Sympathy Cards

I find that Sympathy cards are so difficult to make - and they are not a card I can make ahead of time.  I do try to make them somewhat personal.  I struggled for several days making this card and I don't know if I am totally happy with it yet. 

I love the background.  I stamped the Hero Arts background stamp in VersaMark and then clear embossed it.  I then rubbed distress inks over it - Blues and greens - to try and give it a tealish color.  I matted it with a dark navy metallic paper.  The sentiment - another Hero Arts Stamp - was stamped on a scrap of the patterned paper I stamped the background on.  It was matted with the navy blue also.  I had this Bazzill bling paper that picked up the blue/green undertones.  The background and sentiment are both pop dotted. 

The flower is made from coffee filters which I cut out with spellbinders - there are four layers of four different sizes that make up the flower.  I colored the coffee filters with distress inks and Perfect Pearl Mists.  I bunched them all up - put a rubber band around them and let them dry for 24 hours.  The ribbon is from my friend Ivanka.

Moxie Fab World has a challenge to use household items on a card - well coffee filters are a household item.  The actually make great flowers and take color from many different mediums.  I will also place it in the Hero Arts monthly challenge for flowers.

Now I need to finish the inside of the card.  I think I then need to just make a card that is not so difficult to design.  Do you struggle making sympathy cards?