gingerandgeorge

Man-making

When I posted about Father's Day a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned there was an add-on project in the works, and - with just over a week to go - it's now ready for you to download and enjoy. The idea is to build a dad who looks just a little like yours by piecing together different details and accessories. 

You can mix and match as much as you like, piling on the pieces, or sticking to something a little more minimal. The elements can also be combined with the original card, so you can customise the 'my dad rocks' idea, or make something completely separate if you prefer. 

It's up to you whether you print and trace the relevant pieces onto scraps of paper for a totally handmade version (as above), or build yourself a digital dad.

(Credit: arrow brushes, courtesy of the ever-wonderful Creature Comforts)

You can find the full ready-to-print set (for personal use only, please and thankyou) over at the PaperCraft Inspirations website now. And if you do decide to build a dad of your own, I'd love to see how he looks. 

x

Palette Pingpong (No.46) : Special Every Day

Palette Pingpong this week is inspired by two of my favourite people. First of all - and as almost-always - Gabrielle, who challenged me with the prettiest of pictures. Sadly, I'm not sure my palette quite does justice to the gentle, dainty nature of the original image (you can find it over at Gabrielle's blog):

Comparing and contrasting, I think it's the tiny amounts of colour, plus the warm neutrals in the challenge picture which look so lovely. Bigger patches of those same colours somehow don't have the same impact. Bearing that in mind, I made a print-at-home poster, inspired by a conversation with my sister last week.

She is very special to me, every day, and although I know for certain she's special to a lot of other people too, I'm sneakily and selfishly pleased I'm the only one who gets to have her as a sister.  

Mwah-ha-ha. And so on.

So, what about you? I mean, obviously you're special - that's a given - but after you print off your chosen poster (in charcoal or white), who are you going to give it to, and why?

Spill me some beans in the comments below. I am both nosy and secretly less frosty than you might think.

x

Love, the Easter Bunny

I'm hoping to have a couple of Easter-themed projects to share later this week, but in the meantime, if you'd like to add some easy seasonal decor to your home, I have two words for you. 

Bunny bunting.

The more properly titled rabbit garlands are in the shop now, and if you order this week, you'll get two sheets of bonus bunnies to go along with the kit. You can also use the rabbits to make Easter cards (as below), or add them to scrapbooking layouts, like this one by my talented and very lovely friend, Julie.

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Palette Pingpong (No.42) : Spring Notecards

So, it's been a little while since Gabrielle and I have PPP'd (although you might have spotted her stellar roundup post a couple of weeks ago). Did you miss us? 

In order to make things up to you, I have a very happy little printable today, but first, le palette. Gabs challenged me with a beautiful shot, which in turn led to this:

Spring is most definitely in the air, wouldn't you say?

And because it's nice to celebrate good things like longer days, warmer weather, blossoming trees and longer days (did I mention the longer days already? Oh daylight, how you cheer my soul...), I have a pretty set of notecards for you.

There are four different patterned cards and four printable sentiments, so you can mix and match them, however you prefer. Choose from 'thanks a million', 'dear friend', 'ahoy-hoy' (my favourite way of saying hello) and 'happy mother's day'. It's next Sunday here in the UK but, being the fabulous and grateful child you are, you already knew that, right?

You can download each of the cards separately - pink plaid, retro flowers, grey chevron and coral scallops - plus the labels here. Snip out your chosen sentiment, fold the ends back on themselves and then use a tiny amount of adhesive (a glue stick will do) to fix to the front of your folded card. Really easy and - I hope - the perfect way to spread a little spring cheer.

x

PS. If you want even more cheer and/or good stuff, head over to Gabrielle's shop, the green gables, and help yourself to 75% off her super-pretty kitchenware. Spring cleaning, ho!

Rabbit, rabbit

I should probably apologise for bringing up the subject of Easter quite so early in the year, but the supermarket shelves are already heaving under the weight of chocolate eggs, so it's hardly like I started it. 

Plus, there's no rule which says you actually have to use this project at Easter. Take off the rabbit and it's an any-time, any-occasion idea. Leave Bugs where he is and it could still pass for a general spring-slash-gift-for-someone-who's-fond-of-rabbits deal. 

I'm very happy to be flexible about these things.

Visit the PaperCraft Inspirations website to download the template for both the sachet and the rabbit, or pick up a copy of the current issue for a whole colony of bunny-themed projects.

And yes - knowing that a group of rabbits is called a colony does make me a giant geek. I could also tell you the group name for giraffes is a tower and that a baby pigeon is called a squeaker, but that would probably be pushing my nerd-luck a step too far. 

x 

Last Christmas, I gave you some stuff . . .

. . . and I'm very much hoping you gave it away. 

The patterned papers and gift tags are still available and entirely free to download.

As a token of your appreciation, I would like you to pretend that you're now humming the fabulously inconsequential Billie Piper version of that song instead of the Wham original.

Ok?

Thank you. 

x

Lazy Christmas

Did I say lazy? I meant easy, convenient and adaptable. 

Also, free.

'Free' and 'Christmas' go together especially well, I think.

So, this is a set of cards I designed for PaperCraft Inspirations. There are ten altogether, and they're all free to download via this post on the PI blog.

If you look closely, you'll see that each of the cards is just a little bit unfinished - not due in any way to my incompetence, but so you can lark about and add your own decorative details. This means that (1) your finished cards will be that little bit more special and personalised, and (2) the recipients will think you spent ages making them and be doubly impressed. 

It's kind of like buying mince pies from Marks and Spencer, then taking them out of the box and shaking on your own icing sugar so everyone thinks they're homemade.

Rather than icing sugar (sticky), you'll probably want to embellish the cards with things like ribbon, buttons, sequins, stitching and stickers. Should you need specifics or extra inspiration, the full set of finished cards is in the current issue of the magazine. 

Happy lazing to you all. 

x

Cut out and keep

The card above is one of my holiday projects, spotted over at the PaperCraft Inspirations website last week. It's part of a feature about Christmas cards which double up as presents. This one makes a cute paper doll with outfits, and there are four more ideas for different family members (or friends) in the new issue which goes on sale later this week. 

If you're thinking it's a little bit soon to be preparing for Christmas, there's nothing to stop you adding a different sentiment and turning it into a birthday card instead. Or you could just whack on some carols, break out the mince pies and make like it's already December.

Which may or may not be how I got the original card finished back in the middle of the summer.

x

Bunny Spook-icides

New in the shop (and just in time for tricking, treating and other Halloween larks), the rabbits have costumed up. Use them to make garlands, cupcake toppers, straw tags, stand-alone decorations or as fun scrapbook embellishments. They come as a downloadable PDF kit, which includes five rabbit designs in three different sizes, plus instructions and a sheet of easy-to-use stands.

You can find them here, along with another new-for-Halloween printable.

Happy spooking, blog pals. 

x

Palette Pingpong (No.36) :: Desktop wallpapers

 

Anatomy of a Palette Pingpong post

Gabrielle sends me a picture.

I use it to make a colour swatch.

I set about making something fancy from the colour swatch.

I work on it for over an hour.

Photoshop crashes.

I remember that Command+S is my friend.(Command + S saves time, and sanity, and most importantly of all, it saves the stuff you’re working on.)

I start again.

Because I like you and I want to share something pretty with you.

(Press Ctrl+click for Mac / right click for PC to save or set as background)

I hope you like them.

I hope you’ll download them.

I hope when you look at them, they will remind you Command+S is your friend, too. Saving stuff is good.

The end.

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