Because I care... [bespoke greetings and gifts]

Like all crafters, I love making things for people, so here are a few examples of cards and gifts I've created for friends and family over the years.

 

 

 

Framed collage to celebrate the birth of a daughter for my friend Sarah.

For her first birthday, I decorated this vintage specimen box.

It is really fragile and has a glass lid!

A tree decoration to celebrate her first Christmas

 

A framed collage and card for my beautiful niece Hanna's 20th birthday.

The three Cicely Mary Barker flower fairies represent me and my two sisters, while the birds represent Hanna and her sister, Lily

  

And a  keepsake for her 21st

 

House warming talisman

 

Bunny card, talisman keepsake and brooch for Louise!

 

A collective card for a colleague's 60th

I represented my fellow Library staff by the animals they love

 

 

 

 

Grey Squirrel Appreciation Society

Little gold squirrel pin was purchased in a flea market

I work in a museum library and for many years I had an long running joke about squirrels with the then Librarian [now since retired]. I LOVE squirrels, especially the much maligned grey ones [see my alter ego blog here] and my boss hates them! Therefore, I started up the fictional Grey Squirrel Appreciation Society [GSAS] making him an enforced life member. Over the years, at various birthdays [the last on his retirement] he would receive a membership "gift" from the GSAS with some comically threatening message decrying his hatred of the "glorious grey brothhood".

 

 

 

 

Wedding card

I was asked to make this card by my niece, whose fiancé's brother was getting married. The card isn't exactly a card as it doesn't open, it's a postcard format with cream paper on the reverse for writing on. As usual, the card itself is recycled from an old Amazon  box, the ones that DVDs come are especially good for this purpose.

 

 

To make the card extra special, I used vintage paper as the base [on the front] and for the envelope. Paper was taken from the covers of various old art journals and was at least 60 years old. However, the flowers were cut from modern magazines and the text was printed then stained in a little warm black coffee for that aged look.

 

Early working



Envelope front

Logo on reverse of envelope [detail]

 

Experiments with logo for reverse of envelope

 

 

 

  

Marmite bridal gift

This pretty little bridal keepsake was made from the lid of a Marmite jar! Trust me, this was only because I had it on good authority that the bride was actually obsessed with Marmite :)

I created the collage on a piece of cardboard first, using the interior of an old envelope as the base [you'd never believe what gorgeous designs lurk within the most boring old white envelopes!].

I printed the text out, stained the paper with some black coffee and then cut around it.

The flowers were cut from magazines.

 

Next, I stuck the circular collage into the Marmite lid, bearing in mind, I had pencilled around the lid originally, to ensure the correct size.

 

Lastly, I tied a piece of red gingham ribbon around the lid, using tiny dabs of Superglue at strategic points so it wouldn't shift about.

 

I was really happy with the result and so was the bride.