I’ve always been a huge fan of snail mail. Whether I’m sending it or receiving it, I think now more than ever, cards are a special way to show someone you’re thinking of them. I could spend hours in the card aisles of Target and I’ve always wanted to try my hand at making my own cards. Enter: heat embossing! This craft requires a heat gun, slow-drying ink pad, embossing powder, and rubber stamps or embossing pens. To get started I bought this heat gun and this embossing kit. After some trial and error sessions on a scrap piece of cardstock, I ended up making baby shower thank you cards that I just love:

The steps are simple: after wiping down the surface of the cardstock with your anti-static pad, use your favorite rubber stamp and place on the ink pad. Stamp the cardstock and then pour a generous amount of embossing powder over the ink. Tap the excess powder off onto a folded piece of paper and, using your heat gun, go back and forth over the stamped area. You will begin to see the powder turn into a shiny, raised surface and once this result is consistent, you will know you are finished. Let the ink cool for a few minutes and don’t forget to use your folded paper to put the excess powder back into its original container. And ta-da, your homemade card is now complete!

Every year, I try to host a little get together at my house with my girlfriends. It’s a great excuse to try out some new recipes, get tipsy, and indulge in some girl gossip. After hosting scarf parties for the past couple years, I was ready to try something different. Enter the Favorite Things Party! Here’s the idea: first, decide on a per item budget- we chose $10/item. Then, you purchase the same number of items as the amount of guests attending your party. Since 4 of my girlfriends were attending, I bought 4 of my favorite silicon tongs from Crate & Barrel to share with my lovely ladies. Your guests will do the same thing and by the end of the night, you leave with a goodie bag full of everyone’s favorite items! To make the occasion extra special, I created personalized gift bags and a cute sign to match.