originals :: paper art & design

It’s that time of year again. I designed these graduation announcements for another one of my nephews. I have ten (nieces and nephews) total… so I’ll have designed many when they’re all done with school. It’s my goal to make them all different and ORIGINAL! Imagine that!  Enjoy the recipe.

This is a slender folding card with a school mascot wrap keeping it closed. Slip the wrap off and it reveals the announcement and houses additional party information and/or pictures my sister decides to tuck inside.

Congratulations Brandon! Enjoy your final days of high school… because the real world is right around the corner!! See you soon.

The 2010 Northeast Missouri Bridal Expo (brought to you by Tailor-Made Events) is this Sunday, January 31st and I’m getting my booth layout figured out this week.  Here is one of my display towers.  Each will present four original invitation ensembles.

Originals Paper Art & Design invitations do not come from an overflowing catalog or electronic template, but from a creative session between the bridal couple and me!  They are truly original and designed to represent the couple and their special day.

Whether your budget is average or ample, I can design an invitation for you. I must be honest, if you have a strict budget, Originals is not your best option. A set budget is beneficial prior to the creative session… it helps us stay on track when discussion your invitation options.

I’ll have hundreds of invitation samples at the Expo for you to look at and get ideas.  Your invitation is the first thing your guests see and it indicates what they can expect the day of your wedding.  Represent yourselves well.

Originals has a rainbow of paper colors, tactile textures and fancy finishes available in hot pink, rich red or chocolate brown, you name it, we’ve got your color scheme covered!

I’m an Envelopments dealer/designer and have access to their entire line of paper, dimensional pockets and original graphics.  Check out their website and let me know if I can be of assistance with your Envelopments needs.

See you at the Bridal Expo this Sunday! Be sure to drop by my booth and register to win a variety of Originals Paper Art & Design prizes!

This is sweet little baby Garrett Allen Fischer… isn’t he just darling!  He’s the second Fischer boy and Allen’s namesake.  We haven’t met him yet — summer can’t get here soon enough.

I used the same design elements for his brother Cole two years ago.  I absolutely adore the circles, round font, and new to this announcement… the excited, wide-eyed fish!  It’s a terrific combination and so fitting for our friends.  This announcement would be so sweet mounted and framed in a shadow box.

Details. Details. Details.  They make the difference between a large photo website template and an Originals custom announcement.  If you’re expecting or know somebody who is, this is a great way to announce the arrival of your loved one.  Purchasing baby announcements as a bridal shower gift is unique, unexpected and well received.  Contact me today to discuss how to get started.

I had two fabulous people to thank for their generosity last week. I spent an hour in my craft room Tuesday morning making them each a handmade thank you card. This is what I worked up… I love the way they turned out.

The paper is Arches watercolor paper and the envelope and stamps are from Paper Source.  I’ve always loved their stuff! That’s it! I just wanted to share this little dose of sunshine with you.  Have a fabulously FUN Friday!

Allen and I will be participating in Artrageous Fridays 2009 this Friday at Poppy in downtown Columbia. Here’s a fun read about Artrageous that may interest you! I’ll be demonstrating my charmed greeting cards and Allen will be making one of his beautiful handmade, handstitched books! It’s supposed to be beautiful this Friday… come to downtown Columbia for an evening out! Hope to see you there.

Here are a few of my new Charming Greeting Cards.  Three designs down, many more to go. You can buy these charming cards at Poppy in Columbia, Missouri, and they’ll be available soon at Tranquil Seasons in Kirksville, Missouri.

Charming | Fathers Day Card

Charming | Graduation Card

Charming | Baby Card

The little saying I print on the packaging for these cards is, “It’s not just a card, it’s Paper Art! Frame this originals greeting card and enjoy it for years to come!” And… it’s handmade here in the USA! It’s so important to keep that in mind these days. Cheers!

My love of making handmade greeting cards started about 15 years ago—is that even possible?

When my grandmother passed away last year, my mom gave me a box (I made for grandma) that was full of all the cards I made her through the years. I love to sit down and look at them again and remember making each and every one. That’s how I work. I don’t mass produce cards so that when an occasion comes around I have a card ready… nope…, I sit down with that person in mind and make them an original piece of artwork… an Originals handmade card! That’s probably why my cards are always the last to arrive in the mail… usually a week or two late. My family will get a chuckle when they read this!

Below is a card for my sister (hope she doesn’t see this right away… I just mailed it today). Before I left for Mexico she said, “have a drink for me.” So I took this margarita picture from our trip, set the word Cheers on it, printed it on my color printer, cut it out and adhered it to some vibrant orange paper and just that quick I have a fun and meaningful card that will make her smile!

I made this keepsake thank you card for our friends that invited us to Mexico! I started with vibrant paper colors, incorporated another photo I took of CABO in the sand, added the cute flip-flop stickers, orange hemp cord and wooden bead… all things that define our fabulous vacation together. I like to think of my cards as a little gift… a little piece of artwork that can easily be framed.

This card is for my mother-in-law. It’s a really late birthday and thank you card in one. She watched our five dogs while we went to Mexico and of all things… her birthday fell while we were gone. I’m sure she’ll love the gecko… it’s a great image that depicts the time she was here… not to mention he’s so cute!