I have had this ‘birds on a branch’ stamp for a couple of years (it came as a set of two costing £2.55 and they are tiny), but like so many of my stamps they have remained unused, until now.
Because, be honest now, I don’t have a clue do I? What do I know about jewellery making? Diddly squat, that’s what!!! 
All I can say is …. no more cheese at bedtime for me, and perhaps I should invest in a packet of Nytol! But, would I wear it …… yes, probably, I’ll let you know when!
Hands up, this is not my idea …. I saw something similar while Googling for inspiration and thought I could do my own take on it using my trusty Bandai Badge Maker.
First, I had to find a suitable font and decided that I liked this one best http://www.dafont.com/jf-ringmaster.font
Sizing the wording up and centring it for the badges was a bit of trial and error but in the end font size 26.5 was perfect for the “Mr” and “Mrs” and size 55 for the “&”.
The rest was simple, just a little mat and layering on black card and four faceted, flat backed gems in the corners. Bring on the confetti!
Hmmmm, very less is more today. I have had these laser cut house buttons forever and decided it was about time they were used! 
And then ……. saints preserve us, I decided to get out my old sewing machine to do real and not my usual faux stitching round the edges!!
Initially I gave the Lovely Laura’s mum, the Equally Lovely Denise the fabric to cut out the pennants in preparation for another of our “Wedding Club Crafting Nights”, but as the mess accumulated in her lounge, Denise decided that instead of spreading the mess chez moi, she might as well bite the bullet and complete the task herself …… all 300 double sided yards of it …. oh my life! The Lovely Laura had declared that her mum has finally lost the plot …… but it’s gorgeous and I am secretly very, very pleased because sewing is not really my forte, the very thought of it makes my gums itch! It’s going to look so beautiful and I can’t wait to share all the pictures with all of you when the happy day finally comes!
And once again I feel I need to up my stakes as a crafter ….. this girl is just too good for my liking!!!
And I certainly think Gran should turn young Maisie’s writing into a proper font, so I can have a copy!
Can I say I love this card? There is nothing much to it really, I think it is just the colours ….. put together using scraps of paper with patterns that match the dimensions of the bird. To add a little depth I have used self adhesive foam pads behind the birds body and wing.
Well, I went back all these months later and it was still there, on the floor, in the corner, under a pile of plates …………… but this time marked down to £5, how often does that happen in a charity shop …..?
Well, I was at the counter before you could shabby chic! I don’t have a clue what to do with it …. but I am going to take Marc’s advice and just hang it in situ for a while and see what comes to me …… to be honest, all it really needs is a bit of a rub down and then just needs a couple of coats of spray paint, but a more “on trend” colour and leave it at that ….. why over egg the pudding of a design I just love? 
Just look at her little face!
I am a great believer of giving children things to create and make things with ….. not just great piles of computer games and dvds and toys that need batteries, they don’t have to be anything expensive …. just a few pens, paper or card, glue, scissors, old magazines and material and interesting bits and pieces. When my kids were small … when the weather was warm I used to unravel a roll of wallpaper in the garden and give them pots of paints, not caring less if they covered themselves as well as the paper ….. they were absorbed for hours and hours! 
I don’t have a clue what to call this ….. when I had the idea I was thinking about the lucky horse shoes you give to a bride outside the church/registry office …. but heart shaped! If that makes any sense at all?????
Like my jewelled mirrors I built up the design, adding gems to the fabric flowers and filling all the gaps with small pearl beads.
I think it is all the fiddle fart, very sticky building up and filling gaps are what makes all the difference when looking at the finished heart. I used a narrow cream ribbon to hold it by, threading it through the existing hole at the top, with the bottom hole being easily covered up by all the embellishments. 
I now really want to make a couple of horseshoes for summer weddings, which I think could go down a storm at work. Marc gave me one when I last went to see him ….. now if only I could find it amongst all my bits and pieces …. I can see it in my minds eye, I just cannot remember where I squirrelled it safely away, DOH!!
I love birds on cards, they are so versatile for so many themes and decided to treat myself to this Memory Box Madeleine Bird die No. 98424 (£5.99).
I’ve kept everything very less is more, using old music paper for the background. Although it doesn’t show on the photo, I have mounted the birds and their wings on self adhesive foam pads for extra dimension. A bit of faux stitching and a flat gem eye completes the effect.
And the last three pictures are the final stages which took me another weekend. It’s the detailing that takes the time ….. outlining first in black. then in white Posca pen …. and then painting over again in the places where I thought needed it.
The trouble at this stage was finally deciding when it’s finished …. because I could have fiddle farted forever, adding a line here and a swirl there, but I am happy with it now (very top picture) ….. all I need to do is find a rather large piece of wrapping paper and ribbon big enough to go round it!
