Category Archives: Graduation

Graduation Framelit Card

It certainly is graduation time, and here is one card I made with the Labels Collection Framelits Die. I've been pulling out a lot of retired stamps and paper for just the right things I needed for this graduation project. This "Happy Graduation" stamp is one of the a la carte ones we had called "Happy Grad". If you don't own the stamp, you can purchase the download in My Digital Studio and print it out! I just did that with a few other graduation projects going on with another graduation stamp brush set! The background is embossed with the polka dot embossing folder on the Big Shot, and I also used the Big Shot to cut out the letters. I love the Antique Brads on this card! The paper is Shimmery White…perhaps if you click on the photo to enlarge it you will be able to notice the shimmer! Love that paper!

I hope this gives you some ideas if you are making some cards for those special graduates! If you need any stamping supplies or digital downloads, you can shop at my Online Store HERE!

The Beginnings of a Graduation Announcement

2 Replies

Here are the beginnings of the graduation announcements I am making for my son. Of course they should be in the mail by now, but that's okay! These are such a combination of elements….from a retired graduation stamp, to paper from the college bookstore, to the frame and name of school made in My Digital Studio, retired Really Rust card stock to the current Naturally Serif Sizzlits Decorative Strip Die (but retiring) #113453 and the Stripes Textured Impressions Embossing Folder #123128. They're all assembled now…just have to adhere the actual announcement to the inside and get them in the mail! Nothing like the last minute!

If you need ideas for graduation cards or announcements, just check the "Graduation" category over in the right sidebar. And then if you need some stamping supplies (or My Digital Studio downloads) just go shop at my Stampin' Up! Online Store HERE.

Inspired By Nature Card

Leave a reply

The Inspired By Nature #111656 stamp set by Stampin' Up! is one of the many retiring stamp sets come May 31st. It was quite a popular stamp set and you can see why….so versatile for many occasions. Just change the greeting to convey your message. Two sentiments come with it, but of course you can add one from any other stamp set….or leave it plain. Can you see this stamp set being used for a graduation, birthday, get well, or just a note card?

*******

Stamps: Inspired By Nature

Ink: Old Olive, Baja Breeze, Early Espresso

Paper: Early Espresso Card Stock, Confetti White Card Stock #102028

Accessories: Stampin' Write Markers: Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Early Espresso; Aquapainter #103954, Jumbo Brads 5/16" Neutrals #112534

Begin with a card base of Early Espresso. Use Confetti White Card Stock for the layer….a beautiful paper we don't use often enough.
Ink up grassy side of stamp (this one comes double-mounted on each side of one wood block) with Old Olive ink and stamp off lightly on scrap paper, then stamp on Confetti White.
Ink up the flower side of stamp using markers to color in the flowers, stems, and grass. Stamp over the grass on Confetti White. If any of it comes out too light, use your Aquapainter or Blender Pen to add some extra ink from markers or an ink pad or refill. Don't add directly with markers or it will be too dark.
Stamp greeting with Early Espresso Ink.
Use Aquapainter to add some Baja Breeze ink for the sky in the background, being careful not to get into the already stamped images or the ink will run. Just color lightly and without thinking too hard!
Add two Jumbo Brads to the top and adhere to card front.
Stamp and add inside page to write on.

Check the Retiring Stamps List HERE.

And then shop online HERE!

Graduation All-Occasion Card

Leave a reply

We're all going to be needing graduation and other all-occasion cards soon so it's time to get started so you will be ready! I got the idea for this card in the Occasions Mini Catalog. This card is 3 1/2" x 4 1/4" so it's kind of a cute smaller size! After I cut it at 7" length, I realize that the piece I had cut off would make a good size pouch on the inside to hold a check, cash or gift card….so I made another one, cutting my paper at 4 1/4" x 8 1/2". I scored at 3 1/2" from one end and 1 1/2" from the other…or you could say 3 1/2" and 7". The top is embossed with the Stripes Embossing Folder #123128. Since the paper is shorter you have to line it up carefully in the embossing folder up to the fold and straight on the sides.

Other supplies:

Stamps: Elements of Style, Rue Des Fleurs

Ink: Cajun Craze, Stazon Black

Accessories: Labels Collection Framelits Die #125598, 1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch #119854, Hemp Twine #100982

Here is the inside:

Very simple and yet so versatile! Just embellish for whatever person or occasion you need a card for with a little gift inside!

To shop for any stamping supplies, just click HERE.

Thank You Kindly Thank You Card

Leave a reply

Thank you cards are always handy to have around, and especially for an important occasion, such as graduation, when many graduation thank you cards will need to be sent. Online thank you notes or thank you emails might be better than no thank you at all, but, in my opinion, this is when a handwritten note is definitely in order. And if you really want to make it special, a Stampin' Up! card that you made is always special!

This card uses a retiring stamp For You Flower #118726, one of the a la carte stamps in the Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog. I punched the flower out of So Saffron card stock with the Fancy Flower Punch #118073. With some Stampin' Write Markers, I colored in the center of the For You Flower stamp and stamped on Whisper White, punched out with the 1 1/4" Circle Punch #119861, mounted it over a 1 3/8" Circle Punch #119860 of Pear Pizzazz card stock using a Stampin' Dimensional, and adhered that to the flower punch piece.

I was actually copying a sample in the catalog (I think sometimes we forget to simply look in the catalog for ideas!) but instead of doing paper piercing, I punched two strips of Rose Red card stock with the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch #119275. For extra emphasis, being a thank you note, I stamped the bottom of the card with a stamp from Thank You Kindly #111700.

When you are looking for thank you card wording, there are so many great stamps to choose from at Stampin' Up!.

If you were doing this card as a graduation thank you card, just choose either school colors for your papers and ink or whatever colors suited your personality. I'm sure the recipient would appreciate something that you put your personal touch on.

For any stamping supplies that you need, please go to my Online Store HERE. (In fact, go take a peek now as Stampin' Up! has updated the look!) Feel free to contact me with any questions!

Stampin’ Up! Digital Scrapbooking: My Digital Studio Graduation Scrapbook Page

Leave a reply

You'll need a scrapbook page for that graduation photo so of course one easy way to make one is to use the Stampin' Up! program, My Digital Studio. I began with a designer template for this page but changed the background paper color and added several graduation stamps….the cap, the sentiment, and the feet. Imagine the photo going right above the graduation feet! With My Digital Studio you can easily make an entire album or just a few pages with minimal thinking and designing….or you can start and work completely from scratch. You could even use this idea as your design and then make it out of paper and stamps.

To find out more about My Digital Studio, click HERE.

Graduation Gift Box Idea and Tag

Leave a reply

You’re probably going to need a graduation gift box idea and a tag. This is an easy one to make if you have the Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine #113439 and the Bitty Box & Envelope Die #115967. You can use any card stock or paper, of course, but if you need a college graduation gift, maybe you would have access to the scrapbook packet at the campus bookstore and you can make a box in the school’s colors! Just cut out the box with the die, assemble and decorate! There are other Big Shot dies that make nice gift packaging as well.

For the graduation gift tag, I’ve found that the stamp set Word Play on page 147 of the Stampin’ Up! Idea Book & Catalog (available in wood- or clear-mount) has great expressions to use for graduation. Use your markers to color the stamp different colors if you like to get a multi-colored image. I sponged the edges, tore the end, added a folded over torn piece and Antique Brad, plus stamped a small butterfly from the SAB set “Bliss”. If you need a larger gift bag or box, make a nice tag that will become a graduation keepsake.

If you don’t already own the Big Shot, go to my store now and look it over! You need one! Let me know if you have any questions!

Fun & Fast Notes Graduation Card

Leave a reply

Use the Stampin' Up! Fun & Fast Notes stamp set #113500 to make a fun and fast graduation card! You don't have to have a graduation stamp in order to make a graduation card. Stars are great to convey congratulations as well as a greeting of "Congratulations", "Thinking of You", "Just for You", "Best Wishes", "Good Luck" or any of a number of other sentiments. This "Congratulations" is actually attached to the star stamp, but since I cut out the stars with my marvelous Paper Snips #103579, I just punched out the word with the Word Window Punch #119857 and adhered it to the Modern Label Punch #119849.

The stars were colored with Stampin' Write Markers in Real Red, So Saffron, Tempting Turquoise and Old Olive, which are the coordinating colors of the Play Date Designer Series Paper #117168 I used. (I always write the name of the coordinating colors on the back cardboard of the designer series pack to have it handy!) This paper always makes me happy because I received a free pack at the Stampin' Up! Convention last summer…and Convention is always a happy memory!!

For a little bling, I added Glimmer Brads #121006 to the stars. I think this would be a fun card for anyone, but would be cute for a preschool or kindergarten "graduate"! For more Stampin' Up! ideas for graduation, click on the Graduation Category over in the right side bar.

Stampin’ Up! Pocket Card for Graduation

Leave a reply

High school graduation, college graduation, even preschool graduation! You can use this same pocket card for any kind of graduation! A pocket card will also work for any graduation invitation or graduation announcement. Change the color combinations to suit the school or age.

The insert in the pocket card can be any style. It can contain just a stamped or written greeting or you can attach a gift card, cash, or check. Stampin' Up! has so many great stamps that work on a graduation card so check those out! Just look through the catalog and you'll find something appropriate for your card!

Supplies:

Stamps: Happy Greetings (Summer Mini, p. 26), Teeny Tiny Wishes #115370, Word Play (IB&C p. 147)

Ink: Stazon Black, Concord Crush

Paper: Concord Crush, Brushed Gold, Whisper White

Accessories: Star Punch #119875, Small Star Punch (retired), Modern Label Punch #119849, Gold Brad #104337, Corner Rounder Punch #119871, Backgrounds 1 Texturz Plate #114512, Gold Cord (retired), Square Lattice Embossing Folder #119976, Sticky Strip #

Directions:

Cut Concord Crush 5 1/2" x 7 3/4". Score at 4 1/4" and 6 3/4" (this makes a flap that folds down over the front pocket). Emboss just the front portion with the Square Lattice folder (if you fold down the flap, it will be the underside of the embossing, but it's okay.) Emboss the gold cardstock (5 1/4" x 3 or longer) in the Texturz Folder. Round the corners if you want. Adhere gold to back of Concord Crush. Use Sticky Strip #104294 to adhere front flap when folded up. Decorate the front however you like. The insert is Concord Crush cut at 4 3/4" x 4" and of course each successive layer is 1/4" smaller. The tab is the Modern Label Punch folded in half and secured with a brad. You could also use a tab of ribbon.

Have fun making this card or your variation of it! To see a graduation pocket card announcement I made several years ago, see THIS post.

If you need any stamping supplies, please check out Stampin' Up! HERE.

Graduation Cap Box Gift or Favor

Leave a reply

Graduation is upon us and this little graduation cap favor or gift box might come in handy. Underneath the top of the cap is a box with a lid that could be used to hold a small graduation gift or be used as a graduation party favor! The tassel is made with DMC floss, poked through the center of the top piece and covered with a small punched circle….just like a real graduation cap! You could make this any size you need, from tiny to large or a matching color for a particular school.

Use any box template you like. This particular sample is made with a 4" square of card stock, scored at 1" on all sides. Cut one of the score lines on each side from the edge into the intersecting score line to form little tabs to help you fold into the square box. This makes the lid. To make the box bottom, start with a slightly smaller square of card stock…I used 3 7/8" square and score again at 1" on all four sides. This will insure that the bottom will fit inside the lid. For the top of the cap, I cut a 3 1/4" square of card stock and attached the tassel. If indeed you wanted something larger or sturdier, you could use some thin cardboard (such as what comes with designer paper) as the cap top and wrap it in card stock.

It's fun to add your personal touch to a graduation party or event! And Stampin' Up! supplies are the best for any project! Order yours at my Online Store or contact me.

Flip Album for a Graduation Gift

1 Reply

I have just LOVED these flip albums ever since I saw my first one! I've made several for gifts and this one was for a graduation gift. I left it rather generic so she could use it any way she wanted to, whether for graduation pictures or college or family or friends or anything. The first one I ever made I thought was incredibly complicated, but they really are pretty simple and this one went together easily. I won't go into detail on how I made it because there are a lot of directions out there, but if you have questions, leave a comment or email me. I did use retired Designer Series Paper, Bella Birds but I think everything else is current…..at least for June!!

When you make one of these albums, you can hardly stop yourself from flipping all the pages back and forth! The Big Shot and our Stampin' Up! punches really help to make interesting elements in the album.

Click: Be sure to check the retiring lists of stamps, accessories and Decor Elements before they are gone June 30th….or sooner!

Extreme Elements Graduation Card

Leave a reply

Extreme Elements #115181 is one of the stamp sets on the May Scrapbooking Month Promotion, which ends May 31. Purchase this set, or one of many others, and get a free set of Designer Brads with each set! I didn’t think this stamp set was my style until I played with it! Oh my gosh, I had the most fun using this set on this card!! You can just do anything with this stamp set and it comes out looking great! Since this card is for a college boy, I thought something a little less traditional might be fine. I also added a little Gold Glow Smooch Spritz #118770 for even more fun! You can see it better in the close-up. And my Big Shot came in handy to make the “OU” with the Naturally Serif Sizzlits Decorative Strip Die #113453.

Look closely and you can see the Gold Glow Smooch Spritz!

Order your Extreme Elements stamp set this week while you can get your choice of Designer Brads (page 179 of the Idea Book & Catalog) FREE! And don’t forget about the Happy Grad (#117006) single stamp on the last page of the Summer Mini Catalog ! It’s such a useful stamp….and when graduation season is over, you could omit the “Happy Graduation” and use just the words below for various cards and projects!

UT Graduation Easel Card

1 Reply

We enjoyed a fabulous weekend in Austin celebrating our son's girlfriend's graduation from the University of Texas at Austin! Here is the card I made for her. I had planned to post a "decoy" ahead of time to fool her in case she was looking at my blog, but I ran out of time! I love this easel card, so easy to make and looks like a special style!

Stamps: Happy Grad (#117006 Stampin' Up! Summer Mini), Typeset Alphabet (retired), In the Stars (inside) (retired).

Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Really Rust, UT Scrapbook Kit (non-SU)

Saturday was a very full day! First was a luncheon with her parents and family, then the graduation ceremony, and finally the spectacular University-Wide Commencement outside at the UT Tower. You have to arrive more than two hours ahead to get a seat for that evening event….did I mention it is outside?….in Texas?….in May?….but they do provide free ice water!…and paper fans…..and it wasn't TOO bad being outside for over five hours in the evening… there was a breeze….and it will get a LOT hotter than that pretty soon….so, not too bad. There were over 7000 graduates and their familes! I'm sure they weren't all there, but most of them were!! The actress Marcia Gay Harden was the speaker, and it was fun to hear the deans bestow the degrees on each school, some offering a little humor in their spiel or perhaps the graduates having some impromptu reaction. Finally the evening concluded with the impressive fireworks display off the Tower and "The Eyes of Texas" playing in the background. The Tower is lit in orange for the graduates and the windows display a "10" for the graduation year if you look carefully! It's really a great way to celebrate commencement!

Graduation Easel Card

Leave a reply

I think if you have stars of some sort….star punches, star stamps, star wheel….. you can make just about any card. I’ve used them for graduation, birthdays, even baby cards and scrapbook pages. So if you don’t have stars in your collection, check out the Stampin’ Up! Online Store and see what we have!

Lots of people are looking for graduation cards this month so I thought I would offer this idea. I’ve loved making these easel cards, so easy and yet looks so good! On this card I have used the Star Punch #109045 and the Large Star Punch #110710 and the single stamp Happy Grad #117006 in the Summer Mini Catalog.

Besides the Real Red, Basic Black, and Whisper White card stock, I also used the Brushed Gold and Silver card stock for this special occasion!

So if you need to make some stamped graduation cards, this one or a similar style is pretty easy. I hope it provides you with an idea to get started! Sometimes that is all you need to be creative!

Senior Year Journal

Leave a reply

The kids are back to school here in Houston and many other places around the country. I was reminded of a journal I made for each of my children during their senior year of high school. Just get yourself any notebook…..I used these Composition notebooks that you can pick up on sale now….and every night write an entry about your senior's day. It is supposed to be positive. The more often you write in it, the more valuable it will be to them in the future. It's very easy to do if you put it beside your bed or wherever a good spot for you is to see it and remind yourself to do it! My kids did seem to show at least a smidge of appreciation for it when I gave it to them as one of their graduation gifts, but what I really intend is that someday when they are middle-aged adults they will come across this notebook and have some fun reading what went on in their life when they were 17-18.

Just start with a plain notebook like this:

And when it is time for graduation, just decorate the cover with cardstock and stamping…..that's why I like this composition notebook because it is easy to decorate.

Here is the one I made for my son back in 2007. You can decorate with school colors or whatever you like.

Graduation Notebook Journal Hand stamped

Stamping With Karen

Having Fun With Paper, Ink, and Stamps

Category Archives: Graduation

Graduation Framelit Card

The Beginnings of a Graduation Announcement

Inspired By Nature Card

Graduation All-Occasion Card

Thank You Kindly Thank You Card

Stampin’ Up! Digital Scrapbooking: My Digital Studio Graduation Scrapbook Page

Graduation Gift Box Idea and Tag

Fun & Fast Notes Graduation Card

Stampin’ Up! Pocket Card for Graduation

Graduation Cap Box Gift or Favor

Flip Album for a Graduation Gift

Extreme Elements Graduation Card

UT Graduation Easel Card

Graduation Easel Card

Senior Year Journal