Meet the Designer: Jee

Jee Thao, Designer at Bucket of Kisses

How it all started...

Jee, a fashionista and shoe-lover.

Hello, my name is Jee.  And it’s pronounced just like the letter “G”.  My husband Ken and I have been married for over 15 years and we have 4 very energetic and innovative sons: Solomon, Dante, Saber, and Malachi.

I started paper crafting in 2004, creating handmade greeting cards and designing baby-shower invitations for friends. I was new to the crafting world and owned minimal supplies: a 12 x 12 x 6 box filled with paper, pencils, tape, ribbons, and Elmer’s school glue.  Without much tools to work with, I remember how I would carefully trace each and every party favor box template, use my finger tip to carefully crease along the fold-lines, and spread a thin layer of glue to hold the box’s flaps together.  My, oh my… how things have changed since I first started! My crafting supplies can no longer fit into a little box; What I eventually needed was an entire spare room to store everything!  The more I crafted, the more I discovered new techniques, tools, and materials to fall in love with and work with.  My husband and sons saw my passion in paper-crafting, and they kindly gave me their man cave so that I could house all my craft goodies.  I’m so grateful for their loving support by giving me my very own studio space.  But to be honest, I think I might need more space in the near future – perhaps, a large shop for my studio along with a show room to display my creations. 

The Passion...

Conditioning the paper to create a distressed watermark.

Invitations do more than just tell guests who, what, when, and where; They are a personal reflection of the host(s), and a significant prelude to the occasion by setting the tone for the event.  For example, if the host has an allure for a vintage-glam wedding, it becomes my focus to add essential elements that can deliver that very sensation of vintage glam. To achieve this, my designing process consist of so much more than just putting paper into the printer and having the machine spit it out.  My creations include various methods that can only be achieved through handcrafting, such as “aging” the paper, treating the stationary with some shimmer or pearl powders, adding texture by embossing, layering embellishments, and more.  I find that these extra handcrafted techniques give invitations a memorable impression that spark excitement and anticipation among the guests.  Although each invitation collection may differ in theme, the constant underlining signature is that the stationary delivers inspiration, dimension, and a life story. 

The Commitment...

Me and two of my sons.

I commit to pouring out my heart and passion into every design because I feel that my creations are an extension of me.  That is also why I commit to handcrafting each piece of stationary with care.  I want my customers and their guests to find joy in the final product as much as I find joy in creating them.

Meet the other Designer: Martha