showing off is good for you

Sometimes I find the English love for modesty, even if it is obviously false, deeply irritating and stifling. Personally I believe that once in a while, an unembarrassed and undisguised showing off can be very good for you.

So when a couple of you asked yesterday to see a few of my homemade cards, I was more than happy to oblige. One thing I'd forgotten is that, as a self-confessed show-off, I had shown you plenty of my cards before already:

Exhibits One and Two - my favourite Happy Birthday cards
Exhibits Three, Four, Five and Six - my favourite technique
Exhibits Seven and Eight - thank-you cards
Exhibits Nine and Ten - matching card and giftwrap
Exhibit Eleven - LOVE card
Exhibit Twelve - homemade envelope
Exhibit Thirteen - a clue card

That's a lot right?

But did you really think I'd stop there? No way! I'm always up for more showing off and I don't feel bad 'cos it's the only crafty thing I've ever been able to do; pottery, sewing, jewellery, they all failed. So trust me to find the one most popular technique the hardest to master. You can find tons of information on the Internet about how to make absolutely mind-blowingly amazing pop-up cards, and when I was younger I spend a great deal of time trying to imitate them in design lessons.

And so in order to balance out my ego-show, I give you... my pop-up cards!

The top one - I made this years ago planning to sell it for Valentine's Day. Um, strange font, random heart made of tissue paper and messy glue. It's still waiting in my drawer for a Valentine who I don't think would mind.

Middle - I quite like the idea of the wrapping paper behind the pop-out. But I cannot forgive myself for that glitter application (WHEN will I learn the don't-use-glitter lesson then?) nor the fact that it took about 10 minutes to make; the guilt sets in if a card doesn't take approximately a month to complete.

Bottom - well... I don't know what I was thinking. A pop-out Eiffel tower? Made of tin foil? And oh-my-God the cover...

Oh well, laughing at yourself is good for you too.