Friday, October 24, 2014

Catered Crop: End Zone (focus on the Marching Band!)

It's time for a new challenge at the Catered Crop:  End Zone.  Check out this fun inspirational graphic:


You definitely do not have to do a football card - simply be inspired.

I initially assumed that I would somehow focus on the Denver Broncos as we've been supporting them for 30 years and this is shaping up to be a big year!  But the Broncos played, and won, last night so they are not our weekend focus - instead, in my family it's going to be all about the marching band.

My two sons are both in the Chaparral High School (Chap) Marching Band and it's state championship weekend. They are currently ranked higher than ever in their history.  They are generally a middle of the pack band; however, in regionals two weeks ago, they surpassed all of their expectations.  For the announcement of the winners, the drum majors come out in a line in the order of their performance which is set by the record of their past performances, so they were in 8th position.  Judges are clearly not supposed to be biased, but in virtually every contest, the order they march in is quite close to the order they place.  The announcement starts at the bottom and when they finally got to 8th, it wasn't Chap.  Nor was 7th or 6th.  In fairness, they expected to move up that much, so by 5th place they knew they would hear their name soon, but 5th wasn't them, nor was 4th.  My kids said at this point, they were starting to think the judges had forgotten to call their name because they had never beaten those two bands.  When 3rd place was announced and it wasn't them - in fact, it was my kid's biggest rival - the reality set as to how well they had done.  Our drum majors were still standing back in the 8th position - and then they were announced as 2nd - ah-mazing!!!

To continue to bore you with this whole saga - based on their score and the scores from other regional competitions, they are going into state in 5th place in the 5A category. To be honest, 5th place feels like a win for them.  The bands ahead of them are virtually unbeatable.  Those bands are exceedingly good and have been for years, and they are double and one is almost triple our band's size - so the wall of sound from them is truly amazing.  But my guys want to stay in 5th - they want so much to stay ahead of the rivals that they jumped over in regionals.  If those rivals jump back ahead, our band won't even make finals since only 8 go to finals.  It's been a stressful week in our house as the reality of tomorrow is setting in.  Fingers crossed for semifinals tomorrow at 2:15 p.m.

Now that you have waded through all of that - my cards for this challenge are for my kids in the marching band.  I am going into this with the assumption that they will be thrilled with the outcome so I need cards that say "amazing" and "way to go".  I thought the bold colors of the inspiration graphic would be perfect, but there is nothing fancy because they are, after all, teenage boys. This uses my favorite set for my teenagers - Exclamations by CAS-ual Fridays stamps. The big fonts can easily stand alone.

Ah-mazing

My second card uses another favorite set to use for my guys - Bravo by Stampin' Up.  

Way to Go

This card also uses the sketch from Fab Friday:


I hope you are inspired by the rich colors and the bold black and white of the challenge graphic.  I look forward to seeing what you create!

Ah-mazing:
  • Stamps: CAS-ual Fridays Exclamations
  • Paper: Becky Higgins Project Life Midnight Edition
  • Ink: Black
  • Accessories: Doodlebug Red and Lawn Fawn Neon Enamel Dots
Way to Go::
  • Stamps: Stampin' Up Bravo
  • Paper: Becky Higgins Project Life Midnight Edition, SU Poppy Parade CS, Astrobrights Glow Cardstock
  • Ink: Black
  • Accessories: My Favorite Things Washi Tape die, Doodlebug Graduation Enamel Stars


15 comments:

  1. Ah-mazing cards, Kim!!! And you KNOW that's no boring saga for me!!! How exciting for you this year! I'm almost teary thinking about it for your boys and their friends and what they must be thinking!!! THE BEST of luck to them, and I pray that their next performance is their best one yet!!! Keep us posted!

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  2. Whooo HooooO!!! Well done boys!! Always great to beat your competition too - said by this competative mama LOL! Wishing them all the best :) Peyton has been amazing and was great to see him break the TD record. Cant' wait to see how high the number gets this season. He is just pretty to watch :) Love the cards too!

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  3. Woo Hoo! I'll be waiting to hear how the band does tomorrow! Good Skill! (I'm a band mom, I totally 'get it') Love, love, love both of your cards! Great designs for the men in our lives!

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  4. My sons were in marching band also. Good luck and congratulations to your sons for their persistence and HARD team work. I will look forward to hearing about the outcomes from today's competition.

    Hearing your story brings back treasured memories. Thanks for sharing that.

    Oh yeah-great cards too!

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  5. These are both just too fun Kim!! FINGERS and TOES crossed for your boys!!

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  6. so happy for you and 'your boys'!
    Such an achievement already.
    Great, great cards! Strong graphic feel, masculine with a little splash of color, just perfect.
    Bye,

    Marjolein

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  7. Your cards are fab with the big bold sentiments! And wowza on everything the band has achieved so far! Wishing all the best for tomorrow!

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  8. Both cards are fantastic and they are going to love them!

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  9. Ah-Mazing! I absolutely adore your cards - and your sweet story of band victory!

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  10. Boring saga? Are you kidding me, Kim - I was riveted by what you shared. I can't even begin to fathom how amazing these bands are, not to mention the incredible amount of time and energy invested in practice and, in turn, performance. I'm in awe of your sons' commitment and dedication; I'm in awe of the degree of excellence, perseverance and resilience they have. Thank you for sharing this 'excitement' with us; and huge accolades for the band's accomplishments. Consider me a virtual cheerleader! Of course, your cards are perfect in acknowledging your sons' passions and feats. Way to go and AH-MAZING, indeed. Love them both.
    ~c

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  11. I have so enjoyed reading about the boys and their marching band stories over the last few years ... so ... I felt so excited for you as I read about this latest achievement!!! I can just imagine the joy and surprise and shock!!! What a great feeling! I do hope they do well in the next stage! Fab card ... gotta go check out that stamp set! (Bad girl, Kim!) Hugs xxx

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  12. Lovely cards! The bold fonts and bright pops of colors against the black and white...Perfect! And I hope the band did well! Thanks for sharing at Fab Friday!

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  13. Clean, crisp and bold. Two fabulous cards, Kim! I really love your style.
    I'm so glad that you could play along at Fab Friday.

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