21 today! Key to the door time!

Extreme closeup!

I know I normally put a pic of the whole care up first, but I know with feedly it tends to just show about the top 2/3rds and that would ignore that cute furry bear so I just had to make certain that the few people that do link to me on Feedly could see what fun I'm having with this cute stamp from High Hopes Stamps.

I made this for my eldest.  I thought it would probably be slightly inappropriate to go with the beer/drinking theme from the parental units, so I decided to focus on word play with our name, his degree program and his school colors.  At the moment he is on his 1st co-op from school so really getting some hands on learning, which makes it extra appropriate.

I really like how it turned out.  I think most of it is self explanatory with using the blueprint stamps from Tim Holtz to create the background that refers back to the bear holding a lock and key standing on the 21.  There is a double reference with the lock and key, our name and my son's English roots, as 21 is when traditionally associated with a getting a key for the door. 

This is an extract from The Encyclopedia of Superstitions by Richard Webster on line:  People turning twenty-one are often given cardboard keys to celebrate this milestone of maturity and independence.  Alec Kendal mentioned this in his popular song I'm twenty-one today, which was published in 1912.

I'm twenty-one today!
Twenty-one today!
I've got the key of the door!
Never been twenty-one before!
And fathers say I can do what I like!
So shout Hip-hip-hooray!
I'm a jolly good fellow,
Twenty-one today!

Ingredients
Card size - 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 in;
Cardstock - Recollections: Kraft, Black, Chevron (Witches Dust Paper Pad);
Stamps - High Hopes Stamps: Lockhart Bear; Stamper's Anonymous Tim Holtz collection: Industrial Blueprint;
Ink - Memento: Tuxedo black; Gina K Designs: White;
Color - Copics;
Accessories - Dimensional tape; glossy accents. "21" hand drawn and cut.

21st box card!

A card for our dear niece who turned 21 in July.  I really struggled with this as traditionally in England it is "key to the door" you are an adult now birthday.  To be honest, the world has moved on so I decided to go fun and whimsical and pile it on.

Growing up she absolutely loved pigs so I am hoping that she will see this as a nod to remembering how much she loved pigs, a wee mini trip down her childhood memory lane.   

I wanted to make this card even more over the top than a normal box card so I decided in the great British tradition that she needed some birthday bunting to celebrate her big day.  Now that took a bit of thinking.  In the end I glued together some thick cardstock and patterned paper (both sides) to make them look a bit like carnival poles but keeping them flat for when the card was closed.

I did a few markings and I think I made the pennants 1 in long and 1 in wide.  I marked the bottom of the paper a half inch in and then every inch so I could cut the angles needed and cut enough for the front and back of the banner. Using a small alphabet set I stamped all the letters I needed and found a bit of thin white crochet thread in my stash and glue the pennant together, sandwiching in the thread.

Those "brads/enamel dots" are actually patterned paper scraps that I punched out, and used Versamark and UTEE to make to match!  I may never buy a "real" one again! 

The big problem with a card for an occasion that doesn't open and close is that there is no where to put a gift card/cash so I made a small envelope to match the large one and tucked it inside the box.  I went ahead and put her name on it so she will hopefully thought to pull it out.

 This is the card all closed up.  I was going to start my post with it but realized that if people are reading in readers they probably wouldn't look any further when confronted with such a dull image.  Oh yeah, what about that matching envelope!!!

Ingredients
Card size - 8.5 in x 5.5 in
Cardstock - The Paper Studio: Texture Cardstock, The Classics; 
Stamps - High Hopes: Pig, cake, presents, hat; Justrite Stamps: Curlz;
Ink - Archival Ink: black;
Color - Koi watercolor;
Accessories - Crochet thread;
Tools - UTEE