Show Your Creativity with These Graduation Invitations

Students everywhere are looking forward to graduation, and now is the time to be thinking about invitations. As I read through this, I couldn't help but think that it sounds like a great option for creating some personalized invitations you're sure to love:

One of the most wonderful things we can do in life is to be creative. Connecting to our creative sides helps us reconnect with our inner child and can help us feel renewed. Creating and designing is exciting and fulfilling. Our minds are stimulated and engaged. When we have finished designing something, we feel ready to turn our attention to our less creative and inspiring to-do lists again.

It can be difficult to find time to be creative, however. A few weeks ago, I had to help a friend start preparing for her college graduation. It was a very stressful time for both of us. I had graduated the semester before and was frantically looking for a job to pay the bills. My friend had finals and projects to work on. She also really wanted to send out graduation invitations. Initially, I didn’t think this would be a good idea. We were both stressed to the max, and I didn’t think we could find the time to take photos and design invitations.

My friend was adamant, however, and we found a way. One of our friends is majoring in photography, and she agreed to take pictures of my friend for free. It was great going out and shooting the photos. We both felt a huge rush of relief being outside and just having fun.

Then we had to find a stationery company to print our cards. We looked at dozens of websites, but we finally settled on Basic Invite. My friend and I really liked their simple graduation invitations. They are pretty and elegant, and they match my friend’s personality really well. Searching through all of Basic Invite’s graduation announcements was another great way for my friend and me to relax.

Once we chose the invite (the Gemstone Grad Graduation Announcements, above, for those of you who were wondering) we got to the fun part. Basic Invite lets you customize your invitations. You can choose the colors you want your invites to be, from blue to red to yellow, and anything in between. Many of their invitations even have foil options. All of their foil is available in either gold, silver, or rose gold. You can also choose if you want your foil to be raised or not.

Designing the invitations was a joy. It felt great to let our imaginations run wild and come up with the craziest color combos. We had trouble deciding between a couple different color combinations, so we decided to have Basic Invite print out a few samples to help us come to a decision. The samples arrived in the mail a few days later, and we were able to decide which one looked better IRL and chose the paper quality we liked best.

Once we settled on the color scheme, we went to print our order. Basic Invite has over 40 different envelope colors to choose from, and we were able to choose envelopes that matched my friend’s invites perfectly. We also took advantage of their address capturing service. My friend shared a link to her Facebook and Instagram profiles and had all her friends and family input their addresses. Their info was saved on my friend’s Basic Invite account. We selected the option to upload the addresses to the envelopes, and just like that, the hardest part of sending out announcements was finished. And, the envelopes are peel and seal, so we didn’t have to worry about eating gross envelope glue when we mailed the invites out.

If simple grad invites aren’t your thing, you might take a look at some rustic graduation invitations or these Hollywood graduation invitations. Our photography major friend can’t wait to use those when she graduates next year!

 

For anyone who needs invitations printed out, but doesn’t feel like they have the time, I really recommend Basic Invite. I think taking the time out of your day to do something both productive and creative will be a big help to you emotionally. You’ll feel better after creating something unique and beautiful, and if you need to get invites anyway, you might as well kill two birds with one stone, right? I hope you can reconnect with yourself and knock something off your to-do list by grabbing a few invitations from Basic Invite. You won’t regret it.


Right now Basic Invite is offering 15% off with coupon code: 15FF51

Host an Unforgettable Graduation Party

It's that time of year again, when students from high schools, colleges,  and universities graduate and enter the work force. Celebrate this momentous time in a young person's life by hosting a graduation party that they will never forget. With a good guest list, age appropriate music and entertainment, and high quality food and concessions, you can host the most amazing, epic graduation party of the year. These simple tips will help you plan a great party with only a little effort.

Start your party right by inviting the right people. All of your family should be invited to celebrate this important occasion and reward the hard work of the diligent student. Also, the student's friends, colleagues, and associates should be invited to partake in and enjoy the festivities. Maybe most importantly of all, consider inviting nearby neighbors to your graduation party, especially if you plan on making a lot of noise while you celebrate. Even if you don't invite them, be sure to let your neighbors know in advance that you'll be hosting so they are not taken by surprise.

Next, get great decorations with a graduation theme for your party. Get balloons, napkins, dinnnerware, and cutlery in colors that match your graduate's school colors. Hang up a wide banner that says "Congratulations Graduate," so everyone will be reminded of the occasion. You can up the ante with special effects, such as smoke machines, strobe lights, and bubble machines. Hire a reputable DJ, band, or singer to perform, and make sure you have good speakers to broadcast your tunes. Encourage your guests to dance and have a great time.

You have many options for feeding guests at a graduation party, so choose your food depending on your tastes, styles, and audience. Some choose a large buffet with lots of options for guests to choose from, in a number of culinary styles. Some people serve only appetizers, tapas, or canapes to their guests. For an extravagant touch, consider a having a carnival theme with real concession food, like that provided by M.R.S. Packaging Ltd. You can click here for more information and for other graduation party ideas. The most important thing to remember about food at a party is to make sure you have enough of it.

Toast your graduate's success with an unforgettable graduation party this year. After all, hard work deserves a great reward. Awesome friends, family, music, and food will guarantee a party that will leave your guests truly impressed.

The Artist

There were 6 different pieces of artwork on the fronts of the graduation programs this past Sunday.  Two of those 6 (1/3 of the artwork) were done by our very own Cory.  Yep, he's awesome.
 

The artist wants you to know:

These two pieces are a type of art called Print-making, which is actually one of my LEAST favourite projects out of the year. The type of Print-making we do is relatively simple, we're handed a linoleum tile and we carve away. The Glee stamp, titled "By Definition" is this form of Print-making. I carved all of the whites out leaving a LOT of area. You then put ink on the tile and stick it on a piece of paper. Which leaves you with an image. The other Piece is a style of Print-making I wasn't familiar with. it's called "Reduction Print-making" which is Print-making in layers. I had to carve the stamp in layers, taking the whites out first and then as i went on, I had to carve more and more. I ended up with four layers of ink on this piece, and it requires quite a bit of brain power. But I think it looks quite like a Converse, don't you? This print was named "Canvas". My head actually hurt when working on this. But they both turned out quite well and the art teacher told me to go have them printed on the programs, so I did. Luckily these weren't all Inked by me. Gotta love school copiers. ~Cory

Congratulations are in Order

My youngest graduated from high school on Sunday.  It seems just yesterday I was sending him off to kindergarten.  I have a hard time believing he's old enough to be a high school graduate - but I was there.  I watched him walk into the gym, watched him participate in the ceremony by playing in the band and singing in the choir, and I watched him walk across the stage and get his diploma.

We're very proud of him, of course!

The family

Food and Conversation

Fruit, French Toast Casserole, and coffee on the deck this morning was wonderful.  The food was great, if I do say so myself, and it is just so pleasant sitting out on the deck.  We were planning to cook out and eating dinner on the deck, too - but it started raining around 2 this afternoon and continued raining.  So Jeffrey still cooked out - he pulled the grill over to the back door, so he could stand under the overhang and cook without really getting wet.  So, we may have had to eat inside, but we still had wonderful grilled food.

Then we sat around talking about all kinds of things like playing lexulous on facebook, house plants and garden plants, big trucks with little horns, over the counter prenatal vitamins, and spoiled little dogs - and plenty of other things I can't even remember now.

Now, it's probably bed time so we can get up tomorrow all ready for the big day - Cory is graduating from high school!

This Week is Too Short

Everybody loves those long weekends like we had for Memorial Day last weekend.  And it really was a good weekend.  We left Friday morning to go down and visit some of Jeffrey's family.  His mom and her Fred were there from Arizona, and we also got to see his grandma, aunt and uncle and several of his cousins.  They're a really great family, and it's always a pleasure spending time with them.  Oh, and Jeffrey's brother was supposed to be there, too - but he didn't make it until Sunday morning, and we had to leave Sunday afternoon because Cory had to march in the Memorial Day parade on Monday morning.

So, last week was a day short because of leaving Friday, and this week is a day short because of Monday being a holiday, and I feel like I just don't have enough time to get everything done.  Cory is graduating on Sunday, and we're going to have a house full of people over the weekend.  That means I have to get the house cleaned up and food fixed and...  But I haven't been able to get to it because I had to get the garden planted and laundry done on Tuesday, and then Cory had a choir concert that night so we didn't get home until late.   Then today I had to go to lunch with some friends - really, I did because we will probably never get another chance.  And then I had to go shopping to get some chicken and other food for the weekend and didn't get home until dinner time - but first I had to put all the groceries away, and then I had to wash the dishes which had piled up because they hadn't been done since before we left for the weekend.

So tomorrow, I really have to finish getting the house cleaned, because my parents will be here sometime in the afternoon or early evening - and I wouldn't want them seeing the house like this!  They think I'm perfect. :P

If only I could just click here and get everything done - like MAGIC. Where is that 'vacuum' button on my keyboard?

Last Progress Report

We got the last progress report of Cory's high school career yesterday.  I've been doing that - last play, last concert, last whatever, as we count down to the end of school.  It's an exciting time, but sad all at the same time.  With Beth, it all just kind of sneaked up on us, mainly because she was finished with school after first semester, and she only went half days while she was in school.

With Cory, he's going the whole time and involved with everything.  Well, maybe not everything, but plenty.  With so much going on and all the things coming home about graduation and activities, it's a lot easier to see how this whole high school thing is coming to an end.  All those years of pencils and notebooks, lockers and school furniture, bells, hallways, teachers and friends are coming to an end.

I'm excited to see what life holds in store for him, but I also know it means he'll be moving on and moving out when he starts college in the fall, and I'm gonna miss him.

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State State Play Prom Prom

... with a few concerts and awards nights thrown in for good measure!

Cory's been pretty busy recently.  It seems every weekend there's something, starting with State Forensics a few weeks ago.  Then he had State for Solo & Ensemble the following weekend, and the weekend after that was the Spring play.  Now, this coming weekend he's going to his school's prom.  He's going with a young lady from another school, so he had to get permission slips signed - and have dinner with her family since they hadn't met him yet.  I guess they liked him OK, because they agreed to let her go to prom with him.  Then, the following weekend, he's going to her prom with her.

In between all the busy weekends, he's busy finishing up his last semester of high school.  Last night was the National Honor Society banquet where they inducted new members and honored current members and outgoing seniors.  It was good we got to go, because we missed his first two - because he was busy preparing for plays.  Thankfully this year it was after the play was over.  Next week there's a Jazz Band and Choir concert, and then the week after that a Symphonic Band Awards concert and Senior Honors Night and a trip to Six Flags for choir and band performances and a little fun.  He's hoping the weather is nice and warm so he can spend the day at the water park, since he doesn't want to ride any roller coasters.  I still can't believe our kids don't like roller coasters!

I'm sure there are other things in there that I forgot or don't even know about yet - or there will be in the next couple of weeks, the last two weeks of school.  And then, graduation!

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Somebody Slow This Thing Down

Cory brought home his cap and gown today.  Tomorrow is the last day of the 3rd quarter, of his last year of high school.  That means he has one more quarter of high school.  And then he graduates.  My baby is going to graduate from high school, and it's not very far off at all.

He gave me the cap and gown and said to put them somewhere safe, so he wouldn't lose them.  Do you think if I put them somewhere so safe that I can't find them again, his graduation day will never come?

Delusions of Greatness

I've been cleaning and baking all day, and had plenty of things to say - until I sat down, that is. Why is it? All these great posts composed in my head and then nothing when I get to the computer? Probably so I'll never have to admit that they weren't really that great after all.

Cory just walked in the door from school, and I remembered one thing I was going to say - my baby is going to graduate this year! How can that be? We just had to order his cap and gown today - along with a Senior t-shirt and sweat pants, which he got today. $18.99 for a t-shirt and $24.99 for sweat pants isn't exactly cheap, but they're really nice. And we bought Beth the t-shirt and sweatshirt because she wanted them, and she didn't even like school, and was practically out of school by the time she got them. Cory at least likes school, and he has the rest of the school year to wear the Senior clothes.

I'm thinking there may have been something else about a dip bar, but that post probably wasn't all that great...

A Question of Terms

Speaking of graduation (see last post), we all took our cameras to try and get some good pictures of the momentous occasion. My dad took his new little camcorder to get video of the whole thing. I was telling someone today that he video taped it, but that can't be right anymore - there's no tape! These new digital camcorders record right onto a memory card.

So, the question is - what's the correct term for it nowadays if video taping isn't right?

Heads or Tails - Tune

The theme/prompt for this week is:
HEADS - "Tune"

This weekend, Beth marched to a little tune called “Pomp and Circumstance” – she graduated from high school!

Here she is right after she received her diploma:

and smiling for the camera after graduation was over:

Even though she’s actually been out of school since the end of first semester, this was the actual, official end to her high school career.  *Sniff*  (Isn’t she gorgeous?)

Heads or Tails is a fun weekly meme created and hosted by Barb (aka Skittles) – feel free to join in!

Beth Graduates this Weekend

Beth is graduating from high school on Sunday. Yes, she's actually been out of school for a whole semester, but this weekend is the actual graduation ceremony, and she's graduating with her class. We didn't send out any party invitations but we are having a few people over tomorrow, grilling some chicken, etc. to celebrate. Her grandparents are even here from Kentucky.

I am having a hard time believing that one of my kids can possibly be old enough to graduate from high school. Where does the time go?

Beth just got home from graduation practice and brought home an envelope from her 4th grade teacher. There were some pictures from 4th grade, something Beth had written about what she liked, who her friends were, what she wanted to do in the future, etc. It was interesting to read and see how things had changed. It was really a neat thing to get - and she was so little back then!

I wonder what the next 8 years will bring...

(Why am I ready to cry as I post this?)

It's Official

Beth is graduating at semester. She was planning to, but then she was told that just because you want to graduate early, doesn't mean you get to. She has all the requirements and will have enough credits, but they also want to make sure people aren't just graduating and then doing nothing with their lives. She wants to go to WCTC to study Interior Design, but the program starts in the Fall, so she really can't get started Spring semester. She was worried that they wouldn't let her graduate because she's just going to be working the rest of the year and not going to school.

We met with the school principal and the counselor this morning to go over some things, and Beth is going to graduate early. She has to meet with the counselor to discuss what she needs to be doing now to get ready for school in the Spring, so she'll be doing that soon. Once the semester is over she can start working more - maybe, she's already working a lot. But hopefully she'll start saving some of the money she earns to help pay for school.

In a few years she can start decorating people's houses. Knowing her, she'll do a good job, right down to the pet beds.