Just under the wire

I've been on a roll with card-making challenges, so I decided I would participate in one more this week. When I checked the Raisin Boat blog, I discovered that the deadline for their monthly challenge was tomorrow. Talk about getting in just under the wire. So with no time to waste, here is the card I created this evening:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Off to Party (Raisin Boat), Essential Messages (Hero Arts)
Paper: Soft Sky, Cucumber Crush, Chocolate Chip, Crushed Curry, Whisper White card stock
Ink: Cucumber Crush, Chocolate Chip, Crushed Curry, Pacific Point, Real Red, Smoky Slate, Basic Gray, Delightful Dijon, Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: 1-3/4" scallop circle punch, 1-1/2" circle punch, Cupcake Builder punch, Pacific Point striped grosgrain ribbon, sponge, Dimensionals, Mono Multi liquid glue

The theme for this month's Raisin Boat challenge was graduation. As it happens, I don't need any graduation cards this year, so I decided to make a card that would work for several different milestones, including graduation, a new job, retirement, or moving away.

I started with the set Off to Party and stamped the car in Pacific Point. I stamped the bottom part of the car again in Smoky Slate and Memento Tuxedo Black for the fender and tires. I cut out all the pieces and glued them together. I also stamped, colored, and cut out the image of two suitcases and adhered them behind the cut-out windshield. For the final touches I colored the taillights Real Red and stamped the "personalized" license plate.

To create the scene I started with a Soft Sky card base and added a hill (Cucumber Crush) and a road (Chocolate Chip). I sponged the road and the hill with the same colors of ink to add a little depth. The punch-art sun happened to be sitting on the table, left over from a card I made yesterday, and it was perfect for this card. Yippee! To make the sun, I used an idea I read on another stamper's blog: I punched a scallop circle from Crushed Curry card stock, then punched it again, rotating the shape so the points for the second punch are in the middle of the scallops. (If you stick the scalloped circle on a self-stick note, you'll have a little handle so it's easier to make the second punch.) I punched a solid circle for the center and sponged both pieces with Crushed Curry ink before gluing them together. The Cupcake Builder punch was the perfect way to make a few fluffy clouds.

The last step was to add a sentiment to the card. I stamped the sentiment on a strip of Whisper White card stock, cut the ends into banner shapes, and added two folds at each end to create some dimension. A small piece of ribbon on each end of the banner was the perfect finishing touch.

Thanks for stopping by!