bird chirping weather

Though I'm not really ready to give up on winter, spring has made it to central Texas and it is glorious!  I love the newness that comes with the season.  

 I have been meaning to make my nephew's wife a card since she opened her own [dog] grooming business a couple of months back.   Today's happy mail challenge to make a congratulations card was just enough to kickstart my creativity.

This cute wee pup from the doodlepop assortment was the perfect companion for my card.  I simply tied a doodle twine bow around his neck and added a sentiment sticker.

I can't wait to sent this along to B for being such a Tip-Top groomer.  Proud of her accomplishment!

I love sending and receiving something fun in the mail.  Bills or advertisements just don't cut it.  So, this year, I started sending some happy mail [a la Stacy Julian, Big Picture Classes and Doodlebug Design].   I used the Happy Mail challenge 4 -- tie it up with twine! as a starting point for this card.  I used white doodle twine and tied it in a simple bow.  Nothing fancy, but still delightful.

Go take the challenge and send some happy mail!

SUPPLIES }  north pole collection: playful pines, holiday lane and holly-days cardstock, ticket cute cuts; white doodle twine, snowflake cardstock sticker, adhesive pearl and flocked brad

Today is the deadline for Happy Mail challenge 2 --- go make a card! 

ABOUT THE CARD : I used 1-1/4" and 1-3/8" circle punches to create this card.  The base is white cardstock layered up with stamped circles [they are 1-1/4"] and then punched circles from patterned papers in blue, aqua and green.  Some of the circles were cut in half, then layered atop full circles.  Simple circles, but  by cutting and layering them, it adds texture and interest to the card.   

This card, designed and made my eight-year-old daughter, brings lots of smiles to my heart.  She is so very creative and I am thankful to have her as my creative sidekick.  

Have a bright, rainbow kind of day!

Did you know tomorrow is World Card Making Day?  

Yes, it is indeed a real holiday and there is always a reason to celebrate in our little creative world.   Start your weekend with this happy mail color challenge to use orange, teal and black on a card.  

If you need more challenges for WCMD, head over to fiskateers.com. There will be plenty of challenges to get your creativity flowing.


Then, mail that sweet card off to someone special and bring a smile to their day.  

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Doodlebug Design and Stacy Julian have kicked off a wondramous campaign.

happy mail

What is Happy Mail? Happy Mail is a concept Stacy Julian presented to Cynthea Sandoval last year at a trade show. Our Create-a-Card program was the perfect fit for this idea and with the help of both companies we are excited to announce it's launch.

What is the Happy Mail Campaign? The following statement was posted on the Big Picture blog today, "Starting Sept. 1 2012, I Stacy Julian, declare that I will make and send 365 handmade cards with handwritten notes. Now I do not want to do this alone and I know with your enthusiastic support, we can do this. Join me in a pay-it-forward Happy Mail movement where people rediscover the joy of sending and receiving handwritten communication (with a stamp)."

Why participate? The online world is an exciting place to work and hang out—with new advances in digital media and communication exploding at every turn. Many of these digital tools have established themselves permanently in our daily lives and routine—think email and Facebook. But the sheer volume of digital communication can be utterly overwhelming, driving attention deficit, dehumanization and diminishing returns on our efforts. It’s crazy to me, that these super-convenient tools, celebrated for their ability to connect people, can actually have the opposite effect. This is why my big idea is very old-fashioned and requires only a pen and a piece of paper.

happy mail : 001

Doodlebug Design and Stacy Julian have kicked off a wondramous campaign.  

happy mail  

What is Happy Mail?  Happy Mail is a concept Stacy Julian presented to Cynthea Sandoval last year at a trade show. Our Create-a-Card program was the perfect fit for this idea and with the help of both companies we are excited to announce it's launch.

What is the Happy Mail Campaign?  The following statement was posted on the Big Picture blog today, "Starting Sept. 1 2012, I Stacy Julian, declare that I will make and send 365 handmade cards with handwritten notes. Now I do not want to do this alone and I know with your enthusiastic support, we can do this. Join me in a pay-it-forward Happy Mail movement where people rediscover the joy of sending and receiving handwritten communication (with a stamp)."

Why participate?  The online world is an exciting place to work and hang out—with new advances in digital media and communication exploding at every turn. Many of these digital tools have established themselves permanently in our daily lives and routine—think email and Facebook. But the sheer volume of digital communication can be utterly overwhelming, driving attention deficit, dehumanization and diminishing returns on our efforts. It’s crazy to me, that these super-convenient tools, celebrated for their ability to connect people, can actually have the opposite effect. This is why my big idea is very old-fashioned and requires only a pen and a piece of paper.

For my first card in this campaign, I am sending a pocketful of sunshine and lots of love to my bestest friend, Tania. We live thousands of miles apart, live completely different lives and yet we still connect via crafts, facebook, email and phone. Our friendship, though, does not show those miles separation. Tania is always encouraging me, no matter what the challenge or situation. I am lucky to have met her via scrapbooking years ago and am thankful for our friendship.

I know I will not be able to send a card a day, so I plan to alter this a bit and send a card a week.  Really, who doesn't love happy mail!