Latest cards

Hello, Readers

This past week has been busy with school and work, but I wanted to update you with I've been working on lately. Today's post will be a photo blog of my recent cards. Enjoy!

Don't forget to stop by Etsy shop where you can purchase the cards you see featured on my blog:

www.etsy.com/shop/yourssincerelygifts

Don't overthink. Just do it.

Last night, a friend asked me to make a baptism card. I have never made one before. Immediately, my mind got on the worry wheel wondering how I could make the card and thinking of which store I could buy stamps related to baptism. Then suddenly, I got a revelation.

STOP!

All you need, you have. Keep it simple. Trust your talent. That's what I did. I finished my homework last night and got up this morning and took less than 15 minutes to design and make the card. I had everything I needed and my friend loved the card.


Sometimes life isn't about having all the bells and whistles but making the most of what you have.


Thanks for reading.

Yours Sincerely
Chasity

Etsy: What's that?

A couple of years ago when I told my journalist buddy Kalen Ponche that I wanted to sell my handmade cards, she asked me if I had heard of Etsy.

I hadn't. As I browsed the site and learned more, I found it be an ideal place for me to share my creativity with the rest of the world without hopping on a place. Many times when I tell folks I have an Etsy shop, most are unfamiliar. Here's some information on what Etsy is.

According to their site, Etsy is "the world's most vibrant handmade marketplace." It features millions of items made by the hands of crafters all across the world. Etsy is the perfect place to find one of a kind gift items and every day needs. From custom wedding dresses to wall art to hoodies to feather earrings to makeup to baked chocolate chip cookies. The possibilities are endless.

What I appreciate about Etsy is the vastness of its offerings and it has created an accessible bridge between those who love to create and those who love to buy handmade items made with a purpose and with care behind them. Thousands of shops exist on Etsy. You can support local handmade artists in your area by checking out this link: http://www.etsy.com/local?ref=fp_nav_local

If you have a few minutes, take some time and explore Etsy. You're bound to find something special, unique and heartfelt.

Have a great day.

Yours Sincerely
Chasity

The Process: Card making

Sympathy cards probably are the hardest to make. I think sympathy cards should be simple in design and in warm colors appropriate for the occasion. I tend to avoid bows and buttons in my sympathy cards. 

Although they are difficult to make, sympathy cards are very much needed for a person who is mourning. 

Here’s a step by step process for how I made this card. 

I started with a blank pre-folded white card and stamped a pattern along the edge. I used Close to my Heart Creme Brulee. I like Close to My Heart inks pads because the colors are vibrant and don’t fade easily. 

I cut out a patterned piece of paper and adhered it to purple card stock. 

I stamped ‘With Sympathy’ in embossing ink and covered with brown embossing powder. 

The paper I stamped the sentiment on is the back side of the patterned paper. I love double sided papers. They take a lot of the guess work out. Finding coordinating papers can be tricky. It also reduces how much paper I have to buy and waste because I have fewer papers. It also helps with organization. 

I adhered the sentiment on purple card stock and adhered to the front of the card. 

I stamped a sentiment on the inside of the card.

Now I’m done. 

Thanks for reading. Take care.

Yours Sincerely

Chasity 

Thank You Cards = the Great Equalizer

It doesn't matter if you're 15 or 55. Single or Widowed. If you have a house full of kids or none at all. If you make $25,000 a year or $250,000. Male or Female.

We ALL need to say thank you at some point in our lives. William Bennett, a politician, said: "Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that thankfulness is a indeed a virtue."
Thank you cards are a tangible way of expressing one's gratitude and gives the recipient a keepsake.

Any occasion can warrant a thank you card: a job interview, help moving, a kind act or for a gift.

Thank you cards are also one of those things we don't always have on hand when we need them. Why not plan ahead to give thanks and have cards available?

Here are some thank you cards I made last week before I visited friends in Chicago. I kept the design the same but changed the color scheme.

Hope you enjoy. Tell someone thank you today.

Yours Sincerely,
Chasity