A Touch of Grace

The thing I like most about the JustRite products is the ability to personalize designs.  People feel special when you take the time to create a little work of art for them.  What a wonderful way to show how much you care for them.  I designed this ensemble as a thank you gift for a wonderful dinner shared with special friends.

I used the Damask Monogram Stamper (my personal favorite) for the center initial on this card.  The finished size is 5″ x 7″.

I designed a simple set of six customized note cards using the Small Letter Set. The note cards measure 4″ x 6″.

This purse is similar to the design I posted last month, I used a different designer paper and different colored cardstock.  I used gold pearls instead of gold brads.

I’m a big fan of Joan’s Gardens, supplies used in this project purchased from Joan are: Black Kaiser pearls, Zip Dry adhesive, Glue Glider Plus, Dimensionals, Nestibilities, Scor It

• Stamps:  JustRite Stampers
• Paper:  DCWV LaCreme; Basic Black, Prism (red and green papers)
• Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black
• Accessories:  Sewing Machine, black thread, Cuttlebug embossing folders, gold pearls, Coluzzle, black grosgrain ribbon, gold chain, BossKut Flourish die, glue dots, Therm O Web dimensionals, oval punches (SU and EK Success), corner punch, black Kaiser pearls, Scor It, EK Success border punch, Fiskars decorative corner punch, Mat Pack (SU), tweezers, tool kit (SU), stylus for embossing on purse, Glue Glider Plus, Circle Nestie, Marvy scalloped circle punch

Thank you all so much for stopping by.  I wish you a wonderful weekend with your family!

I know I sure do!  I dread when I have to design a card for the male gender .  .  . LOL.  Well the beginning of the year is definitely male birthday season in my family.  My husband and brother’s birthdays are in January; my son, nephew, and dad’s birthdays are in February.  Well, I totally blew it with my husband and brother in January.  I was so busy getting ready for CHA I gave them BOTH store bought cards.  BIG MISTAKE!!!

My husband was very put out that I didn’t make a card for him and while I was at CHA, I received an e-mail from my brother stating that he couldn’t believe that his sister, who is a card designer, would deem it appropriate to send him a “store bought” card for his birthday.  He then told me how much he looked forward to his birthday card . . . you know . . . really laying the “guilt” trip on me.  And, it worked!

So once I finished up a couple of commitments I set about designing a card that I hoped would make everyone happy.  I made four of the design and now realize I need to make two more.  It was a hit!  My husband and son both loved the card.

I designed a wallet card using designer papers from Hot Off The Press.  I first made the design on regular xerox paper to get the template and then once I had the template, I set about cutting the paper.  At $1.99 per 8 1/2 x 11 sheet this paper doesn’t come cheap, but I think the end result was worth the expense.  When I handed the card to my husband to sign for Daniel, he said, “You got Daniel a wallet for his birthday?  I thought we were getting him gym shoes?”  I told him the wallet was the card, it was paper.  He couldn’t believe it, he turned it over and over in his hands looking at it.  I knew then it was a hit and later that evening, after Daniel’s birthday, I gave my hubby his card.  I’ll be sending one to my brother and one to a friend as a thank you.

The wallet opened from the back side.

The inside of the wallet.

A group shot of all four wallets.

A view of the inside of another wallet that hasn’t been written on.

A visual of the Just Rite stamper and font set that I used for the lettering on the inside of the wallets.

I strongly recommend that everyone who stamps should have at least a few on the JustRite products in their arsenal of stamps, and more if you’re like me and have to have it all . . . LOL!  They really are a must have!  I used the Harmony Rectangular Stamp Set together with the Small Letter Set to spell out the words “Genuine Leather” on the left side of the wallet and the names of the recipients on the right side of the wallet.  I love having the ability to spell out anything I want on the rectangular blocks, in any size or font that’s available at JustRite.  There are so many to choose from, and I have to admit I have several of the font sets.  I love having so many choices with the different font sets that are available for different occasions.  The thing I love most about the JustRite products is that once you begin to collect the various sets and fonts, they all work together, they’re interchangeable, and as more designs become available, you can make additional purchases either as kits or by individual items, to suit your needs that will coordinate with what you already have.  I was tickled pink when Violettes chose several of the JustRite products at CHA to carry in their store, more toys for me to play with.

Thank you so much for stopping by, I appreciate your comments, they keep me inspired.

• Stamps:  JustRite Harmony Rectangular Stamp Set; Just Rite Small Letter Set
• Paper:  Hot Off The Press
• Ink:  Stampin’ Up! Chocolate Chip Craft Ink
• Accessories:  Scor It (available at Joan’s Gardens); sewing machine, doubled sided strong adhesive (red tape); Stamp-A-Ma-Jig

Sometimes in life we receive unexpected blessings, meet people who are extraordinarily kind, and overall are just nice to be around.  I recently met some very kind and generous people when I attended CHA.  I designed this card to say thank you to a very kind and generous individual for a very special dinner and evening out with the “gang”.  I was blessed to meet artists, designers, internet friends, and individuals from all over the map that have enriched my life. 

I’m embarrassed over how long it has taken me to get to my thank you’s and I have many more to design.  Being busy is no excuse, but it truly is the only one I have.  Moving my son to Tennessee and all the preparations involved took far longer than I anticipated.  Since returning home I thought I would have my stamping room, my son’s room, and my busy schedule in order in a week or so.  NOT SO!!!  My stamping room is still utter chaos, oh my . . . that’s another story! 

The design of this card is very similar to another design I have in the July Fan Club gallery over at Splitcoast (my home away from home).  Note:  The link provided will work for Fan Club members only.  I changed a few aspects of the design and attached the sentiment directly onto the card.  I used Nestibilities to cut the circles.  The bottom circle is cut on a sheet of copper metal; the Nestibilities did a wonderful job in cutting through the metal like butter.   I flattened the copper brads using a hammer from SU’s tool kit, as I wanted a flat antique appearance.  The stitching was all done by hand.  I first pierced the paper using SU’s mat pack for placement of the holes, I then threaded a needle the old fashioned way and sat down and stitched away.  Now, you may be asking why I stitched this project by hand instead of using a sewing machine and the answer is very simple.  Do you see how small the corner pieces and the narrow strips of paper are?  Well  .   .   .   I was afraid that I might possibly sew through a finger while holding those small bits of paper on the sewing plate.  Now, don’t ask me if I’ve ever done that before and if it was quite painful, especially reversing the machine to get the needle back out of my finger .  .  . LOL! 

I used the JustRite Small Letter Set for the words around the outer perimeter of the tag and used the Damask Borders & Letter Kit for the initial and center design.  I used a small fern stamp from a tapestry stamp kit for the fern beside the words “Thank You.”   I added a little bit of Dazzling Diamonds for a hint of sparkle on the fern. 

• Stamps: JustRite Stampers, Tapestry fern stamp, SU Paisley BG
• Paper:  Night of Navy,  Basic Black, K & Co. Blue Awning DP
• Inks:  Night of Navy, Creamy Caramel, Basic Black
• Accessories:  Copper metal sheet, copper brads, sewing needle  & thread, corner punches (sm. & med.), SU circle punch, Nestibilities, Dazzling Diamonds, Quickie Glue Pen, Scotch Wrinkle Free Glue stick, sponge, Coluzzle, SU mat pack, SU tool kit

Today Stephen and I start our official packing (packing boxes, affixing labels to the boxes, etc.).  Wish me luck and much patience!  I’m so not looking forward to this.  We leave this Thursday and I keep pushing that date to the back of my mind.

It’s hard to believe it’s been two months since Stephen asked me to make thank you cards for the high school graduation gifts he received.  The summer has just flown by so quickly.  He asked me to make something masculine with no ribbon, I interpreted that to mean no bows and he asked for masculine colors as well.  After a few prototype cards this design is the one he chose.  He asked me to keep it simple and I think I was able to accomplish that (no watercolors). Instead of using the typical masculine stamps that I have, I decided to monogram the cards.  I love the DIY monogram stamper from JustRite, it was perfect for this project, I used the Small Round Monogram Stamper for the monogram.  I chose Stampin’ Up!’s Chocoloate Chip ink for the monogram color, I simply used the re-inker to fill up the JustRite ink pad for the stamper. For the thank you sentiment I used a set of sentiment stamps from Flourishes.  I made seven cards of each design for a total of 28 cards.

• Stamps:  JustRite Small Round Stamper, Flourishes
• Paper:  Crate Paper, Close to Cocoa
• Ink:  Chocolate Chip, Vintage Photo
• Accessories:  Making Memories copper brads, SU Mat Pack, sewing machine, oval punches, nestibilities, dimensionals, grosgrain ribbon