Hello there!  It’s time for another sketch challenge at CAS Colours & Sketches.  You’re welcome to manipulate the sketch, or change the small squares to another shape, so long as we can still easily recognize the main elements of the sketch.

As I mentioned in last week’s post, many high schools are closing out the school year now, and it’s been “graduation season” for us.  I’ve needed to make several graduation cards this year.  I used our CC&S sketch for two of them.  The colors are taken from the graduates’ schools’ colors – purple and golden yellow for one, and black and orange for the other.  For the purple and gold card, I turned the sketch on its side.  This is a larger than usual card for me, 5″ x 7″.  I did that for two reasons – because I wanted to include some photos in the card, and because of the size of the mortarboard stamp.  By positioning the stamp differently on each square, I was hoping to convey the idea of the cap being tossed into the air.  I didn’t really think about it until I was formatting the photo, but the diamond shapes in the argyle embossing somewhat mimic the mortarboard shape. It felt good to use some retired cardstock colors for this card!

I stayed true to the original sketch for the orange and black card, and kept it the usual A2 size.  The orange cardstock is stamped with a background stamp to give it some visual texture.  After I inked the background stamp, I stamped it off once onto a scrap piece of paper before stamping the cardstock, to lighten it up a bit.  A few areas of the stamp didn’t quite take to the scrap paper, so they showed up darker on the orange cardstock.  I think it turned out like a serendipitous accident to give a little more interest.

And here’s the sketch graphic:

Both of these cards are eligible for the current Retro Rubber challenge to use ribbon or twine.  Although the “Hats Off to You” stamp set I used on the purple and yellow card is one of the first Lawn Fawn sets I bought back about 4 years ago, this is the first time I’ve used the mortarboard stamp.  The “So Much to Say” set used on the orange and black card is newer but I’ve had it  for about 18 months.  And the “Just Jeans” background stamp there is an oldie but goodie from Stampin’ Up; I’ve had it for nearly 10 years!

Since the orange and black card went to a young man, I’m also submitting it into this week’s Masculine theme challenge at The Paper Players.

Thanks for stopping by today!  Be sure to see what the rest of the CC&S Design Team has done with the sketch.  Then show us your own take on it by linking your card at the CC&S site by 6:00 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday, June 17.  We’d love to have you join us!

Supplies for the purple and yellow card:
Stamps: Hats Off to You (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Eggplant Envy, Summer Sun (Stampin’ Up); Pure Luxury White (Gina K. Designs)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Other: Small Stitched Square Stackables die (Lawn Fawn); markers (Copic); Argyle embossing folder (Darice); white twill ribbon (source unknown)

Supplies for the orange and black card:
Stamps: So Much to Say (Lawn Fawn); Just Jeans (Stampin’ Up)
Cardstock: Tangerine Tango, Basic Black (SU); Pure Luxury White (Gina K. Designs)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento); Tangerine Tango (SU)
Other: Small Stitched Square Stackables die (Lawn Fawn); markers (Copic); white grosgrain ribbon (SU)