The Mystery Machine Card

At the beginning of September I was very kindly gifted a Cricut Explore Air 2 - it is a beauty! So when it came time to make a Birthday card for my Scooby Doo obsessed nephew, I knew what I had to do. I was able to find the free .svg files for the Scooby Doo Mystery Machine over at Krafty Nook, meaning I simply had to upload and the machine cut everything out! It was a bit fiddly to glue all the layers together, but I think it looks wonderful! And I used pearl orange paper, because I do like things to be a bit sparkly!

Our Generation Doll Clothes

As a young girl in the 1990s, I had some lovely dolls, and they in turn had some lovely clothes. I had one doll which came with multiple dresses, and I even made her a wardrobe from a cereal box! I also loved it when my Mum made clothes for my dolls - sometimes we even matched!

So with my eldest niece's 9th Birthday, I decided I'd contribute to her suitcase of doll clothes for her Our Generation Doll. This is a series of 18" dolls, who are pretty popular just now! I began by making her a little crocheted cap using this pattern, some leftover Stylecraft yarn, and embellished with a little felt flower.

I decided to break up the crochet by making this little apron using the template from this pattern (I didn't actually follow the instructions!) I used an old denim skirt for the main body, added some felt patch pockets, and some rainbow ribbon. It fastens with velcro round the neck, but the back ribbons are long enough to tie.

You can also see I made some "Our Generation" tags for the different items of clothing, so my niece knew who they were intended for!

This gorgeous little hat is based on this pattern, but I also added some cute little ears. I actually made a second one of these as it fits some of my teddy bears, and it's just too cute!

And lastly I also crocheted this Spring Vest in some wool I had in my stash. The three little buttons actually function!

Elephant Cards

I found these cute woolly elephants as a free printable over at Papercraft Inspirations. I cut this one out quite large, and mounted him on white card, orange zig zags and orange pearlescent paper.

I also gave him a fluffy little tail using some wool from my oddments jar. (I always keep my ends when crocheting in case I can use them at some point!)

I printed this trio of elephants out too, and mounted them on some beige polka dots, deep maroon card and a white background. I also used glitter gel pens to add a little sparkle to one of the elephants :)

Scooby Doo Cross Stitch

There is a wonderful little charity here in the UK called Post Pals, who send post to seriously ill children and their siblings. Recently, I heard they were looking for crafters to get making cross stitches to try and ensure every child under their care received a cross stitch. I was paired with a young boy who loves Scooby Doo, and so this cross stitch ensued! I painted a wooden hoop to match Scooby Doo's collar, and added some gold ribbon for hanging. The gold on the collar is also in a sparkly thread, just to add that metallic sheen!

Balloon Birthday Card

For this Birthday card I used these free printables from Papercraft Inpsirations. I was really caught by the beautiful balloon paper, so printed it off and mounted it on some pearly paper. I cut out a second layer of the balloons and mounted them using 3D foam, and added strings with Liquid Pearls (not that I've perfected a smooth line yet!) I also cut out the "Happy Birthday" sentiment in glossy white card using my beautiful new Cricut Explore Air 2 - so useful!

I love having decorated envelopes, so cut out some more balloons to attach to the envelope, adding some strings with a silver gel pen. I think envelopes should make people smile :)

Happy Birthday Papercut Card

I was recently gifted a Cricut Explore Air 2, and one of the first things I had to try was this complex Happy Birthday papercut. I cut it out from a dark blue card which has a slight metallic gold sheen, and it worked so well! I mounted it on one of these printable marble papers by TwigsandTwineArt - they make such beautiful backgrounds. This one reminds me a bit of a galaxy. The circle is then mounted with 3D foam tape on to some dark purple card and a white card back, with some Liquid Pearl embellishments.

Graffiti Style Birthday Card

I made this funky card for my niece's 9th Birthday - it's so much fun! The graphics are available as free printables from here, meaning I just needed to cut them out and mount them up! I used pearlescent papers for the background, and added some highlights using Liquid Pearls.