Sympathy

It seems that most people find Sympathy cards difficult, and I  think the key to these is 'keep it simple'.You don't need to use every technique in your card-making arsenal- the fact that you have put your effort into the card will say more than any words.
     Also keep an eye open for stamp images that would be suitable- you want images that you can use in a very basic way- like this just on a pale brayered background for instance.Its very easy to buy stamps that have 'cute' appeal, but sometimes 'cute' just won't do it!
     The thing I love about this stamp is its versatility- it fits this subject perfectly, it would also  be really good for a mans card, and if you look further in the posts, you will find the image in reds and blues, where it seems to really come to life.
 I kept to a muted palette and a simple style for this one. The Treeline stamp from Crafty Individuals is stamped in Adirondack Espresso onto a background of brayed card using Adirondack Sandal, Latte and Hazelnut inkpads.The image was cut out using Nestabilities Labels 8, and a dark brown mat cut with the next die size up. I used two shades of brown vellum, and a Woodware border punch  to create the panel. The image was stuck down with DST, then a dark brown ribbon wrapped around the front & tied in a knot.The sentiment  (Clevercut/Stampsaway ) is stamped in the same Espresso ink onto a scrap of the brayered background, matted onto dark brown card again, and two small brown brads added.This was mounted with silicone glue, just to give a little height to allow for the legs of the brads. You could also use little sticky fixer pads spaced between the brads for the same end.