A Flying High Card Set

Today is the day that my daughter graduates from high school - my last child in high school.  It is a momentous day - I'm so proud of her and exited for her next steps.  I saved this post to share with you because the card I made especially for her is included in this set.

I clear embossed the balloons onto some Bristol paper and colored them with my Zig Clean Color watercolor markers.  Easy and simple.

The sentiment on the outside is a stamp I bought months ago for this occasion and have been waiting to use - this card design was in my mind for a while.

The sentiment on the inside - simple and encouraging.  I can almost literally see her take flight!  It is a very happy graduation.

This pink card is for my Katie.  Pink is her signature color as they say.  So much so that her band director nicknamed her "Pinky".  I'm sure she'll understand the inside wink and find the card loving and caring.

Well, tonight is the big ceremony.  I'm off to get some last minute stuff done and to prepare for the main event.  I hope your celebrations (if you are having them) are joyful.

I'm going to enter these cards in the following challenges:

Word Art Wednesday's Challenge Week 284/285 Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge Simon Says Anything Goes

Birthday Wishes

So, Brandy's birthday is in March.  I'm such a bad friend - or we're so busy with trips out of town for work, etc. - that we just recently got together to celebrate her birthday.  I had saved this card and the post showing the card off because Brandy checks in on my projects and I didn't want her to see this ahead of time.

Here's the details on the card:

• The frames were die cut using my Our Daily Bread Designs Vintage Borders dies.  I used coordinating patterned paper so that all the papers go together.
• The flowers were mad from white cardstock stamped in Memento Rich Cocoa ink and edged with pink ink only at the tips.  I wet the cardstock before shaping and used the stylus to get this cool shape - love it!
• The leaves were stamped with Chartreuse Papertrey Ink onto white cardstock and then I sponged more green onto the leaves after.  They were shaped with dry paper.  
• Various white and pink cardstock die cuts fill in the background - most from my Our Daily Bread Designs Leaves and Branches dies.
• Patterned paper butterfly die cut using my Prickly Pear Mini Butterflies die.  

On the inside - a simple sentiment and a pretty little butterfly cut from coordinating patterned paper.  I'm over the moon how this turned out for my bestie.  Along with a small token of my esteem and though we were late to celebrate, I'm hoping she knows how very special she is.

We're right in the middle of celebrating and anticipating the graduation ceremony Wednesday this week.  My crafting time is now focused on packing for our vacation.  I intend to take some leisure watercolor projects with me on the trip - something to keep my hands busy in the early morning when I'm awake before anyone else.  I've a few photos of cards made that need to post, so I'm going to fill blank spaces this week with trying to post those and prepare to leave.

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

SSS Little Critters because my card contains butterflies

Word Art Wednesday's Challenge 284/285: Anything Goes

and the new to me Creative Stamp Challenge Challenge 14: Flowers

A Tea Caddy Gift

I'm interrupting all this graduation madness to share with you a quick gift I made for my mother on Mother's Day.  She's a big tea drinker and I thought it might be useful to have a decorated tea caddy.  The mdf board box was purchased at the CK scrapbook convention last year and the papers are from the stash.

The flowers were cut from coordinating patterned paper.  I didn't expect them to work out so well, but they are perfect for the box.  I used my Vintage Floret dies to cut the flower bases and then shaped them using the classic rose technique outlined by Heartfelt Creations.  The added dimension doesn't matter - it enhances the final result immensely.

A flip top lid for easy loading along with some sponged ink to finish the look and we're done.  I'm super pleased with how this turned out and my mother loved it!

Star Struck Set of Cards

Another set of cards for the graduates.  I used the paper pad that Brandy gifted me to celebrate National Scrapbook day - there was a lot of black and gold.  I needed a simple design to create multiples and this fit the bill - I was able to quickly die cut the stars in bunches so that I could match the background paper for feel, etc.

On the inside of each card - a simple quote to express the sentiment of the day.  I decided to frame the insides with coordinating background papers rather than leave them plain black and white.  I'm pleased, though this is a departure for me.

All in all I think there are five of these cards that I made.  Each has a slightly different feel and quite a few can be for those gentlemen graduates.  I'm pleased and almost done with my graduation cards.  I found a set of photos from a project I made for mother's day and so I'm going to try to get those edited and posted soon.  I'm working on finishing my daughter's graduation card and will have to wait to share that until she's seen it.

I hope your May is going well - it feels almost over and it just begun.

A Season of Graduation Cards

Here's another entry in the plethora of graduation cards that I've made.  I was inspired by this pin and found the making of this card simple and quick.  I used my Impression Obsession Hollyhocks die to cut the flowers out of white cardstock.  The rest is just bits and pieces from the stash.

On the inside, a simple sentiment from a wooden stamp from the stash.  Trying to keep things simple - because the occasion warrants and because I need to make a bunch more of these.  I hope your month is going well - mine is going quickly as we race towards the end of high school for my daughter.  Enjoy!

Flying High Graduation Card

Since my daughter is graduating from high school this year, we have quite a few young ladies who we know that are graduating too.  This is a good occasion to send a card and so I have lots of different designs in mind and am busy making those cards.

This creation is using a very old stamp set that I won online over five years ago.  I clear embossed the balloons with a brown ink basket onto some Bristol paper.  I then used my Zig markers to color the images. The background was dry embossed with a Swiss dot pattern and colored with some Salty Ocean Distress Ink.

A simple sentiment inside with a black card base - unusual for me, but fitting the ceremony of the card.

This card didn't turn out quite the way that I wanted so I'm going back to the drawing board to give it another go.  I've this new design in mind for the card for my daughter, so mums the word!

Graduation Party Invitations

So, my youngest graduates high school later this year.  I can't actually believe that she is old enough, but you can trust me - she's old enough!  It is that time when you fear losing them and eagerly anticipate them leaving - a very odd mixture of emotion.

Either way, I couldn't resist making the invitations for her graduation party.  I asked her to Pinterest something that she liked and we'd use that as a theme.  I actually got these made before I realized the stripes and color combination are all very Kate Spade.  A huge thank you out to Kate Spade, I guess.

The stripes were stamped from homemade strips of fun foam cut into stripes and temporarily adhered to my MISTI.  I had to stamp multiple times to get those solid black lines, but I did it - 45 times!  The flowers are made using my Peony Bouquet stamp and dies - they are really lovely, don't you think?!

There will be more party stuff, I just need to get a few other activities out of my way.  I'll hope to post those projects soon.

I'm going to enter this card into the May Photo Inspiration challenge over at Altenew's blog and into Word Art Wednesday's challenge week 282/283: Anything Goes.

An Out of This World Birthday Card

I'm stopping in to share a card totally perfect for those young men in your life.  This is a departure from the fru-fru mother's day cards that I've been sharing and comes to you from Brandy's handiwork.  The background is a watercolor night sky using this technique.  Perfectly paired with the stamped planets, this card has so much to look at.  Can you tell that Brandy used actual images of the planets as inspiration in order to get realistic colors and styling?

So wonderful, please join me in a round of applause for Brandy's handiwork.

Textured Cards

This is the last in the series of Mother's Day cards being brought to you on this Mother's Day.  I used an old Stampin' Up stamp for the sentiment frame onto Bristol and colored with my Zig Clean Color brushes.  Simple textured backgrounds set off the focal point keeping the design simple.  I didn't get a photo, but I printed out common card sayings on the inside for this set - giving the sender something pre-printed to say.

As you can see, I toyed a bit on background colors, etc. just to have a bit of fun.

Happy Mother's Day to you and all the mothers in your life.

Mother's Day Cards

I'm shaking up the flower theme of Mother's Day cards and went with a new-to-me Sizzix butterfly die cut to keep the watercolor background of this card the highlight.  I used my MISTI Creative Corners set to stamp the sentiment on the card front at an angle.  The triangle from the Creative Corners made stamping accurately easy and quick.

The watercolors were made using my Mission Gold watercolors which give a vibrant finish, one that I can't stop oogling over.  Super fun, super simple and some more to add to the stash being sold at the fundraiser.

This card front was made using my Zig Starry Colors glitter watercolors.  The picture doesn't do it justice, this is sparkle heaven!

Another simple sentiment on the inside leaving the sender a place to write a heartfelt note.  How is your card making coming?  Are you celebrating the big day?  I'm stopping by some of your blogs to check it out!