Back to school

When I was a kid I always loved getting ready to go back to school. Not that I wanted summer vacation to be over, but going back to school meant all kinds of newness: a new season; new clothes; new teachers, classes and friends; and, maybe most importantly, new school supplies. Walking up and down the aisles of school supplies at Target was -- and still is -- a little like being in a candy store. Picking out new notebooks, folders, binders (Trapper Keepers, anyone?), pens, pencils, crayons, markers. I would organize everything in my new backpack -- and then probably reorganize it a dozen more times before school actually started. Oh, the good ole' days.

This fall one of my cousins' daughters will be starting kindergarten. I thought it would be fun to send her a card to celebrate the occasion:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^®):
Stamps: Greeting Card Kids, Sweet Shoppe Alphabet Upper and Lower, School Lines
Card stock: Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso
Ink: Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler; Markers: Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight, Marina Mist, Bashful Blue, Blush Blossom, Blushing Bride, Close to Cocoa, More Mustard, Creamy Caramel
Accessories: 2-1/2" circle punch, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, Perfect Pennants die, Stripes embossing folder, So Saffron 3/8" taffeta ribbon, Basic Pearls, Dimensionals, Glue Dots^®, sponges

For the focal point I stamped one of the images from the Greeting Card Kids set, colored it with markers, punched it out with the 2-1/2" circle punch and matted it with a scallop circle from the Perfect Pennants Big Shot^TM die. I used the Sweet Shoppe Alphabets (upper and lower) to spell out her name on the School Lines stamp. I love how the letters fit perfectly on the lines; I was able to eyeball the placement and managed to get the letters pretty straight. I also sponged Early Espresso ink on the edges of that piece, as well as on the focal image. I embossed the Cherry Cobbler card base with the Stripes embossing folder and wrapped a piece of So Saffron taffeta ribbon around the front. A few small flower punches, slightly crumpled and with pearls in the centers, add a cute little detail.

All this talk of school really makes me want to hit the back-to-school sales. I might just need a new pack of pens.