Silhouetted Sympathy

Of all the occasions out there where a card is appropriate, sympathy cards are my least favorite to make. They are a sad fact of life, however, and it's good to have some on hand like this design we made at Calendar Club this week. I like this layout and I may try it again with different colors later on.The new Stampn' Up Ovals Collection Framelits are so awesome, I wonder where they have been all my life! And the coordinating paper piercing mat.. hooray for that!

I like to keep my handmade sympathy cards simple and organic. To me, this is not the place for lace and frou-frou, lots of color, or for showing off the latest fancy technique you learned. I used Naturals White cardstock with River Rock sponging and Early Espresso ink and cardstock layers. I kept down the femininity of the Lacy Brocade embossing folder by only sponging the edges and by using the subtle backside of the embossed piece (called the de-bossed, or negative, side). I did use two types of ribbon but you'll notice neither is in a bow. Just my personal preference, to keep the focus on the simple message: "I care."