Retirement cards

We had 4 teachers retire this year from the school I work at. I made each of them a card. I made them all the same (with just some color variation). I hand wrote each of them a personalized note so that they were all different in some way. I liked how they turned out. Unfortunately as I uploaded them, two of the pics turned sideways. My camera broke and I have been at the mercy of my phone for picture taking. I don't know why, but sometimes it turns the pictures sideways when I upload them. The 4th card was like the 1st, so I didn't take a picture of it.

http://ladybugscraftsinkchallengeblog.blogspot.co.uk/ Monochrome (used brown tones)

http://www.annabellestamps.blogspot.com/ Sketch challenge

http://bestieschallenge.blogspot.com/ Color challenge (the pinks match the pink flowers)

The inside:

The image is a My Bestie by Sherri Baldy. They are colored with copics. The DP is Tim Holtz Ideolgy. I used two different stack packs. I cut out the inside of the first mat and used it on the inside of the card. I saved paper and got matching colors that way. The sentiment is a Studio 490 one. I forget what the set is called. I am uploading at the public library, so I can't check. I inked the ribbon with antique linen distress ink. I then put worn lipstick and shabby shutters (weathered wood for the pink based card) on a craft mat, spritzed it with water and put the ribbon in it. I used Tim Holtz crinkle ribbon, so I wadded it up and let it dry. That gives a nice distressed, mottled look. I made a pin using alphabet beads that I've had for a really long time. I tried to use things that looked like school things. The twine inside is from the retirement party we had for them. I incorporated it as a memento. It was wrapped around the silverware. I just gathered up pieces at the end of the party that had not been thrown away.

I found some challenges to enter. I put them under the cards.