My Auntie and Nephew's Birthday Cards

The Birthday Madness challenge is only just getting going, with gifts and cards for five out of the 35 birthdays and special events now completed.

Here is the card I made for my Auntie.  It is a 'wise old bird' and is based on a card I drew for my sister KitKat last year.  KitKat now uses her bird as a book mark.

I also made my nephew LJ's card.  His birthday isn't until November, but I thought I would get it finished up, as I had the gift already wrapped up and my husband can deliver them to his mum for safe keeping while working in their area on Thursday, (and therefore avoid postage cost too!)

Yes, I know it is a rather dodgy version of Mario, and his left arm is too short.  But my nephew is a really big Mario fan and it was the only thing I could think of this morning!  Still it is all really good practice for me and I have learned from my mistakes here.  For LJ's birthday I have wrapped up a magic set which my son received for Christmas a few years back and never even opened.  LJ is really into magic tricks, so this should be right up his street.

Just in case you were wondering what I was doing about wrapping paper, I have been making use of the drawer full of paper bags I have collected over the years.  The ones you get from 'posher' shops.

I have cut out and glued on nice pictures from the national geographic magazine that we read, (for free thanks to my mother-in-law who buys us a subscription each year as a birthday gift for her son).  The wrap itself is sheets of plain packing paper which were left over when we moved five years ago, I still have a huge wodge of it left.  I just added a few sticky stars, which I had in my 'desk o' craft materials', to make it a bit more attractive.  It certainly isn't as beautiful a finish as a more expensive wrap might be, but it still looks pretty and original!

It is interesting that all the time I am spending making the presents and cards, I am thinking about the person who is going to receive them while I am working.  Which makes the statement, 'it is the thought that counts' very true.  I do worry the people receiving my presents won't like their gifts, or will think their cards are rubbish, but I just have to hope that they think they are a bit quirky.  Each gift is taking me a really long time to make however and if I am to keep this up I had better get quicker at making and painting!