Happy Birthday!!!!

Well, when I moved into my new 2009 calendar a few days before New Years, I counted about 50 birthdays that I'd like to acknowledge. Hm, the kinds of cards I like to give cost $3-4 each, and take extra postage so that would add up to about $250 just for cards. Well, I'm really not willing to shuck that out even for people I love and care about... just for cards! I'd rather spend some time making them.

I've collected papers, clippings, snips, ribbons, brads, stamps, stickers and other ephemera (they call it) and compiled it on a tray. One find was two wallpaper books set by the curb in Manhattan when we were in NYC. I carried them back to Jeremy's apartment on the train. (Steve helped.)
I did come on a Michael's craft store going out of business and everything was 70-90% off. I picked up a couple things I don't usually buy for cardmaking.

I like to do the backgrounds first, laying a base paper (or fabric) on as many folded card stock papers that I can. The cardstock is from a friend who picked up extra papers at a computer form company (free). The papers are from the wallpaper books. Once these are dry, I lay them out and begin adding small pictures, stickers, stamps, interesting bits, brads, and other things to complete the card. The last thing I do is stack 5 or so carefully and begin gluing and taping and sticking everything together. The red card with the doily heart is the (belated) anniversary card for my folks. I ended up with 30 cards.
Yay!