aut vincere aut mori

The Latin phrase above translates roughly into 'either to conquer or to die' and just happens to have been my motto for this evening's activities (It's now after 1 a.m.). I promised a hand-stamped card for my sister's law school graduation and after much blood (literally... carving can be a dangerous activity), sweat, and scattered lino-block shavings, I think I've soundly defeated the challenge at hand.

With so many traditional graduation images to choose from, I did quite a bit of brainstorming before I finally settled on the jubilant image of graduation hats being tossed in the air. Simple, fun, and relatively easy to carve.

I started off with nine hat images in various mid-flight poses.

It was a good thing I erred on the side of too many hats because I destroyed one in the carving process and ended up eliminating two more after I tested the stamp.

The stamp produced a good print, but in order to really make a fantastic card I felt that I needed to go beyond the standard 'Congratulations!' Fortunately, the internet will grant even the most absurd request for information and, after a brief search of latin law phrases, I came across the perfect message:

ACCEDAS AD CURIAM
You May Approach the Court



What could me more perfect than that?

The printing process was relatively smooth. I destroyed a few of my good, white cards in the name of art, but I think the final card will be perfect for tomorrow's celebration. Now, not only have I been inspired to produce more event-themed cards, but I also discovered one of the funniest Latin phrases I have ever read.

POSSUNT QUIA POSSE VIDENTUR
They can because they seem to be able to

Ridiculous, right? I think I'm going to make it my official Sonnet & Mayhem motto!