Real Mail

Hi there stampin' peeps!  Hope your Wednesday is off to a good start!

 Well, if Wednesday has not gotten off to a good start, here are some ways to remedy that little problem.  Step one:  take a deep breath and think of all the good in your life.  Most of us are so very fortunate and have so many blessings that it could take a very long time to mentally enumerate them.  Step two:  drink a cup of something hot and comforting.  If you are a java junky, then a good hot cup of strong coffee might just be the reset button that your day needs.  If not, tea or hot chocolate might give you the same little jolt.  Step three:  spread a little kindness around, compliment someone, smile. Step four:  If absolutely necessary, have some chocolate.  By now, you should be feeling a lot better!

One thing that always gives my day a lift is getting real mail, and by that I don't mean bills, although some of them are all too real! No, what I mean is a real communication from a friend or relative... something written especially to me!  Who doesn't love to open the mailbox and find a card or letter?  I've found that if you want to get real mail, then you have to send real mail.  And who is in a better position to send real mail than us, the stampers of the world?  We don't take the easy way out and go with a mass-produced card.  No, we sit down at our stamping table, pull out stamps, paper, and ink and proceed to design and stamp a one-of-kind card which is made specifically for the recipient.  Aren't we awesome???                                            

On Monday, I showed you the amazing Tri-fold Shutter Card that we're going to make at my Heart-y Party on Sunday, January 20th at 1:30 pm at my house.  Today I'm going to show you the other two cards.

This one is an Easel card... very easy to make, but something different from an ordinary card.  This card uses Whisper White and Cherry Cobbler for a crisp and clean look.  The flowery heart is from the "You are Loved" stamp set ( p. 24 of the Annual Catalog).  The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes and is stamped onto the dotted image in the Four Frames set, ( p. 124 of the Annual Catalog).

This is the masculine card I promised you.  The colors here are Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, and Early Espresso.  Please note that there are no ribbons, buttons, bows, rhinestones, or pearls--- just a bit of baker's twine.  It was super-easy to stamp all of the banners with the new Hearts a Flutter set, then just cut them out with the matching Hearts a Flutter framelit dies.  Both the stamps and the framelits can be found on page 11 of the Spring catalog and of course, you get a price break when you buy the stamps and framelits together in a bundle.   The sentiment is from the set Delightful Dozen ( page 140 of the Annual catalog).

I hope by now you feel inspired to email me at sjrstamps@gmail.com and let me know that you are planning to attend my Heart-y Party on January 20th.  I promise you'll enjoy yourself!  And, as a bonus, you'll have three pieces of  real mail that you can address and stamp and send on their way to a deserving friend or family member.  Who knows, you might even receive some real mail in return!      

I hope to see you on January 20th for some good stamping fun!
Hugs,
Susan