Emily Leiphart: VIDEO | Taylored Expressions | Grad, Congrats & Retirement Card Ideas

The Grad Release from Taylored Expressions is filled with fabulous products perfect for graduation, congratulations and retirement style cards. My newest video features three cards highlighting the Shout Out-You Did It Layering Stencil and Shout Out-You Did It Die.

I created three different looks for a large sentiment that is the primarily focus of the card. Two of the cards use the Shout Out-You Did It Die with two very different designs and the third card features the Shout Out-You Did It Layering Stencil.

Before creating the first two cards, I used the new Little Bits-Grad Cap Die, Gathered Stars Die and the recently retired Build an Emoji Dies to create the two emoji faces. For my first card, I cut the Shout Out-You Did It Die straight on the panel, placed the emoji over the letter O to gauge the framing of the Stitched Rectangle.

I used the Easy Strips 1/4" Die to cut strips from Watermelon, Lemon Meringue, Blue Raspberry and Plum Punch cardstock. I glued the strips across the card base, leaving two corners white for visual interest.

Then I popped up the die cut panel and emoji with foam tape. To finish, I embellished the panel with three additional stars die cut from the Gathered Stars Die.

My second card features a Blue Raspberry card base, texturized with the Diamonds Piercing Plate. I cut the Shout Out-You Did It Die on a 5.5" x 8.5" sheet of Sugar Cube cardstock, using the placement of the emoji before gauging the position of the Stitched Rectangle.

On a second panel cut from the same Stitched Rectangle, I used a bitty blender brush to ink blend ombre sections behind each word using Sea Salt, Earl Grey and Poppy Seed inks. Then I double-stamped the sentiment from Class of 2022 on both layers.

After assembling the card, I added Gathered Stars die cut from from Watermelon, Lemon Meringue, Blue Raspberry and Plum Punch cardstock. The two clusters of stars create a trifecta that balances with the emoji.

My third and final card uses the Shout Out-You Did It Layering Stencil. I ink blended the letters on the first layer using bitty blender brushes and Watermelon, Lemon Meringue, Blue Raspberry and Plum Punch inks. Then I used the Poppy Seed ink to create the shadow with the second layer.

I created the frame using the Frame in Frame 2 Die cut from both gold glitter and Oreo cardstock to create a shadow that mimics the stencilled sentiment. The additional sentiments were gold embossed on Oreo cardstock using the Mini Strips - Grad stamp set and cut with the Mini Strips Die.

Be sure to check out the Grad Release and take advantage of both the FREE Congrats Script with any purchase of $75+, as well as April's FREE Squeeze the Day Stencil & Clear Combo with any purchase of $100+. Click HERE or on the image below to head to the shop.