Hello 50th Birthday

Hello there!

Another recent card make to share today, this time for a friend who turns 50 this year (and for once, I'm not late with this card - whoot!).

Technically this is a scrap-lift of a card design a did a few years ago but I loved the way it worked out so just went with it.  I used up some older October Afternoon Cakewalk papers and paired them with some Pebbles chipboards and stickers from the From Me to You and a Valentine's collections.  How adorable is that little bird?  And of course a 50th birthday needs a little gold bling, so the glittery gold Thickers made a reappearance.

Pinspiration Sunday

Hey, hey and welcome back to not only another Pinspiration Sunday but the last for 2013!  Yes, I will soon be traveling abroad with limited Internet access so this week's pins will have to last you to the New Year when I return.  So go grab your hot beverage of choice and enjoy one last Pinspiration for the year.

Currently:

* watching - Ink Masters Live
* making - one last birthday card for the year
* eating - toasted tuna sandwiches
* drinking - water
* wearing - newly hemmed jeans & a jumper
* weather - clear, 7C (tropical for December, eh?)
* feeling - accomplished; all my chores for the day done!
* wanting - enough time to see all friends & family in two weeks
* needing - to buy just a few final gifts tomorrow
* planning - to see Philamina with friends
* thinking - I'm not going to stress over the holidays - it is what it is
* loving - having turned off my alarm clock
* enjoying - the last few days with Oskar before leaving

On to the pins...

Fairground Quilt

How cute is this banner designed quilt?  I just adore banners so this was a given.  Would make for a fun baby or children's quilt, too.

 

Modern Log Cabin

I love Cindy's quilt designs and fabric/colour choices and this is no exception.  Her modern take on the traditional log cabin design is so fresh and pretty.  Can you just imagine this in Christmas reds with the grey and white?  Just beautiful.

 

Elf on the Shelf Bed

 Does your household have a Christmas elf on the shelf?  If so, perhaps she or he would welcome a cosy little bed to nap in?

Gingerbread Fabric Tag

OMG, this fabric tag is so cute it's painful!  Honestly, how many of you are already pulling out scraps and sequins right now to make your own?

Dress Form Scissor Holders

And these little dress form scissor holders are also adorable and feminine - perfect for a seamstress friend or family member.

 

Felt Heart Garland

Need a simple yet fun project for the kiddies?  How about this super easy felt heart garland - snip out little hearts and thread along narrow ribbon.  Perfect for tree decoration or anywhere in the house.

Felt Christmas Lights

And speaking of tree decorating, how about making some felt lights in a rainbow of colours?

Twist on the Grid Design

I like grid designs and I particularly like the different sizes and shapes in this grid.  The different shapes and sizes also work well to feature natural embellishment clusters, journaling or whatever else you wish to include.

Two-Page Layout Photo Booth Strips

I'm not typically a 2-page LO girl but with the holidays and the volume of photos one can easily snap, sometimes a double-pager is just what you need.  I do love photo booth strips and they work so nicely with this design.

Crocheted Stars

If you crochet, perhaps you'd like to have a go with making some pretty stars?  These are so delicate and beautiful.

Crocheted Edge Tutorial

I *love* quilts with crocheted edges on them.  It's probably one of the big reasons why I'd like to learn how to crochet.  This tutorial will show you how.

Candy Cane Mice

I totally fell in love with these adorable mice when I saw them last week.  I made one (ridiculously quick and easy) for my Secret Santa gift-ee.  They would also make fun stocking stuffers or fun extras for place settings at the table.

DIY Christmas Makes

Fancy yourself a DIY-er and want to save a little cash but still have beautiful decorations throughout your house?  Check out these quick, easy and inexpensive ideas.

Hope your holidays are shaping up well to be merry and bright.  Wishing you all Christmas cheer!

Hello 50 Birthday Card

So last week a friend at work turned the big 5-0.  Naturally a special card was in order.  I was excited to break into my new supplies and itching to use my new Pebbles From Me to You collection.  And since this was a special milestone card, gold was a must!

Hello 50 Birthday Card

October Afternoon's Cakewalk papers mixed really well with the Pebbles collection so I dug out some scraps to use up.  I just love how cheerful these OA papers are (and to be honest, I've been hoarding that star paper for some time now).

I used the Pebbles sticker and chipboard accents to embellish.  I also wrapped some gold metallic sewing thread around the green banner - it's very thin and subtle but just the right weight to balance out the design.  And the chunky gold glitter Thickers are the Maggie Holmes variety by Crate Paper - I just love them!

Melanie absolutely loved the card, I'm pleased to say.  She gave me a huge hug and kiss and said it was the nicest card she's ever received.  Awww!  Isn't it wonderful to give someone the perfect gift?  Totally made my day.  Heck, it made my week.

Whale of a Birthday

I needed to make a birthday card for my step-father so yesterday I set to work on it.  I knew I wanted to use some wood veneer numbers I'd recently bought but was struggling on which papers to use.  Long story short, I (finally) decided on the FP Down by the Shore collection.  I've been wanting to experiment with the new corrugated cardstock and the maritime portion of the collection has an especially nice masculine feel to it.  Prepare yourself for extreme cuteness - no, seriously, this chubby little whale gets me every time:

Whale of a Birthday

Isn't he *adorable*?!  My initial inspiration actually came from the central pennant, where you can see I layered up the wood veneer numbers (my step-father's age) and like I said, I just can't resist that whale and thought he'd be cute layered over the pennant, too.

 

For the corrugated cardstock, I simply stitched it with my sewing machine - the pressure from the presser foot did flatten the area I'd sewn but I also went over it twice so...  If you want to sew your corrugated cardstock and want to prevent it from flattening, I would recommend seeing if your machine has the ability to adjust the height/pressure of your presser foot (check the manual if you don't know this yourself).

I felt more pennants would help support the design and decided to use the anchors, since that's one of the challenge prompts in the current Stash Busters Challenges over on the 2Peas forum.  Then I fussy cut the whale and cut reverse scallops into the striped paper to help ground everything.  Lastly, I wrapped some twine around from which the pennants could hang and tied little knots in the ends.  I wasn't going to add a sentiment to the front but the 'happy happy day' sticker fit so nicely and I really liked how the pennants helped to lead the eye to it.

And yes, if you look closely in the above photo, that *is* lobster/crayfish fabric under the card.  :P

And just because I truly can't resist, I'll leave you with this: