I became acquainted with Jami Petersen when she was the Editor for Inspirations magazine. I was an Artist-on-Call for the publication, and corresponded with her frequently regarding assignments which were due. During that time, I also got to know several of the other artists who were also part of Jami’s team, Debbie Metti and Maureen Blackman. Since that time, Jami has gone on to be the Editor of Scrapbooking.com, and Debbie, Maureen, and I have also moved on to other endeavors. That hasn’t ended our on-line friendships, though. Even though Jami, Debbie, and I live in opposite parts of the country, with Maureen living in England, we keep up with each other’s lives through e-mail correspondence.

This past Christmas, I wanted to make each of my friends something really special for a gift. I pondered over what I could make them for a long time, and couldn’t seem to come up with something that would be special for each of them. I asked Debbie and Maureen to each send me a photograph of them, under the guise that I was making Jami a card and wished to use their photos as part of it. I was pleasantly surprised when they each emailed me photos from their childhoods. Still, I wasn’t completely sure of how I could use them.



I came upon the website for Photoweights.com quite a while ago. They sell heavy glass paperweights in a variety of different shapes which can be personalized with your own pictures. Each photoweight comes with a pre-cut cardboard template, along with a pre-glued black velvety backing to finish off the bottom. I went ahead and ordered several of them, thinking I could use them as gifts sometime in the future. They had been sitting in a box down in my studio, and I actually forgot that I had them. One day, as I was rummaging through my stash of ‘junque’ for inspiration, I came across the box. That’s when I got the idea to create a personalized paperweight for each of them. Jami had emailed us pictures of one of her visits back to her hometown early in the fall, so I used one of those images to create her gift.



Each of the girls was delighted with their paperweights! Jami was so knocked-out over the one she received, that she asked me if I would consider writing an article on making them for her. I feel so honored that the gifts which I made from the heart are being featured in Scrapbooking.com Magazine!



Directions:
Select a style of photoweight you wish to embellish. Select a piece of decorative paper for the background of your picture. Trace around the cardboard template onto the paper, cut out the shape, and adhere to the template. Decide on an image to be used, make a photocopy of it reducing it to fit the template, cut out, and begin to create your work of art. I used colored pencils and pastels to color my pieces, and embellished them with gel pens and computer-generated text. Seal the piece with matte medium, and place into the bottom of the paperweight. Attach the pre-glued black backing over the back to finish.

Jill Marie Shulse is a mixed-media artist residing in rural Hingham, Wisconsin. She was an Artist-on-Call for Stampington’s ‘Inspirations’ magazine, and her work has been featured in many of their other publications. You can contact Jill via email at jillstng@wi.rr.com.