Birthday Cards

July and August are always manic months for birthdays in my family. First of all, there's my sister, then my brother in law, then my mum, then my partner's sister and finally, my partner.

I've already posted a picture of my sister's card which I made using ribbon embroidery, but here are the others:


It's really hard to find cards for men that aren't a bit of a cliche - cars, football, fishing or sailing seem to be about the limits! This was a card from a kit to which I added peel off lettering. I can't say I recommend stitching with raffia, it's a bit of a struggle :o)

Stitching with silk organza is much more pleasant and it grows so quickly! I do get a bit tangled up with the sticky tape on the reverse, but fortunately, no one needs to see that! Again, this was a card from a kit, and I embellished it with additional lettering, which not only makes it more personal, but I think it balances the design better. I'm all for blank space in designs, but there can be too much of a good thing! The needleroll was an earlier finish which I also gave to my mum. It's all her fault I stitch anyhow LOL


This is another card from a kit - I bought the kit locally on sale, but I think the designer/maker is a Dutch company. It wasn't the best stitching experience ever. First of all, I had to prick every single hole - they weren't pre-punched, unlike the ribbon embroidery card. And then, to get the effect pictured (and which had been on the picture on the packet) I had to fudge how I folded the whole thing and incorporated the liner. I wonder if everyone else had to do that, and thta's why they were so cheap? :o) I'm pleased with the effect though, and it was nice to make something for The Hermit in his favourite colours, as I rarely stitch anything blue - it really is a colour I dislike!

Butterflies Birthday Card

This isn't a particularly good picture, but it gives you an idea of the card I made my sister for her birthday.

The butterfly wings are organza ribbon, so are 3-D in effect. The card and ribbon came in a kit, but I added my own peel-off lettering, and a butterfly peel-off inside. The card came pre punched, so it was a little like going back to my childhood, when I had lacing cards to play with :o)

My sister loved it - she's a great card maker, so creative, so neat. She said 'and you say you can't make cards!' - so I did get a scolding too :o)

The kit included 8 cards of 4 different designs, so I've used another one for my mum's birthday card - I'll post it after the event. She's unlikely to find my blog, but I won't take the chance!