Clearly iStamp: Stamp Spotlight

Hi everyone! Its Katie again and its time to Spotlight another great stamp set for you. Today, I'm sharing the stamp set called Imperial Monogram which retails for $14.99. As you might have seen, monogram designs are everywhere and you know what, they will never go out of style. This set includes a Classic font with two different sizes. The larger of the letters are generally meant to be used to represent a person's last name and the smaller letters are used to represent a first and middle name. There are also two very classic circle filigree borders as well as accompanying stamps to go with the set.

Basically, whenever I need a "go to" idea or gift for someone, I absolutely LOVE to make a set of monogram notecards and either wrap them up in a pretty bow or house them in some sort of pretty packaging.

For my project today, I am planning on sending these away to a lovely, lovely lady that helped my Mom and I tremendously while we were in Florida taking care of my Grandmother's apartment. We really couldn't have accomplished what we did without her help.

I took a picture of the most important pieces of what I needed to assemble my notecards.

I decided to start with a square notecard and in this case they measure 4 1/4" x 4 1/4". I also decided that I wanted something very simple, elegant, and classic at the same time. I have no idea what her favorite colors are so I stuck with white - I just don't think you can ever go wrong with white. For my accent color, I decided on a nice pale aqua color.

As you can see, I embossed a plain white layer with the Swiss Dots embossing folder. This layer measures 4"x4". I also cut out my center pieces with the Label One Nestabilities (the 3rd largest shape). These pieces are the ones that I am going to stamp on.

In this case, I didn't know what the middle initial is of my gift recipient so I decided to just use the letter of her first name. I also decided to go with one of the accent pieces rather than the circle border. The stamp I used works perfectly with this die cut. It was also incredibly easy to line up due to the matching shapes of the stamp and the edging of the label.

I then decided to use black ink for the initial so it would really stand out and make a statement. And remember, we are dealing with clear stamps here so the alignment is SUPER EASY because you can see where you are stamping.

I have another note here as well. Even though I'm using a relatively tiny stamp and only one letter, I personally like to use a larger clear block so I can clearly see the entire surface of what I am stamping on. Sometimes if the block "fits" the stamp, I feel like the edges of my block become a visual issue for creating that perfect alignment. Just remember to keep your pressure even since your surface is larger and its easier to put pressure on the outer edges of the block when you are stamping.

Now that my monograms are done, I can look to assembling the rest of my notecards. My first job was to adhere that gorgeous pale aqua ribbon to my embossed card front. I used glue dots to attach the edges to the back. Its hard to see, but that ribbon is velvety and lends a neat texture to the cards. (I just realized while I was typing this up that Lori is currently out of stock on this particular color, but she has lots of other colors to choose from and they are all glorious!)

Because the ribbon is slightly thicker (lots of great texture), I decided to use pop dots to adhere my layer to my card base. I also feel that this gives the notecard extra interest considering that I'm dealing with a lot of white. Lifting layers is a great design tip and I love my pop dots! I did this as well with the monogram label too. Its both functionally better as well as aesthetically pleasing.

So of course, the next step is to create a lovely box for them. I decided to make just five cards and due to the thickness of these notecards, my box was the right size. If you kept your notecards flatter, then you would be able to fit many more in the box.

I also decided to leave envelopes out of the box and my thought was that my friend would just use them as needed at school (she is in charge of a pre-school).

Box Bottom: 8 5/8" x 8 5/8" and score in 2" on all four sides. After you have creased all your folds, snip your corners.

Box Top: 6" x 6" and score in 5/8" on all four sides. Fold up just like the Box Bottom.

That is essentially it to my little gift. Just a quicky note that I did cut out an opening on my box lid with a larger Labels One die and then glued some transparency on the inside. I love this little window.

And one little last picture. I wanted you to see what the stamp would look like if you did indeed use all three letters. These are my initials :)

So, seriously, if you don't have a monogram set in your collection you really should have one. This set is super easy to use and elegant in style and function. You can never go wrong with a set of monogram cards as a little gift or thank you. Plus, they are super handy and fun to have on hand for yourself.

Thanks for coming to visit and how exciting... tomorrow or today is the day that all those fabulous new releases can hop right into your shopping cart... just don't forget to add this little beauty too!

This is Katie signing off for Clearly iStamp. Go have a happy day!

Comments

What a remarkable article which have almst take my breath away.I really enjoys everything of your blog.Thank you for your constant sharing of remarkable posts with us.Enjoy your weekend!

Posted by: chanel bags | October 28, 2010 at 10:54 PM

Hi Katie. I really appreciate your efforts to bring a smile on that lady's face. Your creation is just amazing! I agree with you when you say that Monograms never go out of style. While searching on monograms, I recently landed on Acorn Sales (http://www.acornsales.com) and found a huge variety of monogram stamps and seals. I immediately ordered one rubber stamp for myself, which got delivered soon. The quality is so good, that I am planning to add many more stamps to my collection soon! Do check their website sometime.

Posted by: Richard Hoyte | April 23, 2009 at 01:48 AM

beautiful and the box is too.

Posted by: Joan B | April 01, 2009 at 12:44 PM

Thanks so much for this tutorial! I got this set after Christmas and have only played with it a little. I liked that it was much more affordable than that stamp company that sells all the different monogram stampers (is this like TV where you can't name the company? LOL!). Need to pull it out & make some gifts for someone! I love how you can use the same paper to cut out the nesties shape for the card & then have the shape on the box to match! Great idea!

Posted by: Lori G (Chef Mama) | March 31, 2009 at 11:58 PM