SALE - Christmas Is Coming

I just wanted to say that I am joining the sale over on Etsy. All Christmas cards and goodies are 10% off and there are a few miscellaneous designs and birthday cards thrown into the offer too.

Have a really lovely week!

Katie

Etsy

My Etsy shop is now open! 🎉 

My handcrafted greetings cards are available to buy online in the UK. Pop on over for special birthday cards and Christmas cards too!

Happy Tuesday!

Katie 

Thank You

The summer holidays are almost here and it is that time of year again. Time to say thank you! I remember a certain amount of pride in choosing a small present for my teacher and writing in their card. The day I took it into school meant that I had weeks of holiday ahead of me and everyone always seemed to be in a good mood.

I know more than one person who is a teacher or who works in education, and I have volunteered at my local primary school before. I know the effort and ethic involved in this kind of work and, while I did appreciate it while I was at school I find it even more admirable now.

Thank you to everyone out there who supports, teaches and guides us!

Katie

Happy Father's Day!

Dad, 

Thank you for all that you do and all that you've done. Thank you for putting up with my attempts to talk sport and for saying you like everything that I cook! I appreciate it. Don't worry I made you a card too! 

This was a custom order for a pretty special Dad. I was given a short brief and this is what I came up with. 

Thank you to all the Dads, Grandpas and Great Grandads out there. You're all pretty great!

Happy Father's Day!

Katie

There's Always Time for a Cuppa

It is Monday morning (just about) and I've got my cup of tea next to me for a quick pause from making.

I like having a hot drink to break up the day or to talk to friends over. So its not a fancy hot chocolate with marshmallows today but on this Monday morning, when the sky is lovely and blue, I appreciate it.

I hope you have a lovely week! I am off to a supply show midweek and I am looking forward to being surrounded by all things craft and creative.

Katie

Up, Up and Away

I love coming up with new card designs and this rocket was one of my favourites. I like when I can customise a card for a special occasion and that certainly applies for 5th birthdays!

If you're interested in getting a card for a notable birthday or perhaps an invitation, do get in touch at katiesarah,makes@hotmail.co.uk

Have a lovely day!

Katie 

Lollipop Lollipop

Last week I shared my sweet treats greeting card which was inspired by a visit to a local sweet shop. This lollipop, a larger version of the one on that card, is just as colourful with summery pastels and glittery white sprinkles. This lollipop comes wrapped in thin, clear plastic too!

It can be customised in any colour and is just as perfect for a party invitation as it is as a greetings card. If you're interested, please do get in touch.

Happy Monday!

Katie

Sweet Treats

I created this greetings card having visited a sweet shop in a local town. It had the feel of an old fashioned store with rows of jars filled with colourful sweets but there were plenty of more recent and American treats around too.

The swirly lollipop, in a similar style to my sparkly birthday range, and the jelly beans reminds me of Honeydukes in Harry Potter!

Each part of this design is cut from textured, coloured paper, with some parts standing forward from the card and others wrapped in thin, clear plastic and ribbon for the full sweet shop effect!

I hope you had a good weekend!

Katie

Pocket Rocket

Looking up at the sky at night and seeing the moon, it is incredible to think that humans have been there. Space travel is pretty remarkable.

By coincidence I had just finished reading The Martian when I first made this card. That's not especially relevant but it is still worth a read! I’ve since made this rocket in a range of other colours and it works well as an invitation too. I make each rocket by hand from textured and sparkly papers and this design stands forward from the card. 

Have a great week!

Katie

Thank You, Teacher!

For a lot of people the summer holidays are about to start and the sun has come out especially!

What is nice about this time of year is that people think about thanking the teachers that have supported them or their children throughout the year. I can name a few teachers who made my school experience so much richer and the least they deserved was a card!

Have a very happy sunny day!

Katie

Sprinkles and 99s

The sun today has left me dreaming of lazy summer days and ice cream vans, sprinkles and 99 cones.

These ice cream themed cards can be bought as greetings cards for birthdays and summer celebrations or they can be used as invitation cards for the perfect summer party!

I hope you had a chance to soak up a little bit of the sun today!

Katie 

Love Blossoms!

I made this Japanese blossom greetings card a couple of months ago for a wedding in May. I was asked to make a card that picked up on the themes of the invitation which also featured paper cranes and blossom.  

When I was first asked to make this wedding card I had visions of myself trying to conjure tiny little origami cranes out of paper. I abandoned that idea, and instead I layered small cut out paper parts to create the focal point of this design.

I framed the two cranes with two branches of Japanese cherry blossom. I used black for the branches in the style of some traditional Japanese art and design and I think this, with the white background, makes the other colours pop. For the blossom I combined my usual textured papers with sparkly pink and pearl centres.

I enjoyed making this wedding card. It was an opportunity to work with a theme in my style and try something I hadn’t done before. Custom orders are always fun!

I hope you had a good weekend!

Katie

Green Fingered Greetings

This greetings card was inspired by a card that I made for my grandpa. He used to have an allotment so I made a card for him with small paper vegetables. From that, I thought I would make a card to go alongside this other gardening design. There’s now an option for each type of gardener in my stock!

Each element of the card - including the vegetables and garden tools - has been cut and assembled by me, by hand. They are made from textured coloured papers and metallic silver card.

I hope you had a good weekend!

Katie 

Big Love

I use a lot of elephants in my greetings cards. This was a card I started making this year, originally with Valentine’s Day in mind but it can actually be used throughout the year - for anniversaries or perhaps just sharing the love on the everyday. 

These two elephants are very happy to spread the love with hearts made of both textured pinks and sparkly card too. I can make adjustments to this design with a satin ribbon bows or bow ties, and I can also add a number for a year or use different coloured hearts.

I hope you had a nice weekend.

Katie 

Strawberry Cupcake

My cupcake cards have always gone down well. I think they’re perfect for birthdays because they’re colourful and they have some sparkle too.

In summer I kind of like the idea of strawberry everything. It is one of my favourite fruits which is the reason why I decided to make this Strawberry Cupcake. With summery reds and sparkly pale pink sprinkles it is a birthday card, a note card or a summer party invitation. It fits with my other cupcake designs quite well and I have actually sold these in a set together before too.

It is June! Does that mean summer has started now? I’m never quite sure. Either way I hope the sun is out for you and you’ve got something lovely coming up this season.

Katie 

Ice Cream Daze

Summer means ice cream, doesn’t it? I think it partially does and it is even better if you’ve got the sun and beach to go with it.

I’ve made ice cream cards before and while I do continue to make and sell this design, another style of ice cream has evolved from my sparkly birthday range. With a great curl of ice cream this design is more Mr Whippy Ice Cream Van than gelato bar.  It features the familiar sprinkles from my cupcakes and fits right into the range - I often sell these greetings card alongside each other.

This ice cream is vanilla but one of my favourite flavours is mint choc chip. I think I’ll work on that next! Have a really good day!

Katie  

Thanks Dad.

Dads. They can be pretty good, and we have a lot to thank them for. It might be because they took us swimming at the weekend and packed the car boot for holidays, or it might be for the shoulder they lend us to lean on and the hugs they give when we need a boost.

My dad did and does all of the above. He also watched Robot Wars with me and a card is the least I can do for him. With Father’s Day next week, why not take the time to say thank you to the people that stand by us? J

Have a good day!

Katie  

Fruit Salad

What do you think of when you think of summer? Colour and fruits are up there on my list which makes this greetings card perfect for the season. I love a good fruit salad in summer!

Each of the fruits in this design is cut from textured papers by me, by hand. They are then fixed down in different layers - The pineapple, strawberries and orange all stand forward from the card.

I hope you have had a good week! Have a lovely weekend!

Katie

A Little Bit of Luck

For some people May means the start of exams. It can be a daunting time of year so I suppose it is nice to know that people are thinking of you and wishing you all the best.

This card stemmed from a shamrock card I was asked to make for someone. I added another leaf to the clover and it was all ready to send some luck in the post!

Wishing you lots of luck for the week ahead!

Katie

All Made Up!

I adapted this greetings card from a custom order I made earlier in the year. With lots of pink and sparkle too it is card for someone who likes to pamper themselves.

I cut each piece of this design from textured coloured paper and used iridescent medium to create a metallic nail polish and to put powder on the brush. I created the brush of the mascara with tiny slivers of black paper.

Happy Monday!

Katie