Many people enjoy receiving a birthday card that makes them laugh! Especially birthday people who have celebrated many, many birthdays!
No matter what kind of a birthday card you choose to give, it is extra nice to present a real card! They can look at it later, display it, and remember their celebration. Plus, they will appreciate your thoughtfulness!
Here are two funny birthdays cards I created that will result in a smile, maybe even a chuckle or two!
I used the stamp set from ‘Inky Antics‘ to create this funny birthday card. When you scratch off the circles, the words ‘liver spots’, “wrinkles”, and “adult diapers” are revealed. There are many other words included in this set, and you can even create you own!
There are many embossing folders on the craft market. I chose one that looks like a quilt to create this next card. I used the top portion of an “Art Impressions” stamp of an old woman and tucked her in bed. My customer really liked this card!
If you know someone who will be celebrating a birthday, I would love to create a funny card for them! Each card is only $3.50US and you will have it in a couple of days!
Contact me at horsemarkcards@gmail.com for special requests or more information.
Enjoy your creative day, and don’t forget to share a smile!
Yep! Football season is back and many fans are cheering for their favorite teams. (In some cases, they may be yelling!) Even if you’re not a football fan, you are sure to know someone who enjoys watching this sport.
A couple of years ago, when the Seattle SeaHawks won the SuperBowl, there were so many excited fans! (We don’t talk about the year after that. 😦 (I kept hearing the phrase ” Why did he THROW the ball???” for weeks after that game.)
I digress…..
I created a birthday card for my husband, who’s from Seattle and has always been a fan of their sports teams. I even made him a sports quilt with all of his favorite teams. Since there was extra fabric, I fussy cut the helmet and text to apply to this card. It has been one of my most pinned and shared cards. (Lots of SeaHawks fans are out there!)
I have decided to create more for those that would like to purchase it for $4.00. A small price to pay to make a SeaHawks fan smile on his birthday!
This Seattle SeaHawks card can also be personalized.
$4.00
This card can be personalized by adding the details in the notes section when you purchase the card. If you prefer, you can also email me at horsemarkcards@gmail.com with the information.
More versions of this card are available on my HorseMark Cards website. I hope you’ll stop by for a visit. 🙂 I am also able to create cards for other sports teams if you would like one.
Whatever team you are supporting, I hope you enjoy watching the games with your family and friends.
Many people who enjoy creating things use items like paper, fabric, wood, or most anything! Today’s post will feature fabrics, and falls under my blog category, ‘…and a little bit more!’
One of the reasons I enjoy blogging is ‘meeting’ new people and sharing the ideas we learn from the blogs we follow. One of my favorite blogs is Sew Many Ways. Karen is the crafty author of this fantastic blog. She has so many creative and clever ideas for so many projects, so make sure to pay her a visit!
A few years ago, Karen posted a tutorial on making coasters using a CD. Since these are made from fabric, they soak up the condensation from cold drinks. (Many of the coasters with the cork or other hard surfaces tend to leave a ‘puddle’ of water on them and they often stick to the glass.) I also love that you can easily attach the coaster to a stemmed glass or pedestal cup, or use the reverse side for a regular cup or glass. So, these fabric coasters are perfect and I thought they would be fun to make! I thought I would share a few that I have made, perhaps to inspire you to create some too!
These coasters can be made using a variety of fabrics!
Scraps of various fabrics I had in my stash were used to create a variety of fun coasters. Since I usually don’t use a pattern when I create quilts, there are usually several cuts of unused and left over fabrics that fill my stash. Several squares of denim fabric from my son’s jeans were left over from the quilt from toddler’s clothes I made him years ago. I combined these with a bit of red fabric to make fun coasters for our family room.
Coasters of my favorite NBA team – the Sacramento Kings!
I had an idea to use the extra fabric I had after I created a favorite sports team quilt for my husband to make some of these coasters. I had to purchase some sports fabrics online and ordered more than I needed for his quilt. The fabric for the Sacramento Kings basketball team was perfect to make several coasters! We share season tickets with friends, so I gave them each a set of four coasters when we hosted our game selection get-together last year.
Coasters I made for our favorite baseball teams!
The only fabric I could find for the San Francisco Giants was in a fleece, which I felt would not work well for these coasters. But, some left over baseball fabric from a quilt I made for our nephew was perfect to pair with the Seattle Mariners baseball team fabric I used in the sports quilt!
This fabric with tiny leaves and acorns is perfect for autumn.
I also created a few for my living room to use during the fall. We have a huge 300 year old oak tree in our front yard. I found this fabric in colors that matched my room, with a bonus — it has acorns! These coasters are perfect for my cup of foo-foo coffee or a nice glass of wine!
So, if you’re looking for an idea to create some fun gifts and use some of your fabrics, these coasters are perfect! They are very easy to make too! They can also be used like wine charms; they can identify your drink from others. This is a good reason to make a variety of coasters using the same theme, but perhaps in different colors.
Thanks again to Karen for the inspiration and all of her ideas!
When I began this blog over two years ago, I never knew how much I would enjoy it! What a journey it has been! This is my 100th post!
I extend a huge “THANK YOU” to all my followers and fellow blogging friends I have met along the way. Some have been with me from the beginning, others have just joined. But I am so thankful for all of you who encourage and support me!
Many ideas on creating handmade cards and using items in different ways have been shared on my blog. Perhaps my favorite posts have been about Why I Cut Up Invitations!
Sharing few of my quilts (I am a novice quilter.) have also been part of my blogging journey.
Quilts and Cards created on my blogging journey!
This blog was intended to be about the creative things in life, but sometimes it has taken a different direction. Keeping in touch with the people we care about is so important and I have tried to share this idea through my cards. One of my favorite posts, The Love of Communication, is about someone very special to me. She is almost 100 years old!
Every blogger has their own style and reason for sharing with others. I have enjoyed following and visiting many other blogs and have been so inspired! Many improvements on my blog are needed, so I will be very busy and challenged!
Thank you again for visiting, liking, and commenting on my blog! I appreciate every one!
I look forward to sharing more ideas with you in 2015!
I would like to ‘Welcome’ you if you are a first-time visitor to my little creative corner, and say ‘Welcome Back’ to my regular readers. The support and encouragement from readers like you is what makes blogging so worthwhile. I have met so many friends from many parts of our world since I began my blog about two years ago. It is exciting to share ideas, create, and learn from others!
Around the World Blog Hop
Today’s post will be a bit different since I am participating in the Around the World Blog Hop. My invitation to be a part of this fun blog hopping event, (my first!) was given to me my Thea. Her blog, Time with Thea,is one of my favorite blogs! She always has such wonderful ideas and tutorials on gardening, making wreaths, organizing, and so many other DIY projects and techniques. She has a lot of wisdom to share and has more time to devote to her blog now since she has recently retired from her teaching career. Once you visit her blog, you will want to stay for a long visit! She is also one of the most generous and supportive bloggers. Thank you Thea for this invitation and all the creative ideas you share!
The Around the World Blog Hop involves answering a couple of questions so readers will better understand the process of each blog and the person behind it. Each participant invites another blogger to join the hop the following week. I have invited Tayna, the creative blogger behind Mrs. Hughes to join in on the fun. I have been following her blog for several months. She has a love for vintage sewing and shares lots of ideas on sewing, patterns, DIY projects and tutorials. You will love the dresses she makes! A visit to her blog will be very enjoyable and inspirational! Look for her post next week!
So, now I will get on with my questions and answers as I participate in this fun blog hop! (I switched the questions around a bit, as I thought it flowed better with my thought process.)
Why do I create what I do?
Well, this is an easy question to answer….I enjoy it! I remember when I was much younger, I loved to make my own paper dolls. (Remember paper dolls?) So much time would be spent on coloring and creating different outfits for them. I think I had a couple of dolls, but I made several tops, bottoms, dresses, even shoes for them. I really enjoyed the designing, coloring, and cutting process!
So, fast forward a few years (well, maybe more than a few) and I find myself sitting in my ‘creative’ room cutting and coloring and designing handmade cards. It is relaxing for me to color and I love to fussy cut images from papers. Many of my cards have layered effects, which add dimension. Most of my coloring is done with colored pencils. My attempts at blending with the different markers have been not been successful, but I think the pencils add enough color. Maybe someday I will take the time to learn blending with markers, but for now I will stick with my pencils!
When my eldest son went off to college several years ago, I sent him cards for encouragement in his studies: Thinking of you, various holiday cards, and Get Well 😦 cards. I even sent him a card when he joined his fraternity! When he returned home, I found that he had saved every card I sent! My heart swelled two sizes that day! It made me realize that receiving a card in the mail really means something. (Of course, I also sent cards to my youngest son when went off to college. He saved his too!) These college cards were created almost eight years ago! Wow. I can see how I have evolved in my card designs over the years!
Like so many before me, I began creating cards to give to family and friends. Through the encouragement and support of my husband and two sons, I created HorseMark Cards so I could sell my creations online and share with others. There is some logic behind the name ‘HorseMark’. My last name is Horsfall and I wanted to make my ‘Mark’ in keeping in touch with the people I care about.
Our world is so filled with technology, which I love, but it seems the use of the old fashioned snail mail has slowed even more. I would love to be an influence in changing that. I do know some younger people are starting to send cards and that is so encouraging! Sending and receiving cards via my mailbox on the street is my social media!
What am I working on?
I am always working on ideas for creating new cards, but in recent days I have been working with fabric instead of paper. My nephew and his wife are expecting their first child next month, so making a baby quilt for them has been my main focus. I chose three prints from Jo-Ann’s that I just love. I had enough fabric left over to make my first bib. When I finished it I thought it was too small, then realized that babies are small!
I used a Speedy Baby pattern I found at Taffy Jane’s and I love the way it looks. Free motion quilting is on my list of things to learn. I have only tried it on practice items and it still needs a bit of work, so I just used simple straight line stitching to finish this special baby quilt.
I love to have things coordinate, so I used some of the left over fabric and created a baby card to match the quilt and bib. I must say, I am really pleased with how it all came together. What do you think?
Baby quilt, bib & matching card
Since Christmas is just around the corner, I have also been busy at my sewing machine making coasters using a pattern I found from Karen at Sew Many Ways. (Visit her blog and you will stay awhile! She has so many creative ideas to share!) I have been making many of these coasters from different fabrics to give as gifts. They are so easy and quick to make, and they launder very well! I lay them flat to dry, and they are ready to be put to good use again!
Yes, the holidays are approaching and I have also been creating a few harvest and Christmas cards. I must admit, getting into the holiday spirit in September takes a bit of encouragement, so I visit the Christmas section on Pinterest to help me get motivated. How many of you have used Pinterest for motivation?
Holiday Coasters & Cards
How does my craft differ from others in this genre?
I like to make my cards simple, yet different. Some require more detail and time than others, but I enjoy creating them all. The one type of card that I really love designing is to take an invitation and use it to create a card.
My favorite cards to create from invitations are wedding cards. You can see two wedding cards I designed from the invitations here and here.
I have not seen many people who take invitations, cut them up, and create a very personal and original card. So, I guess that is one way I differ from other talented people who make cards.
How does my creative process work?
Wow! That’s like asking me how do I think? My mind wanders frequently. It seems that I am always thinking of something else when I am doing something entirely different!
There is so much inspiration I receive from looking at what others have created. Sometimes I may take an idea from one person and combine it with another to come up with an entirely different idea for a card. I may think, if ‘they’ did ‘that’, why couldn’t I do something similar or do ‘this’ using ‘this”. (Does that make sense?) Whenever an idea pops into my head, I make a note of it immediately. (It seems that my mental filing system gets a bit mixed up these days!) Once I have an idea written down, I come back to it later and see how I can implement it. I love the creative process!
Many times I will think of a new idea from an item I see on my work table, like a scrap of paper left over from a die cut or punch. The light bulb goes on, like it did when I created these ladybug and purses cards. I love those creative moments! Don’t You?
There are so many talented people who make many creative cards and handmade crafts and share them on their blogs. They are wonderful and provide so much inspiration for me. I hope the ideas and cards I share on my blog inspire some people too! My blog and website keep me very busy, as I am always learning something new. It is challenging at times, but I still enjoy it!
Thank you for visiting today and letting me share a little of me and my creative corner of my HorseMark Cards world.
Look for another Around the World Blog Hop post from Tayna, the talented blogger behind Mrs. Hughes next week! Of course, you can always visit her anytime!
HorseMark Cards Blog 