It's Just Right!

Another set of monogrammed cards! Gee, I wonder who had a snow day this week and extra creative time? I chose to use designer paper entitled Perfect Day by CTMH, for my perfect snow day project. The colors are g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s. I had no problem finding a matching floral stamp and copics to color-coordinate the envelopes.

This double-sided paper is so stinkin' pretty that I spent more time coordinating which sides to pair up than I did in actual card assembly! Yes, playing with paper is such a difficult task, she said with a sigh. There are three cards without mats (above) and three card with mats (below).

The monograms were stamped using the JustRite Damask Border, and the font is from the JustRite Special Occasions set. I want to share a tip on using Nestabilities to cut and mat a stamped image. Place the die so that your stamped image is centered and simply place a small piece of scotch tape on the edge of the die prior to cutting. Wa-la ... a perfectly centered cut every time. I learned this the hard way, nuff said.

Now, on to the scalloped tag which is actually a mini-card adhered to the front of the stationery box. I learned this technique from Sharon Johnson's blog. The base of the tag opens like a card. Fold your paper just like you do for a card, then position your Nestie onto the the paper making sure that the top portion of the Nestie is OFF the paper. You end up with BASE CARD that has a nice fold. I then stamped and cut a SEPARATE decorative tag using the same size Nestie, which then fit perfectly on top of the card base.

My separate tag top is stamped using the JustRite Harmony Classic Circle Stamper III set. This is a big mamma stamp (3 1/4") and somewhat difficult to get a clean stamp with no messed up edges. Thus, my sister & I held a teleconference meeting to discuss every possible solution. {We do this a lot, and sometimes she lets me call the meeting to order.} The result? Place a soft push pad under your paper before stamping. I also learned to eliminate the unwanted inked edges by running a kleenex around the wood base after inking. Meetings really can be productive! I was happy with my separate tag top! So ultimately the card base went from looking plain ....

... to this! I will write a personalized message inside the scallop note card to my friend. Something like, "Hello dear friend of mine. "

So this picture shows how the stationery box looks with the scalloped tag/card attached. Detailed instructions for the box can be found here. Once you make this box, you'll find a gazillion reasons to make it again! And now for the big finale ...

My BIG HAPPY CREATIVE MESS! Snow days are JustRite!