Special Birthdays

This is the year of special birthdays. Several friends and family members are marking a milestone this year, with that in mind, I could not let these important dates go by without creating special cards and gifts for them. For a friend who loves Alice in Wonderland as much as I do, I made a boxed picture and a White Rabbit card. For the card I used Spellbinder and Tonic dies. I also came across some tiny flower shaped gems (actually nail gems but who says you can't use them to craft with?) which were perfect with the surrounding vines. 

        

Another Steampunk friend, is a frequent visitor to Whitby, so I thought he would appreciate a nautical inspired card, this was also my first easel card (and probably not my last.)  I made his card using Joy stamps and several dies, I added texture with embossing powders and glossy accents.

His gift was a layered boxed picture, created using Hampton Art stamps (and others) from Graphic 45. I do absolutely adore Graphic 45 papers and stamps, always something a little different, and the whole vintage thing is very me.

My Aunt and Uncle have celebrated their 50^th birthdays this year. A Sheena Douglass pansy stamp and dies, combined with a Marianne fern die helped created the focal piece, for her card, along with an added flourish, provided by Tonic Regal fern. The lace edger die is from Joanna Sheen. I’ve had an interest in the meaning of flowers for a while, and the pansy symbolises ‘loving thoughts’, it is such a cheery little bloom and seeing them always makes me smile. In Victorian England, they were often placed in tussie mussies, this was a small bunch of herbs with a flower at the centre. This was then wrapped in a doily and suitors may also have given these pretty flowers to let a fair lady know that she was lovingly thought of or missed. Whenever it is given it tells the person you are thinking of them. The Sentiment came from a collection of stamps by Hot of the Press. 

   

My uncle’s card is an underwater scene, I recently acquired some nautical stamps by Joy, thanks to a very kind donation towards my craft stash, so I used these to create his card as well as a few dies. Again, texture was added with embossing powders and shimmer to the diving helmet, with a Spectrum Noir gold sparkle pen. The spectrum Noir sparkle pens are wonderful, if you haven’t tried them yet, you are missing out. 

I hope you have enjoyed seeing these. I'm sure I will have more special birthday projects in the future.  

Adele 

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