Jaimie & John

Today's Jaimie's Big Day! It's finally here! Jaimie contacted me back in January and was so prepared - but even as the date approached, more tables were added, which I was happy to oblige... Thank goodness, we had finished all the other cards way ahead of time!

Here is a special order from Jaimie to her new hubbie. I no longer offer these cards, but I special made this for her since she is such a great customer! She had asked for a custom cut card to give to John on their Special Day in her wedding colors of pink and purple. Congrats Jaimie & John!

Valentines Day Cards

It's that time of year again! Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and GE Designs is bringing back the Personalized Custom Cut Valentines Day Cards. Whether it's for your spouse, bf, gf, children, parents, you may personalize your Valentine's Day Card in any way (if space allows it) for just $6.00 (plus shipping). This year, they are one size larger (5x7 or A7). These were very popular last year, and I'm already getting requests from past customers, so please order early!

I am setting an order deadling for International Orders for February 1, 2010 to allow orders to ship on time.

Rhinestone Embellishments are also available for an additional $0.50 per pair of 2mm Swarovski rhinestones. Other sizes available at an additional cost.

SPECIAL EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT: Please use discount code GEDBLOG10 for a 10% off discount. Valid on purchases through January 15, 2010.

My 2009 Christmas Cards

I had great ambitions to create my own Christmas Cards this year (which I never do, ironically since I run GE Designs)... What I didn't take into account, was my hectic schedule, the amount of work it takes, and the amount of money... Seriously, the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas passes by way to quickly. Instead of making 30 cards, I ended up with less than 20. AND, I didn't even ship them till yesterday. Yikes. My original vision, was to create handmade cards with CD holders inside for a CD collection of cool Christmas songs. Hopefully, the recipients receive them by Dec 24. At least I got them off my hands. They'll at least have some music for next Christmas.


I wanted to make a "Starry Night" type of feel, with the clear Swarovski Crystals against the navy Blue and silver metallic cardstock, but once I was done with the first one, I thought the theme looked more like Hannukah cards. So I added the silver embossed Christmas tree on the cover. I probably should have gone with Red. I wanted to make them as intricate as wedding invites, since I was inserting a CD, but once I started pushing back my deadline, I got less and less ambitious with it.

What took the most time, was affixing 3 different sized Swarovski Crystals on each card to make it look like a starry night (Outside and inside). Yikes. It took time to heat/cool the applicator, change attachments according to crystal sizes, the placement took a while since crystals got stuck on the applicator -- the obstacles with rhinestones just lasted days. Never again.

But in honor of the Holidays, check out my 3 Christmas Card designs. Merry Christmas and GE Designs will be back in 2010 with new photos and projects!

Here's a closeup of the embossed Christmas tree. Embossing was another lengthy activity.

This one has a ribbon closure, which required cutting slits and looked pretty... But then I realized that it wouldn't fit in the envelopes. So only one lucky person gets this design.

I originally wanted to create the outer CD holder myself with cardstock using my creativity, but I opted to purchase the Diagonal Enclosure Cards from Paper Source. I think I saved myself the headache by purchasing the ready-made versions. I didn't take photos of the CD labels for the CD itself, but I affixed a sticker label so that the final product wouldn't look half-done. Here is my playlist below. These songs range from the early 90s to now. I tried to include different genres to keep it eclectic.

1. Last Christmas by Glee Cast
2. White Christmas by Rascall Flatts
3. I'll Be Home For Christmas by Rascall Flatts
4. Where Are You Christmas by Faith Hill
5. Christmas Shoes by Various Artist (Not sure who recorded this song - someone sent this to me years ago)
6. Do You See What I See? by Destiny's Child
7. All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey
8. Love's In Our Hearts For Christmas by N'SYNC
9. Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire by Toni Braxton
10. Let It Snow by Boyz II Men
11. Silent Night by Boyz II Men
12. Little Drummer Girl by Alicia Keys
13. Christmas Song by Dave Matthews
14. Winter Song by Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson
15. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Colbie Caillat
16. Mistletoe by Colbie Caillat
17. Christmastime by Smashing Pumpkins
18. Happy Xmas (War is Over) by Maroon 5
19. The Little Drummer Boy by Charles Brown

A special project... never again

As a favor to my sister, I helped her create the following birthday card for a friend of hers. Hopefully her friend doesn't see my blog to ruin the surprise, but I told my little sister that after all the time it took to design and cut this piece, that I HAD to post photos of it. This is a one-of-a-kind item, so Soju, I hope you absolutely LOVE this card. Happy 26th!
Here's a couple of closeups of the pain-in-the-behind intricate letters. The thin lines kept causing the cardstock to tear on two attempts ... grrrr.

My sister actually ended up sprucing it up with a few more touches, so I'll post a photo of the finished product too!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Here's a birthday card I created for someone's lucky mom.

Happy Birthday Amilie!

Tammy and Daryl

Tammy and Daryl are getting married this Saturday in beautiful San Diego! She came to me and we put together a wedding package that included some premade table numbers, tags, cards. Her package also included a few digital files for her seating chart and programs, which of course, she will be printing and assembling on her own.

Below, you can see her table numbers -- Tammy's niece created the monogram image of the cherub and the frame, so I used it as an ongoing theme throughout all her items.

Gift Tags... Gratuity Cards for her vendors

And her Seating Chart...

Happy Birthday Michael!

Here's a 25th Birthday Card for Michael from his fiance. I'm not sure if it's the color of the backdrop, or the lighting, but just so you know, I used a navy blue metallic cover sheet, with white lining for contrast.

Closing Shop, but Happy Valentines Day!

I'm on a little vacation starting tomorrow, but I'll be back this Valentines Day weekend! Here's my last post till I get back. I was able to mail the rest of my Valentines Day cards out yesterday, so everyone should get their cards in time for Saturday. Happy Valentines Week to all!

Happy Birthday Briar!

Baby Colten Card

Jamie came to me looking for a custom cut card for the arrival of Baby Colten, with a baseball theme. So I came up with the following. Love the intricate design of the baseball stitching!

Valentines Day Cards! Last Day To Order!

It's the LAST DAY to order my Personalized Custom Cut Valentines Day Cards! I am shipping the last of my cards tomorrow afternoon, so place your order today!!! They're moving fast!

Also, I found these REALLY CUTE handmade valentine envelopes from a talented Etsy seller, QuirknBerkley, just in case you have your own little cards to send out.

Happy Birthday Janik! Happy Anniversary!

Uyen ordered 2 cards for Janik's 30th Birthday and their anniversary. She didn't want the standard hearts, flowers or stars, so I used musical notes and a "sparkle" to be a little different. Hope he likey!

Valentines Day Cards: Ahhhh Amore

More cards to share with you all! This time around, I have a few buyers that opted for different color schemes and messages for their loved ones...

Here is Laura's card for Martin. I don't thik you can tell in the photo, but she wanted a silver cover.
Sheri, loves black and pink.

Alyson, went for black and red. =)

And here, we have a personalized card with a cuuuuuuuute story of why the message is what it is. "You're My #1 (Reverse)" is such a good story. But alas, it's private, and I'll let this couple keep it to themselves. When she shared, i was like "awwwww." But, I am sooo priveledged to be let in on their story. Thank you!