This is what makers live to see -- their work in action. 
And OMG - look at this note from a kindred-spirit customer who loves the sound of cicadas:

"I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate that you made something that was not only so unique, but also so sturdy and very well crafted. I try not to carry tons of heavy stuff, but (see attached) I can take it with me to the farmer's market or anywhere else I go and it's pretty much the only bag I need.

"I had debated buying it, because I'm a mom, and mom's spend all their money on the kids and the family and the house, for the most part... but there was just something about this when I saw the pic of it the first time that told me, "That's MINE!" :)

"Thanks again for this. It's more than a bag to me. It's me carrying something special to me around, every day, and it reminds me of so many happy things."

It's a good day for Beyond Her. Smile. 

My younger daughter's senior year in high school was a little bit of a joke.  I admit, I hadn't been paying that much attention -- I thought we had counselors to do that -- but her story was that she had taken all the credits she needed to graduate, and that basically her whole educational responsibility consisted of going to a single English class. One hour, gate to gate. 

It was a little disconcerting, thinking that this was the generation that was about to take over the world.  She barely got out of bed.

Oh, she did make it to English class, often in what I believe were her pajamas.  But were they reading world literature, doing research papers, writing the great teen novel?  No.  They were learning to write thank-you notes.   Isn't that a curriculum appropriate for an eight-year-old? 

We went round and round about this, and she won, of course.  The real kicker came at graduation, well, really, post-graduation party, when my neighbor made a point of catching me backing out of driveway specifically to tell me that she had received a letter from Afton -- and, goodness, did that girl know how to write a thank-you note!  She has never let me forget it.

The Short Course in Expressing Gratitude
I'm going to shorten that last semester for you:  writing a thank you note is as easy as 1-2-3.

1.  Address the giver / hostess / friend as "Dear" and open the note with a reference to the specific gift or kindness about which you are writing.  An example:  "Thank you so much for the lovely dinner you treated us to the other night."

2.  Add a little something about how much you enjoyed the gift / kindness / hospitality.  Something like: "This was the perfect book to take to the beach, and I was hooked from the get-go."

3. Your closing should be something personable and friendly (I look forward to seeing you at our family reunion this summer), and it doesn't hurt to mention your gratitude again.  Sign off with something warm -- if not "Thanks again for thinking of me," then something like "Warm wishes."  There, it's done!

The Modern Thank-You Note
Some experts want you to embellish your notes with a little news, but I am personally a true believer in the pure thank-you note -- single-minded, purposeful, heartfelt.  It works for anything from a large endowment to a light lunch.  Keep it simple, I say.  But make it prompt.

There's a tendency to write thank-you email,s which is of course technically fine -- but there is NOTHING like a written, mailed thank-you note to show that you are a civilized person, capable of wondrous things -- like finding a stamp and getting to a mailbox. 

Seriously, if you've gotten a good thank-you note, you know how much it means.  The secret is how little it takes -- although if you want to turn this into a high school semester I'm here to say, it can be done.

Show your distinctive style with clean, contemporary note cards from Beyond Her. 
Two unique sets of stationery are available at the Beyond Her etsy shop

Man Speaks: 8 correspondence cards with nature images, in kraft with kraft envelopes
Summer Postcards:  6  postcards on bright white cardstock, self-mailers

I'm not a big Andrew Lloyd Weber fan, or a big love nut, but I happen to love this song, and I believe it is true.  I've dug this valentine up from my archives, and realized that I've been playing around with hearts -- making them thorny, furry, mosaic'd, paisley'd and cracked -- for decades now. 

Just in time for Valentine's Day, a journal that recognizes how much we have to say.  The new Beyond Her Love Journal starts with the phrase of our age, "It's complicated," but it leaves the rest to you.
   Silkscreened kraft stock covers with love quotes on the inside front and back covers.  High quality recycled paper stock inside, with light inkjet hearts printed on every 5th page.  50 pages, 8.5 inches by 5.5 inches, coil bound. 
   Encourage others, or yourself, to wax  poetic!  $18

Click here to buy