Grad Card- Start to Finish

So my favorite Aunt Kathy(don't tell my Aunt Merri) called earlier this week and asked if I would make some Graduation cards. Sure, I say! She doesn't need them until next month. But since my brain doesn't turn off at night, I started on them. I thought I would show you how I work. :)

First I look at magazines, catalogs, sketches, etc to get ideas. Then I usually end up not liking anything I look at and give up. Then I go to bed. And lay there for about an hour. And then, it hits me. So I turn on the light(sorry Dear) and start sketching. I always keep a small notebook and pen by my bed for just this purpose. Here is the sketch I came up with-



I always make notes too. Such as what ribbons I want to use or papers or techniques. It looks messy and strange but to me makes perfect sense.


Then when I get up in the morning, I start playing around with options. Cutting paper, trying different colors, etc. By the time I am done, this is what my desk looks like-
Wow, I'm messy. And no, I don't drink that much soda in a day. Those are from the whole week. Because I'm too lazy to pick them up and put them in the garbage can sitting next to my feet. ;)

Here is the finished card(s)-
I ended up making 2 different versions. Which do you like better? I know they look almost the same, but #1 has the spiral punched top on the green square, #2 doesn't. They both have different patterned paper strips too. They are all from the same papers though(gotta love double sided paper). So which is it? Camera 1, camera 2, camera 1, camera 2(quick, name that movie).

So, there you have it. A peek into my madness.
Now, how do you work?