Serene sympathy card

I don't keep many sympathy cards on hand, so when my uncle passed away recently I needed to make a card for my aunt and cousins. One of the things my uncle loved was spending time at their family cabin in northern Minnesota. So instead of making a sympathy card with the traditional flower images, I decided to use a nature scene.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Natural Beauty (Heartfelt Creations), Hardwood, Very Versatile
Paper: Basic Black, Baked Brown Sugar card stock; watercolor paper (Strathmore)
Ink: Soft Suede, Jet Black StazOn; ZIG Clean Color Real Brush pens, Nos. 036, 041, 061, 043, 065, 037; clear Wink of Stella glitter brush pen
Accessories: Water brush with detail tip (ZIG), Dimensionals

I realize we don't have mountains in Minnesota, but I love the serenity of this image, so I thought it would be appropriate for a sympathy card. I stamped the image on watercolor paper using StazOn ink and then colored it with ZIG Clean Color Real Brush pens. I haven't quite mastered the technique, but it is fun, and I was pretty pleased with the results (although I do wish I had a gray pen for the mountains instead of just browns). I add a light layer of clear Wink of Stella over the water to give it a sparkling-in-the-sun look.

I mounted the focal image on a layer of Basic Black card stock and then used Dimensionals to adhere the panel to a Baked Brown Sugar card base stamped with the Hardwood background stamp. I wasn't sure of the best way to add the sentiment; I debated stamping it directly on the focal layer, moving the separate layer to the side, or even omitting it altogether. I finally decided to keep everything centered and attach the sentiment at the bottom middle of the focal image.

I've been busy the last couple of days rearranging my stamps and supplies (I have a lot of new stuff that I haven't used yet!). I wanted to get everything organized because I have the next few days off work and I want to stamp up a storm. So stay tuned later this week for (I hope!) fun new projects.

Thanks for stopping by!