Pet Sympathy Cards

We don’t want to think about when we’ll need pet sympathy cards. Our pets add so much to our lives. They quickly become our constant companions and work their way into our hearts. Their loyalty and unconditional love reminds us that we can be a better person.

Pet owners and animal lovers already intuitively know this, but according to the CDC, pets can help lower blood pressure, triglycerides, cholesterol, stress, and loneliness. The loss of a pet companion means not only the loss of these health benefits, but also the loss of the daily affirmation that we can be better people.

I am lucky to be surrounded by family and friends who are animal lovers, but unfortunately that means loss can happen. It hurts my heart when a friend loses their pet. Often I knew their pet, too. Sending a card can let them know that I am sad for their loss and am here for them.

Here I have two short tutorials to make two pet sympathy cards, one for a cat and a one for a dog.

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To make this Cloud Cat Sympathy Card:

Supplies:

• Stampendous Sympathy stamp set

Steps:

1. Cut your White Cardstock to 5 1/2″ x 11″ for your card base. Fold in half.
2. From remaining white cardstock, cut 2- 5 1/4″ x 4″ pieces.
   1. On the first, sponge Soft Sky ink in circular motion to imitate the sky. Stamp your Sympathy message in the corner.
   2. Using the other piece, use the Seasonal Layers Die to cut out two sets of clouds. TIP: I die-cut across the corner, then flipped the paper to do the same across the other corner. 
3. Punch out the cat from your Black Scrap.
4. Adhere the first set of clouds flush to your soft sky background. Then use pop-dots to adhere the cat and the second set of clouds. Adhere this to your card base.

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To Make This Rainbow Bridge Dog Sympathy Card:

Supplies:

• Stampendous Sympathy Stamp
• Your favorite dog stamp
• Heart embellishment

Steps:

1. Cut your blue cardstock to 8 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ folded in half for card base.
2. Cut white cardstock to 5 1/4″ x 4″.
3. Using the paint splash in the Sheltering Tree Stamp Set, stamp each color of the rainbow bridge. TIP: If your colors are too bright for the sympathy card, “stamp off” first. Do this by inking your stamp, stamping on a scrap piece, then stamp again (without reinking) onto your card piece.
4. Using Black ink, stamp the tree and the dog over the rainbow. On a scrap piece of white, stamp your sympathy message, and use the Label Punch. Adhere it to the top of your card using pop-dots.
5. Adhere your rainbow bridge card piece to your card base. Add your heart embellishment using glue dots.

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“It may be a cat, a bird, a ferret, or a guinea pig, but the chances are high that when someone close to you dies, a pet will be there to pick up the slack. Pets devour the loneliness. They give us purpose, responsibility, a reason for getting up in the morning, and a reason to look to the future. They ground us, help us escape the grief, make us laugh, and take full advantage of our weakness by exploiting our furniture, our beds, and our refrigerator. We wouldn’t have it any other way. Pets are our seat belts on the emotional roller coaster of life–they can be trusted, they keep us safe, and they sure do smooth out the ride.” ―Nick Trout

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Our pets can give us purpose. During a particularly rough patch I was going through a few years ago, my two cats gave me a reason to get up and make it through the day.  They read my emotions and were amazing companions. No amount of treats, catnip, or snuggles could ever pay them back, but I sure try!

Thank you for stopping by today. Connecting and taking care of each other during our times of loss are some of the most important things I think we can do. Do you have a special pet in your life or in your heart? Feel free to tell me about them in the comments. 🙂 And I have NEVER said no to someone showing me a picture of their pup or kitty (or hedgehog or fish)!

Challenges I am entering into:

• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends – Anything Goes
• Crafty Addicts – Pets
• Sunny Day Crafty – Any Animal
• Sisterhood of Crafters – Up in the Sky
• Show Us Your Pussies – Furrything Goes
• Crafty Cardmakers – 2+ Dies/Punches

Looking for other crafty pet projects? Check out some of these:

If you like the craftiness you find on this blog, it would make me do a little happy dance if you would follow me! Happy Crafting!