Maya Road and Me

Cards Cards Cards

One of my most favorite cards I made for our Autumn Notes Classic Card Kit is this one right here. It was very simple to create yet can be used for so many things. The glassine envelope is a great touch as you can add a hidden note or add a gift card to give to a friend in the card.

I am always after my husband telling him to NOT buy any cards. We own a paper crafting company, how crazy would it be to actually purchase a card when I can whip one up? I always keep a stack of cards in my desk that can be personalized. That is one of the reasons we decided to create this card kit. Cards and the art of actual mail shouldn't be lost.

We have put together items that coordinate but still allow you the freedom to create the cards you love with your unique style! I cannot wait to share with you the full reveal for the entire kit!

Running A Race

So growing up, I was more a mathlete than athlete. I would venture to say that my family has been more blessed with chicken legs and some brain power but you would never ever ever say my family was athletic.

But deep down in my heart of hearts, I knew that I possibly could have some tiny bit of dna that was just a wee bit of more than a mathlete. I knew I could foster some leg muscles and arm muscles and such and so when college arrived and I packed on the freshman 15, I began my quest.

I learned to read all sorts of labels on food. I took strength training classes as an elective 3x during college. I learned to do full body squats and dead lifts on the boys' side of the gym (b/c the girls side got all the rusty old stuff). I took basketball as an elective. Our rag tag Chemical Engineer soccer team got the biggest thrill because we (including a couple of girls) beat a fraternity rec team. 

And in all that time, I ran. I ran til it hurt. I ran til til it rained. I ran til my shoes got holes in it. And over the last 20 years, I have become the athletic one in my family. I have run marathons and done century ride and dualthons and mud runs. I played in adult soccer leagues and I played in a flag football league.

But with the arrival of my two dear children my time devoted to exercising has changed my priorities. As much as I would love to have the energy to get up and do a 20 mile run, I neither have the time, energy or knees to do that on a consistent basis. But it doesn't matter when you have these two looking at you in the mornings:

But two weekends ago I ran a 5k again:

And for this one, I have consistently been running the last 8 months. Most weeks it is 12-15 miles. I have been doing yoga and lifting weights. And suddenly in this 5k, I found I cut 1 minute off of my best time since my daughter was born. That doesn't put me back in the range I used to be in before kids but it makes me know it is possible to at least look at that as another goal in the future. Perhaps another minute in the next year. I have to start again somewhere. And I think I am ready for the challenge! 

Here I am in my racing glory:

What We Have Been Working On

So the last year or so, Deb and I have thought about ways we could reach out to a more general audience and share with them the love of Maya Road and how it can be used in many many different ways. Since we are an embellishment company, our basics pretty much can coordinate with many projects from layouts to home decor to cards and even in a pinch general DIY projects.

The problem has always been for us so many ideas, so little time. So we had this idea on the back burner for a while to simmer and stew until the right time.

The time has arrived. It has taken a tremendous amount of work but we are pleased to announce that we are going to be starting a Classic Card Kit:

And I cannot have done it without the help of Julia Stainton from our design team. She has been instrumental in helping me curate the kit, work on the website and more.  Julia has an amazing eye for designing cards. You will have to see what we have put together soon! 

The idea is simple, cards are something we all need throughout the year. They are the perfect handmade touch for gifts and just a "thinking about you" greeting. With the Maya Road Classic Card Kits, there are specially selected Maya Road products. There are exclusives( (can we say 4" x 4" stamp sets) and our team will share with you lots of unique ways to put it all together. 

There is no committment; the kits will come out quarterly. Each one also will have 5-7 exclusives from Maya Road you won't find anywhere else! 

It has been a lot of fun putting this all together and it allows the kit purchaser a little bit of everything to try from Maya Road. We have special touches here and there that I will share more about soon. But start following us on the Maya Road Classic Card Kits Page!

Thanks for starting this journey with us!

Coming Soon

It's been close to a month since I last posted here. So much going on with the kids back in school and the rush of the Holiday Season almost upon us. We have lots of fun things going on. We have something fun coming up in the next couple of days. I will share with you more next week but here is a peek at what we have coming: