De Bruiloft (the wedding)

As my regular readers will know, DH and I are keen ballroom & Latin dancers: we have lessons every week.  The dance school arranges balls throughout the season and the most recent was de Bruiloft (the wedding).  The idea behind this theme was that the students would be the wedding guests.  We were split into to various groups: family of the bride/groom; colleagues of the bride/groom and so on – a great way of getting people to know each other from the different year groups.
Now, whilst we weren’t expected to bring a gift for the (pretend) bride & groom, we were encouraged to bring a card.  An opportunity that I simply couldn’t miss, and the bonus was I got to make two cards: one from DH and me and one from my DS and his dancing partner.

The one on the left used a combination of embossing (Swiss dots and hearts) and a bride & groom embellishment that I found in my stash.  The one on the right also made use of embossing, this time the wedding cake (Sizzix textured impressions – Wedding set 655845).  Using a gold ink pad, I carefully swiped over the embossing, just to give it a bit more oomph.
I also made a wedding cake.  Not a real one of course, but one from boxes,ribbon, ribbon & paper flowers, washi tape and oasis.
    

Almost silver

Friends of ours celebrated their 24th anniversary this year.  I wanted to included some sort of grey/silver elements as it’s almost the silver anniversary.  I also wanted to make a modern, fresh looking card.  This is what I came up with:

Using Sizzix Sizzlits heart scribbles #4 die (654811) and Sizzix self adhesive card stock in silver grey, orange and white, I cut three hearts. I mixed and matched the pieces until I had a look that I liked.  I embossed peach paper using my Cuttlebug Swiss dots embossing folder (37-1604) and assembled the card on a pearly orange card blank.  Before adding the hearts I used some grey washi tape to divide the card.

New Home

How exciting is it to leave home and move into your own place?  Another occasion where a special card is needed – as you (should) know by now, I couldn’t let this opportunity pass to make a card.

Once again, I started with a pearly white card blank.  This was embossed using my “Crafts Too” hearts embossing folder.  Using my Dutch house die (sorry, can’t remember where this one came from) I cut a house from white card.  This was mounted on a piece of blue card and trimmed.  The details to the shutters and roof were done with fine liners and the heart was cut from Sizzix self adhesive card stock (smallest heart Sizzix doodle love 38-9625).  The key was cut from silver card (Sizzix Bigz Heart Locket 655376).

Special anniversary

Without a doubt, all anniversaries are special and are cause for celebration.  I do love making cards for those extra special anniversaries.  I made this one for friends who were celebrating their 30th (pearl) anniversary.

I used a pearly white card base to get me started.  The letters were cut from white card (Sizzix alphabet Night & Day 654549) and I (carefully) stitched Pearl beads onto the letters.  The greeting was printed directly onto the card, grosgrain ribbon added across the middle and then the  letters were added.  The recipients loved it. 

New baby

Born early, this little one took me by surprise.  It was a scramble to get his present and card ready to give to the proud parents.

Card blank was embossed with Sizzix Textured Impressions Baby Set (655839) Die cut letters and Sizzix Original Bitty body (654573) and Bitty P.J’s & Bear (654578)

Anniversary & birthday

My friend celebrates her birthday and anniversary on the same day -  How lovely!

Christmas makes - 2

As is usual in our house (and like many others)  Christmas makes seem to dominate in the weeks leading up to Christmas.  All I can say, is thank goodness for the freezer!

In has now become a tradition for me to make our Christmas crackers and last year I was politely informed by DH & DS that Asian Chilli Jam is also part of our Christmas traditions – always happy to add to the (ever growing) list of traditions

Christmas cake, Yule Log and a Tunis New Year cake

Christmas makes

These were kits from our local discount store.  By the time Christmas arrived, I had made: 2 reindeer, 1 Santa and 1 snowman and I have a snowman kit put away to make this Christmas. I am particularly proud of these makes as they are the first kits I have completed where the instructions are in Dutch.

Christmas cards

All my cards for my ‘nearest & dearest’ were themed around Tilda stamps

Sax addiction

Having discovered last year that I could actually play the saxophone, I was thrilled to find this wire form sax in our local charity shop (kringloop).

With the addition of some LED lights . . .

and another birthday

This time for my cousin.  As my regular readers will know, my cousin likes all things oriental.  So this Tilda stamp fitted the bill perfectly.

I stamped the image onto white card, then coloured it with Copics.  The image was then trimmed and mounted onto to matt gold paper.  This was then put onto the prepared card blank.

September birthdays – part 2

. . . .  and for DS an “old fashioned” record player, though I had one like this, so maybe I’m older than I think!!

September birthdays – part 1

Both DH & DS have September birthdays, so the pressure is on to come up with special cards.

Last year was  made a little easier as we both took up new instruments.  In the past 18 months, I have taken up the clarinet and alto & tenor sax and DH has taken up the clarinet and alto sax – late starters, so to speak.  DH and DS are also keen vinyl collectors.

A gramophone and a sax, both worked on parchment.

Our anniversary

Last year we celebrated our 24th anniversary (where have all the years gone!)  I wanted to make an unusual card for DH.  Once again, using my new found Pergamano knowledge, I came up with this card.

 

Something different

I love crafting and I will try anything once.  I managed to pick up two rug kits from the local charity shop and though I would give it ago.  Many, many moons ago I had a go at rug making but found it rather tedious.  But seeing the rug kits (at a very good price) I simply couldn’t help myself.  I thoroughly enjoyed making the rug (I still have one to do) and the girls (my adorable cats, for those of you who don’t know) thought it was wonderful to sit on the bit that had been done.  It took me 7 weeks & 2 days from start to finish

Still birthday time . . .

Another birthday for another friend.

This time I used parchment for the design – a cupcake.  With parchment flowers, an embossed cake case and some gems (for sparkle) the card soon came together.

 

60 years young!

A friend of ours turned sixty last year, though you wouldn’t think it to look at him.

He is a keen (and good) drummer, plays in a band and also teaches dancing & Zumba – way to go eh?

A parchment drum kit fitted the brief perfectly.  The card blank was embossed using Sizzix Texturz Happy Birthday phrases – set #20 (656372)

Another birthday, with a twist

This time for our dancing teacher (and friend x x )

Every year we try and get a “jokey” present (he gets a proper one as well) for our dance teacher – normally it is an LP of some description, depending on what old music he has played during the dance season.  Last year he had a “thing” about Gilbert O'Sullivan.

Once again the Sizzix Bigz Teddy die (655360) came out and the bear was (as usual) shaded with Copics and dressed in the style of Gilbert O'Sullivan, complete with a record under his arm! 

The card blank was embossed using Sizzix Texturz Birthday Circles – set #20 (656372)

Birthday time

Last year, I took a Pergamano course.  Eager to try out my new found (and refined) skills I made a card for a dear friend of mine.  It was easy (for once) to pick a theme for the design:  we all go to ballroom and Latin dance lessons together and believe me, us ladies all need our fans during the lesson!  Hence the design for the card.

How time flies

Friends of mine celebrated their 1st anniversary last July (my goodness, I will soon be making one for their 2nd anniversary!)  Their story is a true love story (see here)

I wanted my design to show some sort of “togetherness”, so once again I pulled out my trusted Sizzix Bigz teddy die (655360). Both bears were shaded with Copics.
A sweet card for a sweet couple x x