Quick Sympathy Card

Hello! I hope you are having a great weekend!

Yesterday I received my latest order from Close To My Heart and it was the first time I was able to take advantage of the VIP Bonus Bundles promotion (unfortunately the special ended on July 31). In my VIP115 Bonus Bundle I received Silver Foil Patterns Paper Packet (X8018), Gold Foil Patterns Paper Packet (X8019), Sawyer Die-Cuts (X7277E) and Holiday Loose Sequins (Z3565).

Today I created this quick sympathy card using one of the Gold Foil papers.

Sympathy Card created with August 2023 SOTM (S2308)

As soon as I saw this floral pattern in the Gold Foil Patterns Paper Packet, I knew it would help me create a fast yet beautiful card.

2 sheets from Gold Foil Patterns Paper Packet (X9019)

Unfortunately I had to wait until the workday was over to get inky and by then I was looking forward to a break from everything (it was a typical work week sprinkled with the hustle and bustle of a new month, an appointment and volunteer meetings, but all of it has me questioning what my why is), so this card is the result of some Saturday create time.

All supplies are from Close To My Heart except where noted:

• My Acrylix™ Stamp Sets: Goodbye Isn’t Forever—August Stamp of the Month (S2308), Pretty Posies Stamp Set (D2181) or Pretty Posies Stamp + Thin Cuts (Z4765)
• Gold Foil Patterns Paper Packet (X8019)
• Cardstock: Seabrook (X6068), Honey Butter (X6066), Melon (X6065)
• Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pads: Seabrook (Z6538), Honey Butter (Z6536), Melon (Z6535)
• Stitched Fancy Brackets Thin Cuts (Z3686)
• Die-cutting & Embossing Machine (Z5038)

You are probably wondering how I cut a smaller shape from the Stitched Fancy Brackets Thin Cuts. I placed a piece of Seabrook cardstock (light side facing the cutting edges) so it covered up one-half of the die and ran it though my die-cutting machine. I then took the piece of cardstock and rotated it so the pointed cut edge was near the middle of the die and the uncut edge covered the pointed cutting edge; I also tried to fit the stitched lines on the cardstock into the stitched lines on the die (just wiggle it a bit and you might feel it "lock" into place). I used iCraft Removable Purple Tape (low tack tape) to hold the cardstock and die in place while I die cut. The 1" Masking Tape (Z4606) will also work for this technique. Viola (let me know via the comment below or the comment from to the right if you would like me to prepare some step-by-step photos of this process).

I should warn you that the Melon cardstock, Melon Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, and Stitched Fancy Brackets Thin Cuts are on the retiring list and are only available while supplies last. Also, there are only a few left of the Stamp Pad. The Pretty Posies Stamp and Pretty Posies Stamp + Thin Cuts were introduced in the July–August 2023 catalog and the version with Thin Cuts has been very popular. There are less than 175 available for all countries CTMH has Makers. The Gold Foil Patterns Paper Packet retired a few catalogs ago, unfortunately I am not finding the date, and if any become available again on my eCommerce site, it will be due to some packages remaining after the VIP Bonus Bundles promotion.

I hope my card inspires you to get creative this weekend. Take care of yourselves.