A Show of Appreciation...

I tend to have and lose habits all the time, both good and bad. The one good habit I try to keep is sending thank you notes. To me, it's the least I can do to show appreciation and acknowledgement for a kind gesture. One of my resolutions this year was to make it a priority and do it with extra effort. Here are some of my favorite ideas:

• I try to include a photo (always carry a camera with you) - I order my photos on-line at www.snapfish.com, wallet-sized, a matte finish and white border - classic! The turn around time is fast - so expect your pictures in 2-3 days.
• Paper Source, my reliable source for paper and such. Typically, I don't walk out with what I went in looking for. I go in looking for solutions. The people are helpful and the store will have inspirations for you in case you're not sure what to do.
• Address labels, you can find really inexpensive ones at office stores, like Office Max and Staples. I even use the ones at the post office, I think those are fun. It's an added bonus for addressing envelopes and shows that you gave what carried the note extra attention.
• Micron Pens, for as long as I can remember, these are the only pens I use. They are literally scatter everywhere in my house, car, purse...I use a black 03 point, but they come an array of colors and points.
• A portable paper cutter, one of the my most used craft item. No need to spend a lot of money on this, you can change the blades if they ever go dull.
• The Glencoe PTO Directory, order a few extras next time, my "go-to" for everything; class list, phone numbers, emails, addresses. One in my car, my office...what would we do without this?
• Get addresses of family and friends, how many email addresses do you have with no mailing addresses? I keep my addresses in an index card box with tabs A-Z. I write the addresses on index cards with family names and birthdays.
• Michaels Arts & Crafts Store - get ready to get side-tracked. I use different ways to add a touch to the cards I'm sending. For those in the above picture, I am securing the photos to the cards by hole-punching a hole through both photo and card and securing it in place by brads.(see picture below)

My finished product is ready to be mail to all my participants with the blog. Thank you to everyone who's contributed and hope to send many more thank you's in the next upcoming weeks.