Remember when I said that this little lady was my favorite?
Well, she is quickly becoming a favorite in my shop! I recently did a redesign for a baptism. This time, instead of a tea length invite, the proud mama wanted a 5×7 for her daughters big day. We added some pink text and a simple cross stamp to make this design unique. By taking out a few of the layers of lace and using some papers already in stock, I was able to bring the cost down a bit. I love being able to provide a unique design at an affordable cost and I am happy to work with clients to achieve what they are looking for at a price that works for them. It was a pleasure working on these again with a new twist.
BONUS TRACK — An inside look into stressful times when things don’t work out the way you hoped… at first! Also, a helpful note on stamping on metallic and pearlescent paper
Full disclosure: most of the time, when working on designs, hiccups arise. This time, it was with the stamping of the cross. I was already working with a limited supply of paper, trying to give this client an invite she adored while staying within her budget. To do this, we decided to use the supplies I had in stock.
Working away, I was feeling good, everything had come together very well so far, I had printed and cut all the invitations and was ready to start stamping and assembling. I stamped 50 silver crosses and headed off to prenatal yoga.
And as I drove, the nastiest little thought popped into my head. “Oh please oh please, let that ink dry properly on the metallic paper. The first set hadn’t dried by the time I left, and that is not usual. Ok, out of your mind, time to focus on Yoga.”
Return home. eeekkkkk eeeekkkk. Still not dry?!?
Tomorrow. Still not dry, ink will smudge if touched.
Stress about this all day.
Conference with my VP (Ben) after we put Saida to bed. I love his optimism, “we will fix it, there has to be a way.” and he is right, there always is. However, my pessimism spent the last 48 hours thinking “I’m doomed!”
After a few ideas and some internet research… we discovered that we could simply dust the existing stamped image with clear embossing powder, and emboss using a heat tool. Amazing news! I don’t have to rush order fresh paper, stay up all night once it arrives to finish order and then ship them overnight to client. This will save me buckets of time and money. So we tried it and it worked amazingly! The finished effect was even preferable to the plain stamping. It matched the metallic look of that papers used in the design very well.
Like I said, “It always works out in the end.” …or something like that!
Another Note:
I hope that my transparency here will not leave you thinking that your invitations will not be handled and cared for with the utmost importance. Really, it’s just the opposite. Though these hiccups do arise, when creating a customized, handmade product, you can rest assured that when you hire me to create invitations and paper goods for your special event, it will arrive to you, within the deadline discussed, for the price agreed upon and meeting all your specifications. You will get someone who will bend over backwards for you and give you 100% personal attention.
You know I am a huge advocate for small business and the handmade market. Our budgets may not be huge and we may be figuring out a few things as we go, but you get something that you just can’t get with mass production. And it is that little something extra that will make sure you get what you are looking for, because we care, we really do. We care about you, even though we never met you. Most of us are in business because we want to share something with people. In my case, I want to provide a personal experience, a unique paper good and an affordable price. I want brides and clients to be able to get what they are looking for, unique and individualized attention, without spending a fortune to get it. This is why I am in business. Now… if I am going to stay in business depends on whether or not I can do this while making a profit… but that is a story for another day.
Seven Layer Designs 