A few hi-lights from travels and returning home...

Keeping up with pen palling was a little difficult while not being at home but not impossible. Here are just a few of the things I received and acquired while away...

Post from one of my British pen pals...

These are cards designed by the lovely Hannah Yates in Bridport, Dorset.
Her designs also feature on clothing through her small business called
Quirky Clothing Company, for more info: http://www.hannahyates.com

Just part of the washi/paper tape collection I acquired while I was in the UK &
The Netherlands. Thanks to Paperchase, The Range, Dragon Chant, HEMA,
and Wibra for tempting me beyond belief!

Three tapes for £3 at Paperchase, how could I not? 

Had to buy a tin at Goulds in Dorchester just to house
my increasingly large collection. Pretty, right? 

New tapes from Clinton's Cards, purchased in Dorchester. They are a new line
called My Journal and there were three different tapes. I got the first to there
and caved and bought the third one at the Clinton's in Sutton Coldfield. 

Last set of tapes I bought at Paperchase in Sutton before leaving the UK to
come home for a long while...sigh! From the Pushy Cats collection.

Upon returning home and scouring my collection I came
across this card that reminded me of the beach huts in
Lyme Regis! Go figure! I suddenly found I had many things
in my collection at home reminiscent of the UK!

A visit to the new Hobby Lobby within walking distance of
home revealed MANY new possibilities where stickers are
concerned...this is just ONE aisle of nothing but stickers!

It's been too long!!!

Even though I've not been on here for a LONG while I have still kept pen palling and am happy to be back posting. I'd been travelling the past few months and too busy with work beforehand. Now I can look forward to having a little more time for posting. I will begin, though, by posting some of the letter detail from my latest written letter.

Sticker over hand-drawn border on white background.

I have TONS more to share with you, my lovely followers, in the next few days but in the meantime you can check out a little bit about my travels on my new blog, Walks In Beauty; also if you are a nature lover be sure to check out my newest blog featuring photos taken by my other half and myself, Nature Delights. 

Thanks and keep an eye out for my next post!

xoxo,

Nadia

Little pen pals...

Today I got the sweetest little letter in the mail from my niece whom I am going to see in a week and a half. I love when little kids start to write letters!

What are some special memories you have from your first letter?

Hello again!

Hello my dears! Sorry for the LONG hiatus! Life got kind of busy and hectic there for a bit. I owe ever so many letters and am trying to get back on track with it all. I recently purchased a few things from this little shop called Inspire Lovely which is owned by blogger extraordinaire Debee Ruiz and I wanted to share the postcards I got from her shop that I will hopefully be sending to some of my very lucky pen pals!

Set number one: Some lovely butterfly postcards.

I love the detail in each postcard and can't wait to send my first one out! Debee has an eye for style that is impeccable! Here's the next set which I think is my favorite:

Set number two: an eclectic mix.

I simply adore all the little details in these cards! They truly inspire me to better style my own photos of objects and continue in the same glorious tradition. Who knows, right? 

Which ones are your favorites? I'd like to know!

Until next time!

Check out what other lovelies I acquired.

If you are like me...

If you're anything like me you probably have certain movies that you often watch as you write letters or craft. I say watch in italics because these are usually films you know by heart and do not actually have to watch, per say but rather listen to and occasionally take a glance at as you go about the business of writing or creating. I find that watching a familiar film while crafting enhances my creativity just as with listening to particular music. My creations will be fairly modern if I am watching a modern romantic comedy and slightly more vintage if I am watching a period film.

Here is my top ten list of favorite movies to craft/write letters to:

#1: Pride & Prejudice, this version originally from the BBC
is by far the best one I've seen and a favorite to craft to. 

...

#2: Little Women, the 1994 version is one that I know by
heart and frequently revisit when writing letters or working
on a craft project. It is a classic that warms every girl's heart.

...

#3: Ever After, power house Cinderella story which shows
us that we can be beautiful and intelligent without apologizing
for it! Creative and witty for amazing inspiration.

...

#4: Sense and Sensibility-- Jane Austen's tales brought to
life in film are always a great source of inspiration to me.

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#5: Emma, another beautifully done adaptation of Jane Austen's
novel, my favorite thus far. I watched it so many times when it
came out that I memorized it rather quickly. 

...

#6: Notting Hill makes me want to go to the market to find
crafting materials that are out of the ordinary. It is chic and
elegant and inspires much!

...

#7: 13 Going on 30, if for nothing else but to hear those
great tunes from the 1980s and to get some really great
color inspiration for creative letter writing! 

...

#8: Heidi, who isn't inspired by Shirley Temple? I like this
one for when I want to get in touch with my inner child.

...

#9: Sleepless in Seattle, is one I can watch while crafting
and remember the sites I've seen in both Seattle and
New York. Great music in this one too!

...

#10: Kate & Leopold, romantic and witty, with a hint of sarcasm.
Perfect for crafting or writing with a cup of cocoa and some
cream filled cookies! ☺

Which would you include in your list of films you craft/write to? There are many more which I have often used for the same thing but these are my top 10. Look forward to hearing what your favorites are.

Hugs,

Nadia Marie

Happy New Year!

It is not yet New Year's here in Florida but in many other parts of the world it already is! Even so, I wanted to wish you all a very happy 2012 full of many wonderful prospects and of course many more letters from pals the world over! I hope that I may share more of my pen palling journey with you all soon and bring you more fantastic ideas for how to optimize your pen palling adventure.

May 2012 bring you much prosperity, love and joy!

Fireworks over Sydney Harbour Bridge. Photo: Chrissie Thoo. bbc.co.uk 

A little bit of paper...

By now I am sure you all know that I love anything to do with paper! I was recently rearranging my paper collection (it's enormous!) and found some scraps that I had saved which of course I had to put to some good use so I'd like to share some photos with you:

First up, I found some scraps of winter/Christmas word paper and cut out the
individual phrases and then made this cute little envelope from some scrap red
paper and cut out individual letters and words from remaining scraps and also
snowflakes from some wrapping paper scraps. This is for my pen pal Christelle.
What do you all think of these? I also cut a few for my pen pal Maria Laura. 

Maria Laura's little word pack looks like this:

For this one I used a security envelope I'd decorated with swirls, each hand-drawn
and colored with markers, and wrote the message by hand in a gel pen I got at Target.

Lastly, I used up a few scraps making little paper hearts and Valentine's ephemera for the next big holiday. I love cutting hearts out and using up as much of my scrap paper as possible. Here are the hearts:

Those are just a few of the things I made, you can also check out some of the little paper scraps I decorated with small drawings on my other blog, Mes Petites Creations. Going through my scraps helped me to find more bits of paper to share with pen pals, make some extra stationery/cards, and see what supplies I have to use and also helped me see what else I needed to acquire. 

This New Year 2012 promises to be a very creative one for me! I can't wait to share more of these times with you!

Happy New Year 2012!

Love,

Nadia Marie