I really like the style of this Oh Hey bundle from Concord & 9th. As a graphic designer, I love letterforms and typography and all of that goodness (as long as it is done well, and this one is). Who needs an image when the letters are this gorgeous?

Graduation cards for me often start with school colors, and I also try to consider what seems like a style the recipient may like. (Sometimes it is just a guess, but that’s a good enough starting point for a card.)

While I waited for that to dry so I could die cut it, I started on my card base. I wanted the dimension and interest of a fun fold. If I’m doing something different, sometimes I use some scrap paper and play around with it, but this time I just decided to wing it. (Worst case scenario, I’d use the paper with wonky folds for other die cuts, and go back to basic.) I decided to pull in some angles to carry on the dynamic feel of the stencil. Instead of going totally freeform, I used a die from the new Slanted Shortcuts. I didn’t die cut with it, but used it as a template so I could get a consistent angle for the two folds I needed. I could have traced it, but didn’t want to have to worry about pencil lines, so I just used some low-tack tape to hold it in place and lined it up on my score board to do the scoring. Tip: I found that by doing it on the edge of the score board I could be sure that the die was lined up with the scoring grooves so my scored line was straight and clean.

Apparently I didn’t take progress pictures of the rest (I got busy working)…
To continue the diagonal of the fold, and to provide some subtle interest to the background of the front panel, I added some cardstock stripes in the same color. I think they also added to the subtle athletic feel I wanted this card to have for this baseball player. I made the stripes wider toward the fold on the right side of the front, and they gradually got more narrow toward the left edge of the card. This was the base for me to attach the Oh Hey once it was dry and die cut.

For the “inside” (not only the inside, because on this card it shows) I knew I wanted the graduation year, and the word “GRAD”. I cut all those with the All the Numbers/All the Letters dies from Concord & 9th, layered them up, and attached them to a yellow cardstock that I’d layered on that card panel. I did consider the position of them before I added glue, so they would look good whether the card was closed or open. The “GRAD” is a surprise when you open the card because it is tucked behind the “Oh Hey” when the card is folded.

(I LOVE those letters and numbers. They are so great for building any word or number, I like the clean style of them, and because they are condensed I can easily build words to add to cards.)

A horizontal black strip with white embossed message carries the movement and direction from the front, but in a different way. It also adds some structure to that last panel. The back of the card has a pocket I made, with a note on the front and some $ tucked inside.

If you see this soon after posting, know that some of these products are on sale at Concord & 9th. I recommend checking out their big annual sale! You can find it here if you see this before June 16.

Thank you for visiting! I hope you get some time to create something soon.

Links are below if you’re interested in any of the products I used.

Supply list*:

(Listed by company, with links to Simon Says Stamp and others. Simon Says Stamp links are affiliate links*.)

*Affiliate links do not cost you any more when you shop, but it is beneficial to creators when you use them, so thanks in advance!