Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch - Sympathy in Saffron

Welcome back to my blog stamping friends!
Have you had a good week? Things have been a little odd here this week, but all good - really! With the snow we had, Emma had 3 days off school so we've spent a lot of time in our pj's the past few days - it's kinda nice to be honest. But I have a feeling that if I do that too often then one day Mark will come home from work to find me right where he left me - probably not a pretty sight! Good thing I have the lure of stamping to get me up and moving! :)

This week's Stamping 411 Sketch turned out to be perfect for me. I needed to make a sympathy card for an old friend who lost her Father a few days ago - always hate to have to make these cards - and the focal panel was the perfect size for the image I wanted to use.
Here's a look at the front of my card:

I hadn't used So Saffron in like, forever, and I thought it would be a nice color for this card - sending my message, but in a soft, feminine way. I started with a card base of 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" which is a standard A2 sized card. I layered it with another piece of So Saffron cardstock that I ran through the Big Shot with my Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder. It's sized at 3 1/2" x 5 1/2". After I texturized it, I sponged it all over with So Saffron ink to give some depth to the embossing. Using the sketch as my guide, I added a thin strip of Wild Wasabi across the bottom of the embossed piece, the added a scalloped border piece of Vellum Cardstock. I used the Scalloped Border punch on the Vellum.
Here's a look at the sketch:

I followed it pretty closely this week, just adding the ribbon and bow under the focal panel.
The focal image came from the Thoughts and Prayers stamp set, actually all the stamps I used are from that set, and I used my Stampin' Write Markers to color it in on the block before stamping. Wild Wasabi and So Saffron - soft and lovely for a sympathy card. The focal panel was popped up on Stampin' Dimensionals over the ribbon, and I added 3 Gold Brads across the top left. The greeting was punched out with the Scalloped Oval Punch and adhered to the front of the panel with Tombow adhesive.
Here's a look at the inside:

For the floral image, I simply huffed on the already colored stamp to re-moisten the ink and stamped it on a piece of Naturals Ivory cardstock. It lends a softer image for the inside of the card and doesn't distract from the greeting. I sponged this piece around the edges as well as the front focal panel. To me, sponging in a light color just adds softness and makes it more inviting.

So that's it for this card - it was lovely to work with these soft, pretty colors again, I sure hope the card and it's message let my friend know that she is loved.
Be sure to stop over at the Stamping 411 Blog and see what the other Operators created for you. We love it when you visit us!

Happy stamping everyone!
~~Robin