Sneaking in a Crafty Craft

Categories: crafting

Date: 30 June 2013 13:19:07

Before I go, I wanted to make a few cards for family and friends...

This is for friends I'm going to see when I'm over in Downe House.

Alison & Chris (or Kit, as he is now known ) have been friends since we were at Teacher Training College more than 30 years ago. Alison and I became firm friends in our fourth year, thanks to a rather manipulative b*tch of a "friend" who decided that we no longer fitted her definition of how she wanted her friends to behave (i.e. we dared to have other circles of friends in which we moved, we didn't always have her as our "best" friend, and we didn't always do what she thought we should do) and who dropped us from her circle. So we fell together and became close friends. I'm Godmother to one of Alison & Kit's sons, and we try to see each other once a year, if at all possible. It's as though we saw each other the day before when we get together. So the Queen Bee did us a very big favour!

Alison & Kit have a lovely home with lots of quirkily artistic touches. They appear to have a "thing" for elephants, so this should fit the decor nicely! They're having me to stay for a weekend, so it will be nice to take a card. I made it with an elephant cut out of a sheet of such beasts, which (amazingly!) I don't think was on any kind of discount!! However the yellow banana paper behind was from Noz, and the card was rescued from a recycling bin! I embellished him with some teeny-tiny gold stars that were free with a craft magazine years ago.

The next card is this one:

This one is for my M-i-L to say Thank You for having me to stay as I pass through on my way to Downe House. I want to tell her that she is a lovely person: I can't imagine having a better M-i-L to be honest! She has always, always made me feel welcome and part of the family, and I love her very much.

Again this uses scraps and discount stuff (when don't I use such things?!) I was particularly pleased by the ribbon - 4 reels of toning ribbon for 1€ the four! I got the red/yellow combo and the turquoise/brown. I wish I'd got more now, but I have so many scraps and bits'n'bobs that even at 1€ I felt I couldn't justify it.

And one for my mum:

When we were en route to the Alps with the Cycle Club for the Voyage a couple of weeks ago, we passed close to Geneva, and Mont Salève, and I had so many happy memories of holidays spent there with my family. I realised I don't tell my mum how much I love her and appreciate what she has done for me. I only told my dad the same thing when he was dying - I don't want to leave it that late with mum. But, of course, we don't generally "do" this sort of thing, so, like with dad, I will write her a letter rather than say it. But here's the card it will go in.

Mont Salève, looking down to Geneva

And finally, one more card:

"Friendship is the most precious of all life's gifts"

I drew and coloured the image myself, using watercolour pencils. I think I messed up the little girl's smile a bit - she looks slightly deranged and evil! Never mind!