Baby Shower

I've never been to a baby shower.  My cousin Jemma is expecting in October and she was having a baby shower and I was invited.  Unfortunately I couldn't make it (so I still haven't been to one!) but since I was invited I thought that I should at least make a little card for the occasion.  Here is what I came up with:

Just a simple card, paper pieced pram, die cut words and I sewed on a couple of vintage buttons for the pram wheels.  Not sure if this is appropriate for a baby shower, but I sent it anyway!!!

Carole x

Birthday Candles

I seem to have developed a bit of a "thing" for candles!  Two of my recent birthday cards have featured them - both for boys, one for my nephew Felix and one for my Dad:

I'm thinking that the one I made for my Dad is a fairly quick and simple design that I might well use for other male birthdays (love it when you find something to crack the male problem!)

Carole x

Recipe Card

A while ago, when I used to go on the Docrafts forum, I belonged to a group of ladies who would swap Recipe Cards each month.  I loved making the cards, and testing the recipes of the cards that I received!  When my lovely friend Suzie Boo dropped by unexpectedly recently, although I hadn't done any housework (and indeed, was mid craft!) I did at least have a homemade cake to offer with a nice cup of tea!  Suzie liked the cake and asked for the recipe, so I made her a recipe card:

Making this card reminded me how much I used to enjoy this swap ... so if any of my lovely followers would like to swap a recipe card with me (and I'm pretty sure that Suzie would like to be in on a swap too) then let me know and we'll sort something out!  If you're reading this from Dublin Suzie, hope you don't mind me taking your name in vain!

Incidentally, Simnel Cake is a traditional Easter cake (so Suzie's visit probably wasn't as recent as I thought!) but I think that I will make this cake as my Christmas cake this year as it is lighter than my usual Christmas one but just as delicious!

Carole x

Today is the long awaited day!

Today is Alex's 17th birthday.  Today has been the most anticipated day since we went to Disney World in 2006 (and that was me doing the anticipating!!!).  Today, Alex took her very first driving lesson, and tomorrow she takes her driving theory test (not that she's keen or anything!)  So, as you might imagine, all her birthday pressies have been very much geared around driving and/or cars (she got her little Citroen C1 a couple of weeks ago).  We gave her 10 driving lessons, Hayden bought a set of new hub caps as one was missing when we bought the car, we also bought a Mickey Mouse aerial topper and an iphone holder for the car - just so that she had something to open on the day.  We also set up the insurance last night, but enough said about that the better, except one word : astronomical :(

In keeping with the car/driving theme, I wanted to make her a card with a car, preferably a little black car.  My OH took up the challenge, and not only was it a little black car, but it was a Citroen C1.  So, this card was very much a joint effort:

I, obviously, did the girly embellishments bit, whilst Phil did the car, including the shading with a white pencil, highlighting with a white pen and black pencil and pen touches too.  It is way more realistic than it would have been if I had been left to create the card on my own, but it's nice that it's from both of us.  I love the windscreen with the steering wheel and rear view mirror inside!!!

Off out to dinner tonight to a restaurant of Alex's choice (saves me cooking, although I have made the birthday cake as requested, on this occasion, Malted Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing topped with flake and a Malteser - ummmmmmm!)

Carole x

Recycled Gift Bag

Another Pinterest inspired crafty make here, this time gift boxes.  I don't know about you, but I love the gift boxes and bags you buy to pop gifts into, but aren't they expensive?  So, I had a go at making my own, a mixture of a bag and a box, made from an old cereal box (I cut the box in half and made both these boxes)

Before anyone points it out, yes, I admit it, they are very Carole styley!!!  I covered the boxes both inside and out with my lovely parcel paper and made another bottom from stronger card and again covered that with parcel paper just to make it all a bit stronger.  I wasn't entirely confident in the strength of my double sided tape so I have put regular sellotape along the bottom because it wouldn't be good if the gift fell out through the bottom!!!

I also made all my own flowers/embellishments which I was very pleased with, although that did mean that this wasn't a quick project, but hopefully will be appreciated by whoever I decide to give them to (as long as the gift fits!)

Carole x

London Mini Album

As you know, Phil and I went away to London to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary.  In the days following our trip, I put together a little book of the weekend.  It could be described as a "Smash Book" but it's maybe more of a journal with lots of ephemera included!  Whatever it is, I loved putting it all together and gathering bits and bobs for it during the weekend.

WARNING : Photo heavy (wasn't sure whether to do several posts or just show it in it's entirety today, but am going for all in one go!)

I cut up a London Underground map to use as the background for the title to get a feel for London from the cover.

I bought a couple of postcards to include in my journal, and although I bought them on Saturday morning, by the end of the weekend, I had actually seen everything featured on the postcard!

I used the "Do Not Disturb" door hanger from our hotel as another page ...

I kept all the entry tickets and leaflets from the things we did and included them.

(even popped the chopsticks wrapper in to lend a Chinese feel to this page!)

I used one of my new favourite glassine envelopes to pop The Lion King tickets into, along with the advertising leaflet.

So, there you go.  My first very photo heavy post - sorry!  Normal service will be resumed shortly.

Just in case you are interested (and haven't already seen enough photos), the basis of my journal was this:

I deliberately bought "buff" index cards, but in typically Carole fashion, didn't like them nor the letters on the tabs, so covered them in my beloved brown parcel paper!  Well, it is my book, and I wanted to use things that I love.  I didn't use too many embellishments, only a few bits of patterned paper, instead letting the leaflets and ephemera add the colour and interest.

Hope you like it - please leave me a comment.

Carole x