sympathy

Hello all,

I got a little behind in blogging last week.  Connor was traveling for work last week and I was managing the munchkin on my own.   We had a good time together, but he slows down the card making process.

Unfortunately,  I had to come up with a cat sympathy card.  My Uncle's cat passed away unexpectedly.  The vet said he had heart disease.  It is really hard to detect in cats.  His loss was very sudden.  Oleo was a handsome ginger kitty.  He was very playful and the only cat I know that could poop in a toilet.    He will be missed.

Here is the card I made for my Uncle.  Hopefully it serves as a reminder that we are all thinking about him.

No copics today.

Purple Poppies

Welcome,

I have a quick card to share with you today.  I wanted to restock on my stash of sympathy cards.  I love the look of the purples with the black.  I felt like it created the perfect look for a sympathy card. What do you think?  What kind of stamps do you use for sympathy cards?

no copics today

Pet Sympathy- Paw Prints

Welcome!

I really like this card, but I hope I never have to send it.  I had a few requests for pet sympathy cards.  I made a dog specific card last month.  I wanted to make a one for all the cat lovers.  However, I couldn't find a cat image that I felt was appropriate for a sympathy card.   I decided to make this general card instead.

No copics today

So Sorry---pet sympathy

Howdy,

I did my last craft show of 2016 yesterday.   It is always bittersweet.  I love chatting with people about stamping.   It is also nice to sell all the extra cards I made throughout the year.  However,  it will be nice to have some of my weekends back!

One of the things I like about chatting with people about card making is I get ideas.  This year I was asked if I had any Pet Sympathy cards for sale.   Honestly,  I don't think I've ever made a Pet Sympathy card before.  It just never made the priority list.   I plan to make a cat version in the next few months.  I hope I never need them... but if I do it will be nice to have them in my card box.

Dog- N9, N7, N5, N3
Red: R29, R24
Blue: B01, B00, B000
I sponged just a touch of blue on the clouds

Flower of the Month: Snow Drops

Happy Monday,

It is time to share the Flower of the Month card for January.  This month's flower is Snow Drops.   Lisa Grey did a great job bringing these flowers to life.  It can be found here.  I wanted to do something a little different this month.  This month I made enlarged the digi so it would span across a A2 card.

The challenge this month comes from color choice.  Snow drops are a white flower and card stock is also white.  This poses a problem if you want the flowers to stand out and be the focal point of the card.  I decided to color a sky background so the white flowers pop off the page.

I started down at the bottom of the card with my darkest color blue.  I slowly worked through the blues to my lightest.  I wanted the lightest blue to fade to white at the top of the card. I listed all the colors I used at the bottom of this post.  If you are interested I have a detailed DVD class that shows step by step how to create this effect.

To create some depth when coloring the leaves of the flowers I colored the smaller stems/leaves darker green.  I kept the larger leaves a little lighter.  This way they the stems of the flowers didn't get lost against the broader leaves.

Lastly, I added some grey to the flowers to help create a little depth.  I chose really soft tones.  I didn't want the flowers to look grey.

I finished the card off with a simple sentiment and rhinestone.  I tucked it away.  I always try to have a few sympathy cards on hand.  I find when I need them, I often don't have time to make one.  It is nice to be able to raid my card stash.  

Thanks for looking.  I hope you enjoyed January's Flower of the Month.  I think it is my favorite so far in the series.

Copics used:
White: W3, W1, W0
Green: G00, G02, G09, YG67, G94
Blue: B95, B93, B91, B52, B00, B000, 0

All My Love

Hello Friends

Last week, I shared with you that we lost a good friend and artist.  Connie loved to color and I've been working on setting up a memorial with her husband.  I think Connie would have loved to help others color.  I'll keep you posted as we figure out the details.  I wanted to make something for Husband and Mom.   I turned this card into a framed piece of art.

 This is very similar to the card, I did add some airbrushing to soften the sky.

 I found this poem online.  I couldn't find an author.

Copics: See above for link to original card and colors

Stippled Blossoms

Happy Throw-Back Thursday,

Today's card was a favorite from the May Card Lover's Class.  Enjoy!

Copics used:
R37 to color the pearls

Vintage Sympathy

Happy Throw-Back Thursday,

I'm doing a little more catching up.   I love this card.  I made it about a year ago...but recently made a bunch more of them.   I love this ornate flower from Stampin Up (retired).   It is so beautiful.

No Copics today!

So Sorry...

Hello all,

I have a quick card to share with you today.  I needed to make some Sympathy cards.  I always feel like Sympathy cards should be simple and elegant.   I tried to mimic a Sunset with ink then stamped flowers in black to create a silhouette.  I also added some texture with a backgrounds stamp.   It turned out to be a messy card to make, but very pretty.