Reasons for Mail...Thank You for Being You

Welcome to a new series that I am going to attempt to bring to you every Friday (no guarantees that I'm going to be 100% accurate because after all, I do have a 2 year old and a 4 year old!), called Reasons for Mail. I was going to call it 52 Reasons for Mail, but as I stated before... kids :), so we'll just stick to Reasons for Mail. As card makers, we all create an extraordinary amount of remarkable cards that we do a fab job of sharing around the blogosphere, but how much of it do we really share with the people we encounter in our real day-to-day lives? If you are like me, you probably share a lot during the holidays, but you also probably have a ton of cards that you create on a weekly basis just sitting around waiting for the right occasion... well, this year I want to make an effort to share more everyday.

So that is why every Friday I will post a Reason for Mail. Maybe I should call it The Not So Obvious Reasons for Mail because I'm not going to focus on the obvious reasons to give someone a card, like a birthday, an anniversary or a holiday, but on reasons that will help us connect and build better relationships with the people around us. The things that we often know, but often forget to acknowledge.   

Why mail? It's tangible... it's real... it's a great system that has been around forever... and most importantly, I love the way I feel when I open the mailbox and there is a real letter or card in there for me. I want to share that feeling with my acquaintances, neighbors, and loved ones on a regular basis. What better way to do that than by sharing a gift that I have... the gift of making beautiful cards. This will be my means to make meaningful connections to people in the new year. 

So won't you join me each week on my journey to share more and connect more this year? Whether you recreate the cards I share with you exactly, or just snag the sentiment and throw it on a card that you create for another challenge is not important. What is important is that you send or give a card to someone you know, love and care for...  everyone of you are all so talented and have a true gift to give the people that you know... and what is a gift if it's not shared?

Let's start off with an easy one... Thank You for Being You. You can take this one in many directions... I think that I'm going to give these cards to two people to let them know how much I appreciate them... and how they had such a positive impact on my holiday... by just being themselves:)

To create this card:

1) cut card from kraft (6 1/2 in x 4 1/4 in) 

2) a. cut patterned paper (6 in x 4 1/4 in)  b. ink edges  c. adhere to card

3) stamp sentiment on grid like pp  b. cut in shape of a banner  c. ink edges

4) attach ribbon:  a. cut a slit in the sentiment banner   b. slide ribbon through slit c. adhere to card 

5) embellish with button

Supplies 
Patterned paper: Casual Friday, Cubical and Lunch Hour from Office Lingo by Pink Paislee
Ribbon: Ribbon FX by Hobby Lobby
Buttons: Making Memories Vintage Findings Silver Buttons
Ink: ColorBox Chestnut Roan Chalk Ink, Palette Hybrid Burnt Umber Ink
Clear Stamps: Rachelle Anne Miller Sentiment 1  by Stampavie


I hope you are as excited about this as I am... If you plan on joining me, please leave a comment. I'd love to know about it :) Have a great weekend!