A Rainbow of Love: A Pet Sympathy Card with Layered Die Cuts

 Losing a beloved pet leaves a space in our hearts that never truly disappears.  

Today’s project is a heartfelt pet sympathy card design that combines bright hope with gentle remembrance. The colorful rainbow peeking through soft layered clouds symbolizes the love and memories that remain long after our furry friends have crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

For this project, I reached for beautiful cardstock from CutCardStock to create crisp die-cut layers and vibrant rainbow colors that really pop against the clean white clouds.

Supplies Used

• CutCardStock Cardstock:
  • Lessebo Pitch Black
  • Cougar White Smooth 
  • Curious Translucent Clear
  • DCS Red Wagon
  • Lessebo Brick Orange
  • DCS Canvas Textured Rubber Ducky Yellow
  • Pop Tone Gum Drop Green
  • DCS Textured Blue Calico
  • DCS Canvas Textured Plum Purple
• Circle dies
• Cloud dies
• Dog silhouette die
• Paw print stamp
• Pet sympathy sentiment stamp
• Blue ink
• Black ink
• Blending tool
• Die cutting machine
• Adhesive

Instructions

1. Create the Background

Trim a piece of Cougar White Smooth cardstock to 4 x 5 1/4 inches. Using a blending tool, softly ink the upper portion with a blue ink, fading toward the center to create a peaceful sky.

2. Die Cut the Rainbow

Cut each section of the rainbow with circle dies from a different color of CutCardStock cardstock:

• DCS Red Wagon
• Lessebo Brick Orange
• DCS Canvas Textured Rubber Ducky Yellow
• Pop Tone Gum Drop Green
• DCS Textured Blue Calico
• DCS Canvas Textured Plum Purple
• 
  

Cut each section in half. Adhere to the ink-blended background.

3. Die Cut the Clouds

Die cut several cloud borders from  Cougar White Smooth and Curious Translucent Clear cardstock.

4. Stamping

Stamping is done on the cloud die cut that will go on the bottom of the card. The sentiment “In Our Hearts Always” goes in the lower right corner using black ink.

Also, stamp a trail of paw prints beginning near the dog and leading down toward the lower corner of the card. This simple detail helps guide the eye across the design while reinforcing the heartfelt theme.

Layer the clouds across the lower half of the card using a combination of flat adhesive and foam tape. Varying the height of the layers creates wonderful depth and gives the scene a soft, dreamy appearance.

4. Add the Dog Silhouette

Die cut the dog silhouette from black cardstock and tuck it behind one of the cloud layers so it appears to be sitting peacefully among the clouds. 

Add the background piece to a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inch black card base cut from a piece of Lessebo Pitch Blackcardstock.

Finishing Touches

Cut a piece of Cougar White Smooth cardstock to 4 x 5 1/4 inches. Stamp a heart with a paw print on the lower right corner. This piece will go on the inside of the card.

This design relies on contrast rather than embellishments. The bright rainbow against the soft blue sky, layered white clouds, and bold black silhouette create an elegant composition that allows the sentiment to shine. Using quality cardstock from CutCardStock ensures clean die cuts, vibrant color, and sturdy layers that make the dimension stand out beautifully.

Whether you’re creating this card for a friend or keeping it on hand for when words are hard to find, it’s a thoughtful reminder that the love we share with our pets is forever carried in our hearts.

Thanks for taking a look at my pet sympathy card project.

For more inspiration join us over on the CutCardStock Facebook Page and the Facebook Group Creating with CutCardStock.