Create Dimension With Your Stamps | Ideas for a Retirement Card

Hello, My Friends…

I’m just getting creative with Unity Stamp Company stamps today. I had a request for a retirement card recently. I thought to myself, “Do I have retirement stamps?” Turns out, Unity has the perfect stamps for all occasions. It really just depends on how you use them.

The Project

The Details

Ack. There are so many things I adore about this card. It started out with an idea in my head. I really was not sure it would translate to real life.

I love this vintage VW bus image from the February 2020 Kit of the Month (KOM) – Timeless. Today is the last day you can sign up to get it delivered. Then you get all the fabulous KOMs after that magically appear at your door. It’s pretty fabulous.

Sure it is simple. But I just never really know if a card in my head will turn out in real life with stamps and ink. It takes some time. This simple little design took me an hour to create. So just because it looks simple doesn’t mean the effort is simple.

What I love most is how much impact the simple design makes in the end. The ink blending, the fabulous stamps, and the dimension from the layered images creates such a wonderful design.

They all work together to make you say, “Wow… I love that.”

This is a big card. I normally make 4.25″ x 5.5″ (A2) cards. I was asked to make a retirement card for a co-worker and that requires more space for well wishes and signatures. So, this card is 5.5″ x 8.5″. Most store-bought cards are close to this size. I’ll be honest. It freaked me out to make a bigger card. I’m an A2 size kind of gal. But Unity has stamps so big and so perfect they make bigger cards look amazing.

For the BIG DIMENSION: I’ve done some simple stamping to layer up the bus images. It only took 3 and some fussy cutting to trim them out. I also stamped the bus on my card base, use some blending brushes to add a bit of a blue sky and grass below with Distress Inks. Then, I glued one bus over the stamped image on the card and popped a second bus up with foam adhesive. The third bus was colored with Copic markers and then to add a bit of shine, I used a metallic watercolor paint all over the body of the bus. It is hard to photograph, but hopefully, the video shows the shine. Then, I just finished it off with a few enamel dots. Just for fun.

I’m excited to have another card where I completed the inside. I don’t know if you remember my 2020 resolution to complete more cards on the inside. Since I definitely knew who this card was for and the occasion, I stamped on the inside. I combined some sentiments from Scout Adventure & Retired to make this card complete. I really love how it turned out.

Retirement cards are not something I create often. In fact, this might be the first one ever. But I have some tips for you if you need to tackle this card theme.

1. Pick some images that remind you of the person the card is for, that is if you know what they like. Do they like flowers, do they like the beach, did they buy an RV, do they have plans for their retirement? Then search your stamp stash for something that relates to that person. For me… My co-worker bought an RV and loves the beach. Both are important themes for her retirement plans.
2. If you don’t know the person, think of general things you’d like to do when you retire. Traveling, gardening, crafting, baking, reading, poker, bingo or whatever other fun past times that come to mind. Fun and pretty images are the best. Humor never hurts either. We all love a good laugh.
3. Have one or two sentiments that relate to memories, a journey, adventure or change. These can all be applied to honoring the years they put into their job and celebrating what comes next after retirement. There is so much fun and adventure ahead when you reach retirement. It is definitely time to celebrate the future and to honor their years of hard work.
4. Have one or two sentiments that specifically relate to celebrating retirement. Not absolutely necessary since you already have one about adventure or the journey, but it does complete the thought when it actually says “retirement.”

Thanks for joining me today. I hope you are inspired by today’s project. If you create something, I’d love to see it. Join us in the Unity Show & Tell Facebook group to share your card and tag me.

Supplies

Compensated affiliate links may be used at no additional cost to you. I greatly appreciate the support if you are inspired to shop using my links. Unity Stamp Company usually has a new sale almost EVERY week. Check the website for details. Stamp sets go on and off sale all the time. If it is not on sale this week, just add the stamp set to your wishlist and wait for the next sale so you get a great deal.

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