3D Cards: The Zig-Zag

My second 3D card was also a well done card but this time it was for my sister on receiving her GSCE results.

I used the same blog as last time for my inspiration although this time I opted for a zig zag card. I started with a sheet of pink cardstock which, after scoring and cutting in the appropriate places, I decorated with paper from the Retro Rose range by Llewelyn Bowen (ones I have used before and plan on using again and again.)

I also decorated the card with acetate butterflies and flowers, keeping with the colour scheme of pink, green and yellow. I added a bit of sparkle in the way of peel off flowers before handwriting the sentiment in a retro font.

I really liked the way the paper was already shaped at the edges; it made for an interesting border to the card. 

The written message for the card, you can probably just about make it out in the photo, went on the back panel of the card so that when it was closed, it was hidden behind the sentiment. Making 3D cards, I've realised, gives more scope for design by allowing you to create a new level. I not only have to think about what the card looks like on the front but also when it is closed - just out of the envelope - and when it is open - stood up on display. I wanted the butterflies to stand out a bit and in order to do that, I had to make sure that while they weren't sticking out too much that the card didn't fit in the envelope, they weren't hidden by the panel in front when the card was closed. It was a similar situation with the peel offs in that I didn't want to see them when the card was closed (this meant I had to do a bit of re shuffling)

Overall, I think this one was simpler than my previous one but that doesn't mean that it didn't have it's own design challenges!

Exciting News

So, in my last post I mentioned having some exciting news. Well, I couldn't wait any longer to share so here it is.

A while back, whilst doing my card-lympics, I tweeted to my favourite magazine about them. A little later that day I received an e-mail from them saying that they wanted to feature my blog in the magazine on their blog feature page and wanted a photo of my card. This was one that I made for a very close family friend who loved shoes and was starting a new job. 
I was sent a proof copy of the article (which is what this is from) but I now have the actual magazine. With my card in! Still not quite come down to Earth yet! 6 months ago I barely had a Facebook page for my cards, let alone a blog and now I'm appearing in my favourite magazine!

Told you it was exciting!

Busy Weekend

This weekend saw me making plenty of cards for various occasions, including my first proper order - my brother was talking about my cards to one of his friends who needed one for her mum's birthday later this week. The theme for this card was The Cat in the Hat.
I began by looking at the character on-line and sketching out some ideas. I decided to make (yet another) silhouette card but highlight his famous hat and bow-tie.
To make it, I drew out my cat onto black card and finished it off by adding a red and white paper hat (and tie) with pen detail. 
I finished the card with silver stars and a happy birthday foam sticker.

After I had shown it to mum, she wanted one for her boss' birthday, her boss who happens to like cats. This one was more or less the same, with small changes in the details.





My third card of the weekend was a new baby card for our brand new family member (a distant relation). This one required a bit of inspiration. I finally came across the perfect template.

I used some pink and cream spotted paper for the rabbit, finishing it off with a little pink ribbon and pen features. The card itself was decorated with a strip of cream ribbon and some pink gingham tape with a 'congratulations' foam sticker (there is a lack of 'new baby' or 'baby girl/boy' stickers in my stash).


My other creation was for a family friend who was starting a new job. This was a new theme for me, having never made a 'good luck on your new job' card before. So I hit my magazines once more. Unfortunately, they were limited and all included stationary or shirts and ties which wasn't what I was looking for. I did have one idea though and that was shoes. My friend, Jan, absolutely adores shoes, so I decided to make them the focus of the design.
Again, I chose to do a silhouette card but used brightly coloured paper from the Retro Rose range for the shoes and detail on the card. I am so happy with the design and love the colours. I think it definitely ranks up there with my favourite makes. I used Word to help me write the message, but typing it out, finding the right font and copying it onto the card. I didn't just want to write good luck but I was able to come up with this sentiment, which I thought matched my card perfectly.

CAS-ual Fridays

CAS-ual Fridays

A very quick post for this week's challenge, which was to create a card which featured two circles.

I decided to use the Retro Rose range by Laurence Llewelyn Bowen for this project. I really love the bright colours and bold patterns in this range I picked up some papers, vellum and chipboards a while back and although I have used them on a couple of occasions, I keep forgetting about them.

I finished the card off by adding a 'happy birthday' peel off.