A Guide to Note Writing

I love writing notes and cards to my friends. Just ask one of them - they will probably tell you they have a small stack of cards from me from over the years.

With the exception of the adorable box of hedgehog cards from Mara-Mi, all of the cards featured above are from various Happy Mail deliveries that I've received. Happy Mail is a stationary subscription service that I am a part of, created by the lovely ladies over at A Beautiful Mess and I highly recommend it. What could be more fun than a delivery of beautiful, high-quality stationary items to your mailbox every month?

Having just shared my favourite stationary, here are a few of my favourite tips on how to write a heartfelt note, no matter the occasion:

• Be specific: Is it a thank you note for a gift? Make reference to the gift and how you've put it to use since receiving it. Is it a thank you for an act of kindness someone showed you? Explain why you appreciated it so much and the impact it had.
• Remember: I love sharing a specific memory and what it meant to me when writing birthday cards to my friends or family. It not only lets me reflect back on our relationship, but it also shows that those memories are cherished and remembered. If it is someone I don't see often, I like to express how much I am looking forward to the next time we will see one another.
• Use your own voice: I prefer to write my cards in a voice that sounds like me. I don't become overly formal in my notes but ensure that the recipient can hear my words in a way that would be natural. I sometimes add in a joke where appropriate and use the same language they would be used to hearing from me.
• Be timely: Although it is never too late to say thank you, aim to send thank you cards out within a week or two of the occasion {unless they are for your wedding, in which case you have some more time}. Give birthday cards on the date or at the time of celebration.
• Be thoughtful in your stationary: I will admit that I have an obsession with collecting stationary. But I will also share that the reason for this is because I love the process of choosing a particular card for a particular person and occasion. I consider past cards they may have already received from me and ensure that they aren't getting a similar one. I consider their taste in colours and humour {where appropriate} and am very selective to match my stationary to the recipient because I feel it shows that much more consideration.

Hope that inspired you to write more notes to those special people in your life!

Karla

Winter tidings

I have a confession to make.

I made the dramatic decision to not put up my tree this year. I pulled it and the accompanying sparkly trimmings, up from storage along with all my other holiday decorations two weeks ago. Which, for someone with the upper body strength of a toddler, was a commitment. Or so I thought. After putting up the other items I took a step back and looked at the boxed tree lying on the ground. I then took a look around my small apartment and realized I didn't really have a place for it that wasn't awkward or in the way {this being the first December I have spent in this apartment means I haven't been faced with this problem until now.} I also didn't feel like being stabbed by its wire branches in the moment. And so, I hauled the thing back downstairs to hibernate for another year. 

Having said that, I am pleased with the humble decorations I did put out and have been enjoying for the past couple weeks. Here are some of my favourites..

Activity advent calendar.

I love making myself an activity advent calendar every year. I always have a laundry list of things I want to do during the holidays but I used to struggle with making them happen. Turning that list into an advent calendar helps by breaking it up into an exciting daily part of my December.

Holiday card display.
I got this cute little card line from Target last winter and think it's the best thing. What girl doesn't have a weird thing with owls? Stringing up the holiday cards I receive from friends and family allows me to appreciate them without having them be crowded on a ledge somewhere.

A few childhood delights.
I actually have a decent collection of decorations from my childhood as my mother gave away a lot of those items in my parents' last move. I still have memories of reading these books as a child and getting so excited for Christmas morning. My mom made me the angel in the Christmas of 1990 (when I turned one!) and the little thing has been perfectly preserved even after being pulled out every year to be put on display. I cherish her even more every year that I unwrap her from her protective bubble wrap. The squirrel (Richard, if you must know his name) is a new addition from Target. He's cool.

Cold weather snacks and scents.
After four years of running around the city on a wild goose chase, I finally got my hands on a David's Tea Advent Calendar this year. You have no. idea. the joy I felt when I walked into the store at opening and saw them unwrapping them from their shipping boxes. It has been so fun to open that little door every morning and try something new. Having said that, I also still love my tried and true Celestial Seasonings Candy Cane Lane tea and its perfect combination of peppermint and wonder. Finally, no Christmas would be complete without almond roca and the smell of cinnamon and spice throughout my home. Please disregard the awful exposure of this picture. This is just what happens when you get home from work well after dark and have to rely on artificial lighting.

Canister Redux

Over the winter holidays, in her attempts to get rid of things while preparing for an upcoming move, my mother gave me this old canister set that she has had in her kitchen since before I can remember. As you can see, it had been well-loved.

After three months of sitting in an unsightly box near my front door, I finally decided to pull them out, sand them down and give them a new coat of paint. I love how they turned out and they really brighten up my kitchen!

In the interest of full disclosure, I feel I should share that one of these canisters now holds fruit marshmallows {because they're delicious and one of my favorite things on this earth} at easy access. I filled it with a whole bag two days ago and at least half of them are now gone. So... simultaneously the best and worst decision of my life.

I sanded all the wooden pieces, replaced the buttons, painted all the wooden surfaces with three coats. I tried spraying it all down with a gloss, but it ended up discoloring the paint so I ended up sanding it down again and adding another coat.

Handmade magnets

I've found myself in desperate need of more magnets for my fridge lately but haven't been able to find any ones that I like in my weekend meanderings. While at Michael's recently I found these adorable bauble sticker embellishments and thought they would make the best fridge magnets! I then had some weird flashback to when I was 12ish and stuck animal stickers onto old real estate agent promotional magnets, cut them out, and viola! 

So, I excitedly grabbed some magnets and rushed home to get to work! Here's how to make your own:

1. Gather supplies {adhesive magnets, stock paper, adhesive embellishments}.

2. Adhere magnets to paper. Ensure to line them up to the pattern you want to highlight on the other side of the page.

3. Cut out magnets carefully.

4. Adhere any embellishments you wish to add and ta-da!

I heart tea

Ever since I saw this idea on A Beautiful Mess I fell in love {appropriate, huh?} with the idea of making my own tags for tea bags. And what better time of year than Valentine's day? Since I may or may not have started this project at 1:00 am in the bout of temporary insomnia, I didn't have any coffee filters to make them up from scratch, but I really just wanted to make the tag portion anyway.

I packaged them up in some wax paper envelopes and adhered them with some washi tape, ensuring that the tags were visible through the front of the envelopes. I will be attaching them to my homemade valentines.

~xoxo~

Homemade Valentine's Day Cards

I love making handmade cards! So of course I took this opportunity to make valentine's for all the lovely people in my life.

- Themed card stock - I used Martha Stewart's mat pad for this season. {I love that they are patterned on both sides so that the interior of the cards are also fun to look at.}

- Washi tape

- Themed felt stickers and/or other embellishments

Fold 'em up, embellish with stickers and tape, and compose your love notes!

{I love this little owl. Or any owl, really.}

What are your Valentine's Day plans?

Valentine's Day Banner

L-O-V-E

Is the frame for this picture weird? Yes. But I couldn't fix it for the life of me.

After taking down all my winter holiday decorations, I really wanted to make my place a little bit more festive. Since there aren't any other holidays coming up and all the ideas I could come up with for Valentine's Day were too sweet to pass up, I thought I would just go for it. I made this banner by cutting up a collection of hearts from scrap and designed paper and then strung them together with a needle and some embroidery thread. So fun! They have now found a home above the cabinets in my kitchen, where they can be seen by all who enter my home. ❤

My First Birthday!

Image from here.

OH MY GOSH! I may be a day or two late but, IT'S MY FIRST BIRTHDAY! I can't believe it's been a year since I started this thing. It's been one hell of a year, with a lot of big changes in my life and I'm so incredibly glad that I made the choice to document it all.

In 141 posts I participated in the 30 for 30 challenge, graduated from university, I went to San Francisco with my mom, I became an aunt{!}, I got a great new job and moved to my new home {read: retirement community}, and had a lot of fun moments with friends and family along the way.

A big thank you goes out to those of you who have been supportive over the last year of my life and I'm hopeful for another big, exciting year ahead!

The Baby Shower

{Classic Vanilla Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing & Gerber Daisies}

{Favors with scrap-booked tags and onesie charms}

{Uncle Jay making Baby Kayla smile}

{Baby talk time - so adorable!}

{Grandpa with his first grandchild}

{Pretty party roses}

Last weekend I hosted my niece's baby shower. It was a family affair, and for many of them it was the first time they were introduced to both Baby Kayla, as well as my new place. I had a lot of fun cooking and baking up a storm, prepping the apartment and putting together the details of the party.

Oh. And playing with the babies was good fun too.
Theyaresoadorable.