Freshly Made Back to School Card

Most of my life I was excited in August to get ready for the school year. I loved going to school as a child and teenager so it was natural for me to choose teaching as a career. This week my "old school district" started school. I had lunch with another retired teacher yesterday and we agreed- we didn't miss it enough to want to give up retirement!

When I feel those wistful yearnings to teach again, I either visit grandkids or remember that the 30 years I spent teaching reading laid a foundation for many young lives. I also remember that I need to pray for my grandkids to do well, pay attention, and work hard and for their teachers. It's an overwhelming but important job to meet every child's needs in our education environment today.  I chose a sentiment to remind myself and my retired friends of their teaching influence.  I used apples showing their seeds and some that aren't because that's the way our influence seems. You can't always see the results of what you've accomplished in young lives, but the seeds are always there, even if they're hidden for a time.

Freshly Made Sketch #49 was perfect for this card.

 

I modified the sketch from a square to 5.5" x 4.25."

 

 

I wanted to use my Quikutz embossing folder to make the apples. I brayered red ink on the raised side of the folder which debossed colored apples. (Since they're colored, it's hard to tell that the apples were debossed.) I colored between the thin lines of the "peel" on the four outlined apples using the Ruby alcohol marker. I cut them out and pop dotted the middle solid apple.

 

By the way, we all had teachers, too. I'm sending this card to my 6th grade teacher whose address I recently found. I want her to know she was the one who influenced me to teach.

 

And even as we age, their influence lives on in us. May we never stop learning!

 

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Crop Stop Challenge 86 - Back to School

Freshly Made Sketch #49

Fussy and Fancy Challenge #70 - Back to School

Going Grey with Scrap-Creations - Back to School

Simon Says Stamp - Simon Says Back to School

Simply Create Too Challenge #20 - Back to School

Tuesday Alchemy Challenge #28 - Learn with Joy

 

5.5" x 4.25" Card Recipe:

Paper - The Paper Studio "Linen Closet"; Close To My Heart Cardstock

Stamp - My Favorite Things "Clearly Sentimental About Teaching"

Ink - CTMH Cranberry, Black

Markers - CTMH Alcohol Ruby, Ponderosa Pine

Accents - MME baker's twine

Tools - The Paper Studio "Notebook Paper" embossing folder, Quikutz embossing folder