A sideways glance ... and one for the road!

Well, here it is - my first post for 2012.  It feels SO good to be getting back to normal once again after the Christmas break. I've actually been doing quite a bit of quilling over the past couple of weeks, but I'm keeping the details 'under wraps' for the moment because the work I've been doing is for a really big project that I'm not ready to reveal just yet!

However, time is ticking by, and our local weekly market opens again on Friday of next week. So it's time for me to review my stock of cards, which is looking a bit thin in the men's department - always a challenge in terms of designs, as every quiller knows!!

For Christmas, I was fortunate to receive some new die cutters for my Cuttlebug machine, including one which cuts out a 'swirl' shape that makes a perfect complement to quilling. Having cut out a bold swirl in dark blue paper, I decided to team it with some rolled quilled pegs lying on their sides, plus a conventional open coil to add some symmetry. I've used this little combination to brighten up my first 'male' card which is designed for a computer user (when asked what their husbands are interested in, several of my customers have bemoaned the fact that "he's on the computer all day"!!):

Computer image sourced from Wikimedia Commons

My second idea for a man's card focuses on driving. Most men seem to love their cars and planning routes for a journey, so I created this design featuring a colourful old map of England and Wales which I sourced from The Graphics Fairy. I've simply added a small section of 'road' with a quilled steering wheel and a couple of road signs, and I'm quite pleased with the result. Well, hopefully that's another 'male interest' covered!