A Luxury Laura Ashley Card for Mum

The striking background on this card is softened by the organza ribbon. It can be adapted to spell out a message of your choice...

Materials

• Laura Ashley 6x6 Paper Pad, Love Song
• Laura Ashley Love Song Boutique Alphabet
• White Mini Rosebuds
• White 15mm Organza Ribbon
• A burgundy ink pad (we used VersaColor Ink Cubes, Burgundy)
• Gold Mirri Card
• Bazzill Basics Card, Vanilla
• A white A6 card blank
• A glue stick (we used a super strength glue stick)
• All Purpose Glue

You will also need a trimmer or craft knife, ruler and mat to cut the card and paper to size.

Instructions

1. The first step is to cover the card blank. Use the glue stick to cover the front of the card blank with an even layer of glue, making sure that you go right to the edges. Take the sheet of flocked paper and line the top left hand corner up with the top left hand corner of the card blank. When it is correctly lined up, press the paper down firmly onto the glued surface. You now have two edges to trim. We did this by turning the card upside down on a cutting mat, and using a craft knife and steel edged ruler to trim the paper, using the edges of the card blank as a guide.

Cut off a piece of white organza ribbon, measuring about 50cm (if you wait to cut off the ribbon until you have tied the knot, it is easier to get the right length) and tie it around the card, using a double knot. Try to keep the ribbon taut, so the knot holds it in place. Trim the ends about 2.5cm (1") from the knot.

Handy Tip: To get the forked ends, fold the end of the ribbon, lengthwise and make a cut from the folded edge diagonally towards the end of the ribbon (I would recommend practising first on a small off-cut or a thin piece of paper), using a sharp pair of scissors. When you unfold the ribbon, you should have a forked end.

2. The next step is to make the rose topper. Cut a piece of gold mirri card measuring 5x6.5cm (2 x 2 1/2") and a piece of Vanilla Bazzill measuring 4.5x6cm (1 3/4 x 2 1/4"). Use the burgundy ink pad to colour the edges of the card and dab it lightly over the front of the card, to give it a hint of colour. An uneven finish looks very effective, so don't worry too much about getting a very even shade across the topper.

Once dry, stick the inked card centrally onto the gold mirri card. Take 5 mini rosebuds and tie a piece of the white organza ribbon around them, tying a double knot tightly, to hold them in place. Trim the ends of the ribbon, about 2cm (3/4") from the knot as described above, to get forked ends. Use a strong all purpose glue to stick down the rose posy, putting a small amount of glue on the underside of several of the roses and on the underside of the knot. We put a very small amount of glue under the ends of the ribbon, to hold the ends in place, but you do have to use a clear drying glue for this (we used Hi-Tack Original All Purpose Glue).

3. We now need to make the 'Mum' topper. Cut out a piece of gold mirri measuring about 8x3.2cm (3 1/4 x 1 1/4") and a piece of Vanilla Bazzill measuring 7.5x2.8 (3 x 1"). Use the burgundy ink pad as before, to colour the edges and the front of the piece of vanilla card. When the ink has dried, stick the piece of inked card centrally onto the piece of gold mirri card. Choose the letters to spell out your message and position these on the topper, pressing them down firmly.

4. The final step is to stick the toppers onto the card. Decided where you want to position the toppers, then use a strong all purpose glue to stick them down.

Your card is finished... now you just have to put it somewhere safe and remember where you put it!