Hi everyone,

We are almost half way through May! Where is the time going? Soon I will be getting ready to make the Christmas Cards for the website. I know... Christmas in May! But you have to start early if you are going to make enough. After all, for me it is not just the Christmas Cards, but also the First Holy Communion Cards, the Confirmation Cards, The Baptism Cards, for babies and adults alike. Then there are the special cards, like Twins cards for example. There are two sets of twins in my family, both sets to my eldest son. He has 13 year old twin boys, and 6 year old twin boys, and I know how difficult it was for me, before I started this, to get cards for twins.

I really enjoy making the cards, I go off into my own little world while making them. Here are a few examples:

These Twin Christening Cards are almost A4 side-on an this one is finished with white ribbon set against grey with yellow flowers. I have done this for Boy and Girl Twins.





Here I have made the same card, but in blue - for a boy - there are many people who insist on buying blue for a boy. I must admit, when my boys were babies I would dress them in something blue. Blue mittens, little knitted helmet - I'm going back over 40 years now. There wasn't a lot of choice for baby boys clothes then, not like now, plenty of choice, making it almost too hard to decide what to get!

Of course, little baby girls, sugar and spice, and all things nice. This card is set for a girl, but instead of pink, I have chosen a soft lilac, and in 'person' so to speak, it does look really good. Can you imagine twin girls all dressed up in pink and bows and pretty booties. Lovely! Over 40 years ago, when my boys were babies, the choice for girls was staggering, and even more so today! For example, my boys used to where romper suits. These were like little dresses, but with buttons underneath so that it didn't look too girlie, and it made it easier to change nappies etc. then soon after came the babygrow - yay - then baby boys and baby girls looked the same unless they were dressed in the appropriate colour for their gender.

I like doing mixed textures on my cards. These examples have parchment crafted toppers, which have been hand-painted in coloured inks.

Take a trip to my website to view the full range at www.leruleoriginals.co.uk I'll see you there!

Well, that's all for now everyone. Enjoy your week.

All the best,

Louise

Beaded Tassel Bookmarks

Hi everyone,

Just a short blog today, so I thought I would talk about the bookmarks that I sell on my website http://www.leruleoriginals.co.uk.

I make beaded tassel bookmarks, which have either an excerpt from the Bible on them, The Lord's Prayer, or a Latin prayer, or the Apostles' Creed, in either English or Latin, etc. They are all laminated, which serves two purposes, it keeps the bookmark clean and adds to its durability.

The tassels are made from Anchor fade-proof cotton, and some tassels have glass beads on them, or acrylic beads. Some tassels have wooden beads from the ancient olive groves in the Holy Land. The ancient olive trees are regularly pollarded. This is a process whereby older wood is cut out, which keeps the trees healthy. It is this pollarded wood which is made into the beads. Any item that I make that has Holy Land Olive Wood, comes with a Certificate of Authenticity confirming its origins.

The bookmarks are wonderful keepsakes, very often bought with one of my cards, for example, First Holy Communion, or Confirmation. I also do bookmarks that are completely personalised. Why not email me at louise@leruleoriginals.co.uk to let me know what you would like. A couple of years ago I was asked to make over 300 bookmarks for a primary school in celebration of their school's anniversary. I followed their design, and they were thrilled with the result. I can do this for you too.

If you would like to see the bookmarks that I sell on my website, then please click on the link below to see them all.

http://www.leruleoriginals.co.uk/bookmarks-c-87.html?osCsid=c551aac68d8468239207aa12f4d2fda9



Braille Messages on Cards

Hi everyone,

Today I thought I would share with you all why I offer, free of charge, personalised Braille messages on the cards that I make.

I am in the process of loosing my sight in my left eye. This is due to two things. Firstly, I have glaucoma in my left eye, which could also affect my right eye in the future, and has resulted in my loosing some of my sight from my central field of vision, and secondly, I have also had a retinal haemorrhage in that eye, resulting in patchy sight loss, so it is possible that I will become registered as partially sighted in the future.

After some deliberation, I decided to learn Braille, a 'just in case' scenario, a kind of 'fail safe mechanism' if you like. As a sighted person, I was surprised how easy it was to learn how to punch Braille, but imagine trying to learn it once you have lost your sight - wow - can't imagine. It was then that I decided to offer Braille messages on my cards. I do it free of charge for three main reasons. The first reason is, there but for the grace of God go I; secondly, I don't charge for the written sentiments, so why charge for someone's disablement; and thirdly, many people know others who are blind, but have no way of sending them a greeting that they can read for themselves. Can you imagine having to rely on somebody to read your messages just because it isn't in a form that you can read for yourself? No, neither can I, and this is why I do it.

I have done several commissions doing Braille messages, these have included Birthday Cards, and Sympathy Cards. I have also added Braille messages to the cards that I offer from stock.

This is my Braille Writer and Punch. Braille is worked through cells of six dots in each cell. From this each letter is formed. You can buy larger Braille machines that resemble typewriters. I have decided that if I loose my sight totally, that is what I will have to have. This Braille Writer works really well for me though, and has allowed me to offer the Braille message service.

Well that's all for now!

Enjoy your day!

Louise

L

When A Rosary Is The Perfect Gift

Hi everyone!

There are special occasions throughout the year where a particular type of gift is required. Confirmations, First Holy Communions, Baptisms, Christenings, Weddings. These are milestones in our lives and require a gift to cherish, or even become an heirloom.

For some, the Rosary is a very personal item. Indeed, the first Rosary you have, is likely to be the Rosary you keep for life, but sometimes there is that very special occasion where a new Rosary marks that very special day.

Anglican Rosary AR109

 

This Rosary features a Celtic Cross which, as you can see, has cloisonné work placed into white enamel. The enamel flower and leaf work is exquisite. The Cross is backed in a gold toned hatch pattern, and measures 4cm x 3cm, a good size to set against the 6mm Grade B Lapis Lazuli beads, keeping everything in proportion. The blue work on the Cross matches really well to the blue of the Lapis. The Invitatory and Cruciform beads are of Swarovski® Crystal, they are 6mm bicones, with an Aurora Borealis half coat, making them sparkle, giving rainbow reflexions. The chain work and findings are gold plated.

Anglican Rosary AR110

 

This Rosary features a Standard Cross, which, as you can see, also has cloisonné work set into white enamel. These flowers have beautiful detail, right down to the scroll work of the leaves. The Cross is backed in a gold tone hatch pattern. As this Cross is dominated by two pink flowers I have featured 6mm Rose Quartz beads, and again, the Cruciform beads are of 6mm Swarovski® Crystal bicones with an Aurora Borealis half coat, making them sparkle, giving rainbow reflexions. Again, the chain work and findings are gold plated.

Anglican Rosary AR108

 

Whereas the previous two Rosaries are more feminine, this Rosary would suit either male or female.

This Rosary features a San Damiano Icon Crucifix, and has a prayer on the reverse in Latin, which is from Numbers 6:24-26, and translates thus:

The Lord bless thee, and keep thee;

The Lord make his face shine upon thee;

The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee,

and give thee peace.

The Invitatory bead is a Haematite Vase Bead measuring 8 x 16mm, and I have chosen this bead to make it stand out from the rest emphasising its importance. The Cruciform beads are 8mm Haematite, and the Weeks beads are 6mm Haematite. The chain work and findings are in antiqued black. The San Damiano Icon Cross is often associated with St. Francis of Assisi, and for that reason is extremely popular.

Catholic Rosary FCR115

 

 

 This Catholic Rosary features 6mm Sodalite beads capped with silver plated filigree bead caps for the Ave prayers, and for the Pater prayers, I have small Miraculous Medal beads 6 x 5mm, and the Rosary has been finished with a white enamel Crucifix, and The Madonna and Child Centre. Clearly, this Rosary would be more suitable for a female because of the delicate filigree worked bead caps. All the chain work and findings are silver plated metal.

Catholic Rosary FCR117

This Catholic Rosary features 6mm Black Banded Agate beads for the Ave prayers, these beads come in varying shades of the black/grey spectrum, so no two beads can ever be the same. I have small Miraculous Medal beads 6mm x 5mm for the Pater prayers. The Rosary has been finished with a black enamel Crucifix, and a Holy Spirit Centre. I feel that though this Rosary may be seen as predominately masculine, it could easily be seen as feminine too. All chain work and findings are silver plated metal.

Catholic Rosary FCR118

 

This Catholic Rosary features 6mm Tiger's Eye beads for the Ave prayers, and I have used small Miraculous Medal beads 6mm x 5mm for the Pater prayers. The Rosary has been finished with a black enamel Crucifix, and a Holy Spirit Centre. This is another Rosary which may be seen equally as either masculine or feminine. All chain work and findings are silver plated metal.

I have shown these examples of both Anglican and Catholic Rosaries to demonstrate how diverse they are. Although they have a special, and specific purpose, their style, their uniqueness all hold special appeal when being chosen as a gift for that very special occasion.

Why not view my website to see all my handmade products www.leruleoriginals.co.uk

Well, that's all for now,

Enjoy your day,

Louise.

The Joy of Parchment Crafting

Hi everyone!

Although I make Rosaries, I also make cards that I sell on my website. I love card crafting of all kinds, just love it. I love the gluing the cutting out, the embossing, the hand painting, and everything that goes to making cards. Especially, I like all different types of texture.

I have enjoyed parchment crafting for about 2 years now, I love the results, the change in the parchment after doing white work, the lacey look with the cut work. The effects are just stunning. I have also printed pictures onto parchment paper, and then done white work on certain parts of the picture to great effect.

For example, I made a Confirmation Card which has an angel with beautiful wings. I have done the white work on the wings making them look 3D, and completed the rest of the card with white work and cut out work, and has been backed with silver Mirri card. See below.

This card of Mary praying, has also been printed onto parchment paper. There is a lot of white work, and cut out work giving a really delicate appearance to the card. The picture of Mary has some white work on it with the halo outlined in gold ink. This was then placed onto a beautiful piece of cotton lace work over a rainbow print. See below.

This Christening Card has been finished with many different textures. I love textures. The card has a topper of purple flowery print, topped with linen textured Mirri card, topped with pale purple flowery print, topped with parchment. This parchment has been cut with Spellbinders Labels 1, and then had a designed worked onto that, and then hand painted on the reverse with water colour pencil. This is then topped with a white Bible topper which has been made with handmade paper which has a lovely texture to it. See below.

This Christening card is one of my favourites because it looks like embroidered satin where it is all parchment work. The parchment was shaped on the Glitter Girls Tall Stories board, and then worked from a stencil, hand painted with blue metallic ink. White work and cut work done around the edges making it look like frilly lace, and again topped with a white Bible, which has been finished in white handmade paper which has a lovely texture. See below.

 

Finally, I would like to share with you, this First Holy Communion Card. It is silver Mirri card topped with lilac paper, and topped with the parchment work. It has a border of white work dots, followed by a border of cut cross work filled in with white work dots, and finally the sentiment. This was traced through using my light box and tracing with a white lead pencil. The finish is quite highly embossed, and makes this 'simple' card look very special. See below.



Parchment crafting is very rewarding. When I first started I made many mistakes, for example, pressing too hard and tearing the paper. Not completing the white work properly, being too impatient to see the results. My cutting-out work, (really tiny cross holes) which is done with specially curved and finely pointed scissors was random to say the least. I gradually worked more methodically, taking my time with the scissors, and my results improved, and then I enjoyed it more. I collected the tools that I needed, rather than trying to do it all with just a couple of tools. Got my mats for pricking work, white work etc., and then my results began to improve. The more you do the better your work becomes, but I think there is no end to the learning; that's part of the joy of parchment crafting.

That's all for now folks.

Enjoy your day!

Louise.

THE RESTORATION OF AN ANTIQUE ROSARY

Hi everyone!

A few weeks ago I was contacted by a fellow artisan regarding the restoration of a rosary which was 100 years plus in age. As it was not the type of work that she did, she asked if I would consider doing it. After seeing the photos that the client had sent by email, I agreed.

The rosary had severe water damage. All the links that joined the decades together, and the wires that went through each bead, had practically fallen apart, and some beads were beyond use. So after discussions with the client, it was decided that I would be sent another rosary of equal age so that I could use some of the beads from that to repair the main rosary. Both rosaries had been a gift from her mother-in-law, and had great sentimental value. This value cannot hold a price, as to the owner it is priceless. So it was up to me to restore the rosary, and maintain the essence of the original so that the sentimental value was not compromised.

I carefully cleaned each individual bad, and then polished them. The beads were of a brown agate, and polished really well. The Crucifix, once cleaned, revealed the most wonderful brass Corpus Christi set onto a beautiful brown agate cross which had once held in its back, a vial of Holy Water from Lourdes. The Centre was also in brass, and was a depiction of Our Lady of Lourdes, and was astounding once cleaned. As there were broken beads, it was decided that the Our Father beads would be exchanged for the beautiful translucent white beads from the other aged rosary. All the metal parts, the findings, were replaced with antiqued copper wire, which kept the rosary looking aged, even though it had been sensitively cleaned.

My client was truly pleased with the result, and this is her review, which is printed with her permission, along with the photo of the cleaned rosary. Personal details have been omitted.

“Good morning Louise,

The rosary has arrived, […] I am delighted with the rosary, I think the copper wire really enhances it, and the beads look much better with a hundred years of hard use cleaned off. I am very pleased with the effect of the white translucent beads as well. They are not too obtrusive, but enhance the colour and delicacy of the brown beads. The essence of my mother-in-law’s rosary has been retained, […] it has been rendered fit for another 100 years’ use.

All the best, and many thanks for taking on the rosary restoration, “[…].

Although it was really delicate work, it was a project that I really enjoyed doing, and my client’s satisfaction was evident.

Well, that’s all for now.

Enjoy your day!

Louise

Welcome to my blog!

Welcome to my very first blog! My name is Louise, and I sell my Rosaries and Cards on my website Le Rule Originals. This blog is something that I have wanted to start for awhile now so that I could share my passion for hand crafting and all it involves.

I enjoy creating an item which is going to be used in such a special way, like a Rosary. It may be that it is a present for a First Holy Communion, a Confirmation, or even a Baptism/Christening. As soon as it is presented, it becomes that recipient's special treasure to carry through life.

It is the same with the cards. I know that I have kept every card that my children and my grandchildren have made for me. From their first 'scribblings' to their best work - I adore them all, and will never part with them. Gone are the days when my fridge door was festooned with 'art' - but my memories are strong with their contributions to special occasions.

It is the same with the First Holy Communion, or Confirmation and especially the Baptism/Christening cards. These are occasions that are never repeated, they are beyond special, they are life affirming. A card is an enduring keepsake, kept in a scrapbook of the occasion, or a scrapbook celebrating a birthday, who knows?

This is what I am about, I make items for people to cherish, to remember a day, an event, a person. Follow me on my blog, or on Twitter and Face-book, and we will see where we will go.