Are You Sitting Down?!!

No, your eyes are not deceiving you.  It is really yours truly, come back from the land of No Time for Creating!!

I always have to fight the urge to apologize and over explain my prolonged absences from posting on my blog.  Why do we busy mom's feel we have to apologize for putting Life before creativity or blog posting? I guess it is that secret compartment inside that holds that ugly word comparison.  We (okay, I ) see other creative mom's posting daily and it is hard not to think "well, so & so posted her six cards, the homemade 8 layer cake with step by step instructions, the final pictures of her living make over and her finish of the half marathon this week.  Why can't YOU make one measly card  and post it, say every other week????!!

I think I'm about to digress.

Let's just move onto the ACTUAL card I did manage to create, shall we?!!

School is finally out for our little school and with that I was in need of a graduation card for a senior girl.  Now, I am obviously SOOOO out of practice in making cards (just in case you missed the significant time lapse between posting dates) and this card went in a TOTALLY different direction than I had planned.  This particular senior girl, while all girl, is, was our little school's top female athlete.  I wanted a touch of feminine with a coating of athleticism.

I failed.  Miserably.  Somehow my vague idea of what I wanted turned into a girly girl card.  Which, is okay.  Just not what I had planned.

Sometimes, it is just best to go with the flow!! I really do like how this card turned out and while not what I had envisioned, it was still a touch of feminine without being over the top girly girl.

Before I share the card, I do have to giggle at how rusty my card making skills have become.  First,: it took me all day to make the card.  I will give myself credit for the fact that I spent quite a bit of time experimenting with the background technique until I got the look I wanted.

Second: may I strongly suggest that when making cards, one FIRST verifies that one has an envelope that FITS the card dimensions PRIOR to completing the card?!! Let's just say that the card was tucked into the envelope, but in no way, shape or form, was the enveloped sealed.  And the card was hand delivered. 

Finally: THE CARD

I made the background paper by stamping Cornish Heritage Farms 6x6 Vintage Text onto a 5x5 piece of Gina K's Pure Luxury card stock with Memento Rich Cocoa ink.  I then stamped the swirls (old set I've had in my stash fo-evah!) using Versamark ink and embossed with clear embossing powder.  Distress Inks in Barn Door and Fired Brick were sponged over the entire background.  Distress Vintage photo ink was lightly sponged along the edges.

I then die cut two flowers from three different sizes from  Rose Creations by Donna Salazar for Spellbinders from textured white card stock (I believe it is SU, but don't quote me.  I'm using my stash!!) and sponged only one side along the edges and partially down the petals.  

The petals were then shaped using a large stylus and a foam mat.

Beginning with the smallest flowers, the flowers were glued using a hot glue gun. Shaping of the petals were done by hand and a small stylus (you could use tweezers also, but I couldn't find mine!!)

The smaller flowers were made the same way, except I used smaller variations of the dies and sponged only the edges of the petals. 

The leaves were die cut using Spellbinder's Foliage.  They were then embossed with the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder.  

The numbers were die cut using Cuttlebug's Olivia alphabet dies.  

Well, that is about it for me today! I will make no promises that I'll be around more frequently this summer, as our schedule seems to be jammed packed and just as crazy as the school year was, BUT!! I will be back!! said in my best Arnold Schwarzenegger voice!! 

'Till then, enjoy the creativity!!