happy birthday with my hands

In an ideal world there wouldn't be any mass produced cards to purchase in stores. Hallmark wouldn't exist. No offense to anyone who loves going down the card aisle and reading each one because I enjoy smiling at the humorous pun that each one uniquely has to bring, BUT your neighbor down the street is getting the same card from her boyfriend that you got last year. How does that feel? I'm sure he spent hours lingering upon whether to get the more humorous one or the more heartfelt, but the most obvious idea is that it's not his heart talking. Simply said, I like to make cards with my hands... and heart and head.

My sister, brother, and mama all celebrate their birthdays in the first couple weeks of February, so I thought I'd share some of the cards I made lately ...

a little scissor action, a glue stick, and an Art Forum magazine

simplicity made possible by adobe illustrator

my mama's turning 50! I found an old photo of her and wanted to focus on her delicate smile, so I decided instead of using numbers to show her age, I would use my own hands. Turning both photos to black and white would add an aged effect, so I put the two photos together in photoshop. easy :)

The last two were made on the computer, so not all of them were technically completed by hand...but my fingers did the clicking and my head did the creating so you get the picture. Now go dig deep in your basement and find inspiring photos to cut and build from. These designs are so amateur compared to the beautiful designs found on http://ohsobeautifulpaper.com/ for example, but you have to start somewhere!

Sincerely,
Sarah