Explosion Book for Graduation

 Hello! We are just back from a trip to witness our daughter receive her Master's degree. Of course, we are very proud of her. To commemorate the occasion, I made an explosion book for her, but I didn't want to post the photos until she got to see it...it was supposed to be a surprise! It is done in black and white, with some gold and silver, and just a bit of the school's colors, maroon (and white). It is a combination of printed and solid papers, purchased and hand made embellishments, stamps and stamps and stamps. I wasn't sure what I was after, and I'm not sure about what I ended up with, but it sure was fun! Here it is:





  This is the front cover. When closed, it lies fairly flat, tied with a silver ribbon. The rosette is purchased, then addd to, using the Tim Holtz rosette die.





 

 The first page features a purchased mortarboard and tassel embellishment, and a miniature diploma in a presentation folder, with lots of stamps and an Ide-ology token.



 

This page reflects our daughter's love of learning and books, and her sense of humor, with a quote by Groucho Marx, and a variety of dog-related images and  words...we've had Golden Retrievers since before we were married!







 The third page features quotes by Einstein, Carl Sandberg, and Oprah, with lots of other words and images.


This last page is a combination of inspirational thoughts and wishes for her future.





 This is how the book looks when tied open on a flat surface.


She was happy with it, and so was I.

Layered Backgrounds Class

Here's another class to go June 4th from 10:30 to 12:30 at Stampin' EJ's at Debra's Cottage in
Costa Mesa. We'll be experiementing with Layered backgrounds, using large stamps from a variety of manufacturers, such as Hero Arts, Impression Obsession and Wendy Vecchi's Studio 490 from Stampers Anonymous. Each participant will go home with 3-4 finished cards, and 9-12 additional backgrounds.We'll be using a variety of papers and inks to create different styles-- subtle, vintage, sharp...there are so many possibilities with layered stamps, and so many ways of combining! For this class, the focus will be the backgrounds...a subtle background with just the right flavor will provide the perfect platform for your graphic or sentiment.   Here are some examples of cards with layered backgrounds:

This one is done with Studio 490 stanps and a combination of chalk inks in the backgrounds and pigment inks in the foreground, embossed with clear embossing powder.

This  is done using Hero Arts doily stamps for rthe background with pigment inks on glossy paper, and finished off with Tim Holtz' tattered florals die cuts on various shades of standard cardstock,with an Ideology flower center, and some pearl baubbles in the lower right corner. 

I love this one...elegant, understated. This is Impression Obsession backgrounds, with Vivid! dye inks, the flourish is embossed pigment ink, as is the butterfly on pattered paper. I made 3 of them, then adhered them for a 3D effect. Words are also I/O.

This last one is Hero Arts background stamps on glossy paper with chalk inks, then buffed for a clearer, brighter color. The first flower is masked to place the second one. there is a corner punch on the lower right, and a button in the center of the flower.

For class there will be lots of background stamps available, and lots of different inks to try with various combinations. This is definitely a class based on experiementation, and everyone's finished cards will be different. I'll have a variety of embellishments to choose from, too. Hope to see you there! See the Stampin EJ  link on the left for more info  or to register for class.