Using every trick in the book!

I guess you know you've 'arrived' as a card-maker when people start commissioning you to make personalised cards for special occasions. Last month, a very well-respected gentleman in our village had his 80th birthday, and I was flattered to be asked to make a special card for him by his wife. No sooner had I finished that, than I was asked to produce another unique birthday card for the organisers of our market to give to him. Then, the Women's Institute committee made a similar request. And THEN, I had a phone call from a friend of his asking me to make yet another special card ... well, by that time I was running very low on ideas (especially for a man)!!

Now it looks like it's happening all over again. Last week I produced a personalised quilled card for a couple's first wedding anniversary ... no problem! However, I'd only just given the card to the lady who ordered it, when her mother asked me to make another for her. Obviously, it had to be quite different from the one I sold to her daughter - so, it was back to the drawing board once more! I've literally thrown every trick in the book at this one: inset photo and heart graphic; different typeface from the one I usually use; slanted text; two 'royal' wheatears, a 'royal' husking with  S coil inside, a heart coil and sundry swirls ... Talk about experimental - I'm suffering from burn-out!! But, actually, there's nothing like quilling to calm me down.