Happy Retirement TERI!

Hello Ai fans!

My friend Teri is retiring and her favorite color is bright pink.

She loves my cards and I hope she will find this one very special.

My card is a trifold with a front, middle panel and 3rd panel.

This is the front and you can see the heart and stars when it's closed.

This fun and frazzled lady is Sylvia - J1550 and she retired a few years ago.
Our school abbreviation is AES so the front says "AES LIFE."

The middle section has Happy Retirement, a pocket to hold her gift card and of course Mini Madge.

The third panel has a lady from the retired Live Love Laugh set celebrating the 

fact that she's retired! A little pink champagne spraying all over sealed the deal.

I thought it was so fitting that all 3 of these ladies 

are retired as well as Teri will soon be.

My card folds up flat to a normal size so it will fit into an envelope.

It is a large card though and due to the heart and stars I'll be putting it into

a clear envelope so that nothing gets bent. She'll see the special bling as soon

as she looks at it.

The gift card will go in the pocket and hide Madge until she pulls it out.

This is the backside where we will all sign our personal notes to her.

Art Impressions Lace challenge

Okay,  let me first start off by saying that I cased my DTmate with this idea!

Barbara used Sylvia as a scared woman first.  I just loved the idea so I had

to do it too!  I am terrified of spiders so I thought this big, awful, plastic 

spider would do nicely to terrorize poor Sylvia!

This week's Art Impressions challenge is LACE.

You can use real lace or lace that you've created with 

a punch, die etc.

Unfortunately, I don't have the inside complete enough to photograph

but it says... "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself....and spiders!"

Happy Halloween! 

Here's a close up of Sylvia.

"Drat"... I've completely skipped my mother and become my grandmother".

How funny is this Drat saying from Art Impressions??  It also didn't take me long to decide which woman stamp I wanted to pair it with.  I think the look on Sylvia's face says it all!  I colored her with Copic markers and used Spellbinders nestability dies to cut and matte her.  I punched a border with a Martha Stewart edger punch and then used the flowers near the top of the card.  There are self adhesive pearls in the center of them.  Inside it says Happy Birthday Anyways!

Blue Bottles

I made these bottles quite a while ago. The first one was for the sister of a friend of mine. She wanted a little something to put with her gift and when I told her about these "funny new stamps" I got she decided that a candy bottle using them was perfect. Her sister has 3 small kids including a set of twins so she thought she'd get a kick out of the phrase and frazzled looking woman. I know I've done these bottles to death but they make such cute last minute birthday or thank you gifts. They're great to have on hand for whatever comes up.

Teacher card

I got this stamp and phrase from Art Impressions. I just thought it was the funniest thing for anyone who has/deals with kids. The room I work in at school is for the kids who are... let's just say a handful. I really think that by the end of the year Mrs. Q may just look like this poor woman. I don't know how she has survived all these years! She's a wonderful, caring lady and I hope she enjoys this card. I used my Copic markers on it. I still very much learning how to blend and shade. I'm sure someday I'll look back on this card and think "I can't believe I gave that to someone", but for now I'm proud.

Today we have a rocket launch with the boy scouts. If I can find time I'll try to get some of those pictures posted tomorrow. We're just spending a nice quiet day at home tomorrow. Tom wants to make me breakfast and dinner... guess I'm on my own for lunch! Ha Ha. This will be my 10th Mother's Day and every year I've said I didn't want a gift. The only thing I want is breakfast in bed. I've never gotten it so I'm not holding out any high hopes of getting it tomorrow. It's nice that he wants to make it at all. I guess I don't have to have it in bed. I'm having lunch with my Mom on Monday. Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms out there.