Train Birthday Card

I’ve used a whole mixture of elements on this card; the train is stamped with a bit of doodling added and backed with foam pads to give a 3D effect, plus a few odd stickers from Paperchase (the trees) and Matalan (the people and rabbit). I have doodled the track and the smoke, which again, I have stuck with foam pads for extra dimension.

The blue gingham paper is a digi download.  I love using gingham but can never find just the right colour, so I downloaded a couple of sets from Activity Village http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/free_printables.htm – now I am never without just what I want.

And finally the alphabet stickers are from the Papermania – Hampstead Range (beware when buying these, as when I bought them I found that there was no “W"’s” in any of the three sets I bought.!!!!

Poundland Shopping

Do you remember ages ago when I said I was looking for “the perfect gingerbread man” and that I’d found him in an IKEA children's baking set, but it cost about £7.99 and I didn’t really want the rest of the paraphernalia?

Well, they say ‘It comes to him what waits’  well I waited, and look what I found in Poundland today – for a pound (it should have been £5 originally)!

 

And the added bonus is the cute little castle!  I’ll admit that the gingerbread man could be a little plumper to be absolutely perfect, but he has rounded arms and legs which is the main thing I was looking for. It also came with a donkey and ogres head cutter too plus a recipe/scrapbook.

I want to cut the man out in brown fimo for card embellishments and (hopefully) key rings.  I may cut the castle out in pink fimo and embellish with jewels.  I will get back to you when I have completed my mission …… but RESULT!

Golfing Newspaper Card

I hope you don’t mind that I post so many of my newspaper cards, it’s just that I must make at least 2 a month. I wouldn't exactly say they were an easy option when I've been asked to make a personal card, but I as I tend to struggle with mens cards the format usually works well, especially when I have been given a few details about the person I am making the card for.
 

This is what my printed sheet looked like before I turned it into the card.

I have used Anita’s 3D gloss finish for a bit of extra dimension and texture.
It's funny that although I use the template so much no two cards are ever really the same.

A Daisy Card for Daisy

My apologies, these pictures have a definite tinge of blue to them, but the card itself is a really brilliant white! 

Making the card couldn’t have been more simpler – I have just cut the letters out using my Silhouette …..

…… and then added a bit of faux stitching in green and punched out daisies with yellow flat backed gem centres. The gems were a much appreciated present from one of my readers, THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Simple Christening Card

When I was asked to make this Christening card I decided to keep things very simple. Little girls are easier to make for, as I could have added a few flowers in the corners, but I just didn’t have any embellishments suitable for a boys Christening card.

I have machine stitched the mat and layering in blue, something I haven’t done for a while.  The blue gingham is wallpaper bought for 10p a roll in a sale ages ago, the white ribbon was from a carboot sale (I must have had a million yards for about £2, and finally the font used is 2Peas Messy Etchy downloaded from the Two Peas in a Bucket website.

Beaded Birthday Card

This was a nightmare card to photograph! I made it all in ivory linen card to start with but as I began to prepare this post it just looked sooooooo wrong!

 

All the pictures I took were pants, it didn’t matter how I framed a photo, the card looked awful, although in “real life” it was quite pretty.

I used an assortment of seed beads, pearls and stars to embellish the lettering, which I cut on my Sihouette.

Sometimes it is hard to know when to stop fiddling – but in the end I had to just fiddle some more, and think, it’s much better in black!

Two 70th Birthday Cards.

I made these cards for a colleague whose two friends were celebrating their 70th birthdays within a few days of each other, so although the layout was the same I varied them slightly just in case their twain should meet!

I’ve used an assortment of punches, which I find quick and easy to use, but I am not very keen of trying to “fluff” up the petals when they are dry…. too fiddle farty for me!

The font is Papyrus and the colour is pantone 479c
 

Handbag Card

This card started like this …… £1 from Poundland ….

and ended like this ……..

 

When I first bought the card to disassemble, I envisaged using just one bag per card,( I thought nine  handbag embellishments for £1 was good going),  but I got a bit carried away and used six instead, not such a bargain!  But I still have three left, so I will now try and come up with an idea using just one at a time.

I’ve handwritten the little rhyme, if you write at jaunty angles it looks like it was meant to be that way, trying to write in a straight even line is a nightmare so I don’t even try.

Make Mine A Pint Birthday Card

Two very quick cards for the gentlemen today.  The bottles and glasses are cut from a sheet of gift wrap.  To add extra dimension and texture I have used Anita’s glossy white 3D Dimensional Paint to the lager and beer froth and dome stickers over the bottle labels.

A few stars here and there finish off the design.

Diamond Wedding Anniversary Card.

This is a card design I use quite a lot for the more “mature” recipient,  using punched flowers.
 

I made it for a colleague whose parents were celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary, so added a few extra clear flat backed gems here and there, as well as in the flower centres, for extra sparkle

Her father was in the RAF and flew spitfires, I wanted to add a small plane to the front of the card, but it just didn’t look right so I  added one to the insert of the card, re-colouring the image I found in sepia tones to match the card and insert.

Leaving Card

It’s sad, but at there are several people leaving the school where I work at the end of the summer term, and I have been asked to make a couple of cards for them.

To make it more personal and special, I have taken a photo of the front entrance of the school and used it to make a very simple decoupaged newspaper card.

Lady Bird Card

My intention was for this to be a Good Luck card, but no matter where I tried to put the sentiment it just looked pants …. so I left it off.

The paper is My Minds Eye, Jack and Jill “Be Happy” range.

The leaf is embossed and punched using a large Woodware punch I got at the NEC Hobbycrafts in March.

Looking at the pictures now of the finished card …. I think  I should have used a bigger ladybird, the proportions don’t seem quite right. …… hmmmmm back to the drawing board!

Little Monsters

Something for the boys today, using my 9 square template which is ideal for using up small puffy stickers from Accessorize and Paperchase.

 

These stickers are from Paperchase and there are enough in one packet (cost £1) to make at least 4 cards, which is pretty good value for money.  I have used silver card as the background which helps make the monsters stand out as well as adding a bit of bling.

My Sister's Shopping List

I covered a long Asda notebook to make this shopping list for my sister.

I used American Crafts paper from their “Kids” range and then doodled faux stitching using a fine liner pen. The lettering is an assortment of self adhesive alphabet stickers and the bees are wooden embellishments to which I have added googly eyes. I’ve also added a few clear flat back gems for added sparkle.

I used bees because my sister is a very very busy bee!

Three Decoupage Cards – Pepper and Friends

I don’t usually do decoupage but now and again I relent, especially when they are a bargain. These cards were made using a Pepper and Friends pad (Trimcraft) that I got from the Range, the pad had come apart and to be honest I think there was another part of a pad mixed up with it as well…..

I’ve used a pale gingham card for the background mat and layered on silver and then added small flat backed gems here and there for extra sparkle.

To me, it feels a little bit like cheating, but the proof is in the pudding, and they flew out of my box!

A Mini Book for Angela

Sorry this is a long one!

The end of the school year is always tinged with sadness as staff retire or move on, and I have been busy making a couple of little books for the very special people in my departments who are leaving.

This book is for my Line Manager, Angela, who was there at my interview and who I loved straight away. We have cooked together twice a week with our lovely girls ever since and when Year 11 leave to do their exams we have sewn t-shirts together.

I tried to give the impression that I was taking pictures for the girls, but I was really trying to get silly little pictures of the special things in the classroom that made me think of Angela and the happy times we have had.

Now I’ll let the rest of the pictures tell the story ………

And hope they give you as little insight of how I adored working with the kindest, sweetest lady ever.

There were another couple of pages but they are a bit too special for here.