New Directions

Greetings! I've been surfing the net and stamping all weekend long and this retirement card is a result of the inspiration I received today. It's a double pocket card and I ran across this tutorial on an incredible blog Dream, Create and Share by Tammy Beaver. What I like about her version of the double pocket card is that it has a full card front. Another version of the double pocket is here at Splitcoast by Claudia Rosa at Pretty Pressings.

While the tutorials appear long they are not complicated and I got the basic card constructed in less than a half hour.

I've had this DP by American Crafts in my stash for several months. This stood out for me as I flipped through all my double sided cardstock. There are so many retirements at work coming in the next several weeks that I'm trying to get cards made ahead of time. That's what this card is for and I thought the words on the front worked well tying the paper to retirement. I actually printed the words from my computer onto white cardstock and then used my Nestabilities Sunburst dies to cut it and the black layer out. For the red arrowhead I used my star punch and then cut off the extra points. The clear plastic curved arrow that is mounted on top is from Apple Pie Memories - I've had them forever! I punched a hole in it for the ribbon using my Crop-a-dile (that is the handiest darn thing!). The matching arrow ribbon was from a local specialty scrapbook store and coordinates perfectly. I tried to make the ribbons appear to be the stalk of the arrow.

The fun part of this is on the inside. I love how this double-sided cardstock turns out for this technique. This card design is perfect for when you want to include several messages because you have the pull-out cards for the two pockets plus the inside cover to boot! I lined the back pocket with black cardstock and also used it as the base of the inside left panel. The two insert tags were done using the DP, some large eyelets and the same ribbon (I sewed the ribbon close to the tag vs. knotting it to prevent so much bulk on the inside). On the right front pocket panel I used a corner and stamped "Happy Retirement" using my new A Muse stamp (it's hidden behind the "best is yet to be" tag).

That's it. Not difficult at all and the most time consuming was the embellishing and my own indecision on what to use or not use! Let me know what you think.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Recipe:
Stamps - A Muse Happy Retirement; SU Define Your Life, Best Yet; Gina K Designs Kindred Greetings
Paper - American Crafts "Travel", SU Black, White, Real Red
Ink - Palette Noir Black
Accessories - Arrow embellishments by Apple Pie Memories, large eyelets, Crop-A-Dile, ribbon, Nestabilities Sunburst dies