Goodbye Forever

Yesterday was one of those very bittersweet days, both a celebration and a poignant moment. My younger daughter graduated from high school - thus ending 19 years of having children at school. Of course I'm pleased and proud for her, but also - as other mums will know and understand - it means that soon she will be off making her own way in the world and that means leaving home. I am most decidedly NOT looking forward to that day.

Anyway, her school did a big ceremony and as she has been attending a Senior High School for the past two years, there were 436 people graduating! Yikes! Mind you, having sat through two university graduation ceremonies for our elder daughter, we've gotten used to that a little and wisely took a cushion along for the duration.

Here's a photo of her after the ceremony with her cap and gown.

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers
Kez

Master, O Master

Today DD22 is graduating with a Masters in Teaching (Primary) from Melbourne University, so the family have travelled en masse for the ceremony.

Only two years ago we were there for her BA graduation and I made her a special stair-step card for the occasion (see this post). This time her hood colour is malachite green and I've gone with a card-in-a-box using black, green and silver with a star theme.

Here tis:

Materials used:

• stamps - Great Grads, Simply Stars
• card - basic black, silver glitter, green (non SU), whisper white
• other - stars framelits, Big Shot, star punches, acetate, dimensionals, Timeless Type alphabet dies, silver embossing powder, heat tool

I'm very happy with how this turned out, so I hope she likes it! I'll add on photos from the ceremony when I can.

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers
Kez

Edited to add: some photos of the day

The Tassel Was Worth The Hassle

Today we are in Melbourne attending DD20's graduation ceremony where she is receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree. Naturally, we are the proudest family in the world and I'm so happy we can all be together to celebrate her wonderful achievement.

Later on tonight we are going out for a special celebratory dinner, but for now of course there are handmade cards and graduation gifts to be given!

Here is the card I made and it is a perfect example of why I don't get rid of retired product! I've used a retired colour (ballet blue - DD20's favourite and a good match for her skirt and the BA hood) and retired Timeless Type alphabet die as well as retired stamp set, Great Grads. The main image is a non SU stamp but perfect for the occasion, don't you think?

Materials used:

• stamps - Great Grads (retired)
• card - ballet blue (retired), basic black, whisper white, watercolour
• other - Timeless Type alphabet dies (retired), crystal effects, stamp-a-ma-jig, dimensionals
• non SU - Tessa Tassel by Kraftin' Kimmie

This post was scheduled, but if I manage to get internet access this afternoon I will add a photo of DD in her regalia - otherwise it will be in a few days when we get home.

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers
Kez

Edited to add: here are some photos of the great day

Grunge Rock

Today's card is so far out of my comfort zone that I've got a nose bleed!!! LOL! Well, OK, not really, if you absolutely have to be literal, but figuratively speaking!

It's a gradutation card for DD11, who is deeply into lime green. I had bought some lime green with black spots card a while back and luckily discovered I also had an ink pad that matched pretty well, so I could colour plain white to make it green and I set to work! Decided to use Just Jawing (which she loves) as well as Great Grads and then the card just evolved all on its own really! I've called the look Grunge Rock, which DD17 scoffs at, but what the hey! Take a lookie:

Created by Kez. Stamps copyright Stampin' Up!

I'm pretty sure DD11 will love it! Thanks for dropping in today and have a great weekend.

Cheers

Kez

Hold Our Destiny

It's only a matter of a few weeks now until my darling DD17 graduates from high school - her first HSC exam is TOMORROW! - and apart from the whole getting-teary-eyed-at-the-thought business, I wanted to get started on her graduation card. The design has been floating in my head for a few weeks and I was dying to see it "in the flesh"!

She adores blue and brown and loves the Parisian Breeze papers - well, of course, who doesn't? - so that was an easy choice, luckily for me! I wanted to do a side step card but decided the regular A5 size wasn't big enough, so I doubled it up. I began with a piece 21 x 30 cm and the measurements fitted just perfectly for the steps and folds (email me if you'd like the measurements and instructions). Great Grads stamp set and some school Tilda stamps were obtained just for this and another project for DD11.

Here's the outcome

I'm thinking maybe I should add a touch of colour on the steps part too, maybe the cap and scallop circle in kiwi kiss? What do you think? Is it OK as is or does it need a touch of something on that side?

I love this side step style as you can fit so much more stamping on your card! Here I have used five stamps from the GG set, as well as two Magnolias.

I stuck pretty much with in colours for the books Tilda is sitting on and both have been stamped on watercolour paper and coloured with inks, markers and aqua painter. It looks so much more gorjus IRL, the photo really doesn't do it justice, if I do say so myself! LOL! Nothing like blowing your own trumpet, as they say!!!

Right, well, I'd better go and get something else done! Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers

Kez

Love that Postie!

Our postie has just been and delivered not one, not two, but THREE parcels of goodies from SU! Not all for me, unfortunately (LOL!), but at least some of it was! I was very lucky to recently earn a free stamp set and that was one of the parcels. It was a difficult decision choosing what to get - DD11 was pressing for her favourites (Sock Monkey, That's Funny, Sip by Sip and Animal Crackers) and after doing a class with team-mate Liam, Cheep Talk was high in the running, but Bugs and Kisses, Thoughts and Prayers and Snow Swirled were all in with a chance too!

Then I was side tracked by Great Grads, a set I would not normally buy as I wouldn't get that much use out of it (I thought), but with daughters graduating from year 12 and year 6 this year, it was tempting ... Finally DD11 tipped the scales by pointing out that I could use it for my TAFE students - an idea that had entirely escaped my conscious thought but was so obvious once she'd said it! "Out of the mouths of babes..." as they say! LOL So Great Grads it was, which I can use every year for my classes - brilliant!

So here are my initial attempts; the first uses DD17's fav colours (and my fav papers!):

Materials:

• stamps - Great Grads
• papers - Baja Breeze, Whisper White cardstock; Parisian Breeze DSP
• inks - Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip
• other - nestabilities, 32 mm circle punch, sponge daubers, chocolate chip satin ribbon, dimensionals

Eh! I thought. It's OK but I'm not in love with it. Have another go, this time using brocade blue and night of navy (which I have decided are fantastic together). Everything went smoothly until right at the very end when I stuck on the last piece and then discovered ... I had gotten a smudge of blue ink on the white. Damn! I hate it when that happens! Usually a boo boo can be covered up with a flower or something, but not this time! I put some white gel pen over it, but this card is definitely going to have to be the "before" card and not the "after"!!! With any luck you guys won't be able to see it in the photo!

Materials:

• stamps - Great Grads
• papers - night of navy and whisper white card; brocade blue DSP (from hostess set)
• inks - brocade blue, night of navy
• other - small star punch, large star punch, brads (from stash), dimensionals, stamp-a-ma-jig
  

Last week at our team meeting I gave a demo on brayering and this morning I finally got around to using my demo piece and turning it into a card.

Materials (completely SU):

• stamps - Inspired by Nature, Sincere Salutations, Sanded
• card - basic black, pumpkin pie, old olive, whisper white
• ink - pumpkin pie, so saffron, black StazOn
• other - large oval punch, scallop oval punch, dimensionals, brayer, old olive ribbon, sponge daubers

Well, that's todays offerings. Tomorrow I will be at the Stitches and Craft Show, so if you are in the vicinity of Rosehill Racecourse, drop in to the SU stand and say hello. We'll have Make and Takes and Lucky Door Prizes, so you won't go away empty handed!

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kez