Happy Birthday Daughter

Today is my daughter Dawn's 35th birthday - heck I feel ancient!

Of course I have made her a card. I know she loves catkins, so used this image from my new Joanna Sheen "Cottage Garden" CD. The catkins are decoupaged, and have a little sakura highlights on them. Ivory hammered card, triple mounted image.

and this is her cake:



One of her colleagues at work (another head of department) is also 35 tomorrow - so she asked if I could make a cake for the two of them, reflecting that they are heads of Maths and English. Plain (professional mix) sponge cake, covered with ivory sugar paste. (I hate doing sponges)

I must confess that the sugar roses are not up to my norm - I had a lot of problems with them - don't know if it was the sugarpaste playing up or fact that I am a tad out of practise!

This is my new grandchild due in April. 3D scan done today! Parents were very good and didn't ascertain whether a boy or girl - will have to wait for the big day!

A bit of fun!

I hate doing men's cards and it is my nephews birthday next week - think I am safe to put this on already - as doubt that he reads my blog! Wouldn't be cool!

The card is some of my blue card stock from The Paper Mill and I used one of the Bootys N Boobs Fun Craft Templates that I bought from Joanna Sheen's shop.

I know my nephew is a Southampton football club fan - so based it on the team shorts, with a few variations - like the football stripes down the sides (created in My Craft Studio). To make it look like there was a sort of elasticated top, I put a piece of the offcut through a cuttlebug folder. Added a few peel-offs and a Southampton logo and the Umbro logo that is on their shorts and a greeting. Was left with a space on the right-hand side so knowing that youngsters can't be parted from their mobiles - added that to balance the card, with the back part raised slightly.

The most difficult thing was working out the placement of the verse etc on the insert!

A Friend's Birthday Card

I suddenly realised today that I had noted the wrong day for a forum friend's birthday. I had a card prepared, but hadn't realised it was a big "O" birthday - I should have done because I am sure she had mentioned it a while back! Rather than make a new card, I stuck with the original one, and just put a special message inside.

Base card is one from my stash with a window in it. I have put some gingham vellum (Kanban) in the aperture, stamped out a couple of Sugar Nellie girls, and surrounded them with various size paper flowers (Hobbycraft purchase I think), and added a Friendship sentiment, and a few diamante bits for the centres of the flowers.

Forum Challenge Cards

The January challenge on the Joanna Sheen Forum was use a stamped background.

I had my six year old granddaughter Ellie staying overnight as she had no school today. This afternoon she wanted to do stamping. So we dragged out my stamp box and found this old Inca Lily stamp. I have had it for years from when my daughter was a demonstrator for Inca stamps when she was at Uni!
We decided to attempt the forum challenge and also have a go at watercolouring!

We both used the same image - following a tip by Suzanne on the forum we stamped the image with grey versafine on the back of white hammered card. (Great tip Suzanne for an imitation water-colour paper.) Mine was coloured with Lyra Aqua crayons, and a little yellow cosmic shimmer, and Ellie's with sakura stardust and Lyra Aqua Crayons, both using the Koi water brush. Having seen a stamping tip on Create and Craft, with a watered-down Lyra black, we created a slight shadow around the image.

Ellie's blue card was stamped with Inkit-up blue using the same lily stamp, and then embossed with clear embossing powder. The image was mounted on psychedelic pinky/green sparkly paper. My maroon card was embossed - again with same lily stamp, but with versafine and enchanted gold embossing powder and the image mounted on gold card that had a slight glitter to it.

I was quite pleased with my attempt, and really chuffed with what Ellie achieved.



Ellie's Card / My Card

A scan of the two cards together.

My Son's Engagement Card

Inspired by a beautiful card I received from a Sheenie pal, when I was in hospital in July, (which was very much admired by family and all the hospital staff ), I have made this card for my son and his fiancee.

You may think it is a strange image to have put on an engagement card, but have to tell you that he proposed to his fiancee at or near this spot overlooking the London Eye - I think actually it was in the midde of a nearby bridge,but I do know that they walked along the Embankment opposite the Eye, just before he proposed.

The card is blue stardream, and the image and its matching backing papers are from the Joanna Sheen Pamela West cd.





Complete Card - front with blue flora doodles with diamonte and pearls in middle.




Inside the card, showing the inner card.

Front and Back of the pull-out card. The d & k are glittered in Dark blue. The picture is mounted on silver mirri, and a white cuttlebug swirl paper. The top of the card has a square cut diamante and pearls (their engagement ring has a square cut diamond).

The photos aren't brilliant - so will probably redo them tomorrow in daylight, as the silver is looking a little "gold" in the pictures.

Thank you for the inspiration Sheila (aka Ginger). I just hope they like it.

New Year's Day

Well I am starting the New Year with a couple of cards I have done today - haven't done son's engagement card yet - still working up to that! First one is for a life long friend, who is also son's Godmother, and the second is for a pal on my craft forum.