handmade cards

I used to handcraft all my cards, from birthday to Christmas, gift cards and labels, but time sort of got in the way. It gets in the way of a lot of things, does it not? So this weekend, Ella and I decided to shush time to the side and do something we love.

An enormous stash of embellishments, stamps, papers and exotic pens are useless if we're not using and enjoying them. Sometimes I look at my stash and coo over them, not wanting to 'use' them because they're too pretty. Not any more. Isn't much of an item's beauty in the sharing?

I particularly adore cards that are handmade and 'imperfect' - with ink marks here and there, freehand lines and writing - simple in design but clearly made from the heart.

I adore using vellum, and I hand-stamped these birds (above) on it before securing the edges with stickers. Vellum is gorgeous but such a pain to attach without marks showing through. I must dig out my collection of brads and use those to secure the corners.

Are birds not just the sweetest card embellishment? And loving these patent plastic shapes that add such whimsy and texture.

Ella, 10 years old, is ravenously driven by artistic pursuits. Because our dining room table is currently overrun with crafting for my latest book, she is in true handmade bliss, stopping off at the table to create her own treasures almost every day. Following are some of her beautiful cards. You'll seriously salivate over those chocolate cherries.

What have you been creating lately?