A Touch of Grace

A few weeks ago Sharon published a challenge using half circles.  I wanted to play but had a few other commitments to get out of the way before I started this design.  The challenge called for large half circles to be part of the design.  Well I think I most certainly met that requirement!  There were no layouts to follow, we were to create our own. 

I drew the design and transferred it to pearly White embossing paper.  I embossed the side circles first in carnation white and then in Pearly white and layered the pearly white on top of the carnation white.  I drew blackberries on both of the panels as well.  I’m providing a template I drew of the outer edge of the pattern for the half circles and the arch for the mauve paper to those who purchase the stencil. 

After coloring the image, I made colored copies of it and reduced the image to 50% to make my own designer paper.  I embossed and cut three small fans and used the designer paper for the centers of the fan.

Small butterflies are adhered to the centers of the smaller bows and larger elegant butterflies were adhered to the larger bows.  The card has a card holder attached to the back that holds the card up for viewing.

A close up of the large bow.

A close up of the smaller bows and fan.

These are the stencils I used for the design.  The Lacy Basket stencil is approximately 5.5″ x 3″ and the Anja Style Fan is approimately 3″ x 1.5″.  The fan stencil comes with a larger fan that is approximately 5″ x 3″.  I ran the stencils through a Wizard to emboss the fan panels and the side panels.  The top center panel was embossed by hand.  I’ve had several questions about the time involved in embossing and cutting the stencils.  It merely took seconds to run the stencils through the Wizard, a couple of minutes to hand emboss a very small portion of the stencil for the top center panel.  The cutting of the two side panels took about 15 minutes each.  Cutting the fan was incredibly fast and easy, 2 minutes per panel and I was finished.  I free hand the cutting, but it can also be done by placing the stencil back over the embossed design and drawing lines with a pencil.  You can then use those lines as guidelines for the cutting. 

Shopping info:   A Touch of Grace - Paper Boutique - Lacy Basket stencil EH1856, Anja Style Fan #3 FE6117, Embossing Paper Colors used:  Pearly White, Carnation White, Mauve, Pergamano Tinta Gold, Tracing Pen, light box, 18K Gold Krylon pen, PergaKit 3D Adhesive, Caran d’Ache colored pencils, Removable Tape, Zip Dry adhesive, sanding paddle, blending stumps, parchment paper, Perga Soft, craft knife, stylus/embosser, Joy! Foam Pads, larger butterfly punch, All Night Media, small butterfly punch, Fancy Crafts.

Stamp Simply Ribbon Store - Bow Easy, lavendar silk ribbon

Thank you for visiting my blog, I truly appreciate your visit! 

   Summer is here and in full swing in sunny (hot and humid) Florida .   .   . LOL!  I love the idea of making a recipe card and thought with the 4th of July coming up, this would be a perfect opportunity to share a recipe that’s perfect for the upcoming holiday and always a summer time hit with my family. I made this recipe card set for the Stamp Simply Summer Recipes challenge featured on Sharon’s blog.  The challenge is to make a card or recipe card to share with others.
     I love cobblers, especially blueberry and cherry.  I pulled a favorite recipe and designed this ensemble using a stencil from A Touch of Grace - Paper Boutique. 

     My uncle’s blueberries grow on a fence, which gave me the idea to create a lattice frame using this stencil.  I embossed two panels, cut them out with a craft knife, and adhered them to the front of my card on either side of the blueberry drawing.  To have the images facing each other I simply embossed one panel, flipped the stencil over and embossed a second panel.

A close up of the card showing the embossing detail and cut work.  I used a craft knife for the cutting and adhered the darker blue paper behind some of the cutout work in the scrolls.  The blueberries were drawn directly onto the embossing paper and colored with colored pencils.  I used a mapping pen and gold Tinta ink to cover the graphite lines of the drawing.  The butterflies and blueberries at the top of the photo and on the lattice were applied with Perga Kit 3D adhesive.  Perga Kit works like using dimensionals or foam dots, only it dries clear and is barely noticeable - no more visible white foam on my cards!

A close up of the recipe card that will go inside the card when it’s mailed.  I used my computer to print the recipe on the embossing paper.  Although it appears black in this photo, the recipe is in dark blue ink.  A Krylon 18K Gold Leaf pen was used on the edges of the card and recipe card.  Blending stumps were used to blend the colors.  When using blending stumps, remember to sand the color off your blending stump with a sanding paddle when changing colors so that you don’t accidentally lay a color on top of another color you don’t want contaminated.

Shopping info:   A Touch of Grace - Paper Boutique - Lacy Fence Stencil - EH1857, Embossing Paper, Pergamano Tinta Gold, Tracing Pen, light box, 18K Gold Krylon pen, PergaKit 3D Adhesive, Caran d’Ache colored pencils, Removable Tape, Zip Dry adhesive, sanding paddle, blending stumps, parchment paper, Perga Soft, craft knife, stylus/embosser, Joy! Foam Pads

Stamp Simply Ribbon Store - Bow Easy, dark blue Taffeta ribbon

Thanks for stopping by, I truly appreciate your visiting my blog. 

Hi, it’s been a long time since I’ve had a chance to sit down and play.  I’ve finally finished, for the most part, the store, A Touch of Grace - Paper Boutique, (a link is provided on the left sidebar under my picture).  After completing the store I sat and drew the above drawing for my new blog banner.  I was very pleased with the finished result.  That is, until I tried to put it in my banner.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite wide enough and it was too tall.  Sooooo .  .  .  .  what you see in the banner is a cropped portion of the drawing.  One of these days I’ll get it right!

I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to all of you for making the Mother’s Day Card Kit such a huge success.  I do plan on future kits and promise not to limit the number.  I was overwhelmed with the response, never dreaming it would be so incredible!  From the bottom on my heart, Thank You!

A special thank you to my son, Stephen, for helping me with the design of the store and helping with the blog facelift.  I couldn’t have done it without you, Stephen!  I know it wasn’t easy working with all this pink .   .   . LOL!!!

 A little about the store and what you’ll find:  Tools and accessories I love to work with.  Everything in the store is what I use in my designs from blending stumps, Gum Arabic, Pearl Ex, Ranger gold embossing powders, even my favorite heating tool, The Milwaukee Heating Tool that I use for my gold embossing.  I’ve had my heating tool for 13 years, it’s still going as strong today as the day I bought it.  You’ll find a very large selection of embossing stencils.  Click on the picture to see the price, click on it again and it enlarges to approximately 4 x 6 for ease of viewing.  Some of you have asked me about the dimensions of the stencils.  They vary from one stencil to the next.  If you see one you like (or two), please e-mail me and I’ll be happy to provide you with the dimensions.  I do anticipate eventually getting that information on the site, but I’ve been away for a while and I’d like to get back to doing what I love most .  .  . designing. 

I also have a large line of Pergamano products in the store.  I’ve recently been introduced to Pergamano and love it!  If you’re a Pergamano fan or just plain curious, click on Pergamano on the menu and then browse through all the different categories.  The books and patterns are fabulous! I have the complete line of perforating and embossing tools, as well as paints and inks (what a surprise! . . . LOL!!!).  All the adhesives you’ll find in the store are the adhesives I use on my designs; Zip Dry is definitely my adhesive of choice!  It adheres quickly and leaves no wrinkling or buckling of the paper.   I also carry several gold stickers in many patterns, including sentiments.  These are no ordinary stickers, check them out, click on them twice to get the full size so that you can see them, the corners and borders are my favorites!  Click here to see an example of gold stickers on a design.

As I post designs, I’ll try to feature a product or two and illustrate to you how I use it and why.  At the bottom of this post under “Shopping”, I’ve provided links to the products I used in the design below for easy viewing. This stencil is an “L” shaped stencil approximately 3″ x 3″.  A link is provided below.

After taking the photograph for the banner, I flipped the drawing upright and completed this design that will be framed and placed somewhere in our home, which is now filled with a few of my designs .  .  .  LOL! I embossed and cut the four corners of the design and placed the drawing over Seagreen embossing paper.  I mounted the panel on Turquoise embossing paper using Joy! Foam Pads and then placed the design on Carnation White embossing paper.  All edges were finished with an 18K Gold Krylon pen. The bow was made with the Bow Easy.  I drew the butterflies and adhered them to the card with Perga Kit 3D adhesive .  .  . love it for adding dimension on the top panel - it’s my latest great find.  I want to show you how it’s used and why I think it’s fabulous for 3D effects on the top panel in a future post.

A close up of one of the embossed corners.

Shopping:

 A Touch of Grace - Paper Boutique - Corner Stencil FE6124, Embossing Paper, Pergamano Tinta Gold, Tracing Pen, light box, 18K Gold Krylon pen, PergaKit 3D Adhesive, Caran d’Ache colored pencils, Removable Tape, Zip Dry adhesive, sanding paddle, blending stumps, parchment paper, Perga Soft, craft knife, stylus/embosser, Joy! Foam Pads

Stamp Simply Ribbon Store - Bow Easy

Thank you so much for stopping by to visit.  I hope you’re enjoying your summer with the kids and grandkids. 

Oh my gosh, thank you all so much for writing about the size of the pictures.   The pictures are very small, much to my distress.  While the site was under construction, I could click on them and they would enlarge to a single picture in the upper left side of the screen.  I didn’t realize until tonight after reading another comment about their size that they are not enlarging when they are clicked on.  Something definitely occurred to turn off that feature when the store went live.  It’s a total mystery to me, but hopefully tomorrow I can get the issue resolved.

Hi everyone, I’ve been missing in action for several weeks.  I’m pleased to announce that I’ve opened an online store, A Touch of Grace–Paper Boutique.   I’ve been away while working on the design and store itself. 

My desire to open A Touch of Grace - Paper Boutique came from you. I have received numerous e-mails this past year asking about the products I use. It is my desire to offer these products to you for your crafting needs. I will add additional products that I love as the store grows, items are coming in daily.  I am working on some changes to my blog and as soon as my new facelift is complete, I’ll be back to designing. 

Wishing you all a wonderful summer!

Ladies,  I just want to make sure you all understand that the kit is a kit, not a tutorial.  For those of you who have written me, I have sent information regarding what is and is not included in the kit.  It comes with a seven page instructional guide with small pics, illustrating the placement of the stencil on the paper.  I go step-by-step putting the card together, an electronic file will also be forwarded to you with large photos (22 I believe) showing you the step-by-step pictures as well.  

Please note, while I give the names and numbers of the colored pencils I used, Caren d’Ache Pablo colored pencils (can be purchased at Dick Blick’s, I’ve provided a link on the tutorial), you can use Prisma’s by matching up the color names to Prisma colors, the kit does not include a tutorial for coloring the flowers.  It does give instruction on which colors are used on the leaves, the petals, the flower centers, etc. 

When I designed this card for my mother, I had no idea of the response and that you all would want a kit.  I used the colored pencils of my choice, Caren d’Ache Pablo colored pencils.  Why?  Because Caren d’Ache Pablo colored pencils are oil based, Prisma’s are wax based.  While I love using Prisma’s as well, I chose the Caren d’Ache because the finished result is a softer, dreamier look when used with Gamsol.  However, if you have Prisma’s, they will be fine to use, it’s just a matter of preference.  Also note, a full-size colored photo of the finished card will be included in the electronic submission as a guide for you to follow when coloring.

Ladies, thank you for the overwhelming response to the Mother’s Day kit.  I truly had no idea it would be so popular, especially since Mother’ Day has passed.  I had ordered enough materials to sell 10, wondering if that many would sell.  So far I’ve had 21 women respond that they want a kit.  I’ve called my distributor and have ordered more materials.  They will be shipped Tuesday, May 19.  I should have them by Saturday, May 24. 

I have made the decision to limit the kit to 25 as I have to move on to new designs.  The first 10 women who responded to my May 13 post will receive the first 10 kits.  They will ship Monday morning. 

I will notify each of you where you are on the list and get the billing information I will need Friday morning, May 14. Four kits are available for those of you who want one and have not had a chance to respond.

Thank you all so much for your patience. 

Hi all, just wanted to check in briefly to let you know that Stephen and I are working diligently and hope to have an announcement up soon.  For those of you who requested to be put on a waiting list for the Mother’s Day card kit, please send me an e-mail and I will give you the specifics on the kit.

Have a great day!

Thank you my dear friend Jenn for all your help - I most certainly couldn’t have done it without you.  Thank you Stephen, you’re my greatest accomplishment, I love you dearly!

Stephen reloaded the video on YouTube via his MAC, pulling my computer off the project, and with Jenn Balcer’s video tech knowledge and step-by-step over-the-phone assistance, this very tech challenged old gal was finally able to get the tutorial posted.  Phew, I’m tired!

Ladies, please be kind . . . LOL . . . this is my first attempt and hopefully, with time, I’ll catch on.

EDITING TO ADD:  For those of you who don’t have a Bow Easy and want to know where you can find it, here’s a link to Sharon Johnson’s Stamp Simply Ribbon Store where it can be purchased for the very low fee of $6.

I wish you all a wonderful weekend with your loved ones!

Murphy’s Law . . . .what can go wrong, will go wrong!
Good Morning, I had been trying for days to get a tutorial made for the Bow Easy on U-Tube only to realize that my video equipment was too old and not compatible with my computer.  I bought a new HD camcorder recommended by B & H Photo and was told that it would be compatible with my computer.  Well, I haven’t figured it out as yet.  My son says the high definition is too high for my computer, whatever that means.  He used his MAC to run the video through to U-Tube.  We were provided with a code to copy and paste into my blog.  We’ve had no success in loading the video on my blog for viewing and decided to provide a link to U-Tube so that you could view it there.  When I clicked on the link and viewed it on U-Tube, I was appalled at the poor quality.  I don’t know what happened when the video was sent to U-Tube.  The recorder did a wonderful job on the picture quality.  Okay, now here’s where I’m truly ignorant, I don’t understand any of this!  I believe when the video is transferred to U-Tube there’s distortion, especially with very high definition equipment, or at least that’s my understanding, I’m not sure, far too above my extremely limited knowledge.  I’ve decided not to provide the link until we can get this figured out.  We’re working on it and I hope to have it available soon. Thank  you so much for your patience.  And, if anyone has any tips out there, I’m all ears . . . LOL!

Have a wonderful weekend with family and friends.