Hey, crafty friends! It’s Taylor here today! Sympathy cards aren’t usually our favorite cards to make, but it’s the time that’s most important to let someone know you’re thinking of them, praying for them, and sharing in their sorrow. It’s often hard to find the right words to say or consider exactly what imagery to use and so we’ve curated the items in the Grateful Ferns kit to design beautiful handmade sympathy cards. The best part about this kit is that it can be used with so many different mediums – watercolor, ink blending, and my “old new favorite” alcohol ink!

What else is unique about Taylored Expressions kits? In keeping with our mission to Share Joy, we encourage you to send the cards you create by including six envelopes along with six custom envelope seals to match the theme of the kit. Each kit comes packaged in a zippered pouch with a coordinating vinyl sticker making it easy to keep the supplies organized. We create a special color story for each kit with lots of inspiration from our Creative Team to get you started!

When your loved ones need you the most, you’ll be sure to have just the right card on hand with our beautiful Graceful Ferns Cardmaking Kit. Whether you need to send your condolences right away or reach out with words of encouragement and support after some time has passed, the cards you create with this kit will be perfect for sharing your heartfelt sympathy.

Our Graceful Ferns Kit comes in a zippered pouch with a custom sticker and includes:

• Graceful Ferns stamp set
• Graceful Ferns Dies
• The Inside Scoop – Sympathy stamp set
• Leafy Frond Die
• A2 Envelope Pack (6 envelopes; 1 each of Jelly Donut, Peapod, Salt Water Taffy, Sugar Cube, Sweet Basil and Toffee)
• Envelope Seal Pack (6 seals; 3 each of 2 designs)

Limited quantity available

PLEASE NOTE:
The vast majority of the individual items included in our cardmaking kits will not be available to purchase individually in the future. While we may, on rare occasions, release a kit item into our regular inventory at a later time, this will no longer be an option for the majority of the products. Instead, they will remain exclusive to the kits and may only be purchased as part of a kit while supplies last.

Since our curated cardmaking kits can sell out quickly, we encourage you to purchase the kits you love when they are released, as they will not be restocked once they have sold out. We intend to release a kit the last Tuesday of each month at 9am (Central), and a sneak preview will be posted on the TE Blog on the Saturday prior to the release.

To be notified of new kit releases, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Instagram! Stay tuned for another fabulous kit next month!

Click below to shop the Graceful Ferns Kit and other new items debuting today and then keep scrolling for today’s inspiration!

Today’s video is from Heather Nichols and she is sharing a beautiful pair of sympathy cards created with the Graceful Ferns Kit. She shares a simple technique with alcohol inks to create the colorful backgrounds. Watch the video below:

In the video, Heather shares more about what is included in the Graceful Ferns Kit. She shows how to create a stunning background using alcohol inks with our new Alcohol Ink Cardstock and an air blower tool. Heather layered leafy branches over the background cut out with the Leafy Frond die from Sugar Cube cardstock. The ‘with sympathy’ sentiment is embossed in gold and the card is embellished with Bits & Pieces – Gold Drip Drops.

We are so excited to add a selection of the Piñata alcohol inks by Jacquard and our own exclusive Alcohol Ink Cardstock to the TE collection! In the video, Heather shares an alcohol ink technique that is easy and fun to do that will enable you to create colorful and dynamic effects for your projects. Heather chose a cool color scheme for this pair of sympathy cards (green, teal, and blue) and I love the look of the leaves cut out of Sugar Cube cardstock layered over the top. The gold embossed sentiment and Bits & Pieces – Gold Drip Drops add an elegant finish to this card that will be sent to comfort a loved one who has experienced a loss.

Check out the list below for the supplies that Heather used on her set of cards:

Now, let’s take a closer look at the different elements of the Graceful Ferns Kit as well as more inspiration from the TE Creative Team. The team used a variety of techniques to create their projects with the kit: alcohol inks, watercolor, ink blending, gel press, and more! Note: Most of these items are only available as part of the Graceful Ferns Kit.

The Graceful Ferns stamp set includes 2 different versions (outline and solid) of a botanical fern image along with a large ‘with sympathy’ sentiment. The fern is a peaceful image that will be perfect for sending comfort to your loved ones when they experience the loss of a loved one. Use the two image versions together or separate for various techniques and looks.

Jill Hawkins added the outline fern images from the Graceful Ferns stamp set over a trio of blended squares created with the Masking Stencils – Square Windows set on this pretty sympathy card. The squares are blended with Lavender Glaze, Sprinkles, Granny Smith, and Pineapple inks and the fern is stamped over the top with Mushroom ink. The large ‘with sympathy’ sentiment is stamped in Oreo ink and cut out with the coordinating die so it stands out on the card front. Jill framed the design with the largest frame in the Frame in Frame 2 Cutting Plate die.

Kavya used both the outline and solid fern images from the Graceful Ferns stamp set to create a border along the top edge of her card. She stamped the solid ferns in a darker ink tone and then embossed the outline images in gold over the top of a watercolored background. I love the ombre effect that Kavya achieved on the background by using a darker, more saturated color at the top and lightening up the color as she moved down the background. To coordinate with the gold embossing, Kavya added a gold embossed sentiment with The Inside Scoop – Sympathy stamp set (included in the kit) and more gold embossing around the card edges.

Botanical images are perfect for sending comfort, peace, and love during a difficult time. Cut out a leafy branch to include on your cards to send your love with the Leafy Frond die. You’ll love the cut details in the leaves that add extra texture to the branch.

Melody Rupple combined both ink blending and watercolor on this sympathy card created with the Graceful Ferns Kit. She die cut the Leafy Frond die a few times from watercolor cardstock and added color to them with liquid watercolors. The background of the card is blended using the Set the Scene – Clouds Stencil Strips and the leafy branches are gathered together and layered over the top. Melody added the ‘with sympathy’ sentiment along with a few touches die cut from gold foil cardstock peeking out from behind the sentiment and as a frame cut out with a Petite Scallop Rectangle Stacklets die.

Jen Shults pulled out her Gel Printing Kit to create this beautiful set of Mini Slim sympathy cards with the Graceful Ferns Kit. Jen printed the backgrounds by inking up her Gel Press with our TE inks (Djion, Toffee, Sweet Potato Pie, Pumpkin, and Mocha), adding stenciling and/or stamping to the press (Wild Willow stencil, Mandala stencil, Dahlia stencil, Diagonal Diamonds Background stamp, and Gathered Greenery Background stamp), and adding die cut shapes to the press from the Graceful Ferns Kit. The backgrounds are cut out with a Stitched Mini Slim Stacklets die to add to the Mini Slim card bases and Jen added an embossed ‘with sympathy’ sentiment to each card along with a Leafy Fronds die cut.

When you want to send your condolences during a difficult time, use The Inside Scoop – Sympathy stamp set. Part of our The Inside Scoop collection, this set includes a variety of sentiments that are as perfect to use on the inside of your cards as the outside.

While the sentiments in The Inside Scoop – Sympathy stamp set were designed for adding to the inside of your cards, you can absolutely use them on the card fronts too. Emily Mydlowski added the ‘sharing in your sorrow…’ sentiment stamped in Oreo Ink onto the front of this sympathy card. The background of the card is stenciled using the Masking Stencil – Mini Slim Rectangle with blue ink tones to create an ombre effect: Salt Water Taffy, Gumball, and Blueberry. Emily cut the Leafy Frond die from both vellum and silver foil cardstock, layered them together over the blended background, and finished the card off with lots of silver splatters.

Noriko Fairchild created a gorgeous sympathy card using alcohol inks for the background. She layered the outline fern that is embossed in gold on vellum over the top, along with the ‘with sympathy’ sentiment embossed in white. Noriko framed the card front in white and inside the card she stamped the ‘praying for strength…’ sentiment in Oreo ink. Sometimes, it can be difficult to find the words for expressing your condolences and sympathy and the heartfelt sentiments in The Inside Scoop – Sympathy stamp set offer the perfect solution.

The Graceful Ferns Kit includes 6 envelopes and 6 custom envelope seals that coordinate with the theme of the kit. The six A2 envelopes are Sugar Cube, Toffee, Salt Water Taffy, Jelly Donut, Sweet Basil, and Peapod (1 of each color) and the coordinating envelope seals are made from durable, weatherproof material and are sure to bring a smile to the recipients of your cards.

Additional envelope seals for the Graceful Ferns Kit will not be available.

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In addition to the kit, we have a few new products available for you in the TE webstore for this kit release:

We are excited to introduce a selection of the Piñata alcohol inks by Jacquard to the TE webstore! You’ll love creating with these vibrant alcohol inks to create dynamic, colorful looks for your paper crafting projects. Use the alcohol inks with our TE Alcohol Ink Cardstock (details below) or on other non-porous surfaces for best results.

We are excited to introduce our own TE Alcohol Ink Cardstock! Our durable, non-porous synthetic paper is the perfect choice for creating unique alcohol ink backgrounds. The smooth, water-resistant finish makes it easy to manipulate your ink across the surface while maintaining crisp, bright color. Although the paper is tear resistant, it’s easy to score, fold, and cut. It’s ideal for cards and crafts of all kinds! Each package contains 20 sheets sized at 4.25″ x 5.5″.

If you don’t care to create your own alcohol ink backgrounds or want to try out the look before you commit to purchasing your own alcohol inks, we are offering you a pre-printed set of panels that feature four different alcohol ink background designs (you get three of each) that are ready to go for your card designs. The new Done got You – Alcohol Ink Series 1 panels are printed on 4.25″ x 5.5″ photo cover cardstock panels.

For more texture play options, we are introducing Distress Texture Paste to the TE webstore. Use this paste through stencils or directly on your projects to add a dimensional matte white design on your backgrounds. Experiment with mixing the paste with ink, glitter, and more for even more possibilities!

Join me live for “T Time” at 10AM Central today on the Taylored Expressions Facebook Page. I’ll be sharing an unboxing and closer look at the items in the Graceful Ferns Kit. We hope to see you there – come join in the fun! (Don’t worry, if you miss the live you can always watch the saved broadcast afterward!)

Thank you so much for stopping by today! Make sure you check out the rest of the TE Creative Team projects using the Graceful Ferns Kit – click their faces below to hop to their blogs! Stop back again here on the TE blog on Thursday for more inspiration with the new kit, including a video from Joy Baldwin. See you then!