Pink of Perfection

Some people adore the long holiday build-up: Christmas music in the drugstore, red cups at Starbucks, the trees and wreaths lined up for sale on city sidewalks. It’s safe to say I like the rising action more than the day itself. I love the anticipatory excitement, running elfish errands, making delectable treats, all the ribbons and wrappings, and thinking hard what gifts my loved ones would like most to receive.

And while I loathe a braggy Christmas letter, I adore the the cards themselves. Stacked up on mantels and pushed in the rim of a mirror, they are a visual reminder of the people in your life who care enough to still use stamps. This year I received some artistic help from Stencil 1 for my outbound batch. This isn’t the first time I’ve espoused the merits of stencils, but I’m happy to say it again: I can’t draw, therefore, stencils save the day. You’ll only need cardstock, pinking shears, a short stiff brush, and some tempura paints. I just held the stencils down, but you could use masking tape to keep the stencil firmly in place.

And look how durn pretty they are! I can’t wait to send these out to the friends who are farther away than I’d like and to even the ones who live around the corner.