Another big birthday and yet again I have gone for the shape on a 7x5 as they definitely stand up much better and they are still effective too. I also made a 3d fishing hat for him and he loved both, I am always concerned making guy cards and I am always pleaseantly suprised when they like them.
Sometimes making new friends means you can send them older designs of cards because they will have never seen them and that means you get to recreate some of your favourites too. I call that a win win lol.
Another two for the price of one card, I liked this layout so I thought why not use it again, it’s very effective and of course I can use up some of the paper mountain. I couldn’t use my go to first birthday image for one of the boys as he has an older brother and I’d made it for him so of course Mo manning is my first choice for babies and little kids as she seems to capture the expressions so perfectly.
I went with my normal design for first birthdays and it will always be my favourite, I just love the large balloon.
It’s been a long time since I used either this stamp set or the nesting cloud dies, I did use the dies to create a stencil which I always forget you can do lol.
It’s that stencil again, it’s so versatile and makes the perfect backdrop for an image, I will probably be using it again soon. This is for my friend who runs marathons, she has done over 50 now and I am so in awe.
The last post talked about me being obsessed with this layout but I hadn’t realised it was the first one I had showed so now you will start to see the pattern lol.
I was obsessed with this layout from MFT, when I find one I like I don’t seem to be able to stop lol. Lots of different companies were used to make this card, the dog is from MFT and the card he is holding is blank but I wanted to add something, I found the mini set from MFT and the sentiment fitted perfectly it just needed an image so mama elephant gashapon set to the rescue. You may or may not see more of this layout and then you can decide how obsessed I was lol.
You might have spotted a theme and again I’m trying to use the backgrounds I’ve already made, this year I’ve not wanted to spend as much time in my craftroom and I hope that changes soon because it’s my sanctuary and safe space and I miss it. Enough waffling onto the card, I bought this stamp set from the ton years ago just for this image but of course it had never been inked lol. So now I can say it has lol.
So I had the supplies out so why not make two cards the same but slightly different, when I showed my hubby he asked me to make one for a friend of his, high praise indeed lol.
Sometimes you see a stamp set and you just have to have it, this happens to me a lot so I often wonder why it takes me ages to use it, this was this stamp set and it took this stencil from spellbinders to make me actually stamp it and use it. Of course now I’m left wondering why I didn’t use it sooner and of course I want to make more lol
I used my normal US A2 for this one and although I like it I think I prefer the square as the white space is larger and more impactful.
Another Deb Hallett inspired card and I must admit I am loving using square cards again, I have so many in my stash and they deserve some love too.
I was inspired by “Deb Hallett” on YouTube who makes the loveliest cards, she leaves a lot of white space and uses black as the accent and I am sure you agree it’s very effective. I had to have this magazine set and I might have used quite a few and they will all be variations on a theme, that seems to be my style at the moment lol.
Almost the last of these, I have one more but I won’t show that until after the birthday so I don’t spoil the surprise lol.
These stamps are from a range that the greeting farm did way back in 2015, it was a secret club and you had no idea what was arriving each month.
Another of the ready coloured images and this time I have used the sheetload sketch that seems to be a favourite of mine especially recently. I have also been using patterned paper a lot too, I don’t think I will ever use all of my stash but it would be good to make room for more lol.
I have had this image coloured for the longest time and unusually for me it’s coloured with pencils on Kraft. The background was left over from another card and that’s not going to get shown for a while.
I decided to try and use some of my already coloured images, I have a lot of those and I have tried several times to use them up but maybe this time I will be successful.
The fourth card and its only May, I am enjoying making them so maybe the secret is to just get all the big birthdays done in one hit. A bit like I do with kids, I make all the cards for each age at the same time so that might just be the secret formula lol.
I didn't print this one to make a 70 but I needed a card for a dinner party so this was the design I had ready to go. So expect to see this again but with different colours later in the year.
I remember saying that there weren't many big birthdays but I think I might have to change my tune on that as I have made quite a few so far and its only May!
A tried and tested design and one I am sure I won't get tired of, I did emboss with clear the background and in real life its subtle but you can see it. I am enjoying making cards for people who have never seen any of my designs as I can recreate some favourites.
I changed up the magnificent seven cards this year and didn't make them identical. I had printed this image and the hair reminded me of my friends grandson so I decided to just go with it. I have used the sheetload template again and even used my coveted doodlebug papers.
I received a video from my friend where her grandson explained why he liked the card and I have to say I was struggling with my mojo and whether I wanted to continue making cards and that video made me realise its about the recipients and that they know someone cares enough to make something by hand for them.
You did have to wait a little longer for this one and I hope that I used all the other images too. Again the cat looks like my friends fur baby although I’m not sure it captures his mischievous personality lol.
Quite a few big birthdays again this year although not as many as 2024 which was astonishing lol. You may notice its not my usual eclipse or shaped card, I was struggling to find my large envelopes so decided to make this 7x5 and I liked it with the card base more than free standing so expect to see more of the same.
I loved this image since I first saw it and it seemed perfect for my uncle, hopefully he will see the funny side.
This wasn't the direction I originally intended for this card but I am pleased with how it turned out. No idea where the stamp is from as it was a gift and I wish I did know as I would like more lol.
Along the same lines as the previous card as the stencil was still on my desk and I had the made to surprise box set out so I thought why not make two same but different cards, this was a go to when I was stressed with making so I am trying to do that again to alleviate some stress. Now I am aware that card making should be a de stress but sometimes when you have a lot to make and not much mojo its not stress free lol
This card came together so fast it made my head spin, its for a bingo friend and the idea came about after a discussion about tea one evening, I knew she would get the concept and the sentiment and she did immediately. It was nice to revisit an older design that I enjoyed making but that does seem to be a recurring theme at the moment.
I felt similar during lockdown as I do at the moment, everything feels heavy and I hope it passes sooner than the lockdown did.
When I was looking for a design for this teenagers card I remembered the net stencil and that I had this made to surprise set and an idea was born. I have used this set with quite a few images so far and its so versatile for those guys in our lives.
Last of these for a while, not permanently though cos I made a few lol. I tried to make these look different by changing the inside colour but I am not a fan, so the next ones I went back to the original colours.
Can you see a theme lol. I had the stamp in my misti so I stamped a few more, as usual I tried to match the hair colour of the recipient and I know this card was really liked and they commented that they wished they had a cardi like the one here lol.
Recently I showed a lady with this very background and this is the card that the background was left over from. I do love a two for one deal lol. And again you might recognise this stamp set but not this colour combo. I have a large group of friends from bingo and as they have never seen any of my prvious cards it makes it easier to recreate a favourite and of course I get to make a card that makes me smile.
Another nod to a classic design and even a classic stamp too, I went with very different colours this time and the design panel was already on my desk so kit seemed a shame not to use it.
I think everyone has had this lady stamp now, it was a firm favourite in 2020 thats a fact lol. when I stamped the image out I was reminded that the card magazine it came with is no longer in circulation and that made me sad, I can't believe how many magazines have come and gone since I started this hobby back in 2005.
Sometimes all the energy we have is to recreate a card design and even the colour combo and thats ok. I do think I beat myself up a lot at not having original designs all the time but if I enjoyed making it and the recipient enjoyed receiving it then where is the harm.
My friends have a bulldog called Sherlock who is the love of their lives and so of course I had to make him a card with their dog on, thankfully Sweet November brought out this amazing digi stamp and background and an idea was born. I tried to make the dog look like theirs and I almost managed it.
This is a large Lisa Horton floral and it just screamed paper piecing to me, I have used it before and i think I paper pieced it then as well. I had recently found an old MME paper poad with no full sheets so I wondered what I could use it for and then I saw this stamp and an idea was born. I did add shading to one of the cards with copics but decided against it on the other one. I had forgotten how much I like this technique, I very rarely get to just play with paper anymore so this was a great start to rediscovering old techniques.
Another sheetload card, when I find a design I really like I use it a lot, this design is one of those and the image was already coloured and all i needed to do was create a design that worked around it, the clearly besotted papers were still on my desk and they worked perfectly.
Lately I have been struggling with both card making and life in general. Ive had a few things that I have needed to deal with medically and they take a toll on your mental health. When i am struggling new designs are beyond the scope for me so I revisit ideas, images, colour combos that I know worked before, there will be a lot of those going forward and I hope that I find my mojo soon.
Another of Amanda Janes designs and such a sweet image too, this layout was a change for me and very effective. I had forgotten to use my embossing folders in such a long time and I have a lot of them too. Maybe its something I need to look at for more cards
This spellbinders die set is so cool, I really liked making this design, I want to make lots of washi tapes although until I typed this i hadn't even thought of normal tape lol. The scissors look so real I tried to cut with them lol
This is the second version of the card and I must say I really like this design, I might have made a few variations of this and I want to make more lol.
I might have made almost the same card last year so as my mojo is missing I recreated the same style. Sometimes when it’s this clean and simple people assume it’s quick and easy but the time it takes to not smudge the ink and to keep the project clean mean it takes much, much longer lol
You didn’t need to wait long to see the second version, this time I’ve used a cat stamp from Mangocraft, I loved this image and I think I might just make another few cards with the other stamps in the set. I’ve even used the same paper as the last one lol. I did colour the cat to look like my friends fur baby
When I placed a recent clearly besotted order I received a set of papers as a thank you gift and remarkably I have used some already, I knew as soon as I saw this paper it would be perfect for this technique.
Another of the Amanda Jane images, can you tell I’m a little obsessed lol. In fact I enjoyed making this card so much I made two more but you will have to wait to see all three
My goddaughter moved house just before Christmas so of course I had to make her a card, I used the same die that I used last year but went with different colours and papers, I would so like to have some of these types of card ready to go but I’m so disorganised at the moment that seems impossible, I don’t even have the cards I need for next week made let alone ones I don’t need this year lol.
A friend of mine was recently unwell so what better way to let her know I was thinking of her. It’s a simple card but sometimes that’s the best type
I think this might be my go to guys design this year although most of the cars will have more colour, this persons favourite colour is white so it’s not the most inspiring variation lol.
I saw this layout online and thought it looked cool so of course I had to make a card straight away, sometimes that happens although not often lol. Another of the cute Amanda Jane images, these are such a joy to colour so expect lots more.
I wish I had used this plane on the other card but I suppose there is always next year lol. This is from a very old creative stamping magazine, it’s still my favourite crafty magazine but it seems more difficult to get hold of now.
