Book Review: The Inheritance of Beauty by Nicole Seitz

When not making cards, I do enjoy a good book. I found a great site (booksneeze.com), and hope to do several more reviews for them in the future. :)

The Inheritance of Beauty by Nicole Seitz

Between glimpses into the thoughts of Maggie, George, and Joe as they are cared for during their final days at Harmony House and flashbacks to their years together as children in Levy, South Carolina, Nicole Seitz weaves a story that shows how unconditional love can be as well as how the events of our childhood form and mold us.

Eighty-plus years after events that changed their lives forever, Maggie (now a mute), George (her devoted husband), and Joe (a familiar stranger) find themselves together in Harmony House being cared for by the sweet Miss Annie. As the story unfolds, the reader sees the connections they shared in their younger years and how those events still have hold of them so many years later.

It definitely took me a while to get into this book because there were so many characters and Seitz is continually inserting flashbacks from eighty years before the story takes place. But, once I got the characters settled in my mind, I began to see how connected they were. I fell in love with George and admired his devotion to his precious Maggie. I looked forward to each time I was taken back to the events of so many years ago that were critical to how each character ended up where he or she was. While the end wasn’t quite what I expected, it did tie everything together neatly and left no question unanswered.

If you’re looking for an honest love story, a bit of a mystery, and some Southern charm, I definitely recommend Nicole Seitz’s The Inheritance of Beauty.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

CPS Sketch #202

Quick card this morning for CPS. (Hallelujah for the return of a morning nap- at least for today!)

Materials:

Patterned paper- Cloud 9 Design; Chipboard Embellishment- K&Company; Cardstock-Coredinations; Scallop Scissors- Fiskars

Cards 4 Cancer

I'm SOOO excited to be able to share this new project with you! Here's the story:

Last week, my hubby forwarded an email he received at work about a project called Cards 4 Cancer. Their goal is to brighten the days of those undergoing treatment for cancer by simply giving them a card to let them know someone cares. Locally, the organizer I'm working with made over 1000 cards with the help of 4 others last year! Pretty amazing! I was ready to jump on board, but I need your help.

There are several ways you can be involved.

1. If you are crafty, make some of your own cards to donate! In the past, there have been groups all over the US making, donating, and delivering cards.

2. Participate in my Get One, Give One promotion from now until March 1. For $3, you will get any card I have in stock, and I'll give a card to Cards 4 Cancer. (The $3 includes shipping to you!)

3. Wanna give more? For each $1 you give to Cards by Jessica, I will make and donate a card to Cards 4 Cancer. (You can donate through Paypal- just send it to cardsbyjessica@gmail.com. You can also give your donation directly to me if you are local.)

Here we go! 50 cards? 100 cards? 250 cards? Keep me busy!

To order, please email me at cardsbyjessica@gmail.com. You can find the cards I currently have in stock in my Facebook albums. Look for the caption that gives the card number (Example: Baby #5). Simply email me with the cards you want and your mailing address, and they'll be on the way! I'll send you an invoice via Paypal.

Oh, and here's a sneak peek of what the cards I'm donating will look like-

I will keep you updated as I learn more this year. Questions? Please ask!

CPS Sketch #201

A really quick card for CPS this week...

Create Blog: Butterfly Card Challenge

I'm not a huge fan of butterflies but that was the challenge this week on the Create Blog. So, butterflies it is... But, I guess that's what a challenge is about- to try something new. :)

Off to the laundry. Perhaps I might sneak in a new card or two between loads.

Materials: Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned paper: Bo Bunny and Unknown; Gems: Doodlebug

Happy Birthday!

A few new birthday cards from this week for your viewing pleasure. :)

Mini Cards

I love, love, love making these mini cards! They measure 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 and are perfect for tucking into gift bags, attaching to a gift, writing little love notes/lunch box notes, or using as a gift card holder. Plus, I hold onto all my scrap paper, so they're a great way to use those little scraps or that one sticker left on the sheet. :) I have bunches more, but typically don't post them. If you need any mini cards for birthdays, babies, weddings, or just blank cards you can use for whatever, be sure to email me! Oh, the best part- they're only $1!! I know I've spent WAY more than that at the store when I've needed a card.

More new cards!

I've been in a crafty mood this week. The laundry is piled up, and the house is a mess, but I have a few cute cards to show you! (Plus, I adapted several of these from the new books I got for Christmas.)

Happy Halloween?

I know, I know. It's January. There are SEVERAL inches of snow outside my window right now. But, I got these fun jack-o-lantern stickers on clearance a few weeks ago, and they were calling my name today.
Pretty cute, huh? They're great tags to attach to little treat bags or other fall/Halloween gifts. I'll tuck them away for next fall. Or, if you've got to have them now, I have 5. Email me. :)

New cards

I wasn't in a football mood on Saturday night for the Colts game, so I decided to work on some new cards for most of the game and just watch the replays when something big happened. Here are some of my new cards: I think this cupcake card would be an adorable birthday party invitation too!
Since the Colts lost anyway, I'm glad to have spent my time doing something fun... until the 4th quarter when I turned all my attention to the game. There's always next year...

CPS Sketch #200

Another quick card for CPS this week. Must be thinking about spring today. :)
Cardstock- yellow, blue, green; Patterned paper- Doodlebug, Creative Imaginations, unknown; ribbon; buttons

(If you like this card, it and all of my other cards are available for purchase by emailing me at cardsbyjessica@gmail.com. Or, you can find me on Facebook for more info about my cards, contests, and updates.)

Last Chance to Win!

Now through January 15, you have the opportunity to win a prize pack from Cards by Jessica. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post with a suggestion for a product I could feature. It could be as simple as "I think you should make a ____ card." Or, if you have an idea for a custom card, this is a great place to post that too ("I might need a card for ______.") I KNOW you have ideas- some of you have shared them with me before. Now's the chance to let your voice be heard! Hurry- only a few more days!

CPS Sketch #199

One of the things I'd like to do this year to stretch myself creatively is to enter some online challenges or even submit a card or two for publication. So... with that in mind, here's my first ever online challenge submission for CPS.

I decided to keep it simple to just get it done- otherwise, I knew I'd procrastinate trying to make it perfect and then I'd never submit!

Materials: Cardstock- Bazzill Basics and Paper Company; Patterned paper- Paper Studio; Foam Snowflakes- Creatology; Other- Cricut and Opposites Attract cartridge, glitter, gem

With any luck, there will be more submissions to come, and maybe even a prize won! :)

New Products!

With the arrival of the new year, I'm also thinking about new products that I can carry. So, I need your help. What products would you like to see Cards by Jessica feature in 2011? Leave a comment with your suggestion, and I'll pick one comment at random for a prize pack. It could be a completely new product or a type of card that I don't currently have. And, who knows- I might be inspired for a great new product because of you! :)

Leave your comment on this post by January 15. I'll pick a random winner and announce it on my Facebook page.

2011 Calendar

For Christmas this year, I made both my mom and my mother-in-law a 2011 calendar. (Well, technically it was a gift from my daughter, but I don't think either one of them believed a 1 year old made the calendars.) I included a picture from that month in 2010 and have plans to send them a new picture from that month in 2011. This way, they can see how much she's grown over the year. Here's what each page looked like (and you'll see the space for the new 2011 picture too):