Once again I recognized the feel of a Stampin' Up! envelope in the mail yesterday ( I know it sounds crazy, but that's how good Stampin' Up! envelopes are!). I actually gasped when I pulled out this card from my friend Annette because it is SO beautiful! There's that Lovely As a Tree stamp set that I keep telling you about! There is nothing like it! I don't even know exactly how she made this card but I can tell you it is even more gorgeous in person than in this photo! She probably used some masking technique. And of course there is nothing like a little Dazzling Diamonds glitter to add just the right finishing touch!

Annette and I were friends WAY WAY back when when our husbands worked together and when I was first married (and before!). Even though we haven't seen each other in over thirty years since we got transferred to Houston, we have always kept in touch with Christmas cards. So if you have ever wondered if there was any point in sending Christmas cards, even to people you haven't seen in years, this proves it is absolutely a wonderful thing to do to keep in touch! A couple years ago Annette wrote me after Christmas and said she had liked my stamped card and that she had been trying to do some stamping herself. Of course I sent her a Stampin' Up! catalog and we began calling and emailing about stamping. It's been so nice to have a renewed friendship over stamping.  And I feel SURE that someday we are going to get together in person and just have a stamping extravaganza!