Sunset Sympathy Card

Send the Sunset Sympathy Card to bring comfort and solace to the recipient. Sympathy cards are never fun to send, but heartfelt handmade sympathy cards can make a world of difference to the grieving people. Use a metaphor of a setting sun to create a card for a friend or family member that has passed away. The beauty of the setting sun will serve as a reminder that life should be celebrated, and it will have even more meaning if you add a fitting poem in ornamental writing to the inside of the card.



Materials:

• 6.1” x 8.6” Natural Brown Colored Cardstock
• 4.1” x 5.6” Watercolor Paper
• 6.1” x 8.6” Ordinary White Printer Paper
• Piece of Leaf-green Cardstock
• Staedtler 12-color Watercolor Set
• Bronze Ink Glimmer Mist
• 5 Light Purple Flower Beads
• Leaf-shaped Paper Punch
• Black, Red, Orange and Yellow Colored Felt-TIP Pens
• A 5/32” Paint Brush
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Embroidery Scissors
• Standard Scissors
• Clear-drying Gel Glue (such as bostik clear gel)

Instructions:

1. Score the natural brown cardstock in half to create a card sized 6.1” x 4.3”.

2. With the fold at the left, lightly draw a line 0.5” from the top, left and right of the card, and 0.6” from the bottom, and then measure out four equal rectangular windows on the front of the card each window is approximately 1.35” x 2.2”.

3. Use the embroidery scissors to cut out the four windows.

4. Spray the front and back of the card with the bronze Ink Glimmer Mist and allow to dry for 10-15 minutes.



5. Now use the piece of watercolor paper. With the longer sides on the left and right, lightly draw a skyline 3.4” from the top of the paper.

6. Use the light yellow, pink and orange watercolor paints to give the sky a wash. Use less water when painting closer to the skyline, so that the colors will become deeper. Allow to dry thoroughly.



7. Now use black, dark blue, orange, pink and yellow watercolor paints for the water. Do not draw solid colors, like with the sky, but use shapes like the one indicated below. This will allow the effect of movement in the water:

8. Use the pencil to draw a setting sun above the water.

9. Use the yellow, red and orange felt-tip pens to color the setting sun.

10. Use the black felt-tip pen to add some shadows to the water. Also draw a broken line just below the skyline to create depth.  

11. Use the yellow, red and orange felt-tip pens to add a reflection of the sun in the water. Remember that the reflection must not be a perfect circle, to again indicate movement in the water.





12. With the fold at the left, glue the completed watercolor picture behind the windows of the Glimmer Mist-sprayed card.



13. Punch leaves from the leaf-green cardstock. Use the black felt-tip to add small veins to the leaves.

14. Use the leaves to create a creeper below the bottom two windows. Do not completely glue down all the leaves. Create a 3D-effect by allowing some of the leaves to curl back slightly.

15. Glue the floral beads in place.

16. Use the black felt-tip pen to add a few birds in the sky.

17. Complete the card by gluing the ordinary white printer paper over the whole inside of the card, and neatly cut off any protruding edges.