Unconventional Graduation Card

Many of my neighbor grandchildren are graduating this year - two from high school and two from 8th grade.  After I made this card, I thought it would be fun graduation card for Ben who is graduating from high school.  I think everyone is happy to graduate from high school and move onto the next adventure in their life.

This is what I started with.  I had made this background piece awhile ago.  I had used paint and glimmer mist inside an embossing folder and got this unique background.  The crazy bird was already colored and I stamped the sentiment on a piece of gessoed book pages.

Here is a close up of the bird after he was on the card.  I did fussy cut him out and adhered him to the card front with gel medium.  I added blue glitter to parts of the bird to give him some extra shine.  Of course, he needed some googly eyes to complete his look.  I think I do need to go back and make his lips a little more orange.  I decided I wanted to staple the sentiment onto the card front and after that I decided to add a few more staples else where on the card front.

I am entering this card in several challenges.

Happy Little Stampers - Mixed Media Challenge - where the challenge is Shine.  I used silver embossing paste on the card.  The background has a little glimmer to it and I added glitter to the bird.

Try It On Tuesday - where the challenge is spots, dots and splashes.  I have splashes of black paint and dots and spots of blue and green embossing paste.

Tuesday Throwdown - where the challenge is embossing.  I did use an embossing folder to make the background.  The sentiment and crazy bird were heat embossed with black Versafine ink and clear embossing powder.  I also added elements of embossing paste in three different colors:  blue, green and silver.

I love to do mixed media cards.  There is something very liberating about it.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a wonderful day.

Stencil It

I believe Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog looked into my craft room and saw that I was playing with stencils this week.

I have been working on purple postcards and created a background I really loved so I made another of the same background for a graduation card.

The card is for an amazing young lady graduating from college with a degree in business and majors in accounting and finance and has already passed the first part of her CPA exam.  She worked for me for 4 years as a student worker and was so great.  I wish her the best in her new adventures.  Of course, she already has a job offer.

The background is done with three shades of acrylic paint.  The original layer is two book pages glued together and painted with gesso and a shade of purple.  After this layer dries, a layer of the original purple is stenciled on through a dot stencil.  The next layer is a Hero Arts stencil I just purchased from Simon Says with a darker shade of purple.  I love how it turned out.  I did spray it with a Tattered Angels glitter mist.  The sentiment is done on vellum with my new purple embossing powder.  I had this ribbon and it was perfect.

The card will need to be mailed in a puffy envelope.  I am going to put some cotton balls in the bow to keep them intact.

Plus purple is the school colors.

Graduation from Nursing School

A sweet non traditional student just finished her nursing school.  She went part time because she also has a family.  During her time in school, she has also lost an aunt and uncle to cancer.  I am so glad to be celebrating with her and her family tomorrow her graduation.  Everyone is so proud of her.

This is an Art Impressions stamp.  The sentiment is from a Simon Says Stamp set.  I thought the sentiment was perfect.

The Oldie Moldie for today was the Basic Grey paper.  I love the pretty colors in this group.

Remember to show some love for your old supplies.

Graduation and Mixed Media

My granddaughter graduates from high school tomorrow so I tried making a card and nothing came together - I think it was because this canvas was in my head and heart.

I am entering it in the monthly challenge on the Faber Castell Design Memory Craft blog.  The challenge this month is to mix and match your mediums.  My interpretation is to use lots of different products and that is what happened with me in creating this project.

It is a 6 x 6 canvas.  Several layers on the canvas because I did not like the first background I made.  That is the glory of gesso, gel medium and paper.  You can start all over again and again if you have to.  I layered on patterned paper with gel medium  I then applied gesso over the top.  After the gesso dried I used my gelatos to add color (Emily's favorite colors are purple and teal).  I used a stencil and added embossing paste and from there I went with a polka dot background theme.  Unfortunately I do not know who makes the girl stamp.  Unmounted rubber.  The sentiment is by Penny Black.  I colored the image with gelatos, watercolor pencils.  The girl and sentiment were stamped on dictionary pages which had gesso on them.  I colored the paper for the sentiment before stamping.  The girl I colored after I stamped.  All this was added to the canvas with gel medium.  I used another stencil and just colored with a brush and picked up the color off the end of a gelato and applied it in the circle.  Very soft background.  I finished it off with with random rub ons and other rubber stamps.

A friend shared it on facebook and one of her friends wants me to make her one.  Gee what do you charge for something like this.

Enjoy your Saturday.

Graduation and SRM Challenge

One of my favorite products - SRM Stickers - has started a challenge blog.  I am just sliding in under the deadline.  I am trying to get back in the mode of making cards.  Their first challenge is Celebrations.

Graduating from college with your master's degree is one reason to celebrate.  This card is for my graduate assistant.  In honor of Earth Day - all the paper used is from recycled commencement programs.  I was so happy when they switched from the purple covers to white covers - so much more versatile for making card bases.  I combined several stickers from SRM Stickers along with a stamped sentiment from Stampendous.  I was lucky to have these purple toned pearls sent to me by my good friend Ivanka.

Everyone have a wonderful evening.  I guess it is time to start thinking about work tomorrow and getting things together.