Welcome!


Hello and welcome to All things card and paper at Evelyn Mae. A place where I get to wax lyrical about all things to do with card making. From stitching to glitter, to history to whims of fashion ...


Thank you for visiting

Shelly X

Wednesday 25 April 2012

Butterfly frames ...

Inspired by the beautiful frames created by Belle BeauCharlotte Ranford Designs, and the art work of Eiji Watanabe, I have had a go at making some pretty little frames.  They are smaller than the ones I have seen by these two companies, and they are also not boxed, so they are more pictures than art work, but I am really pleased with the results.


[For sale: £19.99 plus P&P - Add you own personalised text and colour for free]

I like the simplicity of the creams and whites, with a simple message.  I also love how the butterflies create their own shadows, making them change as the light changes.


[For sale: £22.99, plus P&P]

This one is my favourite of the two .... I love that the tiny gems that I put on the flowers are under glass, and that the butterflies tie into the main pattern.  I was worried that when I cut them out, the pattern would be lost.

I bought the word LOVE made out of wood, painted it with matt ivory Laura Ashley paint, and matt varnished it as well, so that the finish is really sleek but definitely hand crafted! It sits flush with the frame, and makes a nice change for me as I so often use computer printed text in my work.  I also love how the little layered butterfly turned out, sitting on the L .... you can't really see it on this picture, but it looks just like it has landed there!!

I has been really lovely to try something different, and although I think the first design needs some work, I really love the second, and its been worthwhile in doing something different to keep engaged with the trends in crafting, and to just have fun with a new project.  Not too bad for a first attempt!!


Would love to hear your thoughts on them ....

Thanks for stopping by X

Monday 23 April 2012

Luggage tags ...

As promised yesterday, I am back with a short post to share with you some butterfly luggage tags that I have begun today.  I am no where near finished, there are 37 to do! But I have made a start!

So we left yesterday with a pile of butterflies, which have hues of pink, white and brown.  I thought that they would match the luggage labels really well, but the butterflies had a little too much white in them, so I put them to one side.  I looked at the colours within the tags ... They already come pre-printed so are very decorative already.  I decided on the same colours as the original butterflies, only more dirty.  


I sorted the tags out to size, as there were three different sizes, and printed the text onto cream card.  I used the same colour as the signs I made, and the same card.  I thought that that would tie it in well.  I also cut out some little butterflies in a matching paper, and adhered them to either side.  This should give them lots of  dimension, and compliment the existing printed images.  Once I hand these over, they will be tied to a flower stem, and handed out to the guests at the wedding.  I think the flowers will be the finishing touch that they need.



Thanks for calling by

Have a good week

Shelly X

Sunday 22 April 2012

Wedding signs ....

Hi all

As mentioned in a previous blog post, I had bought some pretty butterflies from Belle Beau ready to begin work on two wedding signs, ready for a campsite wedding!  The wedding party are having the evening event on the campsite, and are decorating the marquee with shabby chic items .... bunting & afternoon tea, serving sherry and having an overall vintage feel to the day.

My mission was to make two signs .... a favour buffet sign and one to mention the wedding party.  The other part of the brief was to make them water proof.  No mean feat when your usual medium is paper!

The butterflies were my starting point ... 


Kelly at belle beau has made some beautiful art work using butterflies, and it got me researching paper butterfly images online .... there are so many beautiful designs out there, so once I had enough inspiration I got to work.

I called my Dad to see what spare wood he had lying around ... luckily for me he had some pieces of old floor board, so he sent them over to me. 

And so the work began.

I cleaned to wood up with a little water and an old flannel.  It was mostly dust, so it didn't take long, and I made sure not to get too much water on the wood, as I didn't want it soaking in.  Dad kindly drilled a couple of holes in the top, so that they could be hung up on the campsite.  

Next, I used some watered down Laura Ashley paint in Ivory, and gave both pieces a light wash all over.  It was important that the wood had a white colour to it so that the papers would tie in, but that you could still see the wood grain through it.  After drying for a day, I used some Americana Multi-purpose sealer on it, just to protect it from water and to protect the paint itself.  Laura Ashley does such a lovely matt paint, that I didn't want it ruined with dark marks and smudges.

Once this was all dry, I got to work on the trim for the outside, which would create the frame.  I used some old white lace dress trim, that I have had knocking around for a while.  I cut the trim longer than I needed, to allow for lining up and mistakes! But I needed it to be a cream colour, so I recycled two old teabags in some hot water, soaked the trim for a minute, then got it out and squeezed the excess water, and then let them drip dry.  


Once fully dried, I had to iron them back into shape! This was pretty tricky, but flattening the trim out at this point made attaching it so much easier.  

I glued around the edge of the boards with some Hi-Tack glue- its my go to glue for most things, and I find it holds really well.


Once this was adhered, I came to the hardest part of the project.  The text.  I am not too happy about how it turned out, I think if I was doing this again I would re-think the text, and perhaps purchase some wooden lettering to go on the board itself.  But this time around I printed the text onto cream card, and distressed the edges.  The bride wanted a script style text, so this was the best option.  I used foam pads to stick them on, and coated them in Americana Duraclear matt varnish so that it would be more resistant to rain.  

Next came the most fun step- make the butterflies come to life.  I stuck them using high tack glue, and again coated them in matt varnish.  You can't see the coating that way, but they are more protected.


The last part of the project was to make the handles- I used some pewter wire, and wrapped it in lengths to create a pliable handle.   I then used a sharpie marker pen as a tool for creating twists, which would mount little butterflies to make them look like they were flying. :)



The overall effect is lovely, albeit with unsatisfactory text!!  I had lots of butterflies left over too. .... so will be using them on some luggage tags for the same wedding, as favours for the ladies ....  so come back tomorrow and check out the post about vintage luggage tags :)

Happy Sunday evening all X




instagram on the go

I am just popping in to share a photo that I took yesterday when out and about in Rochester ....

I loved it!


Sunday 15 April 2012

paper butterflies ...

Just a super quick post to share some photos that I came across today ....

Its amazing what you can create with paper butterflies ....



I found the information from this website.  It details the installation of A Butterfly’s Eye View by artist Eiji Watanabe . The blog 'Collossal'  collated the images via a number of Flickr accounts.


Chips and butterflies



Hi all,

After being MIA for a little while, I went away for a few days to stay with some friends of ours- people that are very special and dear to me, and I had a great time.  We played poker, (I was the winner!) ate out for breakfast and took time over a Costa coffee, went to see 21 Jump Street at the cinema, and had a brilliant catch up.

I always leave feeling a little tired, but so so happy that I have such great friends. 

As you can see ... I am getting snap happy with Instagram!! It has just been released on Android, and I am having a lot of fun!  I am really thinking of investing in a decent camera, but for now, this is scratching the proverbial photographic itch so to speak!!

I now have one full time week left at the cafe, and so am feeling back to the task of card making :)  Finally!!  I am really looking forward to having my time back to focus on paper and glue!   Project #1:   I am about to start making some wedding signs for a campsite wedding at the end of the month, so watch this space .......



I purchased the butterflies via Belle Beau- they are a great company who make decorative frames ... and although there are a huge amount of butterfly dies on the market- I knew that Belle Beau offered them in the paper design I wanted.  I think they will be just right for the project.  Right, best get to it ... time is a flying ....

Catch you all soon X


Sunday 8 April 2012

MIA! ....

Firstly, my apologies .... I didn't realise that I had been away from my blog for such a while until a blog-friend of mine Carly mentioned it to me today.  If you fancy going to cheer her up ... visit her blog here ... She is unwell and under doctors (and her Mum's)  orders to rest, so I am sure that she would love to hear from you in her comments.  She has just posted some lovely pictures of some Easter buys, and i'm definitely stealing her egg tree idea for next year!!  

Well, why have I been MIA in blog land for a while?  Things have been a little unusual around here.  After always knowing what I wanted to do for my career, I am struggling at the moment.  My 'umpf' has seemed to have taken a holiday!!

I love to bake and to make cards, and have been busy carving out a business selling the things that I love to make, and doing the things I have a talent for.   It seems however that so many others do this as a hobby, and are more than willing to make cards, cupcakes and wedding stationery for their friends for free.  The short story is that I am struggling to see how I can make a success in what is essentially a hobbiest environment.  Is this affecting anyone else's sales at the moment??  Please don't misunderstand though, I think the sharing of papercrafting and baking is essential, our children should all know how to make cakes, my brother bakes with his little boy, and everyone should be able to make things as gifts.  I certainly do not want people to stop this.  What I am struggling with is how my business can fit into that.  Any thoughts anyone??

Another bit of news is that I will be finishing my full time temporary post of managing the Church cafe in two weeks time.  And honestly, I can't wait. I am being kept on as the baker, doing a few hours a week making all the cakes for the coffee shop, so that is great, and I can't wait to get on and get started.  Next week I will be making chocolate ganache cupcakes with Easter chicks, so watch this space for a baking post soon!

I have a craft fayre coming up at the end of the month, so I will be bringing you a few snaps of the cards I will be making for that.  And most exciting of all, I am taking a trip to the International cake show in London at the end of the month, and although I will be restraining myself from spending our holiday money, I will be able to show you all the great things that I spy on my trip!!

After what looks like an essay, I will leave you with a few snaps of a special card that I worked on recently.  It feels lovely and summery, and uses girly bright colours, a playful yet grown up card for a 21st birthday.






Sorry about the glare on the first picture!!!  


Happy Easter everybody, I hope that you are all having a lovely weekend.  

I will be back soon, but until then, take care XX