My Mom, Joan Cannon, introduced me to stamping a number of years back. She lived in Hawaii and during a visit with her, she took me to a workshop. I so enjoyed working with my hands, the camaraderie of visiting and creating and it was a special bond between us.

Whenever we visited, we always had a stamping day. Sometimes, we'd just freeform a creation for an upcoming holiday or family birthday. Other times, we picked designed a card and made many of them for our selves and to give as gifts.

Like many of you I suspect, we enjoyed looking in catalogs, picking our next project and of course, buying stamping stuff.

My Mom loved living in Hawaii and treasured the customs and rituals of Hawaii -- especially, living Aloha. She was active in her church, was fiercely competitive in outrigger paddling and had a wide circle of friends, many of whom enjoyed stamping too.

In Hawaii, "Auntie" is a given form of address to women not necessarily related to you. For example, a young man might say "Hello Auntie", as a respectful greeting to a woman acquaintance he came across in the supermarket or at the beach.

As my mother started to sign her cards and creations with a beloved ant stamp, she became known as Auntie Joan. She died in 2006 after a long fight with breast cancer. Although it nearly breaks my heart each time I stamp and think of her, Auntie Joan Stamping was started to honor her and to cherish the warmth and joy that comes from being together with friends and family and making handmade crafts.

Aloha, Veronica