Graduation Cards

Hello and Happy Monday!

I think I'm finally finished purging and organizing in my craft room. Luckily, our neighbor is a 5th grade teacher and she takes a lot of the supplies that I  purge for her class and for the other teachers at her school. 

I changed my desk layout too. I used it yesterday for the first time while making a couple of cards, and it seemed to work well. I reduced the area by half, so I wasn't sure if I'd like it. There may be more tweaks, but for now I'm calling it good.

Both of the cards that I made are Graduation cards. One is for our neighbor, a young man graduating from high school this month. The second is for the DIL of our friends we visit in New England. Erin graduated from UCON four years ago with a nursing degree. She worked in hospitals and then decided to go into the Nurse Anesthetist Program. She graduates from that program this Friday.

Here's the High School Graduation card.

The background stamp is from Gina K Designs. There is a die that will cut out all of the words, but I decided I liked it as a background, and it works great for a Graduation card. The trophy die cut and sentiments are from Concord & 9th. The school colors are navy blue and white and then I added some gold accents.

For Erin's card, I used the same GKD background stamp. I also used Claire's colors for this week's Paper Players Challenge. The tulip dies and the large die cut sentiment are from Concord & 9th.  As the Just Us Girls challenge is die week/sentiment, this card works for that as well.

Here is the inside of this card. (I forgot to take a photo of the inside of the first card).

We are off to have lunch with some friends who are here from Palm Springs for the day. We're meeting at a restaurant in Carlsbad Village. Menu looks yummy!

Hope your week is a good one!

Colleen

Supplies

Stamps: So Many Words set by Gina K Designs and Dream Big by Taylored Expressions

Paper: Stampin' Up and Gina K Designs card stock, Altenew glitter gold card stock, SSS mat gold card stock, striped Vellum

Ink: Stampin' Up and Gina K Designs

Other: Concord & 9th World's Greatest dies, Celebrate You dies, and Tulip Festival dies, SSS A2 Scalloped Rectangle dies, Spellbinders Large Oval die, Taylored Expressions Graduation Cap die, Gina K Designs Blending Brushes and purple heart embellishments

Congratulations Graduate

Hello,

My youngest nephew graduates today from high school. He has been awarded Valedictorian of his class. Yup, he's a smarty just like his older siblings.

Here's the card that I made for him. I combined several supplies from several different companies.

This Ellen Hutson bear stamp is one of my very favorite! He is so versatile! Using the corresponding die, I cut him out using X-Press It Blending card stock and then using the Misti, stamped him onto the cutout. I made his background using a cloud stencil and a brush. There are three ink colors in the clouds, Baja Breeze, Pale Plum and Powder Pink. The grassy hill is cut from Baja Breeze card stock using a Lawn Fawn die. The round balloon is also a Lawn Fawn die and the Mortar Board is a Taylored Expressions die. These are cut from metallic card stock.

The left side of the card is a piece of X-Press It Blending white card stock stamped using the Concord & 9th Stripes and Sayings set. The stripes are stamped in Baja Breeze ink and the sayings are stamped in Pale Plum. Using foam tape, the bear panel is raised up.

Here's the inside:

Unfortunately, since I'm working in Denver this week, I couldn't make it up to Portland to attend his graduation. Not sure why they held it during the week instead of on the weekend!?

I hope you're week is going well. Thanks for looking in,
Colleen

Supplies
Stamps: All Inside by Essentials by Ellen, Stripes and Sayings set by Concord & 9th,  and Dream Big by Taylored Expressions
Paper: SU Baja Breeze and X-Press It Blending and SSS metallic card stocks
Ink: Baja Breeze, Pale Plum, Powder Pink, Memento tuxedo black
Other: Cloud Stencil, All Inside set dies, Taylored Expressions Mortar Board die, Lawn Fawn Grassy Hill and balloon dies, Misti, Gemini Jr, foam tape, cloud stencil, blending brush

Congratulations Grad

Happy Saturday to all,

I hope you are enjoying the first day of the long Memorial Day weekend. I've been running the usual Saturday errands, but now I'm home and looking forward to doing some stamping. Mr. Personal Chef's birthday is 5/30 and I still need to make his card. Luckily, I have a design in mind.

One of my best friend's daughter graduates from high school this month. I was a little late getting her card made because of my South American vacation, but I finished it yesterday evening and just put in in the mail with a gift card. She is on her way from Chicago to Virginia Tech to major in engineering. She is also on the swim team. An ambitious young woman!

I decided to make a shaker card. For some reason, shaker cards and I are not friends. This one seemed to work better than most that I try.

I started with a Taylored Expressions stamp called Graphic Greetings Graduate and stamped it onto "window plastic" using Staz-On white ink. While it was drying, I stamped the Pure Innocence Graduate onto Neenah Solar White heavy weight card stock and colored it with Copics. As the graduate's school colors are Navy and White, I went with a navy card base and colored the cap and gown in navy. After coloring the main image, I colored the background with BG Copics in lighter shades. I wanted the white lettering on the window plastic to stand out.  The window is cut with a Die-namics stitched rectangle die. Using double sided tape I taped the window plastic to the back of the cut panel, then used foam tape to outline the area where the shaker elements would go. Finally, I glued 3 of the sequins stars to the outside of the card.

That's it from me today. Thanks for stopping in and I hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

Supplies
Stamps: Graphic Greetings Graduate stamp by Taylored Expressions and Pure Innocence Graduate by My Favorite Things
Paper: TE textured Navy and Neenah Solar White card stock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Staz-on White, and Copics
Other: Die-namics Stitched Rectangle die, window plastic, Misti Stamping tool, various sequins and shapes for shaker, foam tape, double sided tape

Life Is A Journey

Hello and good morning stampers,

It's Sunday and time for a new Paper Players challenge. Nance is our hostess and she has a theme for us this week. We want to see bicycles "riding" across your project.

My niece is graduating from college next week. Since I needed to make her a graduation card, I thought I'd use Nance's theme and see what I could do. While it's not your typical graduation card, I rather like the way it worked out. I've combined a couple of Taylored Expressions stamp sets.

The bicycle is stamped in Memento tuxedo black and colored with Copics. After cutting it out with a Die-namics square die, the sentiment and graduation balloon were added. I stamped the balloon again on a scrap of white card stock, colored and cut it out, and popped it up over the bike with a dimensional.

The inside sentiment is a Dr. Seuss quote from The Places You'll Go stamp set:

"You have brains in your head

You have feet in your shoes

You can steer yourself,

any direction you choose."

I know you'll enjoy the rest of the DT's cards. Check them out here:

The Paper Players Design Team

Claire Broadwater

Jaydee

Joanne James

Laurie Schmidt

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy

Sandy Mathis

Linda Callahan

Hannelie Bester

Colleen Begley-Me

As you read this, I'm actually in NYC for a week. On my way back to California next Friday, I'll be stopping in Colorado for the weekend so I can attend my niece's graduation ceremony.

Thanks for looking in today. Have a fun and relaxing Sunday!

Colleen

Supplies
Stamps: Bikes and Trikes set and  The Places You'll Go set by Taylored Expressions
Paper: SU Mambo Melon and X-Press It Blending card stock, Doodlebug Sunkissed patterned paper
Ink: Memento tuxedo black and Copics
Other: Die-namics Stitched and Double Stitched square and Double Stitched circle dies, enamel dots, the Big Shot, dimensionals

Graduation Season and Three Sketch Challenges

Hello,

I hope you all have had a great weekend.

I usually don't include multiple cards in a single post, but since these are all the same theme, graduation, I'm making an exception.

The first card uses the current Mojo Monday sketch. (Wow, no. 400! Congrats to Julee).

Card two uses the CAS(E) Sketch #126.

Card three uses the MFTWSC #231.

The first card is for my nephew, Ian. He graduates next Sunday from the Northwest Academy in Portland, OR and is off to Macalester College in St. Paul, MN in the fall. The second card is for our friend Kyle. He graduated yesterday from Franklin High in Franklin, MA and is off to UCON in the fall, and the third card is for Kyle's twin sister Kaylee. She is off to the University of Rhode Island in the fall. I'm so very, very proud of these three young adults and know they will do very well at their respective universities.

Supplies for card 1
Stamps: Bravo set by Stampin' Up
Paper: SU black, Cucumber Crush and Watermelon Wonder card stocks and SU Cherry On Top DSP
Ink: VersaMark and SU White craft ink
Other: SU white EP, heat tool, TE Grad Cap die, Die-namics pinking circle dies, TE sequins, Ranger multi medium, the Big Shot, dimensionals

Supplies for card 2
Stamps: Dream Big set by Taylored Expressions
Paper: SU Night of Navy, Bordering Blue and cream card stock
Ink: SU Night of Navy, Bordering Blue, memento tuxedo black, Copics
Other: SU stars sequins, SU label die, the Big Shot, dimensionals, Ranger multi medium

Supplies for card 3
Stamps: Pure Innocence Graduation Girl by My Favorite Things
Paper: SU Bordering Blue, Night of Navy, Lovely Lilac card stock, XPress-It Blending card stock, Tim Holtz water color paper
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, Copics, Tim Holtz Distress ink
Other: SU Arrows EF, Die-namics pierced fishtail flags dies, Fiskers corner punch, sequins, the Big Shot, dimensionals

Have a great work week and thanks for looking in,
Colleen

Life Is What You Make It

Hello all,

Wow, I haven't stamped in two months! I think I just lost interest for awhile after years of doing paper crafts. I'm happy to say that I've reclaimed my "mojo" and made 10 cards this past weekend. It truly felt pretty good to get back to my stamps and inks.

Today's card is for a good friend who has received her M.D. degree. There will be a graduation ceremony next month in NYC and we will be flying back to attend. We are SO proud of her.

The layout is Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch 218.

I colored most of the image with my Copics. Her graduation gown is paper pieced.

Supplies
Stamps: Pure Innocence Graduation Girl set and Clearly Sentimental Pearls of Wisdom set both by My Favorite Things
Paper:  SU Pool Party and Whisper White card stock, X-Press It Blending card stock, We R Memories Chalkboard pattern papers
Ink: Memento tuxedo black and Copics
Other: Die-namics Fishtail Flags STAX dies, sewing machine, enamel dots, the Big Shot, and dimensionals

It's good to be back. Thanks for looking in today,
Colleen

Congrats on Your Graduation

Hi,

Today's card is one that I made for my youngest nephew, Nathan. He graduated from middle school (8th grade) this month. He's a great student, enjoys school and his friends. We are all so proud of the young man he has become.

I've used Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch #186 for the layout.

The graduation cap was stamped on a separate piece of white card stock then fussy cut and popped up using a dimensional above the diploma. The diploma was stamped in Memento tuxedo black and colored with Copics. I punched the star with the small SU star punch and added a green pearl.

Supplies
Stamps: Dream Big set by Taylored Expressions
Paper: SU Wasabi, Saffron, Poppy and Whisper White card stock and SU DSP
Ink: SU Poppy and Wasabi, Memento Tuxedo black and Copics
Other: Classic circle Nesties, SU small star punch, Kaiser green pearl, Die-namics Fishtail Flag dies, the Big Shot, and dimensionals

Thanks all for looking in,
Colleen