Christmas Sadness

A good friend lost her dear mother on Christmas Eve. It's never easy, but it just seems harder at Christmas and I hope this card will give her a little comfort. I'm using Taylored Expressions' Cupcake Challenge sketch #47 for my layout.

My base card is Whisper White, with a layer of Old Olive and then Pirouette Pink. The DP is from Basic Grey's 6 x 6 Sugared pad.

The focal image is first (although you can barely see it!) a circle of 2 of the DP from the pad cut with Nestabilities dies with a pink Prima flower encircled with branches punch with my Martha Stewart leafy branch punch. There's a smaller green flower and a pink jewel brad in the center. The sentiment was stamped in Always Artichoke with a stamp from SU!'s Close As a Memory set. Some paper piercing with an Ornare corner template gives some balance. The little bird, punched with another Martha Stewart punch and with a tiny rhinestone for his eye, flies over the sentiment.

Thanks for checking in today!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Close As A Memory (SU!)
Paper: Old Olive, Pirouette Pink (SU!), Sugared (Basic Grey)
Ink: Always Artichoke (SU!)
Accessories: leafy branch and bird punches (Martha Stewart), Cuttlebug, Nestabilities, rhinestone, brad (craft store), Primas, paper piercer/mat, template (Ornare)