Cut after cut, Rosa O. Clifford is taking a customer’s picture and creating a custom card.
The artist sketches, creates a template and then cuts and colors the cards by hand. They can take from one hour to a couple days to complete.
Clifford, a native of Colombia, started ROC Paper Scissors 11 years ago out of her Palm Harbor home. She says she hand-made "Thank You" cards for a group of therapists and teachers who were part of an early intervention program helping her son, who was born with Down Syndrome. She says the response was touching.
"They came back to me and said, 'you made me feel so special with this card,' ” Clifford said. “At that moment, I thought I'd want to try and make everybody feel special with something. You’re telling them you’re going out of your way to send a message of appreciation."
From boldness to bling, she says the intricate detail makes the cards unique and personal. Some are portraits of loved ones put on paper.
"It’s something only they understand, but when I put it all together in that portrait, it just brings such a sense of fulfillment that I have really made someone happy and helped them send a message to someone else that they are so precious and loved," Clifford said.
From “Thank You” to “I Do,” some of the cards are whimsical and some are inspirational.
They’ve gotten the attention of more than her customers. Clifford has been on Martha Stewart’s TV show and recently found out she is a finalist for Martha Stewart Living Magazine’'s “American Made Award.”
The finalist with the most votes wins a cash prize and exposure in the December edition of the magazine.
"For years, I’ve always looked at that magazine,” Clifford said. “I can see my cards in this magazine, so we’re a little step closer, I just need votes."