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

 

Cricut Artiste Gift Box for Cards

There are so many different 3-D shapes on this new Cricut cartridge, I have to keep makig them! Here's a small gift box I made that holds 6 thank you cards and matching envelopes. I set my Cricut to cut the largest size using the Fit To Page feature button on the left. That made a box that is 3.5" tall and 4.5" wide. I wanted to use the bright fall colors of the new CTMH "Flirty" paper which was a perfect match to challenge at Sentimental Sundays this week. It has fall leaves on one side and bright flowers on the other.

I random stamped a "belly band" for the box using the leaf that matches the flowers in the Flirty collection.

Altogether, the box and the cards took one sheet of the double sided cardstock/dp. I didn't have any of the CTMH small velcro dots on hand to keep it closed so I put the ribbon a little higher to tuck the flap into it. (Gotta order some!)  I cut out two of the flowers on the flirty paper to attach to the front.  The paper had a lot of incomplete flowers along the edges after the box was cut, so I cut out those for the cards inside. I made the cards 3" x 4" but they could have been a little larger and still fit.

Using the colors in the papers, I chose 3 sheets of my old, lightweight patterned paper to make the envelopes. By cutting out the envelop 3 inches like my cards, it actually cuts a little larger than the card so that the card will fit. I think this makes a nice little gift box with cards for a friend!

Challenges for this gift box with cards:

Craft Your Passion Challenge #122 - Anything Goes

Dutch Dare Challenge #176 - Anything but a card (the box and envelopes)

Inspire Me Fridays #70 - Anything Goes

The Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge #197 - Gifts

Simply Create Too #19 - Anything Goes

Sentimental Sundays - Fall and bonus challenge of colors (my fall leaves and fall paper plus colors)

Gift Box of Thank You Cards Recipe:

Paper - Close To My Heart "Flirty," White Daisy, Hollyhock, and Olive cardstock, (very old dp)

Stamps - CTMH "Love Blooms" (leaves), "A Friend Like You" (So Thankful for . . .), "Approved" (images behind the sentiment banner)

Ink - CTMH Black, Slate

Accents - CTMH clear sparkles, retired bubblegum organdy ribbon

Tools - CTMH Cricut Artiste p. 52 (box - <s>3D object) and 35 (scalloped envelopes- <5> shift, card)

Four Wheeler Father's Day Card

My younger brother loves living in the woods. He has constructed paths through the trees where he took me one time on the back of his four wheeler. It's a great way to travel across rough areas when you live in the country. He used to take his kids camping on the weekends and they'd have a great time driving four-wheelers. Luckily there were no serious accidents, so I hope this card will bring back a few happy memories of those days when the kids still lived at home.

When I saw this image at Clear Dollar Stamps I knew it was perfect for his card.

I used the sketch and theme from Sentimental Sundays #106 when I designed the card.

This card was for the following challenges:

Cards for Men Challenge #12 - Father's Day

Cardmadfairy's Digi Days Challenge - Father's Day

Dutch Dare Card Challenge #168 - For Dad

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge #189 - Happy Father's Day

Sentimental Sundays #106 - For a Special Guy

Simply Create Too #15 - Happy Father's Day (or for a male)

5.5" x 4.25" Father's Day Card Recipe:

Image - Clear Dollar Stamps digi "Dirt Rides"

Paper - Close To My Heart (olive background retired), Pemberly (blue strips), White Daisy and Outdoor Denim cardstock

Ink - CTMH Outdoor Denim

Markers - Copics B24, N2, N4, N6, N8

Accents - CTMH pewter brads, Color Ready Cork Shapes