Got Sketch 86

I made this card for the challenge at gotsketch (http://www.gotsketch.blogspot.com/). This is sketch 86. The picture doesn't show the card to it's best advantage or do it justice. The card is a light dusty purple textured cardstock, even though it looks grey and it's not a black and white photo. The supplies I used:

DCWV textured cardstock (light and dark dusty purple), white vellum, K & Co.

Butterfly collage print paper

Cuttlebug: Swirls embossing folder and scalloped dot border

Martha Stewart silver glitter pen, butterfly punch

Stamp from JoAnn's $1 bin

Pearls from Creative Cafe

White organdy ribbon from Hobby Lobby

White marker
Cricut: Stretch Your Imagination cartridge

I cut a dark purple scallop frame at 5 3/4 in. from the SYI cartridge then cut a piece of white vellum to fit behind it. I embossed the vellum with the Cuttlebug swirls then colored the swirls with the silver glitter pen. I centered the vellum and scalloped frame onto the card. I added the print paper in the middle with the embossed scalloped border under it. I colored the scallops with the white marker and added the white dots. I punched the two layer butterflies from the light and dark textured cardstock and added the silver glitter pen to outline them. I attached the two layers with dimensional tape and placed them on the card with the organdy ribbon under the left butterfly. I added the pearls to the centers of the butterflies. Last I stamped the sentiment and added a few dots with the white marker. This card will go to my daughter-in-law who is serving our country at Lackland AFB. I hope it will make her feel special, let her know we are thinking of her, and that we're proud of her.

This is the first card I've made in awhile, but with good reason. I've spent every spare moment in the last month working on a display board for my husband's retirement party. My husband had his party last Friday evening (after serving 25 yrs. for the Police Dept.). With five adult children living all over the country it's difficult to get them all together at the same time. But we did it and managed to keep it a secret. To surprise my husband, my son got a few days leave from the Marines and I bought him a ticket to come home. I had a daughter that came from North Carolina and another that came from Ohio. The other two girls live in Michigan but only one lives close to us, the other made the two and a half hour drive down to our hometown. It was incredibly emotional as my son and daughter came up behind my husband and tapped him on the shoulder. When my husband turned and saw them he couldn't believe his eyes. It was a grand surprise and a wonderful night. We had a great four day visit with our children and grandchildren. We just delivered my son to the airport, my daughter will head back to North Carolina tonight and everyone else is gone. The house is quiet again. This was the first time in about three years that all my children have been in the same place at the same time. To keep the emotions from getting the better of me I headed to my craft room and got on the internet to find a card challenge. I had to add these two pictures though because they were so important to me.

This is my family. My four daughters, two on each side of me and one granddaughter in the front row. My son (the Marine) is behind my daughter on the right and spouses are behind their wives. Only one single daughter now. My son's wife was not able to be here because she is serving our country and is at Lackland AFB for Basic Training.

This is the display board that I made for my husband for his retirement party. It was sure hard to get 25 years onto one board. He had quite a career and has received many commendations and awards. He attended the FBI Academy, was our city's first DARE officer and chosen Police Officer of the Year twice, a Distinguished Alumnus and received a meritorious citation for disarming a robber when he held a gun to his head. What a year it has been--one daughter's wedding in Hawaii, one daughter moving to North Carolina, dealing with my breast cancer diagnosis, my husband's retirement and finding out grandchild number eight is on the way. It's amazing I have any sanity left. Thank heavens for my craft room, my Cricut machine and my SELPHY photo printer. Now my husband and I will head off in our brand new and well-deserved "retirement" 5th wheel for a little traveling, rest and relaxation. I hope to make a lot of cards and finish my scrapbook of our trip to Hawaii for my daughter's wedding (if I can get all my supplies packed). My husband plans to play golf, a lot.