Birthday Blues Card

The men in my family rarely fit a classic "masculine card theme". I like to try and go more abstract, looking at colours and textures. The "Happy Birthday" panel is a piece from an old Craftseller magazine, which you are probably pretty used to by now! [The free pages in those magazines have offered me a new world of colours and patterns, which I am hoping to explore further...] I carefully cut around the plaque, before mounting it on hammered ivory paper, and a beautiful, slightly sparkly, finely corrugated, slate grey card. The background panel is a cut-off from a larger piece of abstract watercolour art I did a few years ago. I always try and keep offcuts, as you never know when they'll be useful!

Flower Pot Card

This Flowerpot Stamp is another I received in last years huge stash inheritance. It's a lovely stamp, with so many possibilities for both decorating the pot and the colours of the flowers. This time I went for a simple terracotta pot and some daisies, primarily painted in watercolour with a touch of Whispers Strokes pens. I added Liquid Pearls to the centre flower, as I like a card to have a bit of shimmer! I mounted the image on some hammered ivory paper and some green polka dot paper from a craft paper bundle with Craftseller magazine. I thought it made for a nice cheerful spring card :)

Father's Day Card

Quite a simple but hopefully effective Father's Day card this year. The "Happy Father's Day" panel was another piece from a 2014 Craftseller paper collection, raised using 3D dots. The blue stars were also from a similar Craftseller collection based around 4th July - I managed to hide the more American bits of the design! I love the look of brown packaging paper, especially when torn, and I drew some stitching on to mirror the central panel.

"When the Wind is High..."

When I was a little girl, I'd sometimes venture into my Dad's study late at night. He'd put his record player on, and we'd dance... One song I vividly remember from these times is Kites, by Simon Dupree and The Big Sound. I wanted my Father's Day card this year to reflect these memories... a snow white kite, hints of gold, soaring high above... I made an origami kite, framed in gold. I added Liquid Pearls for highlights, and stamped on a few words from the song. I hope he recalls these memories like I do.

Masculine Birthday Card

Another card inspired from one of Craftseller's paper collections! The "flag-shaped" Happy Birthday originally featured an extra edge on two sides, to look like a shadow, but I can't say that I liked it, so it was removed! I mounted the "flag" using 3D dots, and cut a piece of matching paper to extend the length of the card. I really like the geometry of the arrow shapes, especially with the compass design. I mounted this on some cream card and a beautiful sparkly dark grey corrugated card.

Remember: just because something is designed to look a certain way, doesn't mean you have to use it like that :)

Wedding Anniversary Card

A simple card for my parents-in-law's wedding anniversary. A pearly gold paper, topped with hammered ivory paper. I added some gold liquid pearl dots for interest. The two hearts are cut using my own template from different shades and textures of red card. A corrugated maroon that I love, and a brighter red with a near-spongey texture. A card doesn't need to be fancy to convey beauty and meaning.