guest artist - carol dubosch

over the next few weeks, i am going to share some envelopes done by carol dubosch. she gave me permission to post them and mentioned that she liked to promote the graceful envelope contest. she has had several envelopes accepted and apparently, a few were not accepted. but, the point of posting them is not to talk about winning or not winning, the point is to spot ideas that even a beginner can adopt. i used to call them stealworthy ideas. maybe adoption sounds better. or inspire.

i love the way the candles are in black (see the black on the stamp) and the other lines of copy are in color. while i have used this stamp many times for birthday envelopes, i do not recall ever making black candles. even though i frequently suggest using a minor color in the stamp for the major lettering. so, i think my oft-used tip is a good one. black candles ---sounds a little dark and ominous. but the slenderness and height of the candles make them very graceful and light.

very pretty.
thank you carol.
stay tuned for more fabulous envelopes by carol.

p.s.
after i wrote the comments above, i received this email from carol and i'm sure you'll enjoy hearing the story behind this envelope.

"I waited until the day before the entries were due and just sat down and made myself come up with an idea. The theme that year was the Fifth Anniversary of the Postal Museum. So, I opened my hand (five fingers), and decided to emboss my hand behind whatever else I would do. I then found 5 ascenders in "the graceful envelope" and made them extra tall and put flames on them. I decided not to use capitals, so the ascenders would have all the attention. Then (blessings abound!) I opened my box of stamps and VOILA the Hanukkah candle stamp…so I echoed the primary colors of the candles in the address details on the envelope."

back to jean's comments:
i have to point out the part where she says she waited until the last day and then sat down and made herself come up with an idea. there are so many artists who describe that process. there is something about last minute pressure that makes a lightbulb go off over your head. procrastination can make for so much stress. but, that last minute pressure seems to be magical. so, if you are up to the last minute to do something, don't give up...just sit down and make the idea spill out on the page. i guess the sitting down part is important. if you are pacing around looking for an idea, it doesn't work. you need to be sitting there with paper and pencil.