Grad Cards!

 Hello and welcome back! Here are a couple more cards for today:

This first card is for the sketch challenge at the Paper Players. I rotated it 90 degrees to fit my design elements.

Both cards share some characteristics: I used the same number dies, the same stamp for the sentiment, and created the graduation cap the same way. But I created each one in the recipient's respective school colors and the second design is different.

You can see in the photo below how I cut two sets of numbers and offset them to create a shadow effect.

This second card started out as a vertical "O" for my nephew's high school, but as I started die-cutting the pieces, things got out of whack and it was easier to just rotate it and change the design a bit. There's still a resemblance to the grad announcement but it's not as obvious now.

I'm entering this one in the Retro Rubber Challenge.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Bravo (from 2015-2016 Annual Catalog), B.Y.O.P. (from 2016-2017 Annual Catalog)

Paper - Basic White Thick Cardstock; Blueberry Bushel, Crushed Curry, Basic Black, Basic White, and Real Red Cardstock

Ink - Blueberry Bushel, Real Red, Memento Tuxedo Black; Stampin' Write Markers - Crushed Curry, Real Red

Accessories - Crushed Curry Chevron Ribbon, Real Red Woven Satin Ribbon

Tools - Big Shot, Basics 3D Embossing Folder, Alphabet a la Mode Dies, Countryside Corners Dies, Balloon Framelits Dies, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

Card of the Day - Con-Grad-ulations!

Hello and welcome back! Today's card is to celebrate a cousin who just earned her SECOND Master's degree!

Her school's colors are maroon and gold, and she earned her degree in education, which in the world of academic regalia, is a light blue hood.

I've used this "congratulations" stamp set before but this time it really gave me some trouble. I started out by heat embossing the outline, then doing the first set of letters with full strength Merry Merlot. I used my Stamparatus to help line everything up but the stickiness of the stamp pulled my paper ever so slightly out of whack. So I tried again. The second time was better, but when I went to stamp the second set of letters (Merry Merlot stamped off once), I had forgotten to move the stamp on the plate from the first attempt. After I cleaned it with my shammy it was still wet so some of the wet ink transferred to the cardstock before I stamped it. It's most noticeable on the "g" and the second "n" but not enough for a third try. It just looks "artistic" now!

The blue ribbon was created with the Blue Ribbon stamp set, along with a retired die and punch. 

This slimline card was inspired by the challenge at CAS Colours & Sketches.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp sets - Amazing Congratulations, Blue Ribbon, Here's A Card

Paper - Very Vanilla Thick Cardstock; Very Vanilla and Merry Merlot Cardstock; Gold Foil Paper

Ink - Versamark, Merry Merlot, Tempting Turquoise

Accessories - Gold Embossing Powder

Tools - Big Shot, Bitty Banners Framelits, Layering Circles Dies, 2-3/8" Scallop Circle Punch, Classic Label Punch, Heat Tool, Stamparatus, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals

It's graduation time again!

Hello and welcome back! I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy and getting lots of time to craft! I'm on a hiatus from work for a couple of weeks, which gave me some time to make a whole bunch of graduation cards. My church suggested that we try to do something special for all those kids who are missing out on ceremonies and celebrations, and I thought, "I can do that!" Here are some of the cards I made:

Cards 1 & 2 - CASEd from Bonnie O'Neill

Card 3 - CASEd from Stesha Bloodhart

Card 4 - CASEd from Pat Tecza

Cards 5 & 6 - CASEd from StampinINK

Card 7 - CASEd from Debbie Mageed

Card 8

I CASEd all of my ideas from Pinterest, except for this last one, which I'm entering in the challenge this week at As You See It.

My favorite part of this project was matching the school colors! Luckily, I have a large stash of retired cardstock colors and DSP so I was able to find just what I needed. I also raided my retired stamp sets for most of these cards. Those old sets come in handy!

Now to get these cards addressed and in the mail!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi



Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

All cards -
Stamp sets - Here's A Card, Big News (retired)

Cards 1 & 2 -
Paper: Whisper White Thick Cardstock; Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, and Whisper White cardstocks; Vellum Cardstock; Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper (retired)
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Memento Tuxedo Black, Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Write Marker
Tools: Big Shot, Triple Banner Punch, Tufted 3D Embossing Folder, Lucky Stars Embossing Folder (retired), Large Letters Framelits (retired), Large Numbers Framelits (retired), Balloon Framelits (retired), Sunshine Wishes Framelits (retired), Adhesive Sheets, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, SNAIL

Card 3 -
Stamp set: Touches of Texture
Paper: Whisper White Thick Cardstock; Whisper White, Crushed Curry and Brilliant Blue (retired) cardstock
Ink: Crushed Curry, Brilliant Blue (retired)
Accessories: Crushed Curry Mini Chevron Ribbon (retired)
Tools: Big Shot, Large Numbers Framelits (retired), Triple Banner Punch, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

Card 4 -
Stamp set: Work of Art (retired)
Paper: Whisper White Thick Cardstock; Crushed Curry and Brilliant Blue (retired) cardstock
Ink: Crushed Curry, Brilliant Blue (retired)
Tools: Big Shot, Stitched Rectangles Framelits, Large Letters Framelits (retired), Balloon Framelits (retired), Mini Stampin' Dimensionals, Multipurpose Liquid Glue

Cards 5 & 6 -
Stamp set: So Many Stars Builder Wheel (retired)
Paper: Whisper White Thick Cardstock; Night of Navy and Real Red cardstock
Ink: Night of Navy, Real Red
Accessories: Metallic Sequin Assortment (retired)
Tools: Big Shot, Large Numbers Framelits (retired), Celebrate You Thinlits (retired), Stitched Rectangles Framelits, Stamparatus, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

Card 7 -
Stamp set: Feel Goods (retired), Daydream Medallions (retired)
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, and Yoyo Yellow (retired) cardstock
Ink: Pineapple Punch, Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Basic Black 5/8" Satin Ribbon (retired), Daffodil Delight 1/4" Cotton Ribbon (retired), Gold Sequin Trim (retired)
Tools: Big Shot, Confetti Embossing Folder (retired), Floral Frames Framelits (retired), Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots, SNAIL

Card 8 -
Stamp set: Morning Post Numbers (retired)
Paper: Whisper White Thick Cardstock; Whisper White and Basic Black cardstocks; Brights Patterns DSP (retired), Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper (retired)
Tools: Big Shot, Subtle 3D Embossing Folder, Balloon Framelits (retired), Stampin' Dimensionals, Multipurpose Liquid Glue

A special graduation card

Hello and welcome back! Today's card is for our cousin, who is graduating from college with her master's degree next month. It's a rough year for grads. They're missing out on cap and gown ceremonies and big family celebrations. Here's hoping they can celebrate soon!

I wanted to match her school colors so I checked out the college website. If any of you attended Ohio University in Athens, feel free to let me know if I'm close!

I'm entering this card in the challenge at TGIFC this week. It's a belly band challenge.

I hope she likes it!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi



Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp sets - Well Said, B.Y.O.P.
Paper - Whisper White Thick Cardstock; Whisper White and Shaded Spruce cardstocks; Gold Foil Paper; Regals 6 x 6 DSP (retired patterns), label from Calligraphy Essentials project kit (retired)
Ink - Shaded Spruce
Tools - Big Shot, Well Written dies, Layering Squares Framelits, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Multi-purpose Adhesive Sheets, Stampin' Dimensionals

CC&S 321 and PCC 337 - It's graduation time again!

Hello and welcome back! Here's today's card:

My niece is graduating from high school this week - those years went by quickly! Her school colors are purple and silver so this is what I came up with. I used the sketch from CAS Colours & Sketches. The card base is Whisper White Thick Cardstock (my favorite for card bases!), with a layer of Gorgeous Grape. The sentiment in the corner was stamped with Versamark and embossed with white embossing powder. I pulled some Brushed Silver Cardstock from my retired stash and used the old Perfect Pennants Bigz die to cut two triangles, then layered them to get the effect on the left side of the card. I also die cut the "hooray" from the silver and stuck it to a white piece punched with the Tailored Tag punch. 

A really simple card, so I made a big statement on the envelope with the Congrats stamp from the retired Bravo set.

This card is for the sketch challenge at CAS Colours & Sketches and the theme challenge at Paper Craft Crew.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

--Cindi



Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp sets - B.Y.O.P., Bravo (both retired)
Paper - Whisper White Thick Cardstock, Gorgeous Grape, Brushed Silver (retired), and Whisper White Cardstock
Ink - Versamark, Gorgeous Grape
Tools - Big Shot, Well Written Thinlits, Perfect Pennants Bigz Die (retired), Heat Tool, White Embossing Powder, Tailored Tag Punch, Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals

SIP 150 - It's graduation time!

Hello and welcome back! Today I've got a graduation card for you. 

 One of our younger cousins just graduated earlier this month from the University of Toledo, so I tried to match the school colors as closely as I could using only Stampin' Up! products. I've created this card using the double z-fold technique. The punched graduation cap idea came from Wendy Lee's blog HERE. I'm trying to use up some of my old retired DSP so it came in handy for this card.

Here are a couple of close up shots.

This card is for the fancy fold challenge this week at Stamp Ink Paper. Too bad I missed out last week on the Dads & Grads challenge! 

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi



Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp sets - Amazing Congratulations, Bravo (retired)
Paper - Dapper Denim, Basic Black,  and Whisper White Cardstock, Regals DSP Stack (retired)
Ink - Dapper Denim, Crushed Curry, Daffodil Delight
Accessories - Neutrals Brads (retired), DMC pearl cotton #5 (for tassel)
Tools - Big Shot, Large Numbers Framelits, 1-3/8" square punch (retired), Large oval punch (retired), Paper-Piercing Tool, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals, SNAIL, Mini Glue Dots

SIP#101 & FMS#290 - It's Graduation Season!

Hello and welcome back! Today's card is for the graduation challenge at Stamp Ink Paper and the sketch challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.

And here is today's card:

I didn't think I'd have any use for a graduation card this year, until a friend I've known for about 50 years posted on Facebook that she was receiving her Master's Degree in Music. In the world of academic regalia, the master's hood for music is pink, so I knew I needed to incorporate that color in the card. The brand-new In Color, Powder Pink, is perfect! Luckily, I just received my first order from the new catalog so I had some new product to use. 

The card base is the new Very Vanilla Thick Cardstock - I love this for card bases! I added a layer of Powder Pink and then a layer of regular weight Very Vanilla, which I stamped with the "vintage" Music Notes Stampin' Around wheel stamp. (I have unmounted my wheel stamps, but that's a subject for another blog post.) The new Sheet Music background stamp could also be used here, but I don't own that one - yet! The half circle of Pear Pizzazz is embossed with the retired Square Lattice embossing folder, and then the seam is covered with some of the fabulous new Finely Woven Ribbon. A bow was added as a final touch, along with some stamping on the envelope flap. All stamping is done with Chocolate Chip ink.

I'm so proud of my friend for going back to school and furthering her education. I know how hard it is to do it later in life - I was 47 when I graduated from college with my Bachelor's Degree!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi



Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Suite Sentiments (retired), Music Notes Stampin' Around Wheel (retired)
Paper - Very Vanilla Thick Cardstock; Powder Pink, Pear Pizzazz, and Very Vanilla Cardstock
Ink - Chocolate Chip
Accessories - Powder Pink Finely Woven Ribbon
Tools - Big Shot, Circles Framelits (retired), Square Lattice TIEF (retired), SNAIL, Mini Glue Dots