Stars and Stripes

Here's a simple masculine card for a graduate from the Air Force Academy.  Spring Break Designer Series paper is the headliner along with the crisp look of big, beautiful letters from the Schoolbook Serif Alphabet.  A user-friendly group of punches join in on the action, too.

The card base is Blue Bayou Textured card stock (5 x 5).  I then layered some Spring Break Designer paper on top.  TIP:  This paper series has many small prints that work famously for "boy" cards.  I like the "clean shaven" look of this one along with the yummy olive and blue stripe.

Using a Stamp-a-ma-jig,  I stamped "grad" in Blue Bayou ink on Whisper White card stock.  TIP:  This is the first time I used these particular letters so the rubber was "squeaky new."  If you like uniform inking (like me), try using a sanding block on new stamps to lightly scuff the rubber of the stamps. Clean before using.  It can be a powerful before and after for better ink coverage.  The large sentiment is layered on Blue Bayou Textured card stock. 

Fundamental Phrases "CONGRATS" was also inked in Bayou and stamped on white.  TIP:  Mixing upper and lower case words (like "grad" and "CONGRATS") or even playing with different fonts, can be much more appealing than everything matchy, matchy.  I snapped out the sentiment with a Key Tag Punch and slipped it underneath "grad."

I popped out four Small Stars, three with Bayou Textured card stock and one with a Spring Break Designer Series stripe.  The stripe was adhered with a Stampin' Dimensional to a Large Punch Star, in Bayou textured.  The three small stars were layered on a rectangle of the same stripe, matted on Bayou.  TIP:  The small stars, or any small punches for that matter, make great substitutes for brads and hardware.

Inkspirations for this card are Splitcoast Challenges:  Sketch Challenge SC177,  Ways to Use it (masculine card) WT167,  Limited Supplies (no hardware) LSC169 and Limited Supplies (alphabet) LSC168.  Note:  All Splitcoast challenges are listed for you on my right side bar if you scroll down.  Try playing along.  It's an enjoyable way to get the creative juices flowing.

Hugs and Pretties . . . . Mary

Stamp Sets:  Schoolbook Serif Alphabet, Fundamental Phrases
Paper:  Spring Break Designer Series, Blue Bayou Textured Card Stock, Whisper White
Ink:  Blue Bayou
Cool Tools:  Large and Small Star Punches, Key Tag Punch, Stamp-a-ma-jig
The Perfect Touch: Stampin' Dimensional