For the Graduate

This year demonstrators across cyberspace have made it easy for me to make cool cards for the graduating seniors in my world. Not that there are many, but it's good practice for 2013 when mine and his buds will be grabbin' their sheepskins.

Dawn Olfchefske posted this card on her blog, complete with video instructions. The original design is from Pam Hoffman. That's how the crafting world works, and I love how generous everyone is! The video takes a LONG time to load, but it's worth it for the step-by-step tutorial. She also shares how she made the tassel. I made mine using the silver taffeta ribbon and following the same directions.

Our high school's colors are black, silver, and purple, and I enhanced the card design to incorporate them. The base is Going Gray, the mortarboard is Basic Black, and the mat on the hat is Elegant Eggplant. The letters (not SU!) are embossed in silver. I'm thrilled with the look!

The inside reveals the cool fold that makes this card look like a mortarboard (how many times can I use that word in this post?). I like that there are two places to put a message. I used two stamps from Live Like You Mean It and the Congratulations from Well Scripted. These were inked with Elegant Eggplant and Going Gray. There was even room, thanks to the fold, for a little diploma.

I created a very simple money holder with the bottom Whisper White piece of card stock by not putting adhesive on the top. I love how the design hides the cash!

The grad is going to Georgia Tech and majoring in pre-med. Kudos, Melissa! Her brother is in my son's class, so I'm sure we'll hear about her freshman experiences in due time.

Pomp and Circumstance

May is graduation month here in Georgia, beginning with the colleges and universities. The high schools will have their commencements Memorial Day weekend. One of the partners at my store graduated from Georgia State University this past weekend, and I organized a gift for her from all of us baristas.

I'd seen this card by Jackie Topa and thought it was a great way to capture the spirit of graduation without purchasing a stamp set devoted specifically to the event. I heard someone share at SU!'s annual convention a few years ago that she doesn't purchase a set unless she can envision three different uses for it. I think that's sound advice.

This card starts out as an 8" square piece of Basic Black card stock, folded gate style (2" in from each side) to create a gown effect that opens down the middle. I then took 2-2" squares of Whisper White card stock and punched one corner of each with my Scalloped Corner punch. This punch was featured in the Occasions Mini and will be in the new Big Idea Book & Catalog that comes out July 1. I scored a line parallel to the corner to create a collar.

The cowl is made with a scrap strips of Brilliant Blue and Real Red card stock, the school's colors. The mortar board is just a 2" square piece of Basic Black with a silver brad attached in the middle. I followed Jackie's instructions for making the tassel.

I also followed her lead--why reinvent the wheel?--and used the congratulations stamp from Well Scripted. Isn't the diploma just a cute little finishing touch? Shawn loved it, and I was tickled that she did. It was the perfect size for a note and a bit of cash, a gift always appreciated by graduates.