Runs with Scissors… and her diploma!

Oh, sorry … didn’t hear you come in. I have been making graduation cards with “Pomp and Circumstances” playing loudly in the background. Who can hear that triumphant, yet nostalgic piece without thinking of graduation; so perfect for the end of one stage of life and the beginning of another.

Using the mini-set For the Grad, I stamped and embossed the mortarboard image onto the card base. The sentiment was framed with the Deco Frame diecut. I pop-dotted a few extra mortarboards to give the card some dimension. This card sports the cardinal red and white of the University of Wisconsin-Madison (coincidentally also the colors of the University of Alabama). This is a design that could be done in any school’s colors.

Indeed, the road to a diploma began with that first step. I masked off the center of the card base, applied distress inks and then over stamped and white embossed an image from the Sprigs transparent set. I added a butterfly cut with the Flicker and Flutter creative die. The butterfly is symbolic of the life changing event, graduation.

Here she is: Graduation Mimi. Diploma in hand, Pennants flying overhead; mission accomplished. I’ve colored Mimi with Copics and cut the Pennants from designer paper. This classic woodblock stamp is one of my favorites.

As I’ve mentioned, I have been privileged to attend many graduation ceremonies in our family: high school, university, graduate school, law school. Each is a time of gratitude, excitement and celebration.

My favorite university graduation, however, is my own. As you might expect from someone who is known for running with scissors, my path to a college degree was not traditional, direct or timely. It took several attempts and a mere 39 years after high school graduation to finally walk across that stage for my college diploma. That’s right, I was 57 years old and in danger of becoming the oldest member of any graduating class, ever!

My first year of college was completed in the traditional first year out of high school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Instead of completing the next three years, I became engaged, left school to work for a year and then married and had my family.

Years later, I re-enrolled at the University of Wisconsin when my daughter was also a student there and some of my favorite memories are of her helping me enroll in my classes (pre computer enrollment) and doing our studying together at the library. I managed to complete one more year of credits when life intervened and once again, I left school to devote time and resources to the family.

One day at work I was sharing with a co-worker my disappointment with myself that I hadn’t finished college. Obviously, I had complained about this ad nauseum as my co-worker looked up and said, “Judy, you either have to go back to school and finish or quit talking about it.”

Wow! I guess that was what I needed! We were busy raising the last RWS child, who had two more years of high school before she would be going off to college, following in the footsteps of her siblings. I realized it was “now or never”. I needed to finish my degree before it was her turn, instead of mine.

And so I did. I knew it was only a personal goal, not one that would lead to a career change. At my age, I had too many years invested in retirement and a pension and a good salary to leave what I was doing. Concordia University of Wisconsin had a campus in Madison with evening classes and they accepted all prior credits I had earned.

I persevered even through my breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, a son’s wedding (I missed the rehearsal dinner as I had an exam that night) and all the pressures and stresses of my work and personal life. I knew if I quit again, I would never go back.

Here’s my favorite page from the Commencement Program:

There are many occasions other than graduation that need to be celebrated. Important milestones such as anniversaries, retirements, birthdays, promotions, new homes and significant achievements of any kind can be celebrated with hand made cards using Penny Black stamps, dies and designer papers. Here’s a few I made today.

I love being able to combine die cuts and designer paper to make a card. Here I’ve used the creative die set Tagged combined with the Flicker and Flutter butterfly and the sentiment from the Going Fortune creative die set. Look … no smudges!

A word of warning: I suggest not ingesting liquids while viewing the next two photos.

I wanted to use this sweet fairy image from the Missing You transparent set to convey a “dancing in the rain” celebration. After it was colored and mounted to the card base, I added a few wooden bird embellishments to add balance to the composition. Only when I walked away from it and looked at it again, did I realize I wasn’t conveying a “dancing in the rain” image. Can you see what went wrong?

It looked like the sweet fairy was looking up in surprise to see what the bird flying overhead had dropped onto her mushroom cap!! Oooops!!

Ahhh, yes. Clouds are much more appropriate for the dancing in the rain idea!

Sorry, Penny Black! No disrespect meant. :)

On a more serious note: I love a black and white color theme. This flower from the Come Rain or Shine transparent set has been embossed with silver and fussy cut. A few enamel dots in the center and then mounted along with the diecut sentiment from the Hooray creative die set. This could make a great graduation card, too, if done in the graduate’s school colors. Penny Black’s stamps and dies can be used in so many ways; male/female; casual/elegant and fun/serious.

Penny Black’s new releases Bring on the Happy and Time to Celebrate are just in time for making graduation and celebration cards for upcoming events. There are so many possible combinations of stamps, dies and designer papers.

Look who heard all about going back to school later in life. Hmmm, a degree in philosophy maybe?

I’ve cleaned up my messes, stowed the scissors and tossed the offending birds into the wastebasket. I am so happy you stopped by and I do hope to return with another Runs with Scissors. I’m not sure how Penny Black will react to my “bird overhead” design error. I do know that Mr. RWS noticed the mistake immediately… unfortunately with a mouthful of water. Hence, the warning about liquids.

Hi, Judy: Penny Black headquarters here… we believe there are no mistakes in stamping and your “bird overhead” design story had us smiling BIG! Keep on running with those scissors (and diploma) girl!!

Shop for today’s featured Penny Black supplies:



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