Office Worker Leaving Card, Shirt + Tie, Personalised

One of my husband's work colleagues is leaving next week after a fair few years of service...  considering how quickly some of them leave by comparison, in any case!

He will be missed as he's worked closely with Hubby for years, so I wanted to make a very 'individual', personalised leaving card that included some of those elements that would have been part of his daily work life.

Whether this is inspired or insane, it's currently making its way 'round the office.

They seem to like it, at least!

Want to see?

It's an 8x8 huge beastie of a card...  

8x8's use to scare the pants off me, but now I'm less intimidated by them than I used to be.

You see, I'm a fan of Sheri Gilson's work...

Sheri is a woman who seems to instinctively know what colours, patterns, textures, embellishments and layers will work together and if you look at her work you will often see 'finished' panels that stand their own ground as fully finished pieces.

She somehow knits these panels into a bigger and always perfectly balanced design that's a real feast for the eyes...  and unbeknown to me, I think her influence in making these panels is beginning to rub off a little.

I will never hold a candle to her work, but that's ok.

I'm still grateful for the inspiration...

That's not to say that I enjoy making 8x8's yet though as I often hit a 'sticking point' towards the end and lament the fact that I should have chosen a CAS design!

(Yeah, like they're so easy...  

...  That's irony - just in case you weren't sure!)

Now before I forget I should also thank Marybeth for sharing a link on her blog a while back about these dollar bill 'folding shirts'.

Of course, being in the UK meant that an actual dollar bill wouldn't work for this design, but as Hubby has a stash I 'borrowed' one for dimensions and cut some thin paper to use instead.

(...  and I've kept the dollar bill for future craft use - obviously)!

So what 'work elements' can you see on this card?

The answer should be two business cards and two spreadsheet tables of sorts.

I've torn, inked over, partially covered and even butchered down to just a teeny tiny logo in one case, then covered one with Distress Collage Medium 'Crazing', one with the same Medium in 'Vintage' and one in 'Matt'.

These 'print offs' were not on the best quality paper (hence the Collage Medium treatment) so one was spray mounted onto a second piece of paper and the other onto thin card.  

(And if you're wondering why the butchered logo got the 'Vintage' treatment it's because the colour of the business card didn't work with the rest of my design).

A stamped image of a laptop would have been perfect for this, but alas I don't have one and had to make do with the pencil pot instead.

I'm thinking I should email Mr Holtz with a plea for a 'techie' line of this style stamps.

I need a laptop stamp, you see!

So what else have I used on this card?

Supplies Used:

Dies:

Marianne Design Collectables 'Tab With Text'

Taylored Expressions 'Little Bits - Neckties'

Poppystamps 'Classic Ribbons'

Holtz/Distress Inks:

 Stormy Sky

Black Soot

Pumice Stone

Spiced Marmalade

Vintage Photo

Other Ink:

Memento/Tsukineko 'Tuxedo Black'

Ranger Perfect Medium

Embossing Folders:

Sizzix Texture Fades 'Notebook'

Spellbinders 'Fabric Weave'

Stencils:

Holtz 'Splatters'

The Crafter's Workshop 'Coffee Splotch'

Memory Box 'Texture Line Up'

Stamp:
Stampers Anonymous/Holtz 'Schoolhouse Blueprint'

Distress Collage Mediums:

Crazing

Vintage 

Matt

Other:

Staple

Paperclips

Patterned Paper

Challenges I'm Entering...

Simon Says/Monday Challenge

(We've Got Your Number)
The numbers might be oh so very tiny, but they are there!

SimonSays/Wednesday Challenge

(Anything Goes)

Allsorts Challenge
(Week #142 - I Spy...  'B')
'B' is for Business Card, 'B' is for Brown

Mix It Up
(Just For Fun)

Make My Monday
(Challenge #44 - Embossing: Heat or Dry)

Thank you so much for brightening my day...

Donna. x