Scott and Denise

Son and daughter-in-law

of my friend, Pat.

 

They are celebrating today.



Lottsa cards

It doesn't feel like it

but I have been cranking out cards.

 

For some reason,

I just don't make the time to post them here.

 

First up is my least favorite kind of card to make.

A sympathy card.

Especially when the reason is that somebody that has left all too soon.

I sent this thank you card months ago.

Was waiting to hear from Jayne to acknowledge

but that never happened.

I love to send thank you cards when somebody does something nice for me.

I hope she knows that I am truly grateful for her generosity.



 

It's always nice to see that other people like to send thank you cards, too.

Karen, I am sure your family and friends appreciate it

that you take the time to drop them a note to express your gratitude.

 

Karen's mother and father took Delaney on a special summer vacation

to New York City and Gettysburg.

Lucky girl.

And she knows she's lucky, too.

To thank her grandparents, here is the card.

 

Karen's Aunt Mary treated her family to lunch while they were in Philly.

Actually, she treated 20 people.

What a dear.

I thought this card with plates, a table and chairs

and Guest Check would be perfect.

Karen's cousins, Patty and Duane,

let her family use their beach house on the Jersey Shore.

What a kind gesture ... and one that deserves this card.

 

Karen asked for two more thank you cards.

Somebody will receive these cards one of these days.

 

Sending thank you cards is a dying art.

Unfortunately.

I wish that wasn't so.

Do YOU need to send somebody a thank you note?

Just a tad behind ...

The card was on time.

Early, actually.

 

So happy not-really-belated birthday to Neoma.

 

Something tells me your favorite gift was to have your daughter

come home for a visit.



One more "happy birthday" card

This one goes to Luann.

I hope your day is everything you wish for.

"Hitch your wagon to a star!"



Artist Appreciation Month

Well, lo and behold, there is such a thing.

 

I had absolutely no idea that August

is dedicated to appreciate artists.

How wonderful!

 

Those that bring beauty in our world

deserve to be recognized.

 

How did I find this out?

I received an e-mail from the ever-so-sweet
folks at Patience Brewster.
(More on Patience later.)

 

I was told that they recently discovered my blog

(and loves it!)

They went on to tell me that they think my creativity is delightful,

and they just love my aesthetic!

 

I was also invited to write a post on my blog

about the artists that inspires, motivates and influences me.

 

First of all: OH MY GOODNESS.

I've been creating with paper for some time now

but never once did I ever consider myself an artist.

Never.

 

Thank you for recognizing that!

I am honored!

 

I mean, I know my way around paper,

adhesives, flowers and glitter

but never thought of myself as an artist.

 

To me, an artist is Monet, Rembrandt and Van Gogh.

You know - painters.

 

The tough part is selecting somebody that inspires me in my work.

There are just too many to list.

And that list changes, as I change.

 

I am in awe of people that are on design teams.

I've followed blogs for many years

and always enjoy looking at their creations.

 

I find that some of the paper crafters from other countries

seem to have a different flair than American crafters

and they are extremely inspiring to me.

 

As I previously mentioned,
as I change and grow,

so does my thirst for other ideas and trends.

 

I have gone on many art event retreats

in the past couple of years and I am always in awe

when I see the work that some of these artists produce.

Smitty Baker and Sandra Feazel

can paint like nobody's business and their work is beautiful.

Both of these ladies have very unique talent.

 

I believe, in my heart, that my idol is Vicki Boster.

Not because I have a yearning to learn how to knit, mind you.

But because of her generosity, her business sense

and the way she writes her blog.

 

I have worked with Vicki for about the past seven years

and she continues to inspire and motivate me.

 

Sometimes it's not PEOPLE that inspire me - but THINGS.

I love color.  The brighter, the bolder, the better.

But I love the soft tones as well.

I love flowers.

I also love working with vintage images.

When I see "old" I can't wait to put it on a card.

I think those cards are most appreciated by people that lived in that era

and it makes me happy to bring a memory to them.

 

Now, about Patience.

Patience is an artist as well as designer of awesome gifts and ornaments.

Her art circles around the Christmas season.

Please - if you've never heard of her or seen her work,

do yourself a favor and visit her blog.

You won't be sorry.

 

Thank you, for recognizing me as an artist

as well as loving what I do.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart. 

Happy birthday to my "maid" ...

Today we celebrate my friend.

Debi and I were co-workers that quickly escalated to friends.

We have remained friends since 1988!

 

She was my "maid" when The Runner and I married.
Today she celebrates another birthday

but will never catch up to me.

It amazes me that people 15+ years younger

and 15+ years older than me can have so much in common.

That never changes.

 

I hope your day is more special than you are.

One special person

Paul.

What can I say about Paul?

He is married to my dear friend Carol,

another friendship that jumped from co-worker to friend.

 

Paul and Carol married.

The Runner and I married.

 

We decided to meet for dinner.

Our husbands had never met and we were both a little apprehensive.

 

It was like a first date - uncomfortable, of course.

Words were carefully chosen and table manners were impeccable.

 

By the second date, it was like they had known each other for years.

Word were no longer carefully chosen

but table manners were still impeccable.

 

Along the way, don't ask me how this happened, but it did.

Paul confessed that he had a rubber chicken.

 

Next thing we knew, Paul gifted The Runner with his own chicken.

Oh, the fun we had with those.

 

They even started the "RCS"

aka the Rubber Chicken Society.

One was Chairman of the Board and one was the President.

With letterhead!!!

 

Worst part?

They even had shirts made.

And they wore them out in public!!!!!

I'll never forget the look on the face of the very young waitress

when she asked "who are the RCS?"

She thought it was a rock band!

Can you just hear the laughter at our table?

 

 So, in honor of all of that, here's Paul's card.

Happy day, to our friend.

 

Happy Birthday to my Cuz

Here we go again.

This is going to my cousin's daughter.

One of these days, I just might figure out all the

"once/twice removed" ...

Maybe.

 

Lisa works in home warranties

so I chose this image.

Perfect, isn't it?

 

I hope your birthday was perfect, Lisa.

I didn't post this on your birthday because I wasn't sure

when your mom would give you this card.



Happy Birthday, Macie

May your day sparkle

... just like you!

 

Macie wasn't much older than this little girl

when we were at her grandma's.

I was stenciling a piece of furniture

and had all my acrylic paints in a tub.

 

When my back was turned,

Macie had rearranged all of my paints according to colors.

I remember how hard we laughed!

 

Keep organizing, dear!



Nests, Nests and More Nests

My sweet friend, Vicki, received these the other day.

All will complement her knitted nests.

 

First up, these are for the Snowbird Nests.

These little tags will be tied onto the designer nests.

Silver-y snowflakes were embossed onto 35 one-inch tags.

 

Three packs (120 sheets) of tissue paper were stamped.

That was a mere 1,104 stamped boughs

with 8,832 colored berries.

 

Next step was to trace and then die cut 70 birds and 70 wings.

Then to die cut 35 flowers out of 175 coffee filters to make into flowers.

And then marry them all together.

 

Beautiful silver-y fibers will be tied around the tissue papers holding the nests.

 

Next up are for the Woodlands Nests.

Vicki knits these every year.

I stamped 35 nests onto these little tags.

And then colored 385 leaves and 240 eggs.

 

Of course, tissue papers to lovingly wrap around the nests.

Ohhhhhhhhhh, these birds are just beautiful!

I understand that these little birdies have become collectables

for many of the people that have ordered Vicki's nests.

Enjoy, ladies!



 Last, but not least, these are for the Shabby Chic Nests.

Nests were stamped then 358 leaves were colored

as well as 140 eggs that were colored.

 

Again, three packs (120 sheets) of tissue papers.

That's 2,160 stamped nests

and 6,480 colored eggs.

 

The nests will be knitted in whites and soft creams

with a hint of gold.

 

If you haven't visited Vicki's blog I highly recommend you do so today.

You won't be sorry - I promise.

!!! Happy Birthday !!!

Julie, I hope your day sparkles.

Just like you!

 

Whatever you plan on doing today,

do it with gusto!

 

 

Happy birthday, friend.

 

PS - your gift will be finished shortly!



International Day of Friendship

Personally, I think every day should be Day of Friendship.

We all have friends and that union between two people

should be celebrated daily.

 

This past Sunday was the day - the first Sunday in August

and here are the cards that changed hands

from friend to friend.

 

If you are a friend of Kerrie, then one of these was probably yours.

 

Celia's friends received one of these:

Kim's BFF's got one of these:

 

Lastly, this one went to my friend's friend in Florida.

Am hoping she likes it!

 

I think next to Mother's Day cards,

these are my favorite to create.



!!!!! Forgive Me !!!!!

It's been a long time.

Too long.

But not my fault.

 

You see, we were without some things that are really important:

our television

and our landline (and sometimes our cell phones)

and our wifii connection

and our Internet.

 

For 17 days!

We're back up and running - for now.

The electricians put a bandaid on the issue so we're hold our breaths.

 

Now I'm going through over 1300 e-mails

that were sitting there waiting for a response!

(Only 174 to go.)

Of course, sitting at the computer isn't putting steps on my Fitbit!

 

In the meantime, here is what should have been posted

in a more timely fashion.

 

My cousin had a birthday and here's the card she received.

I know your birthday was special, Lois - just like you.

 

On that same day,

my friend's granddaughter, Domenica, celebrated her birthday.

 

Just a few days later, my cousin turned 18.

Happy birthday, Tyler!

A huge happy birthday to my former pen pal, Julia.

This little girl reminds me so much of her when she was much younger.

I cannot believe how quickly she's grown into a beautiful young woman.

What a difference a year makes!

When we spoke last year, she was shy and of little words.

This year, we chatted for a long time!



And just a couple of days ago,

my friend's daughter-in-law celebrated turning another year.

Happy birthday, Denise!

 

And somewhere in those lost days,

a "thinking of you" card went out to a friend.

I hope you were lifted by Julie's thoughtfulness, Leah!

 

Remember this?

Well, the remaining two boxes were finally delivered to our sweet children.

Uganda is a long way from Texas,

but it should not have taken that long

for them to get there.

But, we're praising God that the journey has finally ended.

Josephine has sent me about 100 pictures.

Just wait until you see the smiles on those little faces.

My heart melted as the tears streamed down my face.

As soon as I can go through some of the good shots,

you'll see them right here.

Please be patient.

 

I also have several cards that were sent to friends

to honor International Day of Friendship, which was a few days ago.
Maybe tomorrow you'll get to see those.