Okay, this definately lacks a WOW factor, but it is a quick use of the Designer Series papers “Au Chocolat” for my Grads & Dads themed Stamp a Stack of Stuff class this month.

 I am not a dots and stripes person, but I absolutely love the paisleys and other “flourish” style designs on this “Chocolate Chip” and Vanilla printed papers.

So, the card is half decorative paper and the other half (on the vanilla) is stamped in Chocolate Chip ink and colored very lightly with Creamy Caramel ink.

It definately needed a larger/different embellishment than the simple use of a hodgepodge hardware shown with some taupe grosgrain but my mind was blank at the time. 

I had tried to sponge the edges but it looked better “clean” (take my word on that). 

I will be sharing samples from my May “Stamp a Stack of Stuff” this Thursday with the “Dads & Grads” theme.  Masculine cards are not always easy to think up with the abundance of beautiful floral sets!

I saw this idea done in a recent magazine and got to thinking that our “Sentimental Journey” Designer Series papers fit PERFECTLY into little “shirts”.

The neck was “notched” out at the top, the collar is two rectangles, the tie is the oval punch and a 1 1/4 inch strip of decorative paper cut at the top and Hodgepodge Hardware completed the look.

This month will feature Dads & Grads (or masculine cards for those whose Dads are no longer with us).  My dad passed away September 2004 and I can’t bring myself to “delete” his birthday from my electronic daytimer, makes me a bit sad for the “reminders” two weeks and then one week before, show up, but it is actually harder to just hit “delete”.  So, I designed a nice card and well, dad… this one’s for you!