Forensic Teaching Science!!

Confused by the title of this post?? Haha!! Then I shall explain...a while back we were asked to make a couple of cards for two very special people that were heading off to Uni this September....Melissa (Mel) will be studying Forensic science and Bethany (Beth) will be studying Teaching!! See, it makes sense now doesn't it!?!

With all that in mind, Mum made the following three cards to mark their new starts...

First up, there's this tatty teddy "star" card...Mum decided as they were both about to become superstars, they needed a super star card!!!

Ooo and as they were both from Donna and they'd probably see one another's card, she made them both the same...slightly different colours, but still the same!!

As Mel was moving all the way to Kent to study, Donna also asked us to make her a new home card...

So Mum made this very cute little card...personally I'd say that the two little bears are Ed and Donna (Mum and Dad) sending lots of Love to Melissa in her new home...so appropriate I think!!

We're still a little bit behind with these posts, so both girls have now left for uni...but as far as we've heard (and seen the pics!) they're both having lots of fun already!! 

Best of luck girlies

Little x

Chez Jackie!!!

Remember way back in May, I shared a very special card with you that was sent all the way to Canada?? Then in July I shared another card that was sent to Canada?? Well, they were both sent to Jackie's Son Rob and Daughter-In-Law Jess who live in Canada....but this week Rob returned home for the first time in over two years...don't worry he brought his Wife too!!!

Jackie was so excited when she found out her Son was coming home...in fact I'm pretty sure that if it was possible for a human to explode with excitement, she would have done just that!!! Jackie instantly set about getting everything ready for their visit ...including repainting!!! But as it was such a special occasion and she was so excited, she asked us to help her out with something a little bit different...the only problem was, she didn't know what!!!!

Originally Jackie asked us to create a couple of special gifts for Rob and Jess to take home with them. However, having found out that Jess had been given a huge list of requests for things to take home and would therefore have no room left in her suitcase, Jackie thought it best to change that idea!!!

So then what??? ...Well, that was a surprise...even for Jackie. Ooo yes, she asked us for our help and our help was what she got!!!

Mum and I decided that although Rob and Jess would be staying with Jackie rather than at a hotel, they would still need the "hotel treatment", so with a bit of imagination, a lot of giggles and some heartfelt thought, we came up with this...

Yep that's right...Rob and Jess will be staying at "Chez Jackie"...the new and exclusive hotel situated right here in Basingstoke and rather handily owned and run by Jackie!!!....why the flip flops??? Well, Jackie loves her flip flops...she even wears them in winter!!! So when I created the brand logo for "Chez Jackie" there was only one choice for the imagery!!! Ooo and what you can't see in this picture, is that inside their welcome folder was a whole heap of leaflets for local places to visit along with some taxi company business cards and some fascinating information all about Basingstoke!!!

Now then, usually when you stay in a hotel, you not only get a welcome pack, but you also get some refreshments too right??? ...

you do at "Chez Jackie" too!!! there are two little boxes, each containing some coffee sachets, tea bags and of course sugar. Only problem is, if they want a tea or coffee they don't have a kettle in their room!!! Well you can't have everything can you!!!

But you can have breakfast....

So long as you order it from "Chef Rob"...Ooo yes, there was no way we were going to have them thinking Jackie would take them breakfast every morning!!! I can tell you, Mum and I had so much fun making this menu and thinking up all the names of the dishes...my personal favourite is "Baps Out"...makes me chuckle every time!!! 

Most importantly of all though, no hotel stay is complete without finding a mint on your pillow!!! So Mum made these little guys...

Ok, so don't look at the one in the middle with the funny eyes (I said don't look)...don't look like mints??? Well, hidden inside their heads is a round chocolate mint...cute right???

There were a couple of other jobs that we did too, but they were a surprise!!! Mum and I honestly had so much fun making all these little goodies, and can only hope that Rob and Jess love them as much as we do...but if Jackie's reaction is anything to go by, I'm sure they will, as not only did she not stop saying thank you, but she also brought us a very special treat...

Not that she had to of course, but they were very gratefully received...Love you Jackie

Little x

Almost Lost Nelly!

We've made so many projects recently and had so much going on I seem to have lost a bit of my brain!!! A few weeks ago we were asked to make an elephant birthday card. I chose all my paper pieces...I printed off the image...I decoupaged the elephant...I stuck it all together...I added the flowers...I glittered it all...I added some ribbon...In fact I finished it all...It was pretty (well in my opinion anyway)...I had it all ready for collection...it was collected...

But....only after it was collected did I realise that I hadn't taken a photo of it...It's habitual...you make a card...you take a photo of it...you than bag it up, write a receipt and it's all ready for collection...but this time I failed!!! My brain was so full of "what am I going to make for Christmas" that I completely ignored what I was supposed to have been doing!!! I sat for hours disappointed that I'd lost it...but then it struck me...whilst texting back and forth with Lady I mentioned I was making an elephant card....Ooo and not only that, but I sent her a photo of it!!!! Woohoo!!! 

and here it is!!!

it's not quite the completed card, but at least I didn't quite lose Nelly!!!

Little x

A Little Bit Overdue

No matter how much time you have, you just never seem to have enough do you!!! I seem to have fallen a little bit behind with sharing projects we've made again, so from today I'm back for a whole weeks worth of posts to try and get things a little more up to date....starting with today's projects...

Way back on the 18th September, Lady celebrated her anniversary with Wiggers...or to be a little more accurate, Mel and Mick!!! As always, when it comes to making cards for Lady, it's a little more complicated. As you know she's a fellow crafter, so the pressure is on to make them that extra bit perfect...or at least try!!! I can sit for days/weeks with a blank mind trying to concoct an idea of what to do, until finally at last it'll hit me. For her anniversary, I have a bit of a confession...the layering was actually supposed to have been for Lady's birthday card...but as I couldn't get any pink card to match what I needed (just how many shades of pink can there possibly be!!!) I decided to use it on their anniversary card instead!!!

What do you think??? The moment I put the stitched layers with the inner image, I just knew I had to use them on this...but there was still something missing...I had no ribbon!!! You can't possibly make a card for Lady without ribbon...it breaks the "law of the wibbon"!!! So after a "lightbulb moment" I decided to add the little heart to the tree with their names with the ribbon on top...problem solved!!!

In addition to the ever so important ribbon on her cards, when it comes to making cards for Lady, there's usually one choice of colour...pink, pink and more pink!!! But when Mum made her anniversary card she had a problem...there were specific images from a kit she really wanted to use, but none of them were pink...she "ummed" and "aaahhed" for hours trying to work out if it was the right thing to do, but eventually after a lot of "yep Mum, it's perfect" from me, she made this ...

Not a single bit of pink in sight...but very very cute. Anyway, how many pink cards can one person have??? (the answer's not 84!!!) Originally, Mum had laid everything out and it looked beautiful, but then I noticed something...no ribbon again...if one card without ribbon breaks the "wibbon law" then what the heck does two cards without ribbon do!?! So, with a bit of shuffling about, Mum added the daisy ribbon which matched perfectly with the little daisy in the bear's hand....but it still looked like something was missing....cue a bit of glue, a lot of gems and even more "Ooo for Christ's sake's" and the little daisy's had red gem centres....perfect!!! 

Even up until the moment Mel had opened her card, Mum was worrying about the missing pink!!! Thankfully though I think Mel loved it, even without the pink!!!

Happy belated anniversary Mick & Mel

Little x