A Touch of Grace

Hi Ladies, I finally have pictures of my craft room.  I’ve decided to go ahead and post before and after pictures.  The reason I chose to do this is not only so you can see the room before the renovations were made, but I wanted you to see why I haven’t been posting.  Please understand my old stamping room looked nothing like this.  It was in order .  .  . somewhat .  .  . no .  .  .  really .  .  .  it was!

This room was my sons’ playroom since they were very small.  When Stephen left for college a year ago, the idea came to me to move my stamping room to this room as it is twice as large.  But there were air conditioning issues and frankly, I could not tolerate the heat.  After we completed renovations to our house in May, I called my AC guy and he was able to resolve the air conditioning issues.  At that point I moved every thing out of my old room and into this one.  My hubby took one look at the room and took pity on me.  He told me to find someone to make it my dream stamping room.  I did!  And quickly  .  .  .  before he could change his mind. 

So for the past couple of months this is what the room has been like.  Seriously, could you design in a room like this?  Last week it got worse.  I had to move this mess out of the room so that the cabinet installers could come and install my long awaited cabinets.  The contents you see in these pictures are currently in both my sons’ bedrooms, an attic, and the upstairs hallway.  The upper floor to my house is truly a maze .  .  . LOL.  The cabinets are now installed.  I’m missing two drawer fronts and one cabinet door that will be in next week.  Apparently there was a mistake in measurements resulting in pieces that didn’t fit.

So without further adieu, here are the pictures I promised.

Entry into room before renovations.

Entry after renovations.

We’re going to go around the room starting with the right side (or west side of the room). “Before” pictures will be first, followed by “after” pictures.

The tall white armoire is a custom paper armoire.  The lower drawers have been designed with racks to hold 8 1/2″ x 11″ cardstock.  The upper portion with the doors has been designed to hold 12″ x 12″ cardstock and designer paper.

Over the countertops you’ll see open cubbies.  They are 15″ in height and 8″ deep.  The bluish cast you see is a reflection of my flash.  If you look at the bottom of the armoire that has several drawers (custom for my stamps), that is the color of the cubbies.  The cabinet colors are ivory and maple. The small white door to the left is a door we nicknamed the “dwarf” door.  It’s an entry into one of our attics.  Several of the boxes you see in the “before” pictures are in there.  After I’ve moved every thing back in, I’ll use the attic for overflow (old stamps and items I don’t use on a regular basis).

This room is a room over our garage which accounts for the odd angles in the ceiling. This is my second largest work station.  I’m placing my sewing machine here.

Oops, sorry, some of the shots are at an angle.  It was late when I took these shots and I guess I was a wee bit tired.

Here I have two more work stations. Perfect for classes!  Do you see the four black oval shapes on the countertops?  Those are grommets for eletrical outlets so that I can drop electrical cords right down.  I love that!  No wiring all over the countertops or hanging over the edges.   

I’m placing my printer here underneath the cabinets.

I love the bookshelf.  Now I have a place for all my stamping and craft magazines and books. 

This is my main work station.  It’s perfect for water coloring and designing.  It’s huge, room enough for two people.  I love the “L” shape.  I chose this location because of the bright natural sunlight coming in that window.  The window is 6′ x 3′, allowing for sunlight all day long in the room.  I’m placing my Wizard underneath the overhead cabinet to the far right and will place my dies in the cabinet above.  Underneath the countertop I’ll place my Cuttlebug and Revolution, together with the Quikutz dies and Cuttlebug dies I have.  Two drawer fronts and one cabinet door are missing.  When they came in, they were the wrong size.  The replacements will be installed next week.  See the drawer and two cabinet doors that don’t have knobs.  Those are fake, it’s the side view of the three drawers that pull out from the front.  The knobs will be here Wednesday to be installed.

See the niche behind the door, that’s where I have my Stampin’ Up! classic and craft ink pads.  My Wizard and Cuttlebug are behind the ink towers.  I can’t wait to get started on this room!

We’re at the end of the tour.  I’ll be back to post pictures once I’ve moved every thing back into the room and everything is in order. 

 Thanks so much for stopping by!

Hi everyone, it’s been ages since I’ve posted.  I’ve not had access to my stamping supplies, they’ve been packed in boxes for nearly two months.  I moved my stamping room to another location in my home and am having cabinets made for the room.  Little did I realize it would take this long.  The cabinets were installed Thursday and Friday, but are not yet complete.  Hopefully everything will be completed on Monday.  I have before and after pictures that I’ll be sharing with you soon.  Once you see the pictures you’ll understand why I haven’t been able to stamp.

I didn’t pack my water colors and have been working on this painting.  It’s roughly about 8 1/2″ x 11.”  I didn’t draw the fairy, sadly I’m not that talented .  .  . LOL.  I purchased a book at Michael’s a couple of years ago entitled “Enchanting Fairies” by Barbara Lanza.  I blew up a drawing provided in the book and transferred it to 8 1/2″ x 11″ water color paper.  I painted the fairy with a mix of Schminke and Winsor Newton water color paints.  After completing the painting, I adhered Swarovski crystals to the fairy’s hair.  The crystals don’t show up well in the photos; in real life they sparkle like diamonds and emeralds.   While the painting is a bit “amateurish,” I’m pleased with my first attempt at a water color this size. 

I’m providing a close up of her face, you can see I’ve also placed a few crystals on the fairy’s ear and forehead.  I’ve named her Dawn Marie.  I think she resembles my very sweet and beautiful second cousin, Dawn Marie.  Dawn lives here in Tampa and is a senior at University of South Tampa.

I’ll be back soon with pictures of my stamp room and new designs.  You won’t want to miss this coming September 17 & 18! JustRite Stampers is hosting a blog hop and has invited several of the top designers to join in.  I’ll be posting my design on Friday, September 18.

I hope you had a wonderful summer with your family and friends! 

Many Blessings!

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. 

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.

I can’t believe that February has come and gone already!  Where is the time going?

Yesterday my friend Sharon, notimetostamp, posted her Friday challenge ssnotime76.  Sharon’s got Cabin Fever BAD!!  She wants sunshine and warmer temps, she wants to open her windows and let in the fresh air, she wants to see and smell the Spring flowers and green grasses.  She says she’s tired of being cooped up inside and suffering from the dreaded “Cabin Fever”.  She needs to get out and get revitalized and refreshed!  For Sharon and those living in the Northwoods, Spring is quite a ways away, a dream to look forward to.  She’s challenged us to make a card or project that will bring signs of Spring, new life, fresh air, and warmer temps.

Well Sharon, I’ve painted this scene for you!  I want you to dream that you’re a fairy flittering about in a willow tree, soaking up the gorgeous Spring sunshine, dipping your toes in the fresh water, enjoying nature and all that Spring has to offer you.  Inhale that fresh air, smell those fresh flowers, skip through the green grasses, enjoy those warm temps.

Okay Sharon, did it work, are you feeling better?

The painting itself measures 3 1/2″  x 6″, it was too large to make a card and since I don’t scrapbook, I decided to frame it and save it for a future granddaughter.  I’m placing it in my guest bedroom for the time being, the colors go well with the decor.

A close up view of the picture just after I finished painting it.  You can see at the top where I painted bits of color trying to match up greens.

A picture of the stamp with the painting beside it.  I used water color paints, mixing the various hues to try to match the original painting as close as I could without knowing what colors were actually used in the original.  The stamp is an image of a painting painted by Cicely Mary Baker.

• Stamps:  Stamps Happen, Inc.
• Paper:  Arches Hot Pressed 140 lbs. water color paper
• Ink:  Versafine Black Onyx
• Accessories:  Water color painting (3 sizes - OO, O, 1); ceramic mixing trays, Cadmium Red, Zinc White, Sap Green, Aureolin, Yellow Ochre, Burnt Sienna, Phthalo Blue, Phthalo Green, Ultramarine Blue, Photo Mats and Frame (Michael’s)

This post almost didn’t make it ladies.  When I design the purses, luggage and wallets, I start out with a rough sketch of what I want and create pattern pieces similar to that of sewing a garment.  As I continue with the design, I usually make adjustments and alter several of the pattern pieces.  Usually by the time I’ve finished the design, the first template has so many alterations, it’s unusable for a tutorial; hence the need to re-create the pattern pieces.  I sat down Friday night and began work on a new template for this post.

Saturday, I cut pieces to make three more wallets and took these photos as I went along.  I apologize for the quality of these shots.  I don’t have sufficient lighting in my stamping room and I don’t have enough room to create an area for photo shoots using artificial lighting.

By Saturday evening I had completed the wallets and uploaded the pictures on my laptop to begin the process of editing in Photoshop, placing my watermark on them, and resizing them.  Sunday, after church, I moved the pictures into my blog.  Once there, I realized they were too small to see the writing on the template so I deleted them and went back to Photoshop and started the process all over again sizing the pictures large enough to see the writing on the template.  I then moved the pictures back to my blog only to discover that about 25% of the picture had run off into the right margin and couldn’t be seen.  So Sunday evening, I deleted everything once again and went back to Photoshop to resize the photos so that they would be large enough to see the writing, but small enough to fit within the margins.  No matter what size I made the pictures, they would not work.  By 11:00 p.m. Sunday night, tired and frustrated, I concluded it just wasn’t meant to be.

I had a full schedule Monday and wasn’t able to do anything stamping related.  Last night after dinner, I decided to give it one more try and uploaded the photographs onto my main computer instead of my laptop.  Spending an hour and half in Photoshop, I tested each picture one at a time and was able to get the photos a size that is readable and will fit within the parameters of my margins.  Success at last!

In the spirit of sharing, please remember that all content (including text, images, photographs, and designs) is copyright © Jerri Kay Jimenez.  My artwork is shared for your personal inspiration only and may not be copied for publication, contest entry, or personal financial gain.  Thank you.

It’s not necessary to know how to sew to make this wallet, but if you have sewing experience, you will find this project much easier.

There are ten pieces to the wallet template. This picture gives the measurements and shows what the wallet should look like when sewn together.  The front of the wallet consists of three pieces which can be seen three pictures below.  All drawn lines are stitching lines.

This picture shows the measurements for the inside insert and the lining. Drawn lines are stitching lines.

These pieces are for the inside of the wallet, measurements are written on each piece.  Drawn lines are stitching lines.

These are the three pieces for the front of the wallet.

This picture shows the pieces of the inside insert, lining and pieces to be sewn together.

Using your JustRite rectangular stamper, spell out “Genuine Leather” with the small letters (see photo below).  Using a Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, center the words on one of the tan leather pieces measuring 4 1/2″ x 3″ using Stampin’ Up! Chocolate Chip Craft ink (die inks will not work on this paper).  Then stamp the name of the individual on the tan paper measuring 4 1/2″ x 2 (see picture above with pattern pieces).  Helpful Hint:  Heat set the craft ink being very careful not to burn the paper.

Helpful hint:  Leave your letters on this storage case for easy storing.  I mist the letters with water when I’m finished, using a toothbrush I gently clean them.  I use a tissue to absorb the “dirty” water and then place the letters back onto the black storage case they came in.

Place the three front pieces on grid paper, adhering the tan piece on the wrong side of the crocodile paper (here’s where sewing experience comes in, right side to wrong side, adhere with right side of the tan leather paper to the wrong side of the crocodile paper).  Your finished measurements will be 3 1/2″ x 9 3/4″.

Stitch around all edges of the pattern pieces as shown above.  For the piece with the name on it, sew across the tops of all three pieces, then stack them together and sew around all edges.  DO NOT sew around the edges first and then across the tops or you will not be able to use the slots to insert gift cards.

Take the lining piece (crocodile paper) and adhere it to the top of the wrong side of the front of the wallet.  This is needed to cover the top of the back of the paper.  The rest will be hidden once the pattern pieces are adhered on.

Fold the crocodile flap over the piece that says “Genuine Leather” and adhere on the back side.  On the back side of the pieces, place double sided tape on three sides (the sides and bottom).

Adhere the brown leather insert to the wrong side of the wallet front, leaving 1/16″ of an inch on the ends.

Now adhere the last two pieces to the brown leather insert, placing the piece with the crocodile flag on the left and placing the personalized piece on the right.  All of the pieces are functional, you can place dollar bills between the wallet front and the tan leather insert, and gift cards in the three slots on the right side.

Fold the wallet together forming the crease line.

Inspiration for the wallet came from one I saw at Steinmart.  I was shopping for my son’s birthday and came across a wallet that I liked.  My son didn’t need a wallet, but I really liked this wallet.  A lightbulb went off in my head.  I opened it up and looked at the inside and thought, gee, I think I can do this, the wallet was just a plain old cowhide leather wallet.  When I got home, I went upstairs and went through my stash of designer papers and found the tan leather paper, then I came across the crocodile paper and decided to use both in the design.  I sat down and started drawing out rectangles and created the template.  It took a couple of hours to make the template and to get it all to fit together. It was a hit with my son and husband.

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

This is the last piece in the Afternoon Tea series.  I was out in appointments most of the day and wasn’t able to get a picture of the entire ensemble.  We’re headed out of town for the weekend, I’ll try to get the picture on Sunday when I return and get it posted. 

Yesterday was my youngest son’s 16th birthday.  It’s hard to believe my baby is 16 years old.  I made a card for him and hope to get a picture of it before we leave.  I struggle with masculine cards, they are so difficult for me.  This one passed my hubby’s inspection and my son liked it.  If you struggle as I do with masculine cards and are looking for inspiration, stop by tomorrow and take a peek at the card I made.  If there’s enough interest, I’ll create a template and post it.  When I return, I plan on working on the template for the tulip purse and the monogrammed purse I featured last week and hopefully get those posted within the week.

• Paper:  Prism Cobalt Blue, Canson water color 140 lbs. coldpressed
• Ink:  Versamark
• Accessories:  Heating tool, Ranger Gold/Gold Tinsel EP, Fiskars corner punch, water color brush, Tombow markers, Wizard, Nestibilities, Kaiser Pearls, dimensionals, Glue Glider (Nesties, Kaiser Pearls, Glue Glider from Joan’s Gardens)

Remembering a gorgeous design that Becca  had made last September with a beautiful Flourishes stamp, I contacted her and told her I had an idea I wanted to run with and asked if she would mind if I “borrowed” one of her designs and ran with it.  Well bless her sweet heart, Becca was very gracious and said, “run with it girl”.  Here’s the ensemble Becca designed that was the inspiration for my design below. 

I used a chintz background stamp that I used on the chintz purse I posted earlier.  I stamped a smaller image for the little spray on the oval.  I used my Nesties petite ovals, long rectangles, and long scalloped rectangles to cut and emboss the paper.  The verse is from Verve clear stamps.  I used the Nesties Labels to cut the vellum for the verse.  An SU punch was used to cut the slit at the bottom of the rectangle.   I attached gold cord and added pearls to the ends.

Well, what’s an afternoon tea without a pair of elegant gloves!  I painted this set using blue tones and adhered Swarovski Saphire crystals across the top for a lovely pair of jeweled gloves.

We had such beautiful sunlight today.  I took another picture of my favorite piece and just had to squeeze it in again.  The image is a little clearer, with much better lighting.  The center of the heart shimmers with the Pearl Ex and Gum Arabic mixture that I painted on.  The tiny Kaiser pearls show up much better in this photo, as well as the gold on the outer edges.  This is a super simple image to paint, it took me all of about 15 minutes.  The cutting took a little longer .  .  . LOL.  I have a few more hearts that I can’t wait to get painted to show you with different types of flowers.  One has a gorgeous magnolia on it that is absolutely fabulous and beautiful to paint using a different technique to get a more “thick and fuzzy” texture.  The Nestibilities, Kaiser Pearls, Zip Dry, and Glue Glider are from Joan’s Gardens.

• Stamps:   Verve
• Paper:  Prism Cobalt Blue, Canson 140 lbs. cold pressed water color paper, vellum cardstock
• Ink:  Versamark
• Accessories:  Heating tool, Ranger Gold/Gold Tinsel EP, Tombow markers, water color brush, Kaiser Pearls, Wizard, Nestibilities, Taffeta ribbon, Dimensionals, Krylon gold pen, deckle scissors, gold tassel, magenta flowers, gold cord, pearls, Swarovski saphire crystals, Glue Glider, Zip Dry Adhesive, SU slit punch

Yesterday I began an Afternoon Tea ensemble that I designed for CHA.  Today’s featured piece is a gift for the guest.  I think this is my favorite piece of the entire ensemble. 

I stamped the image on water color paper using Versamark and embossed it with Ranger Gold/Gold Tinsel embossing powders.  The image was water colored with Tombow markers, I painted the inner portion of the heart with a mixture of Pearl Ex and Gum Arabic.  Once the painting was dry I used a kraft knife to cut around the edges.  Deckle scissors were used to cut a heart out of Cobalt Blue Prism paper.   I placed the image on top of the blue heart using SU Dimensionals.  Using a hole punch, I punched a small hole in the upper portion of the heart and attached Ivory taffeta ribbon.  The ribbon is long enough to tie the heart onto a doorknob or a chair post.  I attached a gold tassel at the bottom of the heart, together with a bow and fuchsia rosettes.  Tiny Kaiser pearls were used intermittently on the inner portion of the heart and can be purchased at Joan’s Garden’s.  At the end of the tea, the gift is given to the guest to take home.

This ensemble would be very beautiful for a wedding as well.  I would tone down the hues and use pastels for the background papers, using the brides colors.

• Paper:  Canson 140 lbs. cold pressed water color paper, Prism Cobalt Blue
• Ink:  Versamark
•  Accessories:  Heating tool, Ranger Gold/Gold Tinsel embossing powders, paint brush, Tombow markers, Pearl Ex, Gum Arabic, Kaiser Pearls, Ivory Taffeta Ribbon, Gold Tassel, SU Dimensionals, kraft knife, cutting board, Fiskars deckle scissors, Gold Krylon pen, hole punch