Probably the most unusual reason for a greetings card I’ve ever had

A friend of my mum’s retired last year. He’s been petrol head for as long as anyone remembers, but it’s all about the motorbikes for him – when their street flooded he moved his bike into the house to protect it!

Since retiring, this friend has volunteered in a range of settings, culminating in him discovering the Blood Bikes service.

When he passed his blues and twos training, thus qualifying him to ride his motorbike on blue lights to deliver blood in emergency situations, mum wanted a card to commemorate it.

I used:
– 6×6 inch square white card blank
– Distress ink in Antique Linen
– Brown Artiste ink
– Kraft card
– Burlap paper stack by DCWV
– Just for Men paper stack from Signature Collection by Sara Davis
–  Classic Motorcycles stamp set by Darkroom Door
–  Mini burnished bronze brads
– 3 brown buttons in different sizes
– Natural twine
– White stamping card

How to:
1) Cut a piece of Kraft card to 14.5×14.5 cm. Mat a piece of brick patterned paper 13.5×13.5 cm on top (I wanted a large border, but you could decrease size of border by using a second mat or a slightly larger piece of patterned paper). Attach to card blank, with fold to the left.
2) Stamp motorbike and ‘on the road again’ sentiment in brown ink onto white stamping card. Cut down to 9.9×6.4cm.
3) Ink the edges, making sure the very edges are darkest, fading towards centre. The middle of my motorbike is still white as I wanted the eye to be drawn to it.
4) Cut a piece of burlap paper 11×7.5cm. Attach the motorbike image, placing a brad in each corner. Remove one or two threads per side of the burlap to give a frayed look.
5) Attach a piece of burlap 14.5×1.5 cm running from top to bottom of card front, approximately 2.5cm in from edge of Kraft card layer.
6) Fasten the stamped image to bottom of card, leaving approximately 2cm border around base, left and right. It should completely overlap the burlap strip.
7) Tie a bow using the natural twine and fasten on the burlap strip.
8) Glue the buttons in a diagonal line in size order, largest nearest the stamped image. The size of buttons will change where you put this line, but I wanted it to be to the right of the card, not central.

I chose this sentiment as I didn’t want a traditional congratulations, it didn’t seem fitting. I liked how it acknowledged the recipient’s hobby and that he’s revived a career through it.