Uninspired

So a week or two ago I decided to buy a showcase on Etsy. For $7 your stuff gets a featured spot on the homepage of the "paper goods" section of Etsy for 24 hours. It can be fairly hard to get a showcase sometimes. I was feeling super excited because I had just sold two cards that week to two STRANGERS (that is still a huge deal to me!). I figured I'd at least make back the showcase fee. And I just went for it. 


And I didn't sell one thing. Not one thing! It was kind of depressing. And surprising. And then I felt conceited for feeling surprised that people wouldn't want to buy my stuff. I put so much effort into making sure everything looked good and the best pictures were up, etc. And individual cards got more hits/views/hearts. But no money in my pocket. I've been in kind of a funk since then. I haven't had any real interest in posting to Etsy all the adorable Valentine's mini-cards I've made. And now it's almost February and I'm running out of time for Valentine's day. *sigh* I think tomorrow I'll make myself pull it together and start again. But seriously--these set backs really take a tole on my excitement and energy and enthusiasm for my card business sometimes. 

My First Craft Show

I can't believe it's all over!! A (very short) month of preparation has come and gone and culminated at the Milford Craft Show this past Saturday. Running on approximately 4 hours of sleep, Brian and I managed to sell about 30 cards and not kill one another after spending over 8 hours in an 8 ft. by 5 ft. space. 

Here's me at my booth! Isn't all the color coordination fun? :)

I spent SO MUCH TIME planning how I wanted to lay out my booth and display all the different things I had to sell. And I think I'm really happy with how it all came together. If I had had just a couple more feet it might have been a little better. I'm thinking of getting an 11' x 5' space next year and upgrading a couple feet. We'll see. :) My other ploy with getting a larger size booth is that by default I'll have to move to another location (I'm hoping for one closer to the main entrances!! We were buried at the very back of the school). 

The most handsome and supportive husband ever!!

I still have issues with really putting myself out there and supporting the business. I always feel really awkward. And I'm not a shy person! So it's kind of weird. But Brian did a great job of encouraging people to take a business card and telling them about my blog, etc. Thank goodness for him! (I was put on notice, however, that in the future he will happily help me set up and tear down for every single craft show I do...but sitting there for 8 hours is a little out of his realm of supportiveness in the future hahah).


Here's some more of my setup: 

One of my most brilliant ideas for sure: taking all my craft supplies off this thing and hanging up all my kid quote cards in rainbow order! (each color is generally a different quote) It spins and was so much fun. 

This card spinning rack to hold my Christmas and holiday cards was wonderful. I am so glad I paid ridiculous shipping to get it in time! Made me feel professional. :)

One of Brian's more "artistic" shots with my sign blurred in the background. The payment sign was the topper for my Christmas tree (who's ornaments were appropriately color-coordinated with my booth of course). 

And finally, I got a custom order at the show! My customer liked a Bible verse I had framed, but wanted it in a different color scheme to give as a gift. Here's the final product. I really love it!

The parameters were: sky blue, grey and crimson. That's it! Love that kind of creative freedom. 

To all the family and friends who came to support me--THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. Your happy, smiling, enthusiastic, supportive faces are literally what kept me going all day. When you're around booths that are selling like crazy (even to other vendors before the craft show officially started!!) things can get very discouraging to say the least. And without you all I honestly wouldn't have sold anything! (Hah! You think I'm joking but I'm not!!). You all are truly supportive of all my ideas (no matter how crazy) and I really appreciate you all. 


P.S. If you're new to the blog, WELCOME!! We're also on Facebook, so pop on over there and "Like" our page. Thanks for your support!

First Craft Show

Hi everyone. It's been a long weekend! Tabby passed away at noon on Friday. It was, without a question, her time. But it was incredibly difficult. It felt like I cried for two days straight. And then I took a long nap after I got home from bringing her home to dad's. And I felt a little better when I woke up. And then I felt a little better Saturday night. And today, for the most part, I can talk about her and the whole vet experience at length without tearing up really. So thank you for all your kind thoughts and messages and texts. They have really helped! 


My super exciting news is that I got a spot in the Milford Craft Show! I emailed to get on the wait list soon after I started my business, and was told that the wait list was full and to try again next year. So I was bummed but learned quickly that registration for all the winter craft shows are due in the summer. (Who knew!!!) So I figured I'd have to wait a whole year to get in on any of that which was really disappointing because I feel like I really need some sort of mental pick-me-up about the business right now. And then maybe a week ago I got an email saying there was a spot open! And I jumped on it. 

A bunch of cards lined up to dry!! I'm about 2/3 of the way through with the ones I've started so far. So maybe 80-90 cards finished already? Soooo many more to go. 

The craft show is next Saturday, December 4th from 9am-3:30pm. This short notice has given me very little time to prepare for my very first show and I have so much to do! I ordered new (full-size!) business cards, a sign with my logo on it, a table skirt that matches the plum color in my logo, lots of new supplies to make a bajillion cards. And now I have to make an insane amount of product to potentially sell. I'm fairly certain I will not be breaking even on this first adventure because of all the investing I have to do to get my booth/display ready. But that's perfectly fine by me. I am so so so excited about seeing how my cards do to a massive audience. I'm going to have the most of holiday cards, then lots of kid quote cards, and finally my Bible verse cards. I'm thinking of getting some letter stationary made as well. And I'm hoping to have several sets of teacher cards (there are 30 mini-cards in each set!) finished as well. 


Oh, and just for fun I picked up another proofread from F+W that's due next Tuesday and we're hosting our first Thanksgiving next Thursday... sometimes I seriously wonder how I actually live my life and get it all done. It's absolute insanity. But I'm not even freaking out. When I think about the next two weeks I can't do anything but laugh. Because it's such ridiculousness that nobody in their right mind would do that to themself on purpose! Except me apparently. But I'm excited for the challenge. And Brian will be out of town this weekend so I'll have plenty of time to work on cards in peace without distraction. :) 


And tomorrow I have to just let myself relax, as scary as that sounds. My mom got Brian tickets to see Music Man for his birthday, and a PF Changs gift card! So dinner and a show for us tomorrow night which will be much needed. 


Also, totally unrelated, but we have two tickets to the Rusty Ball, which is this Saturday. Brian is now going to be out of town so we're trying to sell them. They're worth $60 each, we'll give them to you for $50 each. Each ticket includes 4 drinks (beer, wine, pop, water) and the Rusty Griswolds will be performing all night. It should be so so so much fun. So contact me ASAP if you're interested in those. 


Hope you all are having a great week so far. 

Not Far from Friday: New Cards

Hi guys. It's been a week. Ew. I was doing so well with posting regularly--sometimes multiple times in one day! I really love the blog A Cup of Jo. What I especially love is how she posts short and sweet little tidbits of cool information or photos or things to think about. So I've been trying to emulate that style a bit recently. It's kinda working? I just find it hard to make the writer in me shut up sometimes. The business thing I'm most excited about is the fact that I've gotten to just make some non-holiday cards to up the items for sale in my shop. It was pretty hard to make the time with an order or two I was working on, but it felt great to do what I do--just make some cards!


So without further ado, I introduce to you (Heh, that rhymes) my inspirational Bible verse cards.

Matthew 7:7

Isaiah 49:16

Matthew 11:28

Psalm 118:24

Joshua 24:15

I have one more card to make (1 Corinthians 1:4) and then the "set" will be complete! It has really been wonderful making these cards. I've picked out my most beautiful papers and reading these verses over and over again has been a joy. My idea with these is that they should be so beautiful and inspirational that you want to display them every day like this fun idea below: 

Fancy yourself with a set of framed coordinating Bible verses for your home (or to give as a very special gift?) send me an email or leave a message!  

I'm going to be a very busy lady with my other jobs for the next couple days so I'll be overloading you with at least two more posts tonight (dare I say possibly 3??) for your interwebs reading pleasure till we meet again. 

Not Far from Friday: {Sneak Peek}

I'm making a whole bunch of thank you cards for my lovely roomie's wedding. It has been SO MUCH FUN. I'm getting to work with a glitter pen, one of my favorite stamps of all time, beautiful papers and whimsical details. They're coming together quite quickly now. Here's a sneak peak: 

Looking for thank you cards for your wedding? I've got you covered. :) 


Also, the kittens have really done well with my evening routine of making cards at my desk. Finny sleeps on my lap, and Vivienne sleeps on the back of the chair. I can roll around in my chair, get up and plop back down and she could care less. (And she doesn't try to eat my hair while she's back there which is much appreciated!) So here's a pic of the pretty girl for you: 

Charity Auction

I donated my first item to a charity auction this week. I made a set of 10 cards--a couple holiday, just because, birthday, etc. Check them out at the link below!


Bidding for Good


Once this auction really starts going I'm anxious to see if anyone really wants to bid on my item! I also gave them about 40 business cards they'll set out with my lot on the actual day of the event. Hopefully that generates lots of new interest in the business. 


Which is going really well! The last 7 days have been my busiest yet. Biggest single order to date, the most orders all within about two days. It was crazy for a bit while I organized how I was going to get it all completed. But I did it! (With a bit of Brian's help with the biggest order of 60 cards) 


Which means now I'm ready for more orders! The holiday ones are going really well. Make sure you get your orders in early! Here's a lovely more non-traditional card. It's simple and modern--and a tree with baby blue glitter! :)  

And who doesn't love snowflakes? In hot pink!! They're non-denominational and send more of a "Happy Winter!" message. 

The Etsy store is full of card designs. Mix and match for a custom holiday card set! 

PLAY

So the most recent series at church has been about PLAY (they had it in all caps so I feel compelled to do the same). And the last week was about how a day of rest was created for a purpose. And sometimes we just need to sit around and relax for our overall well-being. If you know me even a little bit you know that's incredibly hard for me to do, but I figured I'd give it a shot.


And I think I took it a bit too far. All our fall shows have started in the past two weeks or so, I've been pretty tired, and my business has been feeling a little overwhelming (lots of work + not so much sales = discouragement) and band season is well under way (etc. etc. insert more excuses here). And the moral of the story is I haven't been on my Etsy shop in a week. A whole week. Not a good feeling. So now I really need to get to work and nose to the grindstone and all that good stuff and get some items made and my name back in the rotation of new items on Etsy searches. When you value normal sleeping hours it's really hard to juggle so many jobs. But one thing is for sure--there will be much less tv watching in my future from here on out.


And speaking of the Etsy shop, there are so many things that one should do to fully promote one's store. It's exhausting. It's all such good advice but I simply do not have hours every day to dedicate to researching blogs and making connections and getting my name and products out on other people's blogs. It's such an important aspect but I don't know how to fit it in on top of actually making products to sell. I'll figure it out eventually.


In other news, did not get the job I applied for at my current company. I said from the start if I didn't get it then that means I'm supposed to stay where I am and pay off my student loans more quickly with the promotion/extremely generous raise I just got. But when you've been secretly hoping you got the job more than you've let on, and then you don't get it, it's very hard to put that in to practice and truly believe it. But, once those loan totals start slowly going down even more, I'll understand how exciting that can be--possibly even more exciting than starting a job that you would have loved and that could have propelled you on to other jobs you would have loved.


Everything happens for a reason and I'm sure there's lots for this one. Hope you all have had good weeks....it's almost Friday!!! LaSalle has their band invitational all day Saturday so I'll be the "Timing Judge" for that. (Sounds official...in reality not so much) :)

Not Far From Friday

Hi everyone! (And by everyone, I mean the potential 2.1 people who I believe are actually reading this :-P) I've decided I need to be more diligent and dedicated to my blog, and that I now have to post something at least on one same day every week. So that day will be Wednesday because I have the best chance of successfully fulfilling this goal. And my Wednesday posts will be called "Not Far From Friday," which I find to be super optimistic. 


I wanted to share a color combination I'm in love with: Red + Teal. If I had truly discovered this color combo before our wedding, our scheme may have gone a completely different direction in the color department! I made some red and teal cards a little over a month ago: 

And I talked in the description about how the colors are a modern teal and red combination. Not even a week later I got this in the mail: 

Did I feel vindicated or what!? Also, thank you to whomever anonymously subscribed me to this! I love love love it! 

Not only do the homemade donuts look delicious, the red and teal made my jaw hit the floor. So imagine my delight when I realize there is a whole story about "touches of fall decorating" featuring red and teal. 

Hello big red leaf on teal canvas.

This is where I think the BHG ladies may have taken their design meeting to happy hour...see below for further proof.

Really? Little acorn hats (okay maybe they're supposed to be daisy-esque flowers) on sticks in a blue vase?

I don't know about you, but I don't have time to glue 75 acorns onto a picture frame. Regardless, the teal and red motif is beautiful and really works for every season!

It makes me want to paint a room! Check out these Behr paint swatches: 550B-6 for teal and S-G-170 for red.

Till next time! (Which is hopefully before next Wednesday's post!)        

YOU Decide What I Make!

Hi Friends!


Nothing makes me realize how quickly time is passing like this blog. I'll think it's just been a day or so since the last post and before I know it it's been a week. 


A few weeks ago I found some really cute supplies. I immediately had no less than 10 random ideas for what I could do with them. I usually buy my supplies and embellishments with a specific use in mind to ensure I'm not purchasing something frivolous that I'll never actually use, so this was a little out of the ordinary for me. But once you see the inspiration for it all, I think you'll understand why I jumped in head first. Now here's the problem: I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO MAKE. I need your help. Below are the photos of the supplies. I also have TONS of stamps (check the Etsy store for examples-thank you, party invitations, "just because", friendship, etc. etc.) and other embellishments like sticker flowers and ribbon.

What you need to do: Leave me a comment below (or on the link through Facebook) with your idea(s) and I'll either pick one at random, or create the most popular idea. Once it's finished and listed on Etsy I'll let you all know and the person with the winning idea gets 20% off and free shipping if they decide to purchase! Let's begin: 

The inspiration for it all: teal, pool blue and lime green roses.

Six muted blue scalloped flat notes. (size = 5.5" square)

Six matching muted blue envelopes. (size = 5.75" square)

Various embellishments such as these blue and green pearls and gems.

SO, get those creative juices flowing! Share this post with your friends so they can join in on the fun. I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

Secret Agent of Kindness

Hi Friends,


It's been a really busy week. Like usual. But this one has given me surprisingly no free time. No card making, no blogging, nothing! I do have all weekend off so I'm going to be very creatively-productive on my business hopefully. :)


So what I really wanted to share was the one thing that made me genuinely happy and smiley today. I was inspired by an article I read several weeks ago on CNN.com. This woman decided to be a "secret agent of kindness" in her spare time. She now has tons of "affiliated agents of kindness" all over the country and world. Read about her amazing story here: Agent L. I decided immediately that I could do this. I don't feel the need to become "affiliated" through her or anything, but the idea is great. And reading all the stories on her blog just makes you feel great.


We subscribe to The Daily through Crossroads. Every morning they send you a verse (or two) to read, pick it apart and then have a follow up reading if you want to read more about the topic. Yesterday's take-away was to be generous to other people. Today's was to think of a positive thought for every negative (I worked really hard on that today but I'm afraid the negative still took over :-/). So between the two days I was really feeling like it was time for me to leave my first kindness gift for someone. I was nervous about it this morning while I was writing on the card in my cube. What do you say to a potential complete stranger you will never meet? Here's the outside of my card:

Part of this is two-fold too. As you can see, I included one of my little business cards, I of course made the card, and it's stamped with my special stamp on the back. But honestly, more than getting my name out there, I really want to make someone smile. I feel like the people who will receive these will be the people who need them. So on the inside I wrote that I hoped they had a good day today. And that it was almost the weekend so they just had to get through tomorrow. And that I hoped they got a chance to enjoy the nice weather some time this weekend. Then I had to think about how to address the envelope. That was tricky, and I think I've learned some things to do differently tomorrow (Yes! I'm planning one for tomorrow too!). Here's the outside: 

                                             

                   

It says "To: You!! (Yes, you who are reading this right now)." And then I had to think about where to put it. On Agent L's blog, people will kind of sit down somewhere, and get up and leave it and just walk away. So I decided to do that too. I had to go to Cheesecake right after work today so I didn't have time between jobs to do anything creative really. But there are benches in the mall right outside the restaurant. So I decided to leave it there. And if we got busy (ha ha I know) some people might wait out there. So I sat down on the bench and put it next to me in the corner. Now is probably the time to mention that all day today I wanted a Twix bar. I just NEEDED chocolate. And only had sixty cents in my purse. :( So no Twix for me. But at the very end of the day I remembered I had my change purse on me for work. So I went to get myself a Twix. And immediately realized I should give it to whomever received my card. *sigh* But I felt that was only right because Agent L always leaves little gifts with her cards. So here's everything ready to go on the bench next to me: 

                                                                        

And then I just got up and walked away! Well, practically ran. I could just see my very first time someone yelling after me, "M'am you forgot something!" hah. Not smooth. And then I realized I was just BEAMING. And my heart was racing and I was so excited. I wanted to keep peeking to see if anyone had taken it yet, but refrained. Ideally you just walk away and don't look back. So I was just so excited--and then about 10 minutes later Ryan, who works the front desk, walked over holding the card hahahahhaah. Someone had turned it in hahahahah. I honestly figured there was a really great chance that would happen. But I didn't want to leave chocolate on someone's windshield in 85 degree weather so the mall was my only option. So he said he recognized the logo (that's progress right?) and business card. And that the guy at table 111 had turned it in in case someone in the restaurant was looking for it. FAIL.

So Ryan wanted to know what to do with it. I said well, he could keep it if he wanted. Or, he could go give it back to the guy and tell him he was apparently meant to find it and should keep it. He said that another girl working at the front desk really wanted the Twix and they really liked the card. So I said well give it to her if she wants it. Maybe she's supposed to have it today. So it was nice to have some positive feedback and she was very appreciative and smiley.

So lessons learned: Hide the gift under the card addressed to a stranger. Make the "to" part big and bright so there's no mistaking that it's for the person who finds it. Leave it somewhere where you will be legitimately walking away. 

Tomorrow, I have to mail some things at the post office. That can often (okay, always) be a very stressful place, so I'm going to leave something on someone's car when I leave. I'm really excited about this one. 

I think everyone should do something like this! It's such a great thing to do. And easy. And cheap. And I really do believe that the people who are meant to find these things will. So when I put something out there in the universe, it will connect with the person that will get the most out of it on that particular day. 

I hope you all have had wonderful, stress-free days and that you have great plans for the weekend! To leave you for this evening, here's Phineas, who has been extremely jealous since Vivienne's blog debut a couple posts ago: 

                                                        
                         

Goodnight!

Cynical Sentiments: Brace Yourselves!

Happy almost Wednesday! (Can you tell I'm ready for the long holiday weekend with neither job!?) Tonight I spent an insane amount of time posting my new "Cynical Sentiments" cards on Etsy. And, because my readers may have varying degrees of sensitivity and/or humor, I thought I should explain them before you go running to find them and get a little shock. Here's the premise of these cards: cute, simple, catchy fronts. For example:

But the insides are hilarious, unexpected and irreverent: 

I have 10 different ones posted on Etsy right now. The photos don't really do them justice this time--lighting was really off and I don't know what all to do with this crazy camera yet. But regardless, you'll get the idea. These came about with help from lots of people. This idea has seriously garnered more attention and excitement than any other thing I have ever created or discussed creating. There's probably at least half a dozen people quietly thinking of more sayings to use for this type of card. 


There seems to be a fair amount of the world that is tired with sappy, over-the-top cards that don't seem to convey the right fun message. And, apparently I hang out with a lot of cynical people who have a slight mean streak as well! (myself included) :) So I hope you enjoy them. I hope they're different from most anything you've seen before. Have fun with these! Don't take them too seriously. Here's another one for your viewing pleasure: 

Aaaaaand the inside: 

Also, check out the cards on Etsy and let me know if you have an idea for something that would work well on the inside of one of these cards. I'd love to share your creativity. Leave a comment below with your fun ideas! 

It's Been a Food Day :)

Hi Everyone! 


I spent most of today in the kitchen, which was a nice change from sitting at my desk. It's been a really busy weekend. Yesterday was Pete's funeral. It wasn't as emotional as I thought it would be, probably because it as a Catholic mass. I was distracted making sure I was doing everything right rather than actually processing why we were there and what I was experiencing. The Homily was wonderful though, and did make me tear up a couple times. But I figured I'd made it that far without losing it and I was going to try my best to make it to the end. It was a beautiful day out--couldn't have asked for a better one. And Brian and I really left feeling more positive than we've felt all week. There's no question where Pete is, and there's no question he'll be missed. But things are going to be okay. Here's the card I made for Pete. We gave it to his wife obviously, but I made it for him: 

This photo isn't the greatest. It says "Mere words cannot express the Hurt my Heart feels for You in your time of Loss." Everything looks kind of dull but the roses are a very vibrant red, and the text is stamped with a gold shimmer ink. It was really nice. :) 


So back to today and spending most of it in the kitchen. First, I made some Amish white bread with the help of my KitchenAid mixer. That thing makes bread SO EASY. Here's some photos of the process from beginning to end. Bread dough is just so beautiful. Here's an older photo that is my favorite of yeast rising: 

Here's one of the dough once it's doubled and is ready to be divided into two loaf pans: 

                                       

And here's the finished product. The texture today was perfect, with a crust that wasn't too crisp. We ate probably a quarter of one loaf as soon as it came out of the oven. You have to take advantage of that warm bread-it's just not the same if you microwave it later!

After the bread was done I made Crispy Salted White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies. They are probably the best cookies I've ever had (or made for that matter). The recipe for this came from Smitten Kitchen. Several of my friends are obsessed with the site, and since I'm jealous because the woman is doing what I would love to do for a career, I don't check it very often. :) So anyways, I also used my KitchenAid for this project (first time using it for cookies) and it made things so FAST! Look at the Ghirardelli white chocolate below. Isn't that amazing? Chopping it into little pieces with a big, sharp butcher knife was like cutting butter. 

I don't know how I've lived for so long without one of these mixers. 

And finally, the finished cookies, ready for Brian to do a quality control check. 

You would think my evening might be done there, but no--I still had to make dinner! This was another Smitten Kitchen recipe: Martha's Mac and Cheese. It's made with fancy (i.e. expensive) cheeses, sharp white cheddar and gruyere. It was wonderful. I used part of a loaf of bread I had just made for the topping, and those little crunchy bread bits tossed in butter might be my favorite part of the dish. We're going to be eating leftovers of this mac & cheese for days!

Hope you all had a great weekend! It's back to the daily grind tomorrow. But with a holiday weekend coming up (and most of us off on Monday, right?) we have much to look forward to. 

Meg

P.S. Two sets of new thank you cards are up on Etsy. Check them out! :)

Sad Day

Today started out like any other day. It's a Monday, and I try to keep those low key. Within about three hours of getting to work, I heard two things that made me really sad. 


1. The daughter-in-law of a friend at work recently miscarried a few weeks into her second trimester. 
2. One of Brian's band parents died unexpectedly this morning. This parent was one of the first super-supportive ones. He was a musician, he got music, you know? He understood how much Brian was challenging the kids. It was such a happy experience when we met him, together, out in the parking lot. I remember it pretty clearly because afterwards we just looked at each other like "WOW. There is hope here. This can be built up to a great program." And I really think it started that evening, with knowing that there was at least one person 150% on our side. 


What I spent most of my day thinking about, and preoccupied by, was his family. His son is one of the field commanders in the band--the leader. He's about to start his senior year of high school in two days. I thought about all the dreams and hopes and plans his dad had for him that are just gone. And about the plans and dreams and hopes he had for his own life with his wife. Those just don't exist anymore. They are gone from the universe forever and will never have a chance to play themselves out. I had such a sense of finality and heavy, heavy sadness. 


It also made me that much more determined to do whatever I can to create free time in my life to spend as much time as possible with Brian and the friends and family I love. I will not be consumed by expectations of how much I should be working or what kind of job, or even how much money one needs to be really happy. (From my perspective it's really only "How much less student loans.") You just really have no idea when it will be your time. I'm beginning to wrap my brain more and more around the idea that every single day is super special, and should be treated that way. I'm trying really hard not to be upset by petty things, or let negativity in any form take away from the gift of another day in my extremely blessed, lucky, happy life. 


So I had to go shopping today for sympathy stamps, because I really only have one or two that might remotely qualify, and they're more on the "make you smile side." Not the caliber of emotion I'm looking to convey. It was hard. I kept thinking about how the potential cards would make me feel if I received them; quite a sad experience. I've never had such an emotional craft supply shopping trip. I feel lucky that I haven't really had the need to buy these kinds of stamps until now. I've been trying to feel the appropriate amount of grateful for that all day. I hope you're not having a sympathy-stamp worthy kind of day today. 


Here's the card I ended up making for both situations. I just liked it so much I decided to use it for both. I also bought a stamp that says "Mere words cannot express the Hurt my Heart feels for You in your time of Loss." I love it. It is just so darn sincere--and that's something that can be hard to find in a generic "Hallmark card." Also, I'm not sure if you're able to see it in this picture, but I got a glitter pen tonight and it's awesome, and way overdo. I colored in the punched out "stars" with it and outlined the words "stars" and "shines" to give it an extra "something."