Pet Sympathy Card with Happy Tails

Hi Craftin' Friends.

Students and teachers are back in school in Ontario, and the weather has been lovely and cool in the evenings. We'll still get a little warm weather. Fall isn't officially here yet, but the first leaves are changing colour, so we know it's coming soon. I had fall in mind when I designed this card, although there are no brightly coloured maple leaves.

I designed today's card with the casual crafter in mind. That means, no die cutting or embossing, as most casual crafters don't have ready access to a die cutting machine. I admit that creating a card without using the Big Shot is rare for me, but I hope you'll agree that it is possible!

Friends of our family lost a furry friend this week. Their faithful pet had traveled frequently with them, and life will surely feel a little different without his four little feet pattering around. I designed this pet sympathy card with them in mind.

To create the background for this card I used the new tree stencil from the Basic Pattern Decorative Masks (Holiday catalog 2019). I sponged Whisper White craft ink through the stencil onto Soft Suede cardstock cut to 3 7/8" by 5 1/8". After the ink dried (it takes pigment ink a while to dry), I placed the cardstock on my Stamparatus and realigned the stencil over top. Then I used the Stamparatus to stamp the Birch background stamp in Memento ink. This created lines on the birch like trees from the stencil. Thanks to Mary Costello who shared this idea in the Demonstrator Planning Place.

Next I stamped my focal piece (Whisper White cardstock 2 1/4" by 3 5/8"). The dog and sentiment were stamped in Memento ink, then the collar was added in Soft Suede and the heart in Poppy Parade. Even though this was a sympathy card, I wanted a little pop of colour. To me, it represents the bright spot our pets bring to our lives. The focal piece was mounted on Soft Suede cardstock 2 3/8" by 3 3/4".

I wrapped the 1/2" black satin ribbon around the background stamped image and tied a knot. This piece was mounted on Basic Black cardstock 4" by 5 1/4". Next I adhered the focal piece over the ribbon with dimensionals.

My card base was Soft Suede, 4 1/4" by 11", scored at 5 1/2". I glued the piece stamped above to the card front, then stamped the dog house, sentiment and paw print on a piece of Whisper White cardstock 4" by 5 1/4". This was glued inside the card.

I hope you liked my Happy Tails card. If you wanted to make a similar card for a happier occasion, you could choose a Crumb Cake Card base and mat with a bright colour. Add a matching ribbon and you've a card with a completely different feel. This stamp set also includes sentiments that would be appropriate for other occasions - Just Fur You!, Keep calm and wag on, or Friends Forever. If you love dogs this set is for you! Of course, you can purchase the supplies for this card in my web store by clicking on the Shop Now link at the top of the page.

Before I finish today, I wanted to make sure you all know that Stampin' Up! has a great sale on selected designer series papers right now.

Perennial Essence, See a Silhouette, Come Sail Away, Magnolia Lane, Garden Lane, Follow Your Art, Woven Threads, Dino Roar, Bird Ballad and Pressed Petals Specialty Designer Series Paper are included in the sale which ends September 30th. What a great opportunity to stock up on some amazing paper!

Thanks for stopping by today. If you've not already done so, I would love for you to hop on over and like my Craftin' Granny's Facebook Page to keep up to date on Stampin' Up information, craft classes and events, and more creative inspiration.

Happy Crafting!
Craftin' Granny