While it's still hot as ever here in SW Ohio, the school buses have started popping up in the neighborhood. So I guess we can officially start talking fall on the blog. I bought some leaf stamps and dies from Taylored Expressions months ago and finally decided to try them out. I never thought I'd be one of those people who have stamp sets they didn't ink up immediately, but I am. I think that means I have too many stamps, but let's not dwell on that part. Here's the pile of leaves I have after stamping with Distress Oxides and die cutting. I have no idea what will become of these but there they are!
In keeping with the title of the post, I also have to show you a graduation card I made in the spring because I knew my great-niece was graduating from 8th grade, but I literally am just now sending it. I am the absolute worst at being on time with birthdays and other cards and gifts. I like to tell myself it helps the celebration last longer, so let me have my delusions, lol.
I used a 2 Cute Ink digi image, Prismacolor pencils and a die from Avery Elle. I like how the die cuts lines like rays into the paper. They have an oval one too.
I've never had a graduation glut like this year...it's so funny, if I had thought about it, I might have been prepared, but graduation season snuck up on me anyway. So today, I have lots of grad cards to share...settle in, you're going to be here awhile. The glitter cap is a decoration from my daughter's graduation last year. I used it to trace and cut out a couple more.
Congrats to my niece, Danielle, graduate of Xavier University in Cincinnati, Congrats to my niece, Allison, graduating from high school, Congrats to my nephew, Sam, high school grad, Congrats to my daughter's boyfriend, Jason, Ohio State grad, Congrats to our family friend, Ryan, high school grad and son of our best man, Rodney. Whew! Enjoy the new adventure and congratulations on your accomplishments. If you have a "surprise" graduation, here's a couple of free clip art pieces to help you out.
So, today is Pineapple Day and although it's not my most favorite fruit, I do like it once in a while. And I definitely like it in Pina Coladas or cake form :) One way my mom used pineapple was in these Soft Pineapple cookies. They are so tasty, though she always added some buttercream frosting and this recipe doesn't call for it. They are very soft cakey cookies, which is probably why I like them frosted!
If you want to celebrate Pineapple Day, you could always buy this adorable partial die from Hero Arts or the color layering stamps over at a2z Scrapbooking. Pineapples are pretty popular right now in the craft world, perhaps since pineapples can be a sign of welcome. Although while we were visiting an old plantation near Baton Rouge, they told us that guests received a pineapple on the breakfast tray when it was time for their visit to be up. We found that kinda funny--hey, nice seeing you, take this pineapple and get out now.
While I didn't feature any pineapples, I did make a scrap page (it's been awhile since I made one) with my new Pretty Little Studio goodies. I think I should probably get a commission from them since I'm so enamored lately :)
I'm loving the bright colors of the Hello Heather collection and the gold striped paper is so lovely. You can see the shine of the stripes on the right edge.
I added some gold die cut hearts (that they threw in for free--they always give a little something free in my orders!) and used a 12x12 sheet of teal shimmer paper. I think it's pretty colorful and fun for this pic of my daughter. The black word die cuts and tiny phrase were from the same Heather collection and the ampersand was a gold sticker from PLS. They look good together I think.
So, we wanted to give our daughter money for graduation and the husband said, just write a check. However, I wanted to do something a little more clever. After searching the internet, I saw money wrapped around Hershey chocolate nuggets that said Nuggets of Wisdom...I ran with that. Here's the original.
Here's my version, with a quote from her favorite musical on the container.
1. Write a nugget of wisdom, we used real advice, quotes from books and famous people and then some funny ones.
2. Wrap it in a bill, we used a variety of denominations.
3. I used low-tack washi tape to keep it wrapped.
4. Put them in a clear container for fun viewing and then the grad can use the container to keep the advice strips or whatever they like. You can't see it well, but I wrapped it in school-themed paper since she is an Education major. That's it, the hardest part was coming up with good ideas for 19 pieces of candy/money. And here's a little graduating pencil that I got from 2 Cute Ink digi stamps. I seriously love these little guys.
Blatant Mommy Brag...have to share pics my oldest, Colleen, in her cap and gown and take a moment to say Congratulations! She just graduated from University of Kentucky with two degrees (Psychology and Elementary Ed) in four years, while holding down at least two jobs at a time (sometimes more), being editor of the satire newspaper on campus, peer mentoring her fellow Honors Program students and holding a 4.0 average.
She is a one-of-a-kind woman who will make the best teacher because of her enthusiasm, energy, and drive to pass on her love of learning, plus her willingness to work her arse off (which she learned from her dad).
I'm telling you, she's a wonder...or as her brother and I say to each other, a freak of nature. Honestly, though, it's humbling to see how much effort and energy she puts into everything she does. This is one determined woman. She will make a difference, she already has. Oh, and did I mention she's kind and funny and won a couple of awards (for writing and for service) while achieving this amazing goal?
I'm glad she's my daughter and I'm glad she is working toward what she wants and leaving rainbow colored sparkles in her wake. To know her is to be charmed by her. Colleen is an original and we couldn't be more proud of her accomplishments. And she didn't even plan these similar pictures, this is just her normal self :)
I love this little guy. I printed him large so I could make a card from him, colored him roughly with cross-hatching and trimmed him and then cut a piece of cardstock to match, scored it at the base of the hat and then glued the top part of the hat. I made a tassel with some embroidery floss and added white pen highlights and a silver button sticker to the hat.
It's almost Mother's Day and I'm feeling all nostalgic. My mom turned 80 this year and had a fall that landed her in the hospital and now rehab facility to get her strength back. I'm so grateful that it wasn't more serious and relieved that there's hope she'll be able to return to her home with help. This is a woman who was meant to be a mom...my mom. She's a perfect fit for me. I can't say more than that. This spring has also marked some eventful happy passages in our family. My youngest, Ben, turned 16 and now stands 5' 10". I'm sure he still has some growing to do, but passing his older sister was a minor goal of his and he did...now his goal is to pass his dad at 6'1"...I guess we'll see about that one! It's weird to remember that when I was 16, I started dating his dad and that, by the end of our first summer together, we'd be planning our future together. Now we're here 32 years later with a nearly grown son and a daughter graduating from college. Crazy how fast time flies, am I right? But how lucky was I to find him so soon and to be able to celebrate 25 years of marriage. Here's the pic of her grad cap that she decorated with my craft supplies, did you spot the Stickles in silver and purple? My favorite supply, bar none, is Stickles!
The quote is from Hamilton, the musical, that both my kids are obsessed with right now. It is catchy and they've got me and the hubby hooked too. Here's a little snippet from PBS if you want to know more. The writer and star of the show, Lin-Manuel Miranda, took all kinds of dryly-told facts from a biography and turned them into an amazing musical that keeps you glued to the story until the tragic end.
This is my newly-minted 16-year-old in his first musical, which just closed last weekend. He's in the front on the far left and is a Victorian Scrooge ghost ancestor in The Addams Family Musical. They did a great job overall and he did a fab job dancing and acting for the first time ever. Especially since he said the first day of dance rehearsal, "Turns out I can't dance."
Handsome, ain't he?! Hee, hee.
And here's one of my ridiculously grown-up daughter who stole a friend's trench coat to dress up and pretend to be Alexander Hamilton...I wasn't there but I'm betting there was singing involved during this little episode.
So there you go, all tied up in a neat little package of Hamilton and musicals and kids and rites of passages, in which I realize I'm too young to be this old :)
I'm actually enjoying watching these kids grow and become and reach and achieve and learn and just be. It's a privilege.
Happy Mother's Day to all, and if you're not technically a mother, I'm guessing you've mothered someone at sometime in their life, it's kinda what women do. We love. And that sums up mothers in my book.
And this is where I'd put a video of Sunrise, Sunset from Fiddler on the Roof if I didn't think it'd make me all melancholy...but feel free to sing it to yourselves. I'm laying bets the husband will be singing it at graduation, just to be ornery.
I have two cards similar to two cards I created for the Lasting Hearts Card Drive that I wanted to use as sympathy cards. I tend to (probably like most people) make a lot of die cuts at the same time, stamp the same images on multiple card fronts and also watercolor a bunch of things at the same time. If I'm going to break out the Big Shot or my paints and brushes, I will get as much out of the mess as I can. Because then it all gets put away for the next time, and I don't want to think, darn, if only I had made two heart dies so I could use another one today. That's why these two cards are similar to my other two from last week.
I find sympathy cards difficult to make in advance, because you don't know who they're for but I think birds and hearts are pretty universal and someone will find them comforting, I hope. And now for the Congrats part of the post. My daughter, who will be graduating from the University of Kentucky very shortly, received the Raymond Betts Crystal Award for her outstanding service to the Honors Program at UK. She's been a peer mentor for three years, began the successful Arts Night Gala for student music and art, started a Harry Potter themed Murder Mystery night that had 80 participants this year (and which she wrote), has been a helpful hand, listening ear and just generally been her awesome self in the Honors Program. I wasn't able to get there, but here's the pic she sent from Monday night's award ceremony. Congratulations for being honored for your service to other students, Colleen, so proud!
It's a little nontraditional for a grad card, but still appropriate for a girl...or a guy who likes butterflies :) I used these Hero Arts paper flowers and they are so cute—just $3.99 a pack for 24 flowers in each pack—and they come in greens, earth tones, yellows and pool colors as well. Fab!
You can hop over to the store here if you think you want these flowers for your projects...I'm already planning more and I'm thinking if you check back Friday, you'll see what I'm working on.
Remember, if you order at a2z 1. you can use CHARK15 to get 15% off your $25+ order 2. you support charities for kids and adults with Behcet's Disease and Gluten Allergies. 3. And you can request any Hero Arts product that isn't in the store and they will order it for you speedily.
So...you can get great Hero Arts goodies, help people. and save money—this calls for a celebration!
