Foiled Coastal Adventure - Stampin' Up!® Sunset Coast

   While we might be thinking ahead to fall and winter projects don't sleep on making a few more warm weather inspired cards!  The Sunset Coast bundle along with the Scenic Coast DSP are still hot products for gorgeous cards and scrapbook pages.  I combined these products with some foiling for another fun water sunset/sunrise scene!

  The card front is a piece of the lovely Scenic Coast DSP.  It's out of stock at the moment so be sure to put your email address in to be notified when it's back in stock!  I wrapped a bit of retired Iridescent ribbon around the layer before adhering. Next I used gold foil and the Flourish & Frames hot foil dies to make the frame shape.

  The Sunset Coast stamp set is then used to stamp the scene right onto the frame.  Two of the clouds as well as the sailboats were stamped on scrap cardstock then die cut and added to the scene with dimensionals for a nice layered effect.  The whole frame is then popped on the card front with dimensionals.

  The sentiment is stamped in Blueberry Bushel and then fussy cut and added to the edge of the frame.  I didn't want to cover too much of the foiling or scene!  The final touch are a few Sunset Sparkle Sequins added to opposite corners.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

All of the current products used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

Stamps: Sunset Coast

Ink: Balmy Blue, Timid Tiger, Blueberry Bushel, Crushed Curry, Strawberry Slush

Paper: Scenic Coast DSP, Basic White

Hot Foil: gold foil, Flourish & Frames Hot Foil Dies

Accessories: Sunset Sparkle Sequins, dimensionals, Iridescent ribbon (retired)

Panther Graduation - Stampin' Up!® Cap & Gown

 It's still graduation season and I have another card from the giant stack that I have made lately.  When you have a kid graduating you tend to know a lot of other kids graduating and that requires a lot of cards lol!  I try to customize the colors for the school to change things up.  This red and blue was a nice change of pace from the teal of previous cards!

  I again used my trusty retired set Cap & Gown along with the current set Sending Salutations.  I started with a Blueberry Bushel base then a layer of Basic Black topped with a stamped panel of Real Red.  The graduation cap is stamped in a random pattern for the background.

  A Blueberry Bushel band added a but of detail behind the Basic White Spotlight on Nature die cut circle.

  The cap and gown are both stamped in Versamark on Basic White then embossed with black embossing powder.  I fussy cut them and popped them on the circle with dimensionals.

  The sentiment is stamped in Versamark and then embossed in gold.  The four corners are embellished with Gold Low Profile Dots.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

All of the current products used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

Stamps: Sending Salutations, Cap & Gown (retired)

Ink: Real Red, Versamark

Paper: Blueberry Bushel, Real Red, Basic Black, Basic White

Accessories: Spotlight on Nature dies, dimensionals, black embossing powder, gold embossing powder, Low Profile Dots (retired)

Enjoy the Balloons - Stampin' Up!® Balloon Festoon

 The Balloon Festoon bundle is perfect for all kinds of celebration cards.  I've used it mainly for birthday cards lately as I have done on this card today.  The color combo is a pretty pastel one using two of the new In Colors; Hydrangea Hue and Crisp Cantaloupe along with Lemon Lolly.

  No crazy techniques or anything on this one.  I used the Forever Plaid embossing folder for texture on the background in Basic White so that the colors would really pop.

  The balloons are 3 different sizes with the 2 largest in cardstock and the smaller Crisp Cantaloupe one cut from 2026-2028 In Color Painted Pattern DSP.

  Dimensionals are used to pop the 2 top balloons and Basic Black cardstock is used for the string die cuts.

  The sentiment is stamped in Hydrangea Hue and backed with a bit of black and white polka dot Paper Medley DSP.

  A few Pearlized Faceted Circles bring a bit more of the Crisp Cantaloupe to the card as a finishing touch.

Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

  Thanks for looking!  All of the current supplies used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

 Stamps: Balloon Festoon

Ink: Hydrangea Hue, Lemon Lolly

Paper: Basic White, Basic Black, Hydrangea Hue, Lemon Lolly, 2026-2028 In Color Painted Pattern DSP, Paper Medley DSP

Accessories: Balloon Festoon dies, dimensionals, Forever Plaid embossing folder, Pearlized Faceted Circles

More Jaguar Graduation - Stampin' Up!® Cap & Gown

   The week of graduation activities has concluded and we have a high school graduate on our hands and summer has officially started!  I have to say I won't be sorry to delete all of the school related apps and notifications!  I ended up making several more graduation cards that I thought I would share all together instead of individually as you'd probably get sick of seeing them across multiple days!  I won't go into 'how to" details but the supplies are listed below each card.

Stamps: Cap & Gown (retired), Sending Salutations

Ink: Bermuda Bay (retired), Versamark

Paper: Basic Black, Basic White, Gold Glimmer (retired), 2024-2026 In Color DSP (retired), All Together DSP (retired)

Accessories: Party Banner dies, Forever Plaid embossing folder, dimensionals, gold embossing powder, star punches (retired)

Stamps: Cap & Gown (retired), Reason to Celebrate, Balloon Festoon

Ink: Memento Black, Bermuda Bay (retired), 

Paper: Basic White, Basic Black, Sunshine & Rainbows DSP (retired), Gold Glimmer paper (retired)

Accessories: dimensionals, star punches (retired)

Stamps: Cap & Gown (retired), Sending Salutations

Ink: Versamark, Memento Black, Bermuda Bay (retired), Summer Splash marker (retired)

Paper: Basic Black, Basic White, Sunshine & Rainbows DSP (retired), Bermuda Bay Glimmer paper (retired)

Accessories: Deckled Rectangle dies (retired), black embossing power, Sunny Day Iridescent Dots (retired)

Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

All of the current products used to make this cards can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

Jaguar Graduation - Stampin' Up!® Cap & Gown

   With a graduating high school senior in our house this year I'm going to be making my share of graduation cards and I'm glad I held on to the retired Cap & Gown set.  Not only did I hold onto the stamp set I held onto my retired Bermuda Bay ink pad because it's a perfect match for the school colors!  I ran out of Bermuda Bay cardstock when my oldest graduated a few years ago but the ink pad is going strong and the just retired Summer Splash is close enough if needed (and I have a few sheets left thankfully!).

  I started with a Basic White thick card base then dug around in my retired DSPs and pulled out a black and white pattern from All Together and a Bermuda Bay pattern from Sunshine & Rainbows.  I backed them with opposite colored cardstock and then added the fun stuff.

 The larger sentiment is from Reason to Celebrate and the smaller sentiments are from Banner Sayings.  I tucked a bit of Bermuda Bay glimmer paper under the layers to jazz it up.

  The cap and gown are both stamped in Versamark on Basic White and then embossed in black.  I fussy cut the images and popped them on dimensionals onto the rectangle.

  The 'congratulations' from Sending Salutations is stamped in Bermuda Bay and then fussy cut.  It's popped on dimensionals as well.

  Finally a few Adhesive-backed Sparkle Gems and Adhesive-backed Sequins Trio are added for the last detail.

  Thanks for looking.  Did you stamp today?

All of the current supplies used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

Stamps: Reason to Celebrate, Banner Sayings, Sending Salutations, Cap & Gown (retired)

Ink: Memento Black, Versamark, Bermuda Bay (retired)

Paper: Basic White, Basic White, Basic Black, Summer Splash (retired), All Together DSP (retired), Sunshine & Rainbows DSP (retired), Bermuda Bay Glimmer Paper (retired)

Accessories: black embossing powder, dimensionals, Adhesive-backed Sparkle Gems (retired), Adhesive-backed Sequins Trio (retired)

Retirement Sailing - Stampin' Up!® Sunset Coast

   I am trying to stock up on some cards for occasions besides the main ones like birthday, thank you and thinking of you so I pulled out the new Sunset Coast bundle and made a retirement card.  The front sentiment could be for a new job, graduation, moving/goodbye card or other occasion but my inside sentiment is a happy retirement one.  The blue and yellow prompt over at The Color Hues Challenge gave me the color combo. 

  I haven't done any ink techniques lately so I thought it would be fun to use some watercolor paper and a water painter to make my own background using blues and yellows.  I started at the top with Darling Duckling then Azure Afternoon and finally Night of Navy on the bottom.  I wet my water color paper first by spritzing it and then used the wide water painter and drops of reinker to spread the color all the way down. After I dried it with my heat tool I added it to a Basic White thick card base.

  Using the very cool Sunset Coast dies I cut the sailboat scene out of a panel of Night of Navy.  I wanted to jazz up the waves beneath the sailboat so I cut just that section out of some Peaceful Garden Glimmer paper (currently on the Last Chance list at a discount!) and inlaid the shimmer pieces to the openings in the big panel.  And to add a bit more shimmer the sails are covered with Wink of Stella.  The Sunset Coast bundle is available tomorrow when the Stampin' Up!® May-August 2026 catalog goes live.  

  A Darling Duckling band anchors the sentiment label and a few die cut shells out of more Peaceful Garden Glimmer paper are nice accents to the side.  

  I pulled out some retired Adhesive-Backed Milky Dots in Night of Navy to add to the 4 corners.

Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

All of the current items used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.  Items marked with a * will be available on May 5, 2026.

Stamps: Sunset Coast*

Ink: Darling Duckling, Azure Afternoon, Night of Navy

Paper: Basic White thick, watercolor paper, Night of Navy, Darling Duckling, Peaceful Garden Glimmer Paper

Accessories: Sunset Coast dies*, dimensionals, Wink of Stella, Adhesive-Backed Milky Dots(retired), Tasteful Label dies (retired)

Big Celebration - Stampin' Up!® Balloon Festoon

    My birthday (or celebration/congratulations) card today is another sneak peek at the upcoming Balloon Festoon bundle which will be available on May 5.  I zeroed in on the die set as soon as I saw it in the catalog.  The are balloon dies from small to large!  Think of the Party Banner dies but in balloon shape!  The largest is almost 6" tall by almost 4 1/2" wide so that's a nice big size for banners or scrapbook pages or any other project you want balloons for, not just cards!  I used the largest one on an angle for this card.

  My colors today are from another closed challenge; the Color Hues fuchsia and navy which I translated to Berry Burst and Night of Navy in Stampin' Up! colors.

  The card base is Night of Navy then I cut the large balloon from Berry Burst.  The spots are stamped in Versamark then embossed with clear embossing powder which doesn't show up well in the photo but just stamping with colored ink would give a similar look.  I angled the balloon and trimmed off the overhang from the edges.

  I used the balloon stamp and stamped it in Night of Navy with a Basic White string.

  The 'celebrate' is stamped in Night of Navy with the Simple Alphabet stamp set and then the letters were fussy cut and popped on dimensionals.  

  I added a bakers twine bow to the large balloon and then a single retired Iridescent Adhesive-backed Disc to the last 'e'.  It gives a little bit of shine to go with the shine of the embossed dots.

 Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

All of the current products used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE. Items marked with a * will be available on May 5, 2026

Stamps: Simple Alphabet (Online Exclusive), Balloon Festoon*

Ink: Night of Navy, Versamark

Paper: Night of Navy, Berry Burst, Basic White

Accessories: Balloon Festoon dies*, dimensionals, white baker's twine, clear embossing powder, Iridescent Adhesive-Backed Disc (retired)

Good Wishes - Stampin' Up!® Moon & Back

   My card today is another one in my book club series which are cards that are inspired by books I've recently read.  I used a brand new stamp set as well as a favorite retired set to bring this card together.

  The card is inspired by the book The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer.  This one was a quick read and a bit predictable about Lucy a good but down on her luck teachers aide who gets to revisit the magic of a favorite childhood book series.  The series author invites some readers to play a game for the ultimate prize; the next book! Winning the prize could change Lucy's life in more ways then one.

  I clearly took the book cover for a direct inspiration with the starry sky Everyday Skies DSP, the books from the retired Bird's Eye View stamp set and the moon from the new Moon & Back stamp set.

  I stamped the books in Memento then colored them with Stampin' Blends taking the colors from the books on the cover.  The books are fussy cut then stacked up near the moon.  

  The moon is stamped in Lemon Lolly and has some Wink of Stella accents.  The little sentiment is from Banner Sayings and is stamped in Secret Sea.

  I think this would make a good birthday card for a book lover; maybe a book store gift card tucked inside or even a graduation card!

  To see the other cards in my Book Club series click HERE.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

All of the current supplies used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

Stamps: Moon & Back (Online Exclusive), Banner Sayings (Online Exclusive), Bird's Eye View (retired)

Ink: Memento Black, Secret Sea, Lemon Lolly

Blends: too many to name them all!  

Paper: Basic White, Everyday Skies DSP (retired)

Accessories: circle die/punch, dimensionals, iridescent faceted sequins (retired)

Here's to You Congrats - Stampin' Up!® Capturing Smiles

   The CAS Colours & Sketches challenge is back with a new set of colors for you to work with for you clean and simple designs.  Joanne has given us a beautifully bright set of colors this time: Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green and Blueberry Bushel!

  I wanted to ink up a new set called Capturing Smiles so I grabbed the small camera image and just let the colors do the work!  

  I used each of the challenge colors then added the cameras to a Stylish Shapes square die cut with dimensionals.

  The simple sentiment is from the Banner Sayings stamp set and is stamped in Memento Black. 

  A truly 'clean and simple' card!  We hope to see your card in the gallery.  Remember to keep your project clean with minimal layers and the focus on the challenge colors.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

All of the supplies used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE. 

Stamps: Capturing Smiles (Online Exclusive), Banner Sayings (Online Exclusive)

Ink: Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green, Blueberry Bushel, Memento Black

Paper: Basic White thick, Basic White

Accessories: Capturing Smiles dies (Online Exclusive), Stylish Shapes dies, dimensionals

For the Books Congrats - Stampin' Up! For the Books

   Sometimes it works out that a color challenge and a sketch challenge are a perfect match for each other.  That's what happened with the Freshly Made Sketches challenge and the Hand Stamped Sentiments challenge.  I had fun putting this card together with such fun elements. The For the Books stamp set is perfect to show off these colors as bright book bindings!

  I started with a Lemon Lime Twist card base.  Using the largest of the Around It All wonky circle dies I cut a half circle from a piece of Summer Splash. I stamped a few small hearts in Summer Splash ink and then embossed the sentiment in white.

  Both stacks of books are stamped in Basic Gray and then colored in with the challenge colors using Blends markers. It's fun to mix and match and try to get a balanced look with a limited color palette. The books are fussy cut and then adhered to the card front with the one in the foreground popped on dimensionals.

  On the inside I stamped and colored another stack of books and added a "let's Celebrate" sentiment.  This would be a great card to congratulate someone who has graduated or finished an advanced degree/training program.

 And I again hit up my retired embellishment stash and came up with these retired white sequins for the finishing touch.  

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

All of the current products used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

Stamps: For the Books

Ink: Versamark, Summer Splash, Basic Gray

Blends: Calypso Coral light & dark, Lemon Lime Twist light & dark, Summer Splash light & dark

Paper: Lemon Lime Twist, Summer Splash, Basic White

Accessories: Around It All dies (Online Exclusive), white embossing powder, dimensionals, white sequins (retired)

Cap Thank You - Stampin' Up! Cap & Gown

   My oldest has still been receiving graduation gifts so I had to make a second batch of thank you cards for him to write out.  I used last weeks Freshly Made Sketches layout as it was an easy one to produce multiples of and use a variety of DSP patterns.  The Cap & Gown stamp set is still in the Online Store for anyone needing to make some graduation thank you cards or happy graduation cards.  Get it now and be ready for next year!!

  I used Summer Splash for the card base, the label and the coloring on the cap.  The strip of Glimmer paper is also Summer Splash and it comes in a 12x12 size in a 5 pack with one sheet of each of the 2024-2026 In Colors so you have tons of shimmer when you need it.

  I used the small cap stamp to stamp on a strip of Basic White.  The label is cut with the Unbounded Love dies and the sentiment is from the My Small Business set.  While at first glance this might seem like only a set for someone who sells things but there are really only 4 stamps in this 15 stamp set that are for business purposes.  The rest are perfect for all types of thank you cards.  Don't believe me?  Check out page 97 of the catalog or see it here in my online store.

  The DSP is a retired pack called All Together so I just grabbed a few different patterns and used them for the wide panel in the layout.

  The cap is colored with Blends then fussy cut and popped on dimensionals.  A few retired faceted gems are added by the cap for a hint of sparkle.

  All of the current products used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Cap & Gown, My Small Business

Ink: Memento Black

Blends: Summer Splash light & dark, Daffodil Delight light & dark

Paper: Summer Splash, 2024-2026 In Color Glimmer paper, Basic White, All Together DSP (retrired)

Accessories: Unbounded Love dies, dimensionals, faceted gems (retired)

Thank You Cap - Stampin' Up! Cap & Gown

   I used the Global Design Project to get this card started.  They have a CASE the designer challenge and I took the layout to use to make a set of thank you cards for my son to use.  He has quite a few thank you cards to write after graduating high school last week.  

  I pulled together some retired, current and new supplies to make this card.  I made a set of 10 using different black and white papers from the retired All Together DSP.  The black is a great complement to the Summer Splash which is the main color of his high school.

  I used the Cap & Gown stamp set which carried over to the online store from the Jan.-April mini catalog.  I just stamped the cap and colored it in with Blends then fussy cut it.

  The sentiment is from the new stamp set My Small Business and I stamped it on one of the Unbounded Love dies labels.  The cap and label are popped up on dimensionals over some retired twine.

  I dug through my retired embellishments and pulled out a whole assortment of colors that kind of match the Summer Splash.  Some were Bermuda Bay and some are Pool Party and I think a few are even Lost Lagoon.  I'm always happy to use up odds and ends of supplies!

 All of the current supplies can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Cap & Gown, My Small Business

Ink: Memento Black

Blends: Summer Splash light & dark, Daffodil Delight light & dark

Paper: Basic White thick, Summer Splash, All Together DSP (retired), Basic White

Accessories: Unbounded Love dies, dimensionals, twine (retired), gems (retired)

Throw That Cap - Stampin' Up! Cap & Gown

   Each spring I find that I need one or 2 graduation cards but this year I'm definitely stocking up as my oldest is graduating from high school.  That means we have a whole slew of kids we know that are also graduating.  So it was with a double purpose that I designed today's card which we made at my last class.  I cut extra supplies so that after the class I could have a design all ready to just put together and customize a bit as needed.

  I was so happy that the Cap & Gown stamp set that was in the Stampin' Up! January-April mini catalog is being carried over.  You can now find it on the online store only if you need a solid graduation set for the next few years.  There are no matching dies for this one but I think the images would be really easy to fussy cut if you wanted to. 

  This one starts with a Basic White thick card base, then a layer of the Zoo Crew DSP which has now retired. To re-create this design you can substitute any black and white patterned DSP and it will keep the same feel.

  Next the hands, cap and sentiment are all stamped in Memento Black onto a piece of Basic White.  The hands are colored with the Natural Tones Blends markers and the sleeves and cap are colored with the color of choice.  This sample uses Blueberry Bushel but Black is a good choice if you don't know the school colors or want to make it and have it on hand without a recipient in mind.  The tassel is colored with Daffodil Delight.

  To add some bling to the card we added 2 flags cut from the new retired More Dazzle specialty paper but again you can swap out any glimmer paper that you have on hand for a similar effect.  The top flag is popped on dimensionals.  See how to make perfect flagged ends in this quick video:

  Once everything on this panel is finished it's popped on dimensionals.  In class we added a quick DSP sleeve to hold a gift card or some cash on the inside and that can be coordinated with the DSP that is used on the outside of the card.

  All of the current supplies used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.  I'd love to earn your business!

  Thanks for looking! Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Cap & Gown

Ink: Memento Black

Blends: Natural Tones, Blueberry Bushel light & dark, Daffodil Delight light & dark

Paper: Basic White thick, Basic White, Zoo Crew DSP (retired), More Dazzle specialty paper (retired)

Accessories: dimensionals

Adventuring Balloon - Stampin' Up! Hot Air Balloon

   I've not had a lot of time lately to play along with challenges so I thought yesterday it was time to get to doing some creating "just because".  After cleaning out my blog reader of all the challenges that had already closed The Alphabet Challenge looked like a good one to start with.  They have come back around to the letter A (starting round 14!!!!) and the A stands for Adventure this week.  I did have to think a bit about this one but then remembered I had some retired DSP from last year that I never got around to using very much and I thought it would be perfect for this prompt.

  I don't think you can get anymore adventurous than flying a hot air balloon over a mountain range...is it even possible??  Anyway I used a Garden Green card base along with a panel of Basic White to show off a piece of the retired Enjoy the Journey DSP scene.  

  The balloon is stamped in Misty Moonlight and stamped off once Lost Lagoon.  I popped the die cut pieces with dimensionals (and one of the clouds) up in the sky and accented it with a Garden Green baker's twine bow.  If you've been holding off on getting the Hot Air Balloon bundle don't wait!  The bundle pricing saving you 10% will be ending April 30.  You'll still be able to get the stamp set and die set but who wants to pay full price??

  The sentiment is stamped in Misty Moonlight and fussy cut.  It was the most 'adventure' sentiment that I could find and could be used to wishing big on dreams or for a birthday.  Could also be a happy graduation card now that I think about it!

 A few tinsel gems from the Tinsel Gems 3 pack finish off the details for this card.

  All of the current supplies used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Hot Air Balloon

Ink: Misty Moonlight, Lost Lagoon

Paper: Garden Green, Basic White, Enjoy the Journey DSP (retired)

Accessories: Hot Air Balloon dies, dimensionals, Tinsel Gems 3 pack, Garden Green baker's twine (retired)

Jaguar Graduation - Stampin' Up! Cap & Gown

   The sketch challenge over at Global Design Project inspired me to ink up the Cap & Gown stamp set for the first time!  I bought this stamp set back in the demonstrator preorder for the Jan.-April mini catalog and it's just been sitting on my desk ever since just waiting for springtime and graduation season!  I probably should have played around with it before now seeing as I have a high school senior with a graduation fast approaching but better late than never!

  My kids high school colors are black and teal (and the mascot is the Jaguar) so I couldn't get rid of all my retired Bermuda Bay supplies since I knew I would need them for a few years at least! My card base is Coastal Cabana and I stamped the larger of the caps all over in Bermuda Bay ink.  I liked the longer rectangle panel on the sketch as it seemed like a good place to start with the longer gown stamp so I stamped that in Memento black along with the smaller cap image.  

  Under the cap and gown I added a strip of retired (see a pattern?? lol!) Bermuda Bay glimmer paper.  On the lower corner I added the sentiment on dimensionals and then embellished that area with the '24 cut with the Alphabet a la Mode dies and a stamped and fussy cut diploma.

  I'll probably end up sending this to one of my sons' guy friends so I left off any ribbon or extra sparkle.

  All of the current supplies used to make this card can be purchased from my ONLINE STORE.  Items marked with a * will be retiring on April 30, 2024.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Cap & Gown*

Ink: Memento Black, Bermuda Bay (retired)

Paper: Basic White, Coastal Cabana, Basic Black, Bermuda Bay Glimmer paper (retired)

Accessories: dimensionals, Alphabet a la Mode dies

Congrats Class of 2023 - Stampin' Up! Beautiful Balloons

   It was the last day of school for my kids today!  It seems like it all went quickly looking back on the year but it seemed to go so slow while were were in the middle of it!  How does that work right???  While we don't have a graduate ourselves this year we have celebrated with other families on their child's achievement.  I made this card in the school colors for a recent Class of 2023 grad.

  You can't go wrong with the school colors and some sparkle!

   Looking at this card now I think I need to dig through my bin of retired supplies and pull out my Bermuda Bay ink pad because I'm going to need this color for more graduation cards in the coming years!

  I started with a black card base, then a layer of Basic White.  I used the Patchwork Pieces die to cut 2 sets of panels to mix and match the background.  I used some retired Black Shimmer paper and some retired Bubbles & Fizz DSP in a fun star pattern.  Fun fact: the Bubbles & Fizz DSP was a Sale-a-Bration reward in 2018!  Who else has some of this paper stashed away??  The stars seemed like a perfect theme to use on a card like this.

  Once I had my panels lined up and adhered I stamped a large balloon from the Beautiful Balloons stamp set and die cut it.  It's popped on dimensionals with a baker's twine bow.  See the little stars on the balloon that tie in with the stars on the DSP??  It was meant to be!

  Using some scraps of the glimmer paper, the Alphabet a la Mode dies and foam adhesive sheets I cut a '23' to pop up on the balloon.  A banner with the sentiment is added to the bottom of the twine.  Some adhesive gems are used to bling out the tag as well as the apostrophe on the class year.

  You can purchase current merchandise used to make this card to in my ONLINE STORE.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Beautiful Balloons

Ink: Memento Black, Bermuda Bay (retired)

Paper: Basic Black, Basic White, Black Shimmer paper (retired), Bubbles & Fizz DSP (SAB-retired)

Accessories: Patchwork Pieces dies, Beautiful Balloons dies, Alphabet a la Mode dies, dimensionals, baker's twine, adhesive gems (retired)