More Grad Cards...

"No more school, No more books, no more teachers, dirty looks..."

(remember kids singing this verse in movies when they get out of school???)

Today, marks the beginning of summer vacation...

I have 2 more grad cards to show you...the last two! Boy, oh, boy...I have never been this busy making cards the last few months. I feel like a cardmaking factory. Spring time is a busy time for me with Mother's Day, birthdays, anniversaries, teacher gifts, and graduation going on at what seems like all at the same time! And having all of these DT duties have been pushing my "arse" to get these cards done. But all of the effort is worth it since all of the cards and gifts are going to some very special people.

Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge MMSC2

My hubby is the varsity baseball coach and some of the graduating seniors are on his team. So I thought it would be appropriate to use GinaK Designs Just So Sporty stamp set for a grad card. I really did not want to go the traditional route (like you've seen with the other two I made for the first Digiments release).

I've been looking for an excuse to use the Just So Sporty stamp set by Melanie Muenchinger from GinaK Designs and this was the inspiration I was looking for. This was also the first time I've used a CTMH set called Baseball. I've never owned a CTMH clear set until now but have always admired their stamp sets. I embossed kraft cardstock with the numbers collage embossing folder. I added a strip of summer sun on top of it. I added two strips of bordering blue cardstock and punched them with Fiskars apron lace (hope that doesn't make the card too girly). I layered a piece of ruby red cardstock and stamped the white layer with Cornish Heritage Farms Lined Paper background stamp - love love this stamp...it goes so great with school/office related projects. After using the spiral punch, I distressed the layer stamped with Lined Paper on the edges to make it look like it was just ripped out of a notebook. I added some string as an embellie on the bottom part. I stamped the t-shirt on kraft cardstock and sponged on some ruby red ink to give it some color. I stamped "All Star" with Palette New Canvas ink. I also used my white gel pen to highlight the collar as well as the stripes on the sleeves. To finish it off, I used my classic circle nesties to create the sentiment using the CTMH Baseball stamp set. To get two colors on the ball, I used SU markers and spritzed it with water before stamping which gave me a more distressed watercolored look. Then I stamped the "class of" and "09" from the Just So Sporty set on top of the baseball image. To make the baseball look like it was rolling around in dirt a little, I sponged a little bit of more mustard around the edges of the circle.

The card came together quickly using the sketch challenge, MMSC2, on the Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge blog. The card uses the school colors: maroon and yellow (more mustard color). It took me a long time to figure out exactly what layout I was going to use. But, after browsing though the SCS gallery for inspiration, Priscilla, who started the Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge Blog, left a comment on one of my girl grad cards in my gallery and invited me to check out her new challenge blog and participate (thanks Priscilla!). I think I had until this past Tuesday to send a link to my card to enter her contest to win a whopping prize, but it tool me so long to get a pic of it. Oh well, will have to participate next time! Once I created the first card, it was a cinch to get the other 6 cards done in no time.

Stamps: GinaK Designs (Just So Sporty), CTMH (Baseball), Cornish Heritage Farms (Lined Paper)
Patterned Paper: None used
Cardstock: Stampin’ Up (Bashful Blue, Ruby Red), Unkown (White, Kraft)
Ink: Stampin’ Up (More Mustard, Ruby Red), Palette (Burnt Umber)
Die Cut: Nestabilities (Classic Circles), Cuttlebug (Number Collage)
Punch: Fiskars (Apron Lace)
Fiber: String

Jen Del Muro's SFYTT 5.23.09

This card was created following Jen Del Muro's sketch on 5.23.09. I just love participating in her sketch challenges. She posts new sketches every Saturday so make sure to sign-up for her newsletter so you can play along every week. I needed another girlie grad card and I hadn't used this grad digiment yet. This card showcases a simple but very powerful message. Again, I used the arabesque digi-stamp from Mel Stampz since I don't have the nesties label that looks like this one (not yet at least - LOL). But, seriously, Mel is so great at sharing! LOVE HER!

I love the papers I used on this card - just screams summer vacation and what better way to utilize it than on a grad card. I used the paper pleating method on the 2nd patterned paper layer. I had seen this technique on one of the Papercrafting Magazines last year and just now experimenting. I love the pleated look. My sewing machine is having a tantrum again so I had to improvise on how to adhere the pleats together and I just love the stitched look. Anyway, I ended up using double stick tape underneath and it held together quite well. I had to put some kind of stitching on there so I created two cross stitches using black crochet thread. I marked where I wanted the stitches first with a pencil and then used my paper piercer to poke the holes and used a mega thick needle to get through the paper. I think it turned out ok looking. I felt it needed something else so I added a circle behind the digiment to make it stand out a bit more. I used my nesties classic circle and lined it with some graph paper. I used my slit punch to create the scallops on the side of the card. Voila! Done...

Digital Images: Digiments (Graduation Day), Mel Stampz (Arabesque)
Patterned Paper: Vibrant Paper Pad, Unkown (Graph Paper)
Cardstock: Unkown
Ink: Stampin’ Up (Summer Sun)
Die Cut: Nestabilities (Classic Circles)
Punch: Stampin’ Up (Slit)
Ribbon: Wal-mart (Satin Green)
Stitching: Black Crochet Thread