A Retirement Card for Don

   I just finished this retirement card for a good friend of ours.   We are so happy for him. His wife is already retired, so I think they will be traveling in their "new life". I designed this card with that in mind.
   I used watercolor paper and a wet paint brush to give the "little" picture the look of a watercolor painting. The palm tree stamp is from Stampcraft  I borrowed it from my sister, who lives just down the road.  I used SU ink to give the picture a  beach look at sunset. 

A Tropical Theme

   I used two Sizzix die cuts to make the coat tree: Decorative Accents #2 and Dress & Accessories. I just connected the top part of one to the bottom part of the other with a thin strip of the same color.
  I just bought this great paper from Mind's Eye at Jeannette's in Dover. It's really quality paper. I used it for the wall paper in the room and for the wainscoting below. I just drew lines with a brown marker to give the wainscoting  a painted wood look. 
  My oval Nesties helped me with the sentiment. I used my Just Rite alphabet stamps to print out the message. The little Prima flowers help it to look a little tropical. I found these great sandal buttons that I just cut off the little shank on the back. I thought it was a great touch.
  Spellbinder"s fancy tags helped me to add the sign at the top. I just cut part of it off to make it look more like a sign.
  The shirt was wicked fun to make. This was the first time I had done a shirt. I wanted it to look tropical, so I used a colorful piece of designer paper. Here is a video I found to help me with directions. I am a very visual learner.

 
   The hanger for the shirt was the toughest part. I've seen tiny ones in the craft stores, but I didn't have any, so I made my out of wire. I believe I will purchase some now that I know how hard they are to make.

   The inside of the card has more of a message for Don. I found the Irish Blessing on line. The palm tree and monkey are from Sizzix. The water picture is a picture I took when we went to Popham Beach. I faded it a bit to give it a lighter look.
   I hope Don likes his retirement card. I know he will enjoy his retirement. Russ and I love being retired.