Guest Designer: Back to School!

I'm tickled pink to be a guest designer for Retro Rubber once again!  And they have the perfect challenge for this time of year:

Now, my kiddo is only six months old so I've got some time before I have to worry about doing teacher gifts and such,  but I did make a school-themed card for today:

I figure it could go in a kiddo's lunchbox on the first day of school, or it could be for a teacher gift at the beginning or end of the school year or whatever.  The sentiment is generic enough to work for lots of people.  Since this is for Retro Rubber, I had to use older stamps...Hardwood and Work of Art are both still in the current catalog but they're three years old; Tart & Tangy is nine years old.  Honestly I thought it was older, I thought I got it when I first started stamping!  But still, nine years is pretty old for a stamp set :)

Want to know how I made my chalkboard?

1.  Cut a rectangle of black cardstock as big as you want the chalkboard to be.  Punch the corners with a corner rounder.

2.  Stamp the Hardwood background stamp on brown cardstock (I used Crumb Cake and the coordinating ink).  Trim the planks along the lines of the stamp, then trim individual planks, two for the shorter side pieces and two longer ones for the top and bottom (same lengths as the black rectangle you cut out).

3.  Glue the shorter side pieces on, then punch the corners with a corner rounder.

4.  Glue the longer top & bottom pieces on, then punch the corners with a corner rounder.

5.  Voila!  You have your chalkboard.  My corner punch left a little indent on the corners, since I had three thicknesses of cardstock in there (even though I only punched through one layer at a time, my punch would cry and break if I tried to do all three at once which is why I punched each layer individually), so I just used the fine point of a black marker to turn those divots into nail heads on my chalkboard.  One fussy cut apple up on Dimensionals and there you have it!

When I was a kid, like in elementary school, my mom used to make pillows for my teachers at the end of the school year.  They had an appliqued chalkboard that looked like this card, complete with the apple, so I was definitely channeling that when I made this card.  The main fabric on her pillows was white with letters on it though.  I should dig up a picture...or more likely, ask my mom to dig up a picture because I don't think I have one :)  Anyway, I hope you play along in this fun challenge at Retro Rubber!  And thanks again to their Design Team for inviting me to be a guest designer!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Hardwood, Work of Art, Tart & Tangy
Ink:  Real Red, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Basic Black marker
Paper:  Wild Wasabi, Crumb Cake, Basic Black, Thick Whisper White
Accessories:  Mini Dimensionals

ETA:  Mom found the picture!  Ready to see little kid Christy? Hee!