Graduation card

 I made this card for my good friend, Cassidy.  She is my best friend, Wendy's daughter and she just graduated from High school with honors.  We are all so very proud of Cass. I know she worked hard for it and now she has plans to take the summer off from school and then go on to college full force in the fall. I missed her graduation because there was a mishap with my invitation and I didn't know anything about it till very last minute and I will always hate that but I didn't want her to feel like I wasn't thinking of her so I made her this card to acknowledge her accomplishments and to let her know how proud of her that we are.

I made this card using a 6x6 pad of designer paper from My Minds Eye called "Dolled up". I used several of the papers just layering them on for a shabby chic feel. This is the style of creating cards that I enjoy the most. I die cut the frame from a Spellbinders die set using the designer paper and then I embossed it with the die and stenciled the blue in with distress ink in broken china. For the rosette and ribbon I used a Close to My Heart bundle of the cricut Artiste cartridge and the Kudos stamp set. This bundle is really cool because the stamps have coordinating die cuts that are found on that Cricut cartridge. The stamp set even tells you what size to make your die cuts and then you can stamp the image on the cut outs and they fit perfectly. I used a Recollections 51/2x51/2" corrugated card base from Michael's. After adhering all the designer papers to the card base I went around the out side distressing with white paint from Ranger.

This is a peak into the inside of the card.  You know, I used to never decorate the inside of my cards.  I would just add the sentiment, usually matted on a coordinating color of card stock but then I decided the inside was just an extension of the front of the card and more real estate to decorate. Why not? I think the cards look much better this way and much more finished. I just added more of the designer paper.  I cut the edges of the background piece cleanly but tore and distressed the pink patterned paper on top for interest.  I believe that label shape is also from the Artiste cartridge.  I used some pink pigment ink by Martha Stewart for the edges and added my sentiment verse with my printer.  It's so easy to print on these die cut shapes. All you have to do is create your sentiment in Word and print it out on regular copy paper. Then take your die cut or what ever you want to print your final sentiment on and add removable adhesive to the back, now use a lamp to back light your copy paper and use it to line up where you want the sentiment to print on your die cut and stick it down.  Now, put the copy paper right back in the printer just the exact way it was when you printed on it the first time.  Now hit Print and watch the magic happen.  If you don't touch any of your computer settings and you make sure to put the paper back just the way it printed the first time, then your printer will duplicate the print now on your die cut.  Pretty awesome, huh?  I learned that trick along time ago when I first started scrapbooking and I still use it today. you can even use that technique to print on ribbon.  That's right, actual ribbon.  I would go for a lighter color of ribbon, of course.

Well, that's all I've got for today. Hopefully I will be back tomorrow with another card for you. Till then I hope you have a wonderful night. Hugs to you all and thanks for stopping by. Amyk