Kipi Creative Artisanal Greeting Cards - October News

'Tis the season of giving and giving thanks! This year, I have added new Christmas cards, new sets, smaller card packs, even more images from a recent trip to Mexico, and a couple of pet sympathy cards after a very difficult search to find two of my own for a friend in the past few months. I've had so many customers tell me how great these greeting cards are for framing as works of art too. New shipping areas coming soon!

Christmas Candies - Set of 10 Handmade Greeting Cards

Corazón - Handmade Greeting Card

Mexico (Featuring Wrought Iron Cross) - Handmade Greeting Card

Faithful Companion - Handmade Pet Sympathy Card

Feline Friend - Handmade Pet Sympathy Card

Honoring the Ancestors - Sugar Skull Greeting Cards

This summer, looking for a much-needed change of scenery, I traveled to Mexico for a brief vacation. Our self-designed tour comprised a nice mixture of cultural events, food exploration, and shopping. In Mexico City, we learned about the murals of Diego Rivera, and navigated craft markets. There was an explosion of color (and handmade sugar skulls) everywhere! Even the hand painted designs of the black and white sugar skulls have so much dimension in their contrast. Here are some of my favorites that I have converted into greeting cards for this season of skeletons. 

Sugar Skulls, Mexico - Set of 10 Handmade Greeting Cards

Sugar Skulls (Black and White) - handmade greeting card

Valentine's Day - Collecting

This day doesn't hold much significance for me personally in the romantic sense, although I hope to work on resolving that this year. My mom never forgets to send me a card and a little something to mark the day. Thanks, mom! I love you too. ♥

I thought this might be a good day to share my collection of "sacred hearts" or "bleeding hearts". They are religious tokens of thanks left at altars as reciprocation for an answered prayer, or as wish a for a speedy and miraculous healing. These votives are typically made from tin, copper, silver, or sometimes gold and are known by different names to different cultures: milagro in Spanish, ex voto in Latin, and tamata in Greek. They can also made in the forms of various body parts: arms, legs, kidneys, ears, eyes, feet, hands, breasts, etc.

I happen to collect hearts or hearts with hands, and it all started by accident. Several years ago, I bought two or three milagros at a Mexican store in the SoHo section of NYC as decorations for my room. Soon enough, I started seeing them everywhere. I bought some in New Orleans, in Italy, and at a flea market in Athens, Greece. Friends have even brought them back from their trips to Mexico or Peru. Thanks to online auctions, my collection has expanded even further. I now have over 100 of them on the wall of my apartment; all different shapes, sizes, and colors. Each one is different and holds its own charm. Every time I see a new one, it just means that my collection will keep growing.

♥  Happy Valentine's Day! ♥