Personal Touch

Emails, text messages, and voice mails are just not the same as getting a letter or a card personally. Hence why I like to add a little personal flare to my cards and letters. I want to show the recipient that I put a little effort into making it a bit more loved.

My Christmas cards were an example of this for sure. Last year I did a stamp of a reindeer and colored it with different stamps. This year I wanted a little more flare and tradition at the same time.

I took a dark maroon card stock and punched out some snow flakes. (I kept the punched out snow flakes to use for other projects.)

 I cut out a square of white glitter card stock to glue to the inside of the card so that it showed through the snow flake punch outs. Then I glued down a candy cane stripped ribbon along the top and bottom of the front face. this helped to hold the glitter card stock in place as well as be decorative.

I used a stamp on the front in dark green for the main word expression. I also did a simple stamp expression inside the card (much like tradition cards you buy). On the very back of the card I used a new hand made stamp.

May take more time, but I got a lot of thank yous and nice comments about how they looked. People like to know you spent time on them, even if its just a card saying hello.

Stamps and Ink Over Flow

I have done a post about making storage boxes for my stamps and inks, but sadly I needed to make another set. (I have even more stamps in a box from my move (when I had to move home) that are still boxed up.) Since I had too many to deal with in my current boxes I wanted to make another set. I thought it would be boring if I made them look the same, so I went out and got new designs (ironically more items to put in my boxes). I made a Celtic design and a more classic look.
I painted the tops the same pale blue that I did with the other two, that I did want to do over again.

I used a Celtic Knot and a swirl stamp on one box. I did the pattern all the way around the box sides and a little different version on the lid.

 

 

The other box has a flower swirl design all over the sides and a large post card bird stamp on the lid. I made the lid look a little more vintage by not letting the stamp press the whole image down.

 

 

They have the same feel as the other two boxes, but with their own distinct look. I don't see the point of having boring storage. Especially when you can make it your own! 

Personal Storage Touch

Since I have started helping my mother get thing a little more organized and under control, I have started to find (time and again) things of my own I could keep more organized.

I find it more personal to make my own cards. This normally entrails that I have a lot of supplies (such as stamps, inks, blank cards). I found these plain photo storage boxes at Hobby Lobby that I thought I could dress up to make them fit better in my craft area.

I took the covers off and painted them a light blue color to go with the overall color theme of my room. Once I had completely painted the covers I set them aside to dry.

I had one box that would hold all my stamps and another that would keep all my inks and paints. It only seemed appropriate to decorate the stamp box in a decorative stamp. For the box that would hold my inks and paints I went with a more vintage, old English look for the main box sides, front and back.

Once I finished doing those stamping, I took the lid that was dry and picked a slight eastern looking stamp and positioned it several times on the lid. Then I stamped the sides of the lid with the same stamp, but in different positions in order to see different parts of the detail on the side of the lid.

This is the completed version of my storage box for ink pads and paints that I use.

The stamp I picked for the box that would hold my stamps looks much like a letter. I used that all over the main box, but not on the lid. I also used a stamp that looks like postage stamps and paid markers. I used that in certain sides of the main box and positioned between another stamp on the lid. I used a new stamp I found that is two pens together with wings. I used that only on the lid of the box.

They feel more like.... me now. I like that. They are practical, but also creative and personal. I don't like having random, boring, lifeless items around me, especially if I can make them SOOO much more.