There really is always something to be thankful for. This sweet image was just what I needed to make this simple, but sweet birthday card. The background is from my Silhouette library–how easy is that? I used my Copic markers to colour the girl and a white gel marker to add some polka dots to her stockings.
The verse on the inside makes sense of the sentiment on the outside…
So, that’s it for this quick and easy card.
Thanks, for dropping by!
I just got back from our annual craft sale and I didn’t buy anything!! Well, I did spend a dollar for 20 sheets of design paper.Talk about restraint! A friend has been organizing this annual event for the past five years and it’s a great way for all of us crafters to declutter our craft rooms. . . so we can make room for more craft supplies. It’s an addiction, I tell you. And I AM HOOKED!
Anyway, I’ve been so busy crafting that I haven’t had much time to blog. For starters, I have regular card customers who keep me busy all year round. And, this year our family is celebrating some really exciting events for which I am making very special cards.
My beautiful and completely wonderful granddaughter, Ashleigh, just turned 20 in May and is graduating from college on June 25.
I made her this little book, filled with pages of questions for her to answer–questions all about her! I titled it, “Me at 20.”
When she’s finished filling in all the answers she can tuck the book away and take it out again when she turns 25 or 30.
It will fun for her to see her “Me at 20” answers. The book contains questions such as, 1) what do you like best about yourself; 2) what was your favourite/worst thing about college; 3) who is your favourite singerand/or band; 4) what do you think is the best invention, ever; and 5) what could you do to make the world a better place. There were lots and lots of other questions, but these are just a few examples.
For this project I used my Zutter Bind-it-all, which I got at a going-out-of-business sale for $30, complete with a few boxes of the binding wires. Now, THAT is a deal!
Shown below is the title page.
Here is a sample page–this is page one, which gives her a place for a photo of herself at 20.
Here is the purse card I made for Ashleigh–another Silhouette Cameo project, and a great place to tuck a cash gift! The second photo below shows a close-up of the key that I attached to the handle of the purse because that’s where Ashleigh carries her keys, so she doesn’t have to dig through her GREAT BIG purse to find them!
Happy Birthday, once again, Ashleigh! Keep the celebration going as long as you can!!
There’s an adorable little girl named Ella whose second birthday is just around the corner.
Ella’s mom is hosting a vintage tea party to celebrate the big day. I was so excited when Ella’s grandmother asked me to make a birthday card that would be in keeping with the birthday party theme: Tea for Two. How cute and clever is that!
I decided to do an easel card because they display so nicely.
I created the doily with my Silhouette Cameo. Although it did a great job of cutting out this intricate design, it took some patience to poke out all the bits and pieces–but that’s all part of the gentle art of card-making. I added some Liquid Pearls (silver) to create a little more detail on the doily. Of course, I coloured the pieces with my Coic markers! And, no card would be complete without my signature sparkles!
In keeping with the theme, the little message says, “Tea for Two.” When the card is fully opened, it reveals the special message from Ella’s grandparents:
“Happy 2nd Birthday to our Darling Granddaughter, Ella”
I finally got to use my new Stampin’ Ink pads–I just love the way this pink matches the designer card stock.
Below is a side view of the card, showing it in the easel position. The little oval Tea for Two message, which is propped up pop dots, is what allows the front of the card to stand up.
At last, but not least, a pretty envelop for Ella’s special card, complete with a sparkly butterfly to seal it.
I found this pretty pink tag in my stash, which turned out to be just perfect for the front of the envelope…and, it had sparkles! Bonus!!
How many teenagers do you know who get up at 5 a.m.on Saturdays and Sundays to go to work? How many do you know who are willing to take extra shifts, any time of the day or night? I know of one–and she IS amazing!
My beautiful granddaughter, Ashleigh, celebrated her 19th birthday in May. Here’s a young woman who knows what she wants, and goes after it! She will be starting her second year of college this fall and plans to become a social worker.
Besides being a full-time student, Ashleigh also works at Tim Horton’s–morning, noon and night! In addition to paying her way through school, she is buying a car to get her back and forth every day from her home town to her college in the big city of Ottawa.
Her newest passion is her puppy, Theo, which she bought, herself. He’s a sassy, playful Black Lab, with mind all his own–but, he is oh so lovable!! I decided he just had to be on Ashleigh’s birthday card, so here’s what I created for my special granddaughter…
Ashleigh loved her special birthday card. I used my special puppy paw rubber stamp to personalize the envelope. And, did you notice there’s a “bite” out of the lower front corner? I used pop dots to add some dimension and to give Theo more prominence. And, as always, I finished the inside and the back of my card with the same designer paper.
I really love making personalized cards for my family and friends. There’s nothing quite like seeing a big smile on the face of someone you love, right?
Well, this cool senior citizen’s best friends (a lovely couple from Ontario) wanted to give him a special card for his 65th birthday. They wanted the card to be reflective of his love of rock and roll and his passion for golf. When I was offered the challenge, I accepted, gladly!
I decided to create a card in that looked like a record album–you can see it in this photo. The birthday boy’s name is Damian, so that’s what I named the record label. Check out the close-up, below. It’s not the greatest photo, but you’ll get the idea.
After completing my design in CorelDraw, I exported the image to .jpg format and then imported into my Silhouette Studio library and cut it out on my Cameo,
On the flip side of the record, I wrote a birthday verse:
Happy 65th Birthday
to our good friend, Damian,
the coolest
music-loving,
iPod-carrying,
golf-club swinging
senior citizen
on the planet.
I was happy with the record, but I really wanted it to look like vinyl. So, off I went to Staples to have it laminated. For the small cost of $3, I got the record laminated in 10 mil vinyl–that’s strong enough so that it doesn’t flop around, and feels about as sturdy as a real record.
I had to trim around the outside of the record, because laminating sheets are square. But, I think it turned out pretty good.
Here is the laminated record. I took this photo right on the counter at Staples and then headed off to the post office.
In the background, you can see the album cover. I designed it entirely on my computer using CorelDraw. I did a search on “album covers” and then sized them to 2.5″ each.
Right in the middle, I added a photo of the album so that Damian would see right away that this was a special creation, just for him.
Here’s a better photo of the front of the album cover.
On the back of the album cover, I created a collage of vintage concert tickets and, in keeping with Damian’s passion for golf, I included tags from the four big golf tournaments–the U.S. Open, the PGA, the Masters and the British Open. I used the tags for 2013 to mark the year of Damian’s 65th birthday.
Damian’s big celebration is next week, and I really hope he loves his unique hand-crafted card.
I hope you enjoyed this post, and if you have any creative card ideas that you would like to share with other card-makers, let me know and I will feature you and your card in an upcoming post.