A lace gripper having an upper body and a lower body that may be joined together whereby a tied lace is secured between the two bodies. Preferable the upper body is designed to receive inserts, keys, charms, lights, recording devices, alarm and locating audible signals and locating devices, to allow the user to customize the lace gripper to their personal preference. The lace gripper can additionally be utilized to maintain a memo and would be secured to an object of daily use, such as a key ring or purse. Artwork for an image for the insert can be created by using software with a preset outline of the insert. Such software can be provided in softcopy or accessible via the Internet.