Stampin’ Up! Best Birds Sympathy Card

Well, as Tuesday dawns – so does the need for a sympathy card.  I hate that it’s so, but…  this one happens to be for the loss of a pet – an older dog who’d “had a good life” with his parents and “knew he was loved”.  But those are the platitudes offered by folk who don’t understand the hole that’s left in our lives when they leave – after all, he was “just a dog”.

But – those of us who know – and I suspect the folks that read this blog are those very people – we understand.  It’s a time to grieve.  And a time to offer unqualified sympathy.

So, I made a card.  I didn’t emphasize the “pet” loss.  Just the need to send my thoughts and sympathy.  I employed the new Best Birds bundle – with the stamp set and the Birds & Blooms Thinlits.  Take a look-see:

The layout was inspired by this week’s sketch – #301 – at The Paper Players.

I began the card by SNAILing a piece of the pretty Serene Scenery DSP Stack to a double mat – one of Delightful Dijon and the second in Old Olive.  Then I made my bluebird.

I first stamped him in Basic Black Archival Ink on a piece of Very Vanilla card stock.  Then I cut him out with the matching die in Birds & Blooms.  To color him, I used Aqua Painters – pretty dry – and colored his blue parts in Pacific Point and Marina Mist.  His brownish areas began with Peekaboo Peach, with a little Sahara Sand added to brown it up just a touch.

The branch, also in Best Birds, I stamped in Crumb Cake on Very Vanilla, and then used the Aqua Painter with Old Olive for the leaves and Sahara Sand to fill in the branch.  It’s also cut with a die made for that purpose in Birds & Blooms.

I used a stylus on the back of both the bird and the branch to round them up a little and set them aside.

The circle element is stamped in Delightful Dijon – this is an image also in Best Birds – and then cut with a Layering Circles Framelit.  It’s mounted on a scallop-circle mat in Delightful Dijon, cut with the next larger scalloped edge circle in the Framelit set.  I used a little Multi-Purpose Liquid Glue to adhere them together.

I used some Glue Dots on the back of the matted circle and wound some Gold Metallic Thread and Linen Thread around and around, then mounted the circle to the card front with Liquid Glue.  I popped the branch on with Stampin’ Dimensionals and then added the bird with more Dimensionals – and a little Liquid Glue to stick his little feet to the branch! 🙂

The final step was to stamp the sentiment from Best Birds in Early Espresso at the bottom of the card front – and it was ready to mount!

On the inside, I used the burlap image from Best Birds – that I’d used on the front.  I inked it with Delightful Dijon and then stamped it off once before stamping it in the center of a Very Vanilla panel.  I added a sentiment from Thoughts & Prayers in Early Espresso.

Then I matted it on Old Olive and Delightful Dijon and SNAILd it into my Very Vanilla card base.  I popped the front on with Stampin’ Dimensionals and the card was done!

My Very Vanilla Medium Envelope got another of the Best Bird branches, this time using Blender Pens to add Old Olive and Sahara Sand to the image….

…and made a custom flap for the envelope with a little more Serene Scenery DSP.

Et Voila.  I think the card is appropriate for the loss of a pet, but it’s certainly not limited to that.  I love this Best Birds stamp set – and if you like to color – I think you’ll like it, too!! 🙂

Scroll on down for the card cuts and all the goodies you need to make this for yourself! 

HOST CODE FOR 16 Jun – 30 Jun 16: WDEPY963

Use this host code when you order and receive a free gift from me! But, if your order is over $150, please don’t use this code (you’ll miss out on your own Stampin’ Rewards if you use it) but you’ll still get the free gift – your choice of any item valued up to $8.00 in the 2015-16 Annual Catalog.

Ending Thursday!!  Every new recruit gets TWO FREE STAMP SETS in their Starter Kit!!

Join in June and receive TWO FREE STAMP SETS (from the brand new catalog!) of your choice (no bundles or kits, sorry!), over and above the items you selection in your Starter Kit!  That makes this a really great time to join!  

Click the picture and get all the info!

Here are the details for the Two Free Stamp Set Promotion:

• Promotion Period: June 1–30, 2016
• Bundles and kits cannot be selected as free stamp sets for this promotion.
• Promotion Deadlines: New recruits must be submitted online or by fax by the times below in order to receive free stamps.
• FAX: Thursday, June 30, 2016 by 6:50 PM (MT).
• ONLINE IDA: Thursday, June 30, 2016 by 11:50 PM (MT

And even better…Remember that Stampin’ Rewards can also be used on Starter Kits.  So if your wish list is as long as mine is, why not join and get the discount for yourself?  

I know there are some folks out there thinking of joining – so…why not now? There’s no penalty if you decide that it’s not right for you or never order anything beyond your Starter Kit and it’s such a great deal right now with the two free stamp sets in addition to the $125 in Stampin’ Up! merchandise in your Starter Kit! The kit is only $99 plus applicable taxes and it ships for free!

If you have any questions about joining, feel free to stop by my Join My Team page on my blog or drop me an email at
stamps-n-lingers@comcast.net

We’d love to have you on our Team!

Also Ending This Thursday….

For the entire month of June, Stampin’ Up! is offering extra Stampin’ Rewards for hosts whose orders or workshops are $350 or greater!  That’s over and above your usual rewards.  So…that’s even more free money to spend to fulfill your Wish List!  Or – you can even use your Stampin’ Rewards towards your Starter Kit!!

Check it out!

• Hosts who have qualifying events with $350 or more in sales during the promotion period will receive $35 in Extra Stampin’ Rewards for the order.
• Hosts may participate in this promotion multiple times by hosting multiple events, but each event must qualify on its own.
• Customer, workshop, and online orders all qualify for this promotion.  So you don’t have to host a party to get this great reward, just place a $350 or greater order or get a group of your friends who want to order online together and I’ll provide a host code for you to use!
• Qualifying orders must qualify with merchandise prior to shipping and tax.
• Extra Stampin’ Rewards earned through this promotion can be redeemed in the “Stampin’ Rewards” section of the ordering process.
• Promotion Period: June 1-30, 2016
• DEADLINE FOR ONLINE ORDERS: Thursday, June 30, 2016 by 11:50 PM (MT).

Only 48 hours left to get in on the June specials – there’s something for hosts and for new Stampin’ Up! team members – don’t miss out! 🙂

TTFN

Mary

STAMPIN’ UP! PRODUCTS USED IN THIS PROJECT:    

CARD CUTS FOR THIS PROJECT:

Very Vanilla Card Stock: 4 1/4″ x 11″ (card base, scored and folded at 5 1/2″); 2 1/8″ Circle (front circle); Birds & Bundles die cuts

Delightful Dijon Card Stock: 3 1/2″ x 5″ (mat for card front); 4 1/8″ x 5 3/8″ (mat for inner liner); 2 1/4″ scallop edged circle (mat for front circle)

Old Olive Card Stock: 3 3/8″ x 4 7/8″ (second mat for card front); 4″ x 5 1/4″ (second mat for inner liner); 

Serene Scenery DSP Stack: 3 1/4″ x 4 3/4″ (card front); envelope flap

If you need any stamping supplies, I’d be very happy to be your Demonstrator. Just click on the Order Stampin’ Up! Online Now button on the right side of the screen to go directly to my online store or drop me an email if you have any questions. Happy Stamping!