Graduation Card

Our nephew graduated from high school in early June.  You guessed it - I made him a card.

The card is really very simple.  The decorative paper (Paper Pizazz) was cut using Spellbinders Labels Eight, then mounted on a piece of red cardstock (even though it looks orange in the picture).  The Diploma stamp is by Inkadinkado, which I stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, and cut out with Spellbinders Classic Ovals.  I then mounted it on a larger oval, cut with the same set.

The Congratulations stamp is by Uptown Rubber Stamps.  I used a water-based marker to color it, then stamped it on white cardstock, again mounting it on a piece of black.  Both the diploma and congratulations were affixed to the card using 1/4" pop dots.

Personal news:  I am scheduled for knee replacement surgery on Tuesday, July 23.  At the time I am writing this blog post (about 10 days prior to it going live), my pain level continues to increase.  I use a cane whenever I go out, but I told my husband that I think my shopping days are pretty much over for now.  (Thank goodness for Amazon!)  I don't really know what to expect as far as recovery goes - it may be more difficult because I have fibromyalgia - but I know that it will be worth it to finally have a knee that works.  (I have had problems with my knee since my late teens.)  I don't know when I will be able to blog again - we have a lot of appointments between July 1 and July 18 -  but I do hope to get some crocheting and maybe cross stitch done while I am recovering, so as long as I can remember to take pictures, I will have projects to share.  And if I am able to schedule a few more posts in advance, I will do just that!

Mother's Day Cards

I made matching Mother's Day cards for both our moms this year, although I did put different poems on the inside of each.

My inspiration card is here.

I tried something new for my sentiment.  Many months ago when I was at the large Michael's Arts and Crafts store near here, I found a starter set of Silhouette Sketch Pens.  These are designed to replace the cutting blade in my Silhouette Portrait.  I found a font I liked and after sketching my words, I cut them out using one of the dies in the Spellbinders Floral Ovals set.  I then used a larger Floral Oval die and cut it out of the purple cardstock.  1/4" Pop Dots were used to pop up both ovals.

For my background, I ran a piece of white cardstock through my Cuttlebug with the Spellbinders M-bossabilities embossing folder, Mystic, using side B.

Right before mounting all of that on another piece of purple cardstock, I put a piece of silver ribbon around it, then tied a "cheater's bow" on one end.

It was fun to learn how to use the sketch pens, and I will certainly use them again!

Anniversary Card

My daughter and son-in-law celebrated their third wedding anniversary at the end of May.  I can't believe it's been that long already!  Here is the card I made for them.

The card I used for inspiration (and pinned to Pinterest, of course) was posted on Splitcoaststampers.  For my version, I used Spellbinders Fancy Tags Three; my stamp didn't have a manufacturer listed on it.  I popped the sentiment up on 1/4" Pop Dots.  To create the bow, I used my Bow Easy, a great tool for anyone who makes bows.

Straightforward and pretty!