words that matter | HOPE + Ethereal Faces with Walter

Sometimes a sentiment doesn't just give you the words for a card. It gives you the idea for the entire card.

That's exactly what happened when Walter worked with Simple Expressions: HOPE and Ethereal Faces card fronts. 

One card turns the meaning of the sentiment into a powerful visual metaphor, while the other takes a simpler approach to emphasize the message.

Beautifully Put Back Together

Walter says this first card is his absolute favorite, and I can see why. When he read the Don't Give Up Hope sentiment, his mind immediately turned to kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold. He tore an Ethereal Faces card front into a few pieces and then glued it all back together onto a thin piece of paper. 

He used an embossing ink pen to add ink to the cracks, then dusted the panel with gold embossing powder and heat set it. The result is a kintsugi-inspired card where the gold cracks become part of the design. And the message takes on an even deeper meaning: don't give up hope because life may be beautifully put back together.

Keep Hope at the Center

For his second card, Walter used fussy cutting, layered colors, and stamping to create a simple but beautiful design that emphasizes the need to maintain hope. The expressive face and floral elements create a strong focal point, while the bold HOPE sentiment reinforces the message. There's no need to overcomplicate the design when the word itself carries so much meaning.

Creative Takeaway

Walter's two cards are a great reminder to let the meaning of your sentiment influence your design. Instead of choosing a sentiment after you've already figured out the rest of the card, try starting with the words. What does the sentiment make you think of? Is there a visual idea, a memory, a feeling, or even a story that you can turn into the card?

For Walter, Don't Give Up Hope immediately brought kintsugi to mind, and that connection completely changed how he used the Ethereal Faces card front. The result isn't just a card with a hopeful message. The design itself helps tell the story.

And sometimes the idea doesn't have to be quite that elaborate. His second card shows that you can also keep things simple and let the imagery and sentiment work together to reinforce the same message.

Discover What's Possible

Simple Expressions was designed to make meaningful words a focal point on your cards. Each set combines a bold word with a coordinating phrase, giving you different ways to build your design around the message you want to share.

Pair Simple Expressions: HOPE with Ethereal Faces card fronts, as Walter did, or mix and match your favorite Simple Expressions sets with Card Fronts, ATCs, Collage Paper, Pocket Backdrops, or Ephemera Cut-Out Sheets.

And when you buy a Simple Expressions stamp set with a qualifying Paper Goods pack, the Paper Goods Pack is automatically 40% off.

Find the words that matter to you and see where they take your creativity.

Until next time, keep creating with words that matter.