Super Sketch Sunday #10

Happy Blessed Easter! May the beauty, the joy and the blessing of Easter fill your lives with special happiness! He is risen!

Your favorite day of the week is here.....Super Sketch Sunday! I had a special request to sketch a pocket card for today....you can thank my blogging friend Kim McNutt for this gem!

These pocket cards are really, really easy.

Cut an 8x11 piece of cardstock into 4 equal pieces. Use one of these as the base of your card. It should measure 4.25 x 5.25. Next, cut a piece of coordinating designer paper 4 x 4 and adhere it to the base with some adhesive. If you've got a sewing machine handy, use it to sew the designer paper directly to the base card. If not, the adhesive will do just fine (you might want to use a stronger glue to adhere the two pieces together since you'll be putting something inside the pocket). At the top of the designer paper, I cut and glued on a coordinating piece of paper just to give the pocket a little more visual interest. Now you're set to decorate the front of your pocket.

You can see my pocket card for today is a graduation card! I've got tons of graduation cards to make this season, so I'm starting early! I love this new stamp I found at Archivers. It's by Wordsworth. I first took a piece of watercolor paper, sprayed it with my mister, and then painted on three different inks with my aquapainter...More Mustard, Real Red, and Creamy Brown Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink. When that had dried, I stamped the sentiment onto the paper with Jet Black Staz-on. I used my Cuttlebug number die cuts for the graduation year. Did you know you can cut through 2 pieces of paper when sending your die through the machine? For example, I laid two square pieces of red cardstock down on top of the 0 (zero) so I didn't have to send it through twice. This way, I was able to cut the 2, the 7, and two 0 (zeros) on one pass through. The only thing is the bottom letter or number get's slightly "wrinkled", but nothing major. Sure saves a little time!

The inside of my card is just a piece of Whisper White cardstock matted in Basic Black. Do you see that cute little graduation cap at the top of the inside card? I made a 2-piece template for the cap, which I then glue together. And that darling tassel? It's made out of SU gold cording. It's simple simon, and I'll tell you how you can make it too. I've taken a few pictures of the process so it's easy to see exactly what I did. Simply cut a small piece of cording (maybe about 2 inches) and tie a knot at one end approx an inch in. To the right of the knot, take a stick pin and start to unravel the cording up to the knot. In less then a minute, you'll nearly have the tassel complete! Next, I punch a small hole in the middle of the cap. I thread the tassel through the hole, and follow it up with a black brad. I try to pass the brad through the cording somewhat going through so it holds it in place. If that doesn't work, just make sure when you split the brad open in the back it covers part of the extra cording to hold it in place. You can always tape the extra down too. That's all there is too it! Wasn't that simple?! I glued a small portion of the cap to the itop of the inside card, and the rest of the cap is used to pull the card from the pocket! Can you guess what the sentiment is inside the card? "Hats off to you!!!" Isn't that perfect? It's ties in perfectly with the card! It's so fun when something comes together just the way you imagined it!

I do want to showcase a few of the cards you all made using last weeks sketch...this one is by Kim McNutt....and this one is by Charmaine (Oodabug Alley)! Oh my heavens, these girls are showing up my card big time! Mine wasn't nearly as amazing as these girls! You rock Kim and Charmaine! And I can't forget Teresa Raber, who also sent me the card that she made with last weeks sketch! Aren't the colors awesome? (those who know me know I'm a sucker for bright colors!). You do great work, Teresa! Thanks to all of you for playing the sketch challenge each week! It's so much fun to see what you come up with! I have to say though, you've got to stop showing me up with all your great cards....I can't be lookin' bad on my own blog, now can I???? I'm SO just kidding! You guys rock!

Well, it's time to head out to church. My oldest sings this morning at the 6, 7 and 8am services. He actually was out for breakfast with the choir at Perkins at 330am this morning! Every year, the whole gang of kids invades the restaurant for a traditional bite to eat before services start. They have rehearsal starting at 5am, then the first service starts at 6am. Needless to say, he'll be a very tired boy around dinnertime! Easter hymns are my favorite hymns of all....especially "Lift High the Cross" and "Jesus Christ is Risen Today"....

Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia! Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia! Who did once upon the Cross, Alleluia! Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!

Happy Blessed Easter, friends!