Saturday 13 October 2012

Stationary

 Scrap bookers and card makers look away now. This will not meet with your standards. I've seen some amazing creations done with inks and stamps and goodness knows what else, and I can't hope to reach those dizzy heights.
However I have been up to some cutty choppy printy stuff lately.

I rashly offered to make some wedding invitations for one of my former pupils.
I'm already booked to do her flowers and she wants only Gypsophila tied with string for a bouquet, and on the tables at the reception she wants flowers in jam jars decorated with scrim and string, which I think I can manage.
 So when she sent some ideas for invitations I think I knew what she would like.
My initial thoughts were to cut a stamp of a perching bird but my rubber carving skills were such that the legs caused me a terrible problem.

So I got out my tablet and opened photoshop. Think monkey and typewriter with me and photoshop...and then the wretched Macbook wouldn't speak to the tablet so I couldn't draw a bird even if I'd wanted to, so back to the drawing board..literally.
If a bird is flying you can't see its legs so here's what I carved.


I'd ordered some super duper 'Hairy Manilla' recycled card and envelopes and it came very quickly and printed up beautifully.
Not being accustomed to working in mixed media lately the only paint I could find  was a box of watercolour tubes. Within this box only about three of them were still moist so I mixed two of them , cobalt blue and alizarin crimson, with a roller..er sorry..a brayer.... and got a nice purply brown.

The paper just sucked it up.
Perfect.
I cut out the birds, and printed the names on the card. (I've scribbled on them to keep them anonymous)
I liked the bird being a sort of closure on the card.

 So I stuck it on half off!

For the other side I printed a sheet with the words 'wedding invitation' and cut out hearts

 I quite like them and I love the VT Remington font ( but I think it caused word to crash)
Inside I stuck printed sheets with the details of the wedding on cream paper in the same font.

 I did a few extra in case of mistakes and here they all are, ready for delivery at church in the morning.


 Sadly I think I've worked for about 10p per hour. 
But I enjoyed it.

(I also did a spare sheet of bird prints in case I found another use for them.
 They are the ones in the fourth photo . That was my mistake ..I took a photo and then left them at low level and Hetty ate them.)


 I found the cards fit exactly into and old Nokia phone box. I turned it inside out so thats another recycled bit. Don't you just love it when that happens?


UPDATE: She loves them!

26 comments:

Elizabethanne said...

Hello Jackie
I am an experienced card maker, & these look fantastic. I so love your bird stamp you made.
Your Friend
Elizabeth x

Thimble Fingers said...

You are a woman of many talents Jackie!

Marigold Jam said...

I think they are brilliant - so much nicer and more personal than anything shop bought and nobody else will have any quite the same. I am sure she'll love them.

dottycookie said...

I think you are being too modest - those are lovely. Really lovely!

Gigibird said...

Ha ha ha ha there was me thinking isn't Jackie clever and artistic but she mucked up the message as it's all blurred - then I realised you had pixilated the name and address out with photoshop......doh

Heather said...

These are wonderful. I love the bird image and the way you have used it. Your friend will be surely delighted with everything.

Magic Bean said...

Mmm. Do you think BigBean would let us do our wedding again so I could have invitations like that??? Ax

Twiglet said...

You are such a clever thing!! brilliant x Jo

Elizabeth Armstrong said...

BRILLIANT!
You bird carving is really super - you should consider doing a lot more carving. Such a personal touch and I am certain your friend will be thrilled. Go you!

Rachel said...

The bird stamp is gorgeous - well done!

hens teeth said...

Hello me old mate...job very well done, I would say. xxx

Sarah Ashford said...

Wow these look just lovely. And how wonderful that you made the stamp yourself. I have just completed a little project for someone, and I too have worked for about 10p per hour, but that's the love of all things hand made for you!

Terri said...

Love your invitations. Good Job! I've made cards before, but haven't in a while. You've inspired me to try again.
Hugs

vintagerockchick said...

The invitations are lovely Jackie, I'm sure the bride-to-be is delighted with them.
And well done on your huge numbers of Facebook fans - I'm afraid I steer clear of Facebook usually, but I made an exception just this once, and your have over a thousand likes now! x

menopausalmusing said...

You made me roar with laughter at comment re monkey and typewriter! Lovely job on the invitations, the manilla looks so touchy feely.....

Gina said...

Not surprised she loves them. They are fabulous!

Carol said...

Lovely! Nice job!

caprejan said...

Im not blogging at the moment but read my favourites regularly. I think your invitations are wonderful, but you are very talented.

Anonymous said...

I think they're wonderful and so much nicer than shop bought. Well done indeed.

JennyPennyPoppy said...

Your stamp worked out wonderfully well and your handmade invitations are superb!!

JP said...

I'm not surprised she loved them - I think they are fabulous - gyposhilia is the in thing at the moment so you are well in

FeltersJourney said...

Jackie I L-O-V-E the invitations! You did a wonderful job there!
Love the simplicity of the flowers that the bride wants too, especially using jam jars for vases.
xx

Linda Vincent said...

Jackie you're a star...these are so lovely.
You can definitely make mine if I decide to get married again....;-) xx

Het Wolbeest said...

I love them! They're fabulous! Love, Alexandra.

FeltersJourney said...

Hi Jackie, just wanted to thank you for coming over to my blog and commenting - you really made me smile :)
I did reply to the comment on my blog.. then realised you may well not see that
Deborah x

Magpie's Mumblings said...

I know I would be more than happy to have these, and I'm glad to see in your update that she loved them...rightly so!



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