Special Cards for Special Family Members

(Click on any photo to see a larger image.)

I just returned from a week in Las Vegas, Nevada, where I attended my brother's wedding. Trust me, it had to be something as major as a family wedding to drag me out to the desert during the hottest month of the year. Anyway, my brother brought along his oldest daughter on this trip as a gift to her for her recent high school graduation. This meant, of course, that I had to make two cards: one for my brother and his new bride and another for my niece.

For some reason I found it easier to create the card for my niece and I had it completed a week in advance. It is a pocket card which features a small silver key hanging from a brad on the inner card and sparkling rhinestone embellishments on the front of the pocket. What you can't see (because I neglected to photograph it -- DUH!) is a tiny vellum envelope attached to the back of the inner card. It held money that had been folded origami-style into hearts.

My brother's card, on the other hand, was a last minute job done bleary-eyed on the night before my departure.  For the life of me, I was stumped as to what to create even though I started the process way ahead of time. After tossing around and rejecting ideas for days and nights, I finally opted for handmade paper in precious metal colors of gold and silver cut and arranged into rays on a background of navy blue cardstock. Wired gold ribbon was used to create a pouf that provided the background for glittery white fern leaves and gold pearl sprays. The large initial is cut from white glitter cardstock and adhered on dimensional foam for height. A lone white dove ties the elements together and conveniently covers the join of the sprays. The choice of colors was very deliberate: precious metals to symbolize prosperity and a long married life together, gold stars on a navy blue background to symbolize my brother's long tenure as a member of the US Navy and the Naval Reserve and, of course, white. It is a wedding card after all. In spite of the fact that the card was done in a  hurry, I was pleased at the way it turned out. I guess I work well under pressure. The bride and groom were also pleased enough that they have decided to frame the card and display it in their home.

Much love and happiness for many years to come.


Ballo ergo sum,
- Gitana, the Creative Diva
Creatively connecting people through art