My brother-in-law sent me a message a few days before Mother's Day asking if I could make his wife a card with a specific quote on it. I could have gone the easy route and just typed up the quote, printed it out, and used it on a card front; but I wanted to make her something extra special.
To finish it all up I used my Envelope Punch Board with a sheet of DSP to make a custom envelope. To hold the flap of the envelope closed I just wrapped some retired Bashful Blue stain ribbon around the envelope and tied it into a bow. The bow was embellished with some linen thread and a white heart button.
I assure you, this is not a sponsored post. I just wanted to share some of the things I love so you will see a few links to items you can purchase below. I will not and have not received any compensation from the sites linked below.
I've been trying to learn how to do calligraphy after finding the blog The Postman's Knock. Lindsay has the most wonderful and inspiring posts that make it seem like you really can learn calligraphy. So I purchased the Kaitlin Style Premium Calligraphy Worksheet Set. Now I haven't had a chance to practice that much before attempting to do this card.
Now that I look back through the photos I realize I forgot to cross a T. Oops...
I started out by cutting a piece of Watercolor paper down to the size I wanted. Then I used a pencil and ruler to create guidelines for my attempted calligraphy. I practiced writing the quote several times on regular paper with a pencil before trying it on the watercolor paper. Then I went to work on the watercolor paper holding my breath all the while. Once the ink was completely dry I erased my pencil marks.
Then I sketched some flowers in pencil and used my Grumbacher watercolor paint to create the background and add color to the flowers.
Once the watercolor was dry I added some stitching detail around the edges. I glued the watercolor paper onto a slightly larger piece of Soft Sky cardstock. I wrapped the card front with some Silver Baker's Twine and tied it into a bow before using Stampin' Dimensionals to adhere the panel onto the Blackberry Bliss card front.
A few rhinestones in each of the top corners were the finishing touch on the front.
For the inside I glued the watercolor paper onto the same size Soft Sky cardstock as before and glued that panel inside the card. I use the small heart punch to add a single Silver Glimmer Paper heart to the end of the quote.
On the other flap inside the card I glued in a piece of Whisper White cardstock so there was space to write a message.
To finish it all up I used my Envelope Punch Board with a sheet of DSP to make a custom envelope. To hold the flap of the envelope closed I just wrapped some retired Bashful Blue stain ribbon around the envelope and tied it into a bow. The bow was embellished with some linen thread and a white heart button.
I really had a lot of fun working on this project and trying to use some new mediums and techniques. Although my calligraphy was pretty rough on this project it gives me the fuel to keep on practicing to get better. After all, you are learning a whole new way to write so that does take time and lots of practice.
What mediums or new forms of crafting have you been trying out lately?
