Happy Birthday to me!

Here are the lovely cards my children made for me this morning. OK - I suggested they make them (hub tried to persuade them last night to make me cards). I got some stamps out, some inks, a few punches... and left them to it while I went to have a shower. Eeek! Yes I really did leave them on their own, in possession of my stamping stuff that I love (not just the old stamps or pads I let them play with (for play, read destroy/mix ink colours). Anyway, they each very proudly showed me their creations.

Callum is the oldest, and made this - if I'd known he wanted to go round the corner with the punch I would have provided him with the corner punch that matches. But all nicely stamped.


This one was made by James - decorative on the front and back - not actually sure which is the front and which is the back... But made with love all the same.

And finally Millie's card - Callum helped to punch out the circle for her. Lovely minimalist styling, and beautifully placed sparkles.

Sorry about the rubbish photography - lovely and sunny, so I'm getting shadows cast all over the cards. In the process of pulling the blinds up to avoild the lines they cast, I somehow managed to pull them down. Now, do I try and fix, or just leave for hub when he gets home from work this eve?

Letterpress Cards

These are a few of the cards I have made with the letterpress (my new toy) from QK. If you want to find more info and great cards, hop over to Paula Pascuals blog. Great fun to use, very easy, though a little messy! Basically it gives me the opportunity to make lots of the same card quickly, with a lovely print/deboss. Mostly I've just been fiddling, and playing, but these are a few of the cards I've made with it. managed to find some base card that is a good colour match for the soft, thick letterpress paper.

And here's a close up - you can see the textured effect of the debossing on the printed bit

And the flower with the 'thanks' plate.

Think this one was my favourite - in the post to my dad now.

Strictly speaking, not a letterpress card, but I made up a batch similar to this and have only just got round to photographing it! (star and sentiment PTI, background 'flourish' Stampin up)

*Snow*

This is my middle child - with 14 inch ruler.


As you can see, only 2 inches of it left.

The oldest - making a snow angel
.

Me in hub's wellies - waaay to big for me, but mine are only short gardening wellies, so really weren't tall enough to keep the snow out.

And my little girl - her boots were 5 inches too short - but I didn't have anything else to offer her, so she just put up with them.

Even in the snow the boys just move too fast for taking many photos of them. Millie on the other hand, was definately struggling to get about in it with her little legs.

Birdy

This is something I've been working on for a little while. Made most of it before the summer, but the drill bit broke inside the little birdy while I was drilling it, and as I really liked my little birdy and wasn't prepared to consign him to the scrapheap, I had to find a way to dissolve the drill. Sulphuric acid was suggested, but thats nasty, nasty, nasty, especially with little people around, managed to find alum dissolves it, so set about a quest to get some - tried ordering from my local chemist - very helpful - but after a few months of them not being able to get it from their supplier I chased round the internet. Alum is cheap, postage on the otherhand was not always cheap, and I finally only got it just before Christmas. So my birdy went swimming in an alum solution over Christmas, and yesterday I finally put it all together.

The back is domed too, and has the same leaf texture, so could be worn back to front too!

Dressing Up part 3

Well - not the best photo in the world - my 9 yr old son took it - but it shows 'the outfit'. Nothing too exciting, but nevertheless I made the effort and dressed up. Had to stitch the fluff on by hand. And our half decorated Christmas tree!


For a change I didn't get asked 'do you work here?' - as if I normally go round dressed up. The Christmas pudding and a couple of the elves did get asked that question though. It managed to stay in one piece, and well all had a fun day dressed up.
The above mentioned 9yr old son has now layed claim to the outfit and has been wandering around in it ever since.
However my poor car was very poorly, and like a sick person on life support gradually shut itself down on my way to work. First I noticed the charge light come on, then the radio switched itself off, and then the dials on the dashboard stopped working, and the car started slowing down. Got it too a safe place and called hub, who came and rescued me, and got me to work just a little late. We left my poorly car were it was over the weekend, and today its gone to the garage (car was closer to the garage - about a mile - than home, so we left it there).

Dressing Up part 2

Well, boys at school, Millie at nursery, so out came the sewing machine. After much pinning (using 3 needles, 3 safety pins and a name badge - I need some pins), it was ready to go. And do you know, the basic bodge seems to have worked. I can get it over my head, the seems are straight and its not too tight - apart from the short sleeves... Will have to see if I can salage that one - there may be enought room to re-sew them. Still needs finishing though - the neckline needs sorting out properly, then neatly(ish) sewn, so does the hem. But more pressing is the arms...

Dressing up

How hard can it be to make a santa hat, and some sort of longish top (to cover the thighs) in a lovely burgandy velvet (I don't do red - anyway this was hanging around - no point in buying more stuff is there?)
Ok - hat - I've cut a vaguely triangular shape out - all done by eye, finally mastered the sewing machine, and it did eventually do what I wanted it to. (note to self - when I come across the instructions I must put them with the sewing machine). Well the hat is a little loose, a bit floppy, but once its got fluffy white stuff round it it'll be just fine. I hope.
Fav pink top has been layed out over the velvet. Could only find a white gel pen to go round it in a kind of murder scene style. Haven't yet had the guts to cut it out and start stitching. What if its lop sided? What if my stitching is not good enough? What if, for some reason, once I've sewn it it doesn't fit? When I thought this up I thought it would be a breeze. Of course, in my head I can sew straight, I'd be able to draw the top onto the velvet with ease, and it would look fab.
Watch this space. Dress up day at work is in 10 days and counting. So, plenty of time to panic yet.