IMG_7400.JPG, originally uploaded by theHandmaiden.

Today is another special birthday. I think that my favorite thing about her is that we couldn’t be more different, yet we have a connection that we fully embrace. She may just be responsible for my love of letterwriting, paper & good mail. I remember on a rainy summer afternoon we would lock ourselves in separate rooms and set to work on letters, candies, stamps, stickers, erasers, pencils, papers, envelopes – mini Sanrio surprises abound – tiptoeing out and sliding these little lovely packages under the door or placing them in a homemade mailbox. A very elaborate version of passing notes. This continued even when we weren’t in the same house, which was really most of the time. I have shoeboxes full of her bubbly handwriting that I cherish along with letters from our summer camp friends. Now we live a good 1500 miles apart and have very different lives, but our kinship will always remain.
Happy Birthday, Becky, my penpal, my camp comrade!

Pat turns 60 today! She is a special person to me and has been a part of my family and {more than that} a friend, a really good friend for a long time, pretty much my whole life – though I’m not sure I realized it until I was in college. We have traveled together, cried together, laughed together, made art together, struggled through life’s challenges together, created happy memories together – we have talked, shared & confided in one another. She is probably one of the most understanding and giving people I know. I love that she is always willing to laugh at herself … I could go on and on. What a open-minded, artful, sublime human being she is! Happy Birthday Pat!
I was honored to create this fun fiesta style invitation for her party this weekend. Don’t you just love the look of colorful papel picados hanging everywhere? It lifts your spirits instantly and brings great energy to a party. Arriba!

So, you know I had to letterpress some paper goods … Yes, I am still talking about the yellow birthday, party of the year! First I created Cullin’s own little 3rd year “logo” and cut enough vintage fabric for 3 flags to be sewn on every invitation. I wrote a little rhyme and printed the invitations on “banana split” colored paper.

Carrying the C3 emblem throughout, I printed tiny take-out boxes for penny candy, bags for popcorn, and cupcake flags. I even re-designed labels for the bubbles and sidewalk chalk prizes. The personalized “C” thank you notes were all written & sent the very next day. No stone unturned!