Card stock

Assorted cards from Mr. Boddington, Sugar Paper, Rifle Paper Co., and Bella Muse

Whenever I flip open a Martha Stewart Living magazine or switch on an episode of Barefoot Contessa I marvel at these two ladies abilities to have everything and anything you could possibly need for a well lived life. Need to wrap your entire family's gifts in a turquoise and gold color scheme? Martha whips open her gift closet and pulls out all of the gold trimmed ribbon and turquoise tissue you could hope for. Friends are popping over for an impromptu dinner party? Ina preps the roast while the apple crisp browns in the oven. It's my life goal to appear as put together as these women, but this can only be completed in baby steps. I have a bit of the cooking and entertaining under my belt, but my next item to tackle is to become the correspondence queen. A boxed set of thank yous is great, but a cabinet full of unique cards for any occasion is greater. Instead of opting for the boxes, indulge in those cute greeting cards and gather an assortment of individual notes. Once you cover the bases from birthday to condolences you can jot and mail a unique card that looks anything but the pre-packaged standards.