Nov 16, 2014

Dueling Darlings Give Thanks!

Here it is...1 day late, but my November Duel Card is here!  It was actually done yesterday, but my hands needed to rest and typing was out of the question.

April and Kadie are our hostesses this round and they (very appropriately) selected Thank You - sentiment only - as our theme.  I was so happy to see this theme, because I always need thank you cards.
April's kit contained:
* Recollections and Prima flowers, misc sizes/shapes
* Favorite Findings and Basic Grey buttons
* Offray Twill ribbon (tan stitched)
* Craftsmart sheer ribbon (from Germany) - mint blue
* Kaiser mini pearls
* Recollections paper rope - white
* Recollections Fall Foliage paper doilies - beige
* DSP from SU! ~ Le Jardin (in yellow, green, beige, blues)
* Kraft cardstock, PTI
* Images:  Thank you (Flourish) from Inkadinkadoo and Thank you (cursive) from Michaels $1.50 bin


Here's my card:






Don't look too closely, my coloring is poor.  I seem to have some tremors in my hands.  I think it's from too much yard work and other household things.

Anyway, I adore SU's Chocolate Chip since it's my favorite color, and pairs so nicely with their blue Le Jardin DP.

That's a Fiskars punch used to inset the panel onto the front of the card stock.  The three flowers and button are from the kit.




Here's the inside panel using Chocolate Chip and two strips of the light yellow DP from the Le Jardin collection:
There is so much in my life that I am thankful for.  April & Kadie, THANK YOU! for selecting a great theme for this duel!!  You both make my world a better place with your friendship.

Oct 18, 2014

Dueling Darlings Catch Up #3: August Duel

The lovely Melina was the hostess for the Dazzlers August Duel and here's what she and her co-hostess for the Divas, Carol, came up with for us:

"Friends are the Family You Pick Yourself"

"We are so happy to call you all our friends. We've been dueling for 4 years now!
My image, the mouse and turtle, just went right along with the theme I thought. 
Friends of a different kind helping each other out! 
We darlings are all different but it works! I'm so glad it does! :)

Image: Whimsy Stamps "I Will Carry You"
Paper: Recollections & Sassafras
Ribbon: Michael's
Buttons: My Favorite Things
Pearls and Brads: from my stash
Melina cut the clouds and embossed them with her Cricut & Big Shot.

...And this is my result after playing with the kit for a while:

The base is a dusty mauve colored CS from DCWV, which matches the cute DP and ribbon that Melina sent.  I added a bit to the yellow flowers she included.








Here's a closer look where I was trying to capture the sparkles added to the fun cloud and to the sky in the image.  The little guys are getting a light shower!













The third DP from Melina's Kit was used to line one of the inside panels of the card. It was too pretty not to use.




Melina & Carol are so right - friends make all the difference, in good times and tough times.  
I am thankful to have each of you to call my friends!

God Bless each of you.

Dueling Darlings Catch Up: September's Recipe Card

Yes, it really is a second post in one day, haha.
September's Dueling Darling kit came from Debbie, clear across the continent from me!

Debbie sent us a MFT image and luscious dark red and deep brown cardstock to work with. (two of my absolute favorite colors!)  I dug out some DP that has been just waiting to be used and before I knew what was up, the card just flew together:

Notice the spatula on the bottom and the oven mitt on the top? Those were incredibly cute chip board shapes that Debbie sent, colored with my Spectrum Noir Markers.  I thought it was pretty fun!



Look at this darling little cook.  Hmmm, it was a long time ago that I was that thin!















In September our church has an International Food Festival.  I head up the table for France.  This year we served a simpler version of Pork and Sausage Cassoulet.  So I thought that it would be a good recipe to use for the Duel.


Anyone who knows me knows that my ingredients are approximate, so feel free to adapt it as you go along.  This is pretty close to what I did, but be warned - it completely fills a LARGE crock pot, so you may want to cut it in half.

We cook for about 300 small servings at the Food Festival, so that's why this makes so much.










Here's the back side with the rest of the recipe:

Very warm and not too unhealthy either.  Makes for great leftovers too!  If any of you want the recipe emailed to you just let me know.

Thank you Debbie for a fun deviation, it was great to 
make a recipe card for a change of pace!

Dueling Darlings Catch Up Weekend! (for me)

In an incredible display of patience, my Darling friends have overlooked my absence.  Well, here it is...My Catch Up Posts!!

First up:  October 15th Duel, hosted by Terry.  Her kit had the most wonderful Halloween papers and an adorable image, great ribbons and candi dots to work with!
Here's what she said:

As Halloween approaches LJ and I decided to put together kits to celebrate the holiday! I know some of you do not celebrate Halloween, and I apologize for the theme, 
but for most of us it's a fun day to watch the kids in the neighborhood 
run house to house looking for the best candy!

In your blog post we would also like you to tell us what
your favorite candy is. If you don't have a favorite, 
let us know what you like to eat....drink....or
 if you like to be scary at this time of year!

Kit Contents:
Image -
Haunted Forest (Stampin' Up!)
Papers - Boo! (Flair Designs), Jeepers Creepers (Heidi Grace Designs), Halloween Words (the Paper Studio), Sugar Rush (Heidi Grace Designs), Web (not sure)
Embellishments: Candi Dots (Craftworkcards), Ribbon (miscellaneous from Michaels), mini brads (Recollections)
Here's my card:











I just loved the papers and wanted to feature as many as possible.



The bat, little owl, cat and pumpkin all have some sparkle from Spica glitter pens, it's very subtle.





This panel has a black gross grain ribbon tied in the center, but I couldn't get enough contrast in my photo to show it.




Here's a close up of the top where some glitter was added to the ribbon:

The inside panel shows off one more of the adorable papers:








Growing up I had a whole rotation of favorite candy, Starburst, Sweet Tarts, Tootsie Rolls, Milk Duds...the list went on and on.

Now I seem to have lost my sweet tooth.  But once or twice a year a Reese's Peanut Butter cup can taste really great!


Thanks Terry for a really fun kit.  (Did I say how much I loved the papers? LOL)  The card is going to my adult daughter, who really loves Halloween - and candy!

Oct 9, 2014

Dueling Darlings Flock Together

Time to resurrect my crafting time, my blog and my sanity!

Waaaaayyyy back in July the Dueling Darlings had their challenge and here is what our wonderful Jeanette (Forest Ranger on SCS) chose as our monthly challenge:


Through the years, through thick and thin, we've blessed each other in many ways and all these years later, we're still together – like a flock!

And here’s the challenge – Since we are celebrating 4 years together, you must have 4 of SOMETHING on your card - 4 flowers, 4 brads, 4 gems, 4 different designer papers, etc! Those 4 things must be the same ELEMENT (in other words, 4 different gems are okay but not 1 paper, 1 ribbon, 1 brad, 1 button = 4).

Here’s the kit I put together for the Dazzlers:

Image – Penny Black Chicky Work Out stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black (notice there are 4 chicks in the image.)
Sentiment – Great Impressions stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black
Designer Papers (4 of them) – from Paper Studio
    Happy All Over – Floral
    Poteeka Stripe
    Small Polka Dot – Pink/Cream
    Texture Yellow
Embellishments
    Paper Studio – Gemstones (there are 4 of these)
    Ribbon Boutique – Ruffled Ribbon
    Sew-Ology – a piece of an actual tape measure
    Spare Parts - Brads
    Spare Parts – Clear Starburst Brad
Spare Parts – Flowers (two kinds; 4+ of these)

And here is what I came up with:

3 of the four fun papers in Jeanette's kit are featured on the front, along with 4 yellow gems and the measuring tape.  
Plus: the flower uses 4 pieces and her stunning large rhinestone brad in the center:














The inside shows off 4 of her other flowers and the 4th type of DP.  It also uses the sentiment that Jeanette included:

What an amazing kit this was!  Too bad I am marker-challenged right now.  That's another story, one that we're still working on here...so my coloring isn't quite as good as it should be.

But what IS as good as it should be are the friendships and loyalty that these women have for each other!  It doesn't get any better than that and I am so fortunate to have them in my flock!!

Look for other postings in the coming days as I slowly reassemble my crafting space and unpack all of my toys.  And thank you to all the Dueling Darlings for your patience with my tardiness!






Jul 19, 2014

Mystery Image: SU's Tractor!

Hello friends!

Every other month is the big reveal date for a Mystery Image Swap on Splitcoast.  This round is hosted by Linda and she sent us Stampin' Up's old fashioned tractor as an image.  How fun!

The image is stamped in black on white card stock.  After it was cut with Spellbinder's Deckle Edge Nestabilities, it was sponged with Antique Linen Distress Ink by Tim Holtz.  (First time using Distress Inks for me, yes, I'm hooked!)  Then I sponged on some Garden Green (SU!) ink under the tractor.

How do you like that tree?!  That's a new Embossing folder by Darice that I fussy cut.  I kind of like how it goes with the tractor.  The card stock is Dusty Durango by Stampin Up, the tree is Garden Green and the brown Candi Dots are also by SU.

Linda, thank you so much for giving us a GREAT image this round!  It stretched me a bit, and that's a good thing.  I hope that you like all the cards and that you find good uses for them.  Thanks for being a wonderful hostess!


Jun 15, 2014

Dueling Gardeners

Time for another round of the Dueling Darlings!

My wonderful partner in crime for the Darlings is Tami and we thought that gardening would be a fun theme.  For the Dazzlers I selected "Gardening Shelf" by Stamps Happen.  Here is my card:



The papers are from K & Co's "Lemon Citron" pack, the ribbon is from Ribbon Boutique (Hobby Lobby) and the fun Garden Tool brads are from Eyelet Outlet.
 Lots of improvisations while making this card.   First off, I didn't realize that my circle punch wouldn't be centered on the front panel until too late.  Hence the ribbon at the top of the card!

Here's a side view showing some depth:

...And here is the inside panel:
The second improvisation came when coloring the image.  I really did NOT like the background shading that I ended up with, so fussy cutting was the only option.  Here's a closer view of the image:



To me it really looks like D.  Morgan's art, but it is not labeled as such.


Tami and I have also asked that each team member post a gardening tip, and here's mine:

Pay attention to the soil and roots!  So much of the success or failure of plants goes on below the soil line.  Some roots prefer more air than others.  Some prefer dryer conditions, others thrive on constant moisture.  Usually, if a plant has the right conditions for their roots, it can withstand almost anything above the soil line!

That's it for me this round - and I wasn't even late!  (yes, it really is me posting hahaha)  Now it's off to visit the blogs of the other Dazzlers and the Divas for more gardening delights.  Check them out, links are in my sidebar!

May 16, 2014

Time for another fun round of the Dueling Darlings!  Paola is the hostess for the Dazzlers and the theme is music!
“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, 
flight to the imagination and life to everything.”
~ Plato~

Paola's kit was chock full of goodies, as you can see from the list below!

I went old-school on coloring: watercolor pencils and blender pens on the Treble Cleff and violin, sponges and SU ink pads on the Just A Note punch out and the sheet music behind the violin.

Did you notice that fantastic music die cut?  Thanks Paola, that was wonderful!

Stamps: Gift Of Music /D.Morgan by Stamps Happens Inc ;
Violin/Music scroll & Angel w/Instrument: Unknown
Sentiments by: Cling Stamps Co. # 557133
Accessories:
Designer Papers: Up,Up & Away (Doodle Bug Design); Bella Boutique Stack (DCWV); SU Double D/P x 2; Elementary Pianoforte Music Examination (from a real Conservatory of Music book)
Ribbon: barely banana grosgrain from SU
Virtuoso Music Die in black and in white (Memory Box;
Viviene Butterfly (Music Box);
Assorted gems and pearls in a variety of shape/sizes


An extra part of the challenge was for us to pick a song and dedicate it to someone.

Actually, that is impossible for me.  The list would be a book of people, places, events, etc.  I can not live without music.  A song can take me back to specific moments, memories, people, events, etc.  I almost always wake up with a different song in my head every single day.  

But at this exact moment..."I get by with a little help from my friends..." is drifting through my mind as I think of the wonderful women that this hobby has brought in to my life.  It's been a strange year, and all of you have made a difference for me!  Thank you.

May 9, 2014

Autocorrect Humor

Have you come across the new line of stamps from Riley and Company, Funny Bones?  If not, give yourself many chuckles and check them out!  I treated myself to an order a few weeks back and they are such fun.
This card inaugurates a new (to me) Whippersnapper Stamp: The Perfect Birthday.  It's so fun and whimsical.  The image is colored with Spectrum Noir markers, cut out and popped up.  There is some shine and glitter applied using Spica Glitter pens and some Crystal Effects, although it doesn't show up in the photo.

The inside features one of the Funny Bones stamps new to my collection:


Hehehehe.



The Hippie Bertha was computer generated, punched and then sponged with yellow ink.  I played around with autocorrect on my phone and this was actually what it generated.  Too funny!



I only made two of these cards, one for a friend of mine and one to give to a coworker for her to send to someone.

But you can bet that these stamps will be seeing more ink soon!


Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Apr 15, 2014

Girls' Night Out!

April 15th, and better than taxes - it's time for the Dueling Darlings to face off!!  This month our Darling Hostesses, Kadie for the Divas and April for the Dazzlers, picked "Girls' Night Out" as our theme!  Here's what April sent to the Dazzlers:

"Who doesn't like to spend time with their bffs?"  We were also asked to post who our longest friends are and what we like to do when we spend time with them.






Here is my creation with April's kit.

Image: Ginger Snaps Celebrate by C. C. Designs

DP: Pink Swirls and Pink Gingham by Paper Pizazz and Paper Jazzy by Colorbok

Cardstock: Sugar & Spice, Coffee and Fuschia Fizz by Coredination.


Her kit also contained an ample assortment of embellishments, of which I used the pink ribbon.




April, I have to admit, here are the first things I said when I looked at your kit:
        "Ohhhh, cute image!    WOW, that's a LOT of pink!"
Anyone who knows me knows that I really don't do pink.  Never have.  The closest I can come is using it for flowers and I can use the various coral shades and some with redder tones.

However, I do like combinations like brown and pink, turquoise and pink, etc.  So I decided to use some Tempting Turquoise from my stash.







Here's a closer look at our party girl.  Of course she'd get her glam on wearing sparkly clothes and shoes for her girls' night out!


I also added some sparkle to the 4 corners of the brown scalloped rectangle to set her off from the background a bit.

April, my friend - your kit challenged me, hehehe, with all that pink!  And that's good!  I hope that you like what I came up with.



I am blessed with many friends, scattered all across the country.  My absolute longest friend is Cheryl in Seattle.  We count more decades together than either of us cares to admit!  And when we are together it really doesn't matter what we're doing, we just enjoy each other so much.  She's my treasure.

I am also fortunate to have a tight circle of friends near where I live and we get together a few times a year, usually for a meal at one of our houses.  We've been there for one another in good times and tough times.

And of course, there are my talented card making friends from the US, Canada and New Zealand!  These women in the Dueling Darlings and Stamp Addicts are an important part of my life.  We share our challenges and our triumphs in life and in our craft.  What could be better than that?

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit the Dazzlers and the Divas blogs for their creations this round.  You won't be sorry, I promise!

Apr 13, 2014

March's Duel - National Umbrella Month!

Hello my friends!  March was a hairy-scary month for me, and I am glad that it's behind me now!  Let's hear it for Spring and all of the newness that Spring brings!

The Dueling Darlings were at it again (of course) and Terry was our hostess for the Dazzlers.

She chose "The Rain Will Come" image by My Favorite Things, in their a la mode line.  Here is my card with her kit:
The wonderful crimson paper is from Coredinations, "Blush Red".  Boy is it a lush color!  The pale blue paper is embossed with an old Fiskars plate from my stash.  That paper is such a lovely color, it's from the Sea Salt collection in Bazzil Basics.

The great floral DP is from Paper Pizazz, isn't it pretty?  the flowers are from Martha Stewart and the pink dots layered on top are Craftwork Card Candi.
Here's a close up of the image, she's colored with a combination of SU water markers and Spectrum Noir markers, and the extra sparkle is done with Stickles.  Her umbrella was stamped with some ancient little peg stamps that I have around here, I think that they may be Judikens.

I really like the sentiment that Terry included and here's how I used it on the inside of the card:
So very true, right?!

Terry, you supplied a fun kit with some paper that made me say "Wow!" - thank you!!  And a big thank you to all of my friends who've been helping me weather a stormy patch of my own!  I couldn't get by without you.




Apr 3, 2014

Mystery Image Revealed!

Poof....Puffffff....Pffffttt...    That's the sound of me blowing the dust bunnies off my little blog.  Too many demands from work lately, plus a couple rounds of being sick, have made my blog stale!  Well, time to catch up!

March 18th was our reveal date for a Mystery Swap on Split Coast Stampers.  It's a fun group of gals who take turns hosting.  Each hostess picks an image, stamps off sets for all in the group.  We get the image and all have to create cards with it.

It's a mystery until we all receive the image, no one but the host knows what we get to work with!  Great fun!  March's host was Mae, and she picked a lovely favorite from Stampin Up:

Isn't she just darling?  She is colored with a mixture of Spectrum Noir markers, Stampin Up markers and pencils.  Not because I'm that creative mind you, but because my SN markers seem to be drying out.  (I noticed the problem right after buying them, but now, 2yrs later, it's beyond hope until I buy refills)

Maybe this close up shows the sparkle added to her flowers and shoes (thanks to Spica glitter pen)


















The background has been sponged with chalk.










The floral DP is an old one from SU and the embossed lavender paper is DCWV.  Thank you Mae, for picking such a great image this round!  I should have my returns from this swap and can hardly wait to see what others have done.

That's about it from me for now.  I hope to be back here in a day or two with another posting of some cards made for other swaps back in February and March.  Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Mar 8, 2014

To Everything There is a Season

I have always processed life events and emotions using music.  I can't imagine life without music.  But for the first time ever, for a while this week, music left me. There was nothing. Just silence, not the good kind either.  

"To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under heaven..."
It's easy to have faith when life is rolling along, just as we think it should.  But what about when the going gets rough, and then harder still?  And how about when, just when you think you are at full capacity, another tragedy, completely unforeseen occurs?  Then faith is tested.

For me, it's been just like that recently.  For months I've been using music, friends, my faith and my career to deal fairly well with an unusual amount of life events.  Sure, there are moments when I permit a little breakdown, get it out of my system.  It's part of the process when working through these situations.
"A time to be born, 
a time to die..."
And then it happened.  Truly one of the most vibrant, brilliant, beautiful, graceful and generous women that God ever created literally dropped dead at the age of 49.  Born and raised in India, Shalini came to the US and received her Master's and PhD here.  Her remarkable son and daughter are in the process of completing their own degrees.  Her husband, Satish is an exceptionally successful executive.  I thank God that He brought them to our church family many years ago.  
"...A time to laugh, a time to weep..."
And then it happened.  While visiting friends and family in Colorado, my dear cousin's wife had a grand mal seizure, lasting an unusually long time.  Fortunately she had just arrived at her destination and was no longer driving.  It took some time to arrange suitable airline transportation to get her back home to California.  Now they begin the rounds of testing and diagnosing all of the whys, hows, and next steps.
"...A time to dance, a time to mourn..."
And then it happened.  Biopsies have confirmed cancer in new locations on my Dad's neck.  For pity's sake, the man is in his 80's.  Can't we just grant him peace during these years?

Now it is Saturday.  One week later, that seems like a year.  Obviously the music is making a comeback, I take that as a healthy sign.  This phase of my life is taking all that I've got, and it's a good thing I've got a lot.  
A lot of faith.
A lot of love.
A lot of friends.
A lot of sorrow.

Sorrow is ok.  It's warranted in all of these occurrences.  A lack of sorrow would be the result of a lack of love, compassion and caring.  But it is sorrow nonetheless.  And sorrow takes time.  And effort.  And music.  

Just for the record, the line "And a time for every purpose under Heaven" has me stymied.  The only purpose I can find in all of this is:
Don't waste your life here.  
If you love people, tell them.  
If you are unhappy with your life or who you are, change it.  
Accept that we can not find all the answers in this life.
Never stop caring for those in need.
Make a difference.
Shalini made a difference.  My Dad continues to make a difference.  Suzy (my cousin's wife) is an inspiration.

Well, if you read all the way to here, I am amazed!  This is mainly about me processing my stuff from the week...not sure it has any meaning beyond that.  Now, the sun is shining (although it's still very cold outside) and my house needs cleaning.  Time to get busy.

"How can I keep from singing?"

God bless you!

Feb 17, 2014

Dueling Darlings Feel the Love!

Life is a lesson, and know what I learned this past week?  Multiple rounds of shoveling heavy & wet snow, knocking icicles off of the roof and moving a refrigerator and pantry cupboard should never be jammed into the same 4 day period.  At least not at my age, haha!

So, hanging my head in shame here...I am late getting my Dueling Darlings challenge card done and posted.  Bufferin did its magic and today I was able to coax my fingers and wrists into some paper therapy.  Here is my card:
The Dazzlers' kit was sent to us by our dear Debbie and I am very grateful to have a few extras of that great image - thanks Debbie!!  The flowers, heart brads, both ribbons and the two DP's were also included in her kit.  I added a chocolate brown colored card stock for the base.

Our theme this month is "Feel the Love" and we are honoring the two founders of our group:
Jeanette and Kelly.
These two women are very special, each for many reasons!  But to me, they are special, spiritual friends, who are always compassionate and willing to lend a shoulder or a shout out, which ever a person may need at the time!  I am very thankful that they are my friends, and that they invited me into this wonderful group of women, and they all have blessed me with their friendship and support.

Debbie and Barb, thanks for a heartwarming theme and such a great kit.  I hope that you like my results.

Feb 10, 2014

Unidentified Image Swap Reveal!

Today is the reveal date for those of us participating in the Unidentified Image Swap on Split Coast Stampers.  Jody, our host for this round selected a Snoopy & Woodstock image.  We all received the images from her, make 4 cards & return them to Jody, who swaps them out, we receive 3 different cards back and the Unidentified Image for the next round.

Here's what I made with image:

















Snoopy is too cool with his shades on, lovin on little Woodstock!  So I figured that some bright, summery colors and paper were just the thing.  Hopefully others agree.








Here's a view from an angle, trying to capture some of the shine and glimmer from the bright DP used on the background panel:








I tried to make this a general, all-purpose type of card, it seems like we can always use some of those.  I'm looking forward to seeing everyone else's creations.





Next round has me as the hostess.  I'll be interested to see their reaction to the image and hope that they have fun with it!


Thanks for stopping by, life's been a bit hectic lately.  Hopefully things will settle down some and I can get in more card making time.  Fingers crossed!

Jan 18, 2014

January Mystery Image Swap

Did you faint?  Two blog posts by me in one week?  (and I'm not even late for this one...)

Today is the reveal day for our Mystery Image Swap on SCS.  Kate is our host and she chose this adorable little guy from SU:
He's colored with a combination of pencils & gamsol and SU markers.  I went kinda fantasy on his colors, hope that's ok!

The papers are a little glittery and from a pack by DCWV called "Nana's Nursery, Baby Girl". I punched an oversized border punch by Martha Stewart, cut it in half and pieced it along the edge of the green DP to make that edge.






Here's a view from an angle, trying to show the glitter on the DP's.  However I doubt that it shows up well.



Thank you Kate for getting me outside of my usual zone with this fun little dinosaur image!  I hope that you and the other swappers like my card and thanks also for being a great hostess for this round!  Can't wait to get these back and see what the mystery image is for the next round.
Thanks for dropping by and thanks for leaving comments.  Wishing you all a great day!

Jan 16, 2014

Dueling Angels in January

Well...so much for my New Year Goal of being on time, LOL.  But I'm "only" one day behind here...

Jan. 15th was the Dueling Darlings post date.  Melina was the hostess for the Dazzlers and Carol (aka Glittah Queen) was the hostess for the Divas.  Our theme: Angels.

Here is my card with the GORGEOUS kit sent by Melina:

































Image: C.C.Designs "Peace on Earth"
Polka Dot teal paper by Recollections
Gold-feathered acetate sheet: Crafters Companion
Fabric Flower: Wal-Mart
Teal button: MFT (mounted underneath the flower)

I must say, the gold acetate sheet is spectacular!  I almost wanted to hoard it LOL, but then I though how lovely it would be on top of the right cardstock.

The image is colored with SU markers, Spectrum Noir markers and the gold and clear sparkles on her dress, halo and wings are done with Spica Markers.

We were asked to share any "Angel Unaware" stories about someone we consider an angel. It seems I have many at this time, which is a true blessing!

My cardmaking buddies in Stamper Addicts and the Dueling Darlings are offering me prayers, positive reinforcement and friendships.  Thank you!

In my "other" life I would have to say that my son and neighbors who are helping me deal with snow, ice, and several other challenges that have come my way recently are true angels.  They've helped me time and again without me even having to ask.

I honestly believe in angels all around us, and have a few amazing stories of first hand accounts where the only possible explanation is that angels intervened on my behalf.  Who ever said that miracles only happened 2,000 years ago in the Bible?  Perhaps it's only mankind's arrogance that won't give the credit to angels.

Thank you Melina and Carol for picking such a great theme and sending such a pretty kit to work with.  It was angelic!