A friend’s husband has been in and out of the hospital since March 19th, unrelated to COVID. He is getting ready to have his third surgery since the 19th. Visiting hours for the hospital have been very, very limited. I made him a card to try to lift his spirits while he’s alone.

Sadly, I didn’t take a staged picture of the card before I put it in the mail. I have the one I took while the card was sitting on my well-loved piece of grid paper. Whatever works, I guess.

Here’s my card:

Tropical Oasis DSP

At first, I really didn’t plan to purchase this DSP. Then, I started seeing cards on my uplines’ facebook groups and started to think maybe I really did need it. When my DSP paper share from the mini-catalog arrived, I knew I had to have it. Like, immediately. I’m glad I ordered it when I did. It is now on the retiring list from the January – June mini-catalog. That means, when it is gone, it is gone. If you like this whole set of papers, you need to order it ASAP. This DSP has a coordinating stamp set and die set bundle. While you won’t be able to get the 10% off bundle in the new catalog, you will be able to get the sets individually.

Anyway, I needed a masculine get well card for a friend’s husband. Finding an appropriate sentiment turned out to be challenging, but I finally think I solved it. The front sentiment came from the Sending You Thoughts stamp set in the mini-catalog. For the inside, I used Sorry for Everything, specifically “I’m so very Sorry to hear you’re not feeling well.” I handwrote “STILL” before not because he’s been feeling awful for so long.

I asked my DH if the paper would fit for a masculine card. He responded that it would be if I could get rid of the pink cars. First, they are red, not pink. Second, I like the way they create a diagonal line across the front of the card.

Decisions, Decisions

Once I had the DSP cut into strips and the mat and base colors chosen, I cropped out the sentiment using the Stitched Rectangle Die. Then, I hit a creative wall.

I tried playing with different types of masculine ribbon, struggling to find something I liked. Another problem I faced was the embellishments I would use. Finally, I decided that I needed to leave it alone and come back to it another day.

The Tropical Chic dies coordinate with the tropical stamp set, which will retire at the end of the current catalog. I finally decided to try the fronds from the dies. Using the colors on the fronds on the DSP, I colored some Whisper White cardstock using Stampin’ Blends. The colors I used are Dark and Light Old Olive, Dark Pretty Peacock, and Dark Daffodil Delight. I just kept coloring in wide strips until I liked what I had. Then, I used the fronds die and cropped three fronds.

I put the three fronds between the sentiment block and the burlap ribbon on the front of the card. I used dimensionals to pop up the sentiment, with double dimensionals under the top of the sentiment block.

Truth be told, I still don’t know if I am happy with the palm fronds, especially now that I am typing this post. I might just have to go back and find something else before I mail the card.

Finally, I added a strip of DSP on the envelope flap and the card set was done and ready to be mailed.

As always, thank you so much for stopping by my blog today. I’d love to hear what you think, and greatly appreciate every comment.

Please stay safe, healthy, and isolated as much as possible. I miss my high school kids and the relationships we’ve formed. My heart breaks for my seniors. But, by working together and following the CDC guidelines, we can all help to flatten the curve.

Have a Peachy Day!

Sue

Supplies Used:

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Again, thank you for stopping by my blog today! I appreciate your time.