DivaTude Creations Handmade Crafts: March 2010

Monday, March 15, 2010

Cherry Blossom Thank You

This is the Thank You card for the Cherry Blossom-themed wedding. The front of the card is a very pale green that has been whitewashed. In fact, it's so light I had to do a little fudging with my scanner just to get the green to show up. The Cherry Blossom motif has been carried over and the words, "With Love & Thanks" is printed in blossom pink (doesn't appear pink because of the afore mentioned scanner fudging) on the bottom right corner of the card.

My bride was very, very happy!!

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Cherry Blossom Wedding

Spring is here and a good friend of mine is getting married. Portland streets are lined with Cherry Blossom trees (Japanese name: Sakura) and in the spring and summer, they are breathtaking. I volunteered to do her wedding invitations and she selected the Cherry Blossom theme. Everything else was left to me. Cherry Blossoms are hand colored and stamped onto vellum. The Please Join Us envelope is for the 5x5 card with the driving directions to the wedding, reception and bbq. I carried the Cherry Blossom theme over by using a blossom pink card for the directions and the same stamp on the vellum envelope.

Card Packages and Purchasing

DivaTude Creations cards are available as singles, single-theme (various quantity of the same style/theme of card) or multiple-theme packs. There is some flexibility with colors and embellishments. Card prices my vary due to time and materials cost, but I aim to make all cards affordable. Discounts will be made for theme packs. All cards are handmade and come with an envelope for mailing.

Please email DivaTudeCreations@yahoo.com for more information on options and purchasing my cards. Thank You!

How DivaTude Creations Was Started

I fell in love with paper and "scrapbooks" at a very early age. My father is a printer by trade, so I always had books of paper around the house...samples of textures, patterns, colors, etc. I have very fond memories of creating a "living" scrapbook on my bedroom walls as a young girl/pre-teen. From top-to-bottom and wall-to-wall, my bedroom was loaded with images of my favorite celebs and I kept my scrapbooks in a milk crate by my bed. Scrapbooks were my way of collecting my favorite things. I'm pretty sure my mom tossed all of them when I moved out, but I hold the memories close. I remember how much fun I had, lost in my own little world.

When I think of a "Diva," I think of a person who is strong in character and poise, simple but has an elegant flair, a perfectionist (which can be misconstrued as arrogance) who will not stop until a project is "just so," down to the tiniest detail that no one else can see. The "Tude" is short for attitude. Again, I think attitude comes along with confidence. It's not a nasty attitude, but one of self-assurance. Within those definitions, they also describe the style of my cards and scrapbook projects; simple, but elegant. Some of them are extremely simple with one very small embellishment. Some of them have several elements, but still manage to be understated and smooth. Like any good Diva, they stand the test of time and maintain their elegance, no matter the mood or sentiment you are trying to get across.

Simply DivaTude!

Card Design Theory

DivaTude Creations cards are designed with simplicity in mind. One of my goals in creating cards is to make an impact with simple design elements. I love the "clean" aspects of the cards; simply embellished with a beautiful outcome. While some cards could be considered more masculine or feminine than others based on their color scheme, they are created with a versatility in mind.

I believe in the value of communicating on the basic level. Forget about email, e-cards, text messaging and other computerized methods of "convenient" communicating. The sentiment is there, but the personal touch of mailing a card to someone you care for is a forgotten art. Sending a card in the mail demonstrates the thought you put in to card selection, sitting down and writing a message, and reaching out on a person-to-person level instead of a computer-to-person level.

It is my hope that the simplicity of my cards will bring joy and happiness to the purchaser as well as the recipient of each card.

Enjoy!