Art in the garden

From Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst, NC:

"The college is home to the 32-acre Sandhills Horticulture Gardens. Designed and maintained by students in the Landscape Gardening program, the site contains 14 themed gardens, including a whimsical children’s garden and a new Japanese Garden. The largest accessible holly collection on the east coast is found in the Ebersole Holly Garden. A formal English Garden exhibits several smaller gardens, including the Holly Maze, the Fountain Courtyard, the Sunken Garden, the Ceremonial Courtyard, and the Herb Garden."

We were fortunate to visit Sandhills during the Art in the Garden event which featured sculpture from all over North Carolina.  The exhibit is on display from March 24-May 25, 2011. 

A wonderful walk in the woods.  Particularly during the art exhibition.

Secret Source Revealed: Stamps

Trying to be entirely paperless?  Perfect.  Me, too.  Far less impact on the environment/unparalleled speed of delivery. 

But there are times when USPS is essential.  Handwritten notes are just one very much appreciated example.  

In which case, you're going to need a stamp.  

My top pick, either as a gift for someone else or to use yourself:  Zazzle personalized postage.  I've tried others but continue to choose this company.  I like the print quality, color saturation, quick turnaround time and variety of stamp sizes.  And I typically order the largest version that they offer simply because it's a beautiful addition to the envelope.  Not for bills but for someone who would appreciate the extra effort. Great birth/or other event announcement.  And a cinch to do just by uploading your pictures.

ADDITIONAL CONCEPT:  If you live in the SF Bay Area, you're no doubt familiar with FLAX, an extraordinary art supply store.  Their stock of paper products is pretty unparalleled/let me know if you have a better resource.  I was shopping for A-7 (5.25" X 7.25") envelopes and cardstock to mount my own pictures. 

Then I found translucent envelopes.  Very cool to use for mailing something special, like a photograph or your own photo stationery. FLAX's price was substantially higher than other online sources I subsequently found.  So, if interested, Google "translucent envelopes" for a good deal.  I ordered some today from envelopemall.com.  You may find a better source/value. Let me know.