Memorial Cards

So, some unfortunate news...my grandmother passed away due to a sudden heart attack. She was with my family and I during the holiday season. She did get to see the album I made her and she loved it. That comforts me. I made some service cards.

I don't know about you guys, but I hate traditional service cards. A corny saying a prayer and picture of a saint are supposed to help you remember and mourn your relative? I don't think so. I decided handmade was the route to go with this one.

She and my grandfather used to own a sailboat, so that accounts for the nautical theme, and salmon was her favorite color. The anchor is heat embossed in silver. A bit of twine adds an unexpected 3D element that I hope is tastefully inserted, and also ties into the nautical theme. I rounded the corners. For those who can't see it, the quote reads "I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship." The picture is of my grandmother and grandfather, taken about 5-6 years ago. They are together now. I'm sure she would have loved them, and for that matter, I hope you guys do too.

Handmade Stationery for my Uncle

This is one more Christmas present I made. Handmade stationery, clipped corners, embossed initial, lined with antique maps.

Italian Album

So for Christmas I kind of pulled out all the stops. I'm kicking myself for not taking pictures of the absolutely awesome wrapping job I did. It involved buttons sewed on ribbons. 'Nuff said. Anyway, I made books and stationery for everyone, but this post I'll just focus on my Italian Album.

I made two of these albums - one for my Aunt and one for my Grandmother. They loved both of them! And here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Some info about the album: It's filled with old family photos that I re-printed on HP Premium photo paper. It's bound with a weirdo combination binding that I made up, consisting of coptic stitch and a maple leaf stitch that's normally reserved for stab binding, but I adopted it to fit this. Because it's coptic bound it lies flat when opened. I cut slits in the pages to hold the photos in.