a card for hope

it is so long since I started teaching card making,,,,about 12 years ago in fact. It was not a popular craft at that time and I think I was the only listing for workshops in Crafts Beautiful Magazine - at that time the most popular crafts magazine in the UK. I met so many fabulous girls and we had so much fun thinking up designs and creating our cards at a diverse range of locations from tiny church halls to the poshest hotels in town.  I even landed up showing how to make cards on Scottish Television and the BBC! 

Now of course card making and scrap booking are so popular and the range of products is immense.

It does take a lot longer but is, I think, a lot more enjoyable to design your own projects rather than simply sticking a topper on a piece of card. Some of the cards and scrap books that are being made now are beyond words and so beautiful. Also the internet allows us to share projects and source product from around the world. Tell me a crafter who doesn't love Pinterest?

....enough of my history and back to the present. I have been making a card for a very special friend who is about to go in to hospital. I don't want to post it online as it is obviously personal,  so have made a second, somewhat similar one

I printed off the background (from Karen at The Graphics Fairy) on to paper and attached it to the A5 card with double sided tape

Next I printed the beautiful ballerinas image (also from Karen's site) on to linen and gave it an aged effect by brushing coffee on and then spattering stronger coffee over it using an old toothbrush (my best tried and tested way) - just dip the brush in water and flick over with your thumb  (also works as snow if you use white paint).

I then added a little swag of twirled roses I had made with my hand dyed ribbon

and finally a little poem I wrote a couple of years ago - I hope  the words will do just that. Please feel free to use it

I have had a problem with my blog this week - I inadvertently asked Google to divert it to my website and it just didn't work out. Soooo I have had to start this new blog & paste and copy every posting. Hope this works and I make sure I press the right button in future