Sad stamping night

I stamped a lot of cards one night this week, but it wasn't a happy occasion. We found out that a close friend of the family passed away last weekend. He had been sick for some time so the news wasn't completely unexpected, and yet we weren't ready for it. Since the friend in question had four daughters, I suddenly needed four sympathy cards ASAP. Now, sympathy cards are difficult for me on the best day, but having to make four of them that were all going to the same family so they couldn't be too similar or too different - that was a challenge, especially since I wasn't exactly in a great frame of mind.

I managed to get through it by making pretty basic, "old school" cards. No embossing folders, minimal punching and die cutting, no embossing folders and a lot of  reliance on designer papers. I even CASEd a card I made recently because by the time I got to the fourth card it was late and I was running out of ideas. Oddly enough, that card ended up my husbands favorite and I think it actually turned out better than the original. Go figure.

I'm posting all four cards together because that's the only way they make sense to me. None of them are unique or impressive enough to merit their on posts. Also, having four separate sympathy posts in a row on a stamping blog would be too much. This way, if anyone is looking for sympathy card ideas, they'll find several in one place.

The one lesson I took away from this experience is that I need to make some more sympathy cards soon so that I have them ready to go when I need them. It's not the kind of stamping I really enjoy, but it's far better to be prepared than to try to be creative at a time when creativity may be the last thing from my mind.

Recipes (all products Stampin' Up! unless otherwise indicated)

Card 1.
Paper: Perfect Plum, Smoky Slate, Whisper White, Cambridge DSP
Ink: Perfect Plum, Always Artichoke
Stamps: Close as a Memory
Accessories: Slate baker's twine from Neutrals collection by We R MemoryKeepers

Card 2.
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Brocade Background DSP
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Stamps: Thoughts & Prayers
Accessories: Word Window Punch, Gold ribbon from Cream City Ribbon

Card 3.
Paper: River Rock, Always Artichoke, retired SU DSP (don't have name)
Ink: Always Artichoke
Stamps: Love & Sympathy, Kind & Caring Thoughts
Accessories: Decorative Label Punch, Key Tag Punch, thick twine (don't know source)

Card 4.
Paper:  Basic Gray, Basic Black, Whisper White, Vellum
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Stamps: Bloom with Hope
Accessories: Wide black organdy ribbon, pewter brads, corner rounder punch, Lori Whitlock Ornate Label Thinlits by Sizzix