Probably the SWEETEST RAK I've ever received...literally!

Hey everyone!

I am doing a little giveaway on the TGF Blog today to show you something SO sweet, you won't believe your EYES!

Before I go any further, I just have to say something about our little TGF community.  It is going to be THREE years in August for this little company and while I'm still in awe by that, I'm also not surprised because our community is TRULY special.  Having had the privilege several times of being able to get out on the road and meet some of you only solidifies this, but the ones I haven't met face to face sometimes become just as important to us...

...a few weeks ago, I got a really nice comment on a blog post of mine that, coincidentally had NOTHING to do with stamping.  I got the sweetest comment from one of my blog followers who happens to be a HUGE fan of TGF, Jammie Clark.   Her comment was SO nice that I felt compelled to email back to thank her, and after a few emails exchanged back and forth, it seems I had met yet another one of those 'soul sisters' out there- the ones you don't need time on your side or to know anything about one another until you find out and go "YOU TOO????"

Well, not only do Jammie and I share common thoughts about the universe, we also LOVE sweets ;)  You see, Jammie owns a bakery called THINK CAKE and is the mastermind behind these, that ended up at my doorstep a few days ago:

ARE THEY NOT AMAZING?!!?!?!?!?   I tell you what, they are delicious, but hard to eat because they are SO pretty.   Man, we don't limit ourselves to cards here at TGF, and I LOVE that!  Take a closer look at these beauties:

(my DD has dibs on this one- I'm not allowed to touch, LOL!!)

SO freakin' CUTE!

I have a cough, does that count?  I think I'll eat it ;)

These are just a FEW of the cookies up close- the talent here is truly AMAZING!

I am SO blessed to have 'met' Jammie and I have a feeling we'll be chatting it up for SOME time.   If you LOVE these, she does custom orders and ships, and these cookies ALL arrived in one piece.  I was SO surprised by her generosity and it was truly touching.  Not to mention you should have seen the look on my kids faces, they were NONE too impressed with my baking skills after this, haha!

Be sure to check out Jammie's FACEBOOK page , BLOG and WEBSITE, and thanks again, sweet friend for the WONDERFUL surprise!   Oh, and if you DO "like" Jammie's Facebook page and tell her Jess from TGF sent you, be sure to come back here and leave a comment about these FABULOUS cookies and I will be GIVING AWAY a "BIRTHDAY ANYA" (think....cake ;) to ONE lucky commenter on the TGF BLOG!  (if you don't have a FB page that's ok, just leave a comment w/ some love for our friend Jammie...but really you should have a FB page b/c there are soooo many giveaways from craft mags and stamp co's there all the time- it's the wave of the marketing future, peeps!)

xoxo,

Jess :)

some RAK's and some News...am I deconstructing?!?...

Why yes, yes I am...

...but we'll get to that in a sec!

I have some REALLY awesome stampy friends.

If you are reading this, chances are you are one of them!  ;)

Every once in a while, I like to gather some RAK's (random acts of kindness cards!) that I get in the mail and share...so today, on this SUPER sun-shiney Cinco de Mayo...here we go!

My sweet friend and now, fellow HELMAR DT sister CARISA sent me this gorgeous card using Sweet and Toxic from The Greeting Farm...and what she wrote on the inside, if you can believe this, was even MORE beautiful <3  Thank you sweetie!

The very awesome RONA sent me this beauty as a thank you for the UNITY blog candy she won during my goodbye post...isn't it gorgeous?  Totally unnecessary, too- those are the best!

Next up is the sweet and talented Tiffany Johnson, love this w/ the decorative tapes!  Thanks Tiff!  oh, and now that I'm on a Mixed Media kick?  My washi tapes are giving me a whole new reason to pull them out of my stash!

Last but not least,  my adorable, and LOCAL friend, Trisha Stanley, sent this to me!  I feel so special to have received it, b/c it was my fave image from Suzanne Dean's Copic class that I met Trisha at.  And she added a butterfly...see?  Even our new friends pay close attention to our likes/dislikes and she added that just for me!  LOVE it!

You've probably heard me talk about Trisha before, as she and her partner Missy are the masterminds behind SINCERELY SOLDERED, the company who made my AMAZING Mommy pendant below:

Be sure to check out their FACEBOOK page too, where you can see my pendant, the pendant I got for Marie as a baby gift, and TONS more examples....you might be LATE for Mother's day, but hey, when Mom sees this, it won't matter...or perhaps YOU'RE the mommy and you want to get this for yourself?  I totally think you should ;)

...and LAST but not least...let's talk about a friend who I've known for a few years now, who's made the trek to Nashville to visit me...and who JUST so happened to have asked me to join her BRAND NEW Sketch Blog????

You guessed it!  My awesome pal JEN SHULTS is starting her own sketch challenge that debuts MAY 12, a week from today, and she's asked ME  (amongst a ton of other TALENTED ladies, and some girls I can't wait to work with again!) to be on the DT!  I know, I know, I'm gonna be a busy girl, but these are the best kinds of challenges b/c Jen's sketches are uh, A-MAZING and I can combine it w/ other stuff, so I'm super stoked to be able to draw from that inspiration!  WOO HOO!   

You can read all about the announcement HERE!  Be sure to grab a BADGE while you're there too, and stay tuned for all the deets and our first challenge on MAY 12th.   

WHEW...I'm exhausted, you?  I'm off to press my little one's Easter Dress as tonight is the big pre-school Spring program and I cannot WAIT...lotsa kleenex packed in this momma's bag!  MWAH!

~xoxo,

Precious Memories...

Hey, everyone!

Sorry I didn't post the winner of my PAYING it FORWARD in 2011 for February yesterday...we have yet another stomach bug (yes, seriously, 3rd one this month!) in the house and I was busy lysol-ing, cuddling, and chicken-soup-ing all day, haha.  Anyway-CONGRATS to Julie Tucker Wolek-your nomination was chosen and I just need the deets of your friend!  Thanks again to everyone and I'll be doing another one of these soon <3

Looking back on when I was a kid, I remember there was nothing like Gatorade, saltines and some serious TLC from Mom when I wasn't feeling well.   Now that I'm a mom and doing the same thing, I realize why she was sick all the time,  LOL!!  Still, there is nothing more comforting than being held by mama when you're not feeling well, so that was pretty much my day yesterday :) 

Yesterday also brought back a flood of memories of my Grandma (my mom's Mom).  I woke up in the morning and saw lots of Facebook posts saying "Happy Fat Tuesday" and remembered as a kid, we never called it that.  We'd say "Happy Pączki Day" (pronounced "punch-kee)!   When I was a kid, my Grandma was already widowed and lived in Northern WI on the peninsula-between Green Bay and Lake Michigan they'd get SO much lake-effect snow that she couldn't stay the winters up there so she'd come live with us for a few months out of the year and go back after Easter.  We sometimes even shared a room together and she would snore and snore and snore... LOL!  Anyway, every "Paczki Day" we'd have the most delicious JELLY DONUTS-gram's favorite.  Yesterday I got a little teary-eyed being reminded of that.  I am so glad that I have such wonderful memories and that I stayed close with my Gram until the day she passed away...so many little life's decisions here and there that have been made and I always feel like she's right w/ me when I needed her....sigh. 

Speaking of precious memories, I don't have a CARD to share but LOOK at what I got in the mail yesterday from my friend Trisha of Sincerely Soldered!!!!!!!

My Cousin/BFF Kim and I met Trisha in January while attending Suzanne Dean's Copic Class.  She sat in front of us with her friend and was just the sweetest lady.   I noticed a GORGEOUS pendant that Trisha was wearing that was made from a photo of her children and finally said "ok, I just have to ask where you got that!"   Well, turns out, she MAKES them!  Check out her Blog, Sassy and Southern, and her Facebook page and PLEASE tell her I sent you b/c I couldn't be HAPPIER w/ this beauty:

Can I tell you how hard choosing my two fave pics of the girls/boys was?   I have so many beautiful photos of them facing the camera, I was racking my brain trying to decide when Trisha said she'd make me one.   As I was flipping through pics, I came across these two-andrealized that these candid shots may not be my favorite "photos" of them (especially since you can't see their faces), but they are by far my favorite MEMORIES.

Charleston, SC.

our favorite place.

Beach.

That adorable hand holding.

Looking up to each other.

The way that Ava is almost waddling holding her sister's hand-she was still unsteady on her feet but knew she could trust her big sister to guide her.

Knowing that my two boys were giggling when I took this pic of them.

Yep, the choice was easy...although I have 1,000s of memories like this...wow, that makes me a very lucky girl, I'd say :)  Love these kids....

LOVE this life.

Soooo many PRECIOUS. MEMORIES.

Thanks for letting me share it w/ you!

~xoxo....

Paying it Forward in 2011...

Hey Everyone!

Thanks for coming by yesterday and for your patience w/ me as I have yet to make it to my bloggin' friends blogs this week-the puppy is definitely like having a baby in the house again, LOL!

I am coming up on my 3 year "blog-a-versary" and I was actually messing with some of my settings in Blogger yesterday when I noticed, OMG-I have 505 followers.  This overwhelmed me.  I have never had a blog candy or giveaway where you have to become a follower of my blog.  I've never solicited that because well, although I definitely don't mind the promotional idea, I just want people to be here because they WANT to be here, you know?  That being the case, I am VERY grateful for all of you and really thank each and every one of you for the attention and support you guys give!

There are a few goals I have for 2011 related to crafting.  I have many related to other aspects of my life, but we'll start with crafting.

* I want to be a better card RAK'er.   I have already sent out a few and want to continue my streak.  I know how I feel when I get mail...I want my friends to feel that way too :)

* I want to complete PROJECT LIFE. (becky higgins.com)  I was VERY upset to see that it's sold out, but I will start snapping pics and hope to snag a kit when it's available again at the end of this month (fingers crossed!)

* I want to PAY IT FORWARD when I can.

This one I will begin today as I have a giveaway for someone on my blog today.   This is a little different than your average "Blog Candy".    I have a stack of paper packs, a few stamps, and some embellishments that I didn't finish using, including a new Ippity set, some brand new unopened Primas, and a few rolls of washi tape.  There are also lots of miscellaneous odds and ends including brads, flowers, stickers, etc.   Yes, the paper packs are mostly used, BUT, there is a TON left-some appear like new!  In fact, most of the paper packs are at LEAST 3/4 to 1/2 untouched.

Here's the giveaway:

Here's the catch:

I would like this stash to go to someone who needs a 'boost' this winter.  Whether it's a financial or emotional rut they might be in, I would like you to NOMINATE a person to receive this RAK from me and you can do that either by leaving a comment OR if you don't feel comfortable leaving a public comment, you can EMAIL ME at yeahshestamps at gmail dot com.   Please put "PAYING IT FORWARD" as your subject line so I can create a folder for all the entries and draw a random winner on Thursday, January 13th.  13 is my LUCKY NUMBER-so that's the day I chose ;)

As blessed as I have been in this industry and in life as a whole, I am VERY lucky to have the things that I do and would love to share some of it with someone less fortunate than I-than us.   My friend Jimmi did this and I was very touched by it and couldn't wait to get a package together myself.

I know that the holidays can be hard on people at times, and with a new year and new opportunity for all of us, what better time to PAY it FORWARD?

I hope to see your emails soon nominating the person you think could use it most.   Again, I will draw a random winner on Thursday, January 13th after midnight and announce it that day here on my blog!

Love, hugs, and LOTS of AWESOME to come in 2011~xoxo,

Holy Flattered, Batman...

Did you guys see this?  HA!  LOVE IT!

A big warm fuzzy hug to Lynne, my fellow Oh, Alice teamie for thinking that much of me and well...you nailed it, girl!  Right down to the pink streak I'm rockin' for October (Breast Cancer awareness month)!

TOTALLY honored/flattered, girl...you are TOO much!
Stay tuned in just a few minutes for a BRAND new Oh, Alice challenge that Lynne herself came up with!  Woo hoo!

xoxo,
Jess :)

HAPPY, HAPPY Mail...

...LITERALLY.

I've been PUBLISHED-finally!-WOO HOO!... it was PRETTY DARN COOL to get this issue of Scrap&Stamp Arts in the mail.  Now, I knew about an upcoming publication that is using my card and that's coming in January, but in that case, I got an email telling me this.  So, it was MUCH to my surprise when this copy just showed up at my door the other day:

I KNEW I was in it, but I couldn't figure out WHERE and I tore through the issue so quickly that I had to go BACK a 2nd time to find my card, LOL!

They even spelled my name wrong, but I don't care ;)  There it was, my "Wishing You LOVE" card using Darling Sisters by The Greeting Farm!  Kinda fun, right?

Add to this HAPPY MAIL, I have some of the sweetest friends in the stamping biz, can I tell you?

I have to laugh when I think back to one of the first times I was getting ready to leave for a weekend to meet up w/ some stamping friends and knowing that my Dad and DH were both pretty leery of the idea... now, that's not to say there aren't some unfortunate "I told you so" cases, but such is life, right?

For the most part, the risk has been worth the reward.  Some of my closest friendships have been formed since I started stamping 7 years ago and I'm just happy to share my joy and gratitude in that!

Well, I got some HAPPY MAIL over the past few weeks speaking of those friends that I just wanted to share with you.

My sweet friend Margie Cortina sent me this adorable Alice card with this SUPER cute stamp (think she knows I love butterflies? :) and this adorable DP:

I was so surprised when I opened the envelope-there it all was, for no reason-just 'cuz.  I tell you there is NOTHING better than "just cuz".    THANK YOU so much, Margie!

Then a few days later?  I get this HUGE package from Tasha Beasley.  Now, I sort of knew this was coming, but not to such a LARGE extent!  Tasha completely SPOILED me w/ my favorite Tea from England, Clipper Teas, including my fave flavor, their Organic Orange/Coconut infusion and in addition, two BRAND NEW Alice in Wonderland edition teas, a Butterfly journal, a card, and some yummy chocolates.  Seriously can you say SPOILED?  Unfortunately the boxes got a bit beat up but it's SO SO SO much the thought that counts-THANK YOU Tasha!

Well, that's all for now but here's to HAPPY MAIL, good friends, and Tea w/ Alice :)  xoxo ~Jess

Birthday RAK's...WOWZA...

I have a stamp that reads something like "My Tiny little THANK YOU doesn't seem like enough for all you have given me"....  WELL....

I'm long overdue for this post, but had a little extra time to do what really needs to be done and THANK the wonderful people I've come to know through this little hobby of ours.  I was STUNNED when my birthday week came and I started getting little bits of happy showing up in my mailbox and front steps...BIRTHDAY RAK's...some from people I've never even talked to other than blog comments and emails.  Some I talk to every day...ALL I cherish beyond words...

Here is just a bit of what I call....AMAZING...

 The super sweet Kristy Young sent me these pretties ALL the way from Down Undah!  She knows JUST what I like and this made my whole day...

 Check out the adorable card Kristy sent along with the above, complete w/ Butterfly confetti in the envie-can you say THOUGHTFUL???

 Heather Schlatter, my sweet stamping friend who always leaves the nicest, most heartfelt comments on MANY of your blogs surprised me with balloons and chocolate delivered to my from my local florist.  AWWW!

Ok, seriously?  Did they MAKE this stamp for ME? Special?  Yes, yes they must have!  Have you ever seen anything more perfect for The Whimsical Butterfly?  The adorable Kadie Ensley sent this to me along with her gorgeous and festive card...I LOVE it!

When my awesome friend Jen was here visiting last week, she brought me LOTS of goodies.  Some stamps, a Lady Antebellum Concert Tshirt from the concert I was supposed to go visit her for but got sick :( wahh) and this BEAUTIFUL Twilight-inspired necklace-I ADORE IT:

When I opened this from my sweet friend Mary Giles, I squealed.  Just ask my girl Jen, she was here when it came!  Are you KIDDING ME?  Alice?  In Bath and Body form?  Surely this was made for me as well.  Cherry Vanilla...mmmmm... lucky girl I am!

 Mary also sent me this BEAUTIFUL card, cute DP, and also some yummy G45 Alice in WOnderland paper...you might have seen it on my Kraftin' Kimmie peeks!  LOVE it!

 The VERY sweet and awesome Kelly Booth sent me this adorable set of kid quotes stamps and this FABULOUS card!  I LOVE how she gave Gigi wings!  Perfect for a butterfly, if I don't say so myself!  Thank you SO much Kelly!  HUGS to you lovely lady! (sorry about the pic quality-this was back when I had pc and camera issues!)

My WONDERFUL friend Peggy McCurry knows just what I like as well...so you can imagine my giddy afternoon when the Mariposa pack came in the mail-Butterflies galore, and PRETTY ones!  To top it off, she sent me this beautiful Mermaid card and I even got to SEE her last week!  Peggy is a dear friend and I love spending time with her!  

 Totally shocked and in AWE of this girl, Kim Yu's, amazing skills that go far beyond her GORGEOUS coloring on this sweet Amelia card she sent!  Kim makes these adorable crocheted flowers (used one on yesterday's card!) and hat pins!  I was so touched to receive this surprise in the mail-thank you, sweet Kim! 

 One of my favorite people to email back and forth...she puts up w/ my nuttiness from time to time and just so happened to be the brain behind the ADORABLE Cupcake Anya-my friend Rach :)

Below is a picture of me.  WHY picture of me you ask?  (which, as an aside, is by far NOT my fave, LOL)  See that UBER cool White Rabbit necklace?  THAT was made by none other than Sara Henton, who not only made this for me but made a TON more initial pendants for MORE people than you could imagine!  Talk about thoughtful...and prepared!  I LOVE this necklace so, so much!

 My sweet friend and Oh, Alice teammate Erin sent me this ADORABLE (and pink!) Dee Dee card:

My two stamping BFF's...where do I START.  Pam and Mercy hand-delivered me this card w/ a gift card tucked inside at the start of our CHA journey...and I tell you what, the past two years of my life have been filled with MORE laughter than I can even explain.   Where do I even begin to tell you how many times I have come home from a weekend and my STOMACH. literally. hurts.  Well, I don't know where...but I do know one thing...ten thousand laughs, our own language, and several hours logged stamping, eating, and watching Twilight marathons later...my life is rich and blessed and I am honored to call you friends.  

Last but not least, I want you all to pay special attention to this card...this card that my cousin/BFF Kim's NINE year old daughter Kaeli made!  I am sad to report that her younger sister, Emilie made me a FABULOUS card as well, as did Kim, but those pics were lost on my computer :(  Thankfully I took a picture of this card that Kaeli made on my phone and had it to post today.  YES.  NINE YEARS OLD.  Design Teams LOOK OUT!  This girl can COLOR, right???  AMAZING!  But what she wrote inside was even sweeter.  The girls just LOVE to stamp and I love how their faces light up everytime they come visit.  I am so grateful that distance (with us moving from TN last year) is no object for us.  I LOVE when they come visit us!  I was blessed to be able to celebrate my special day in person w.these guys and it wouldn't have been the same without them :)  LOVE YOU GUYS SOOOO SO MUCH!

Actually, come to think of it, the card Kim gave me for my bday is shown HERE  :)   Gosh I'm really hoping I'm not forgetting to thank anyone...my life has been SOOO crazy these past few weeks with CHA, company, work stuff, computer issues, and back to school that it took me a while to get this post up but AM I A LUCKY GIRL OR WHAT?!?!?

Thanks for stickin' with me for today's Very Important Post...and a HUGE-beyond-words THANK YOU to all of these wonderful ladies, all of you who stop by and leave me comments, emails, etc...EVERYONE! Hugs...

My Little, Lotsa-Lovely-Layers Valentine...

Hey everyone!

Happy Twinkie Day! Yep, it's Twinkling Tuesday! We have been keeping busy on the Twinkle Team this week...we had some new players...which was FANTASTIC! We also spent a lot of time hanging out over at our PCP page and had a few more people join in on the fun! Be sure to head over there, too to see what all the chatter is about...and when I say ALL the chatter...I'm not kidding! hee hee...

Madelynn did another outstanding job on this week's sketch. It was a fun one! Lots of layers and made ya think about how you were going to do your focal point image. I love the sketch and will most likely use it again!

I chose the EVAH adorable Lily w/ her Kitty stamp by Rachelle Anne Miller (Stampavie) for my card. I was joking with my cousin saying that this card probably cost me about a buck or more in bling...but it HAD to be there, don't you agree?

I used Shimmerz in Bubblegum to paint her dress, then when it was dry, I went over it with Angel Wings. This gave it a fun shading technique and made the dress look slightly worn and more textured.

Anyway, hope you guys like my card as much as I loved following DD's sketch. Thanks sweetie! You rocked it again!

Our featured stamper this week is Danni! Danni and I met a few months ago and have become friends through our blogs. She is one talented lady who just happens to love Butterflies just as much as I do! So she was close to my heart already even BEFORE I got to know her terrific personality and stamping style. Danni is wonderful at RAK'ing people too...always lets you know how much she cares and is active on the TT in our PCP group which is fun that I get to chat with her so much!

Isn't this card cute? She chose this adorable Sarah Kay image (also Stampavie) and did an amazing job coloring her!

Add to it the fun buttons, and bring, springy DP and I'm ready for a picnic! I so love knowing that Spring is coming! I NEED it to be here soon!!!

Danni also sent us (Madelynn and I) this SUPER cute RAK the other day and so while she was the featured stamper this week, I just had to show her off? Isn't she sweet? Flutter By Sophia is one of my favorite images and Danni is an avid Paper Pretties fan so she knew I would absolutely adore this card! How thoughtful, isn't it? It really put a smile on my face to get this in the mail the other day and Madelynn just loved it, too! Thanks Danni!

Well, that's about all I have for you today, but be sure to check out the other TT's blogs, as you won't want to miss their creative takes on the sketch.

The "Twinkle Team"
Bonnie Sharp
Cassie Larson
Christi Thorsen
Danni Bindel
Debbie Lee
Jami Bova
Janna Hull
Jennifer Greco
Jessica Diedrich
Kimmie Doktor
Rebecca Ednie
Sandra McLean
Taylor Usry

Want to play along with us this week? You SHOULD!!! Show us your style and dazzle us with your OWN twinkling Tuesday creation! Madelynn would love to stop by and see what you come up with! If you upload to SCS or PCP, be sure to use keyword MTTSC6. Good luck and have FUN with this one!

I'll be back tomorrow with something Prettie for you... ;)

Hugs,

Jessica :)

Fun with Friends...and some Awesome RAK's!

Hey everyone,

Happy Saturday! Today is an exciting one indeed. I am off to meet up with two DT friends that I've talked to everyday for months and have never met...until today! I will hopefully post some pics later but for now...gotta get in the car!

Before I do, though, I wanted to share with you some amazing RAK's I've gotten this week. Remember THIS card from Charmaine at Oodabug Alley? When I saw it, I went nuts. That yummy pink paper w/ the beautiful butterfly from Verve stamps? Are you kidding me? I loved it. What a WONDERFUL surprise it was to get it from her in the mail! I was tickled...PINK, of course! Thanks, Charlie! You are an amazing fellow Prettie girl and friend. I'm so glad to be getting to know you! Totally made my day :)

As you know, because I complain about it so much LOL...I have been a bit under the weather. So when my friend Darla came over with this sweet anniversary card, this cute little "love soup" Valentine's project, and some yummy muffins w/ raspberry jam in the centers, I couldn't have felt more taken care of! Thanks Darla!

I love how she did the toile w/ the top note die actually making a window on the card she made. And hey...it's pink too! You guys really know how to make a girl feel loved! So thanks!

Well, I'm off for the day of card making, chit chatting, coffee drinking...and oh...organizing! More on that later too...I got a very cool new stamp storage system that I'll be showing off later...when it's ready.

Dont' forget to come back tomorrow for more fun! Stay warm everyone..we're getting piled w/ another 6-12 today... *sigh*....

Hugs,

Jessica :)

...and now, for the "Nitty Gritty"...and my FIRST card of 2009!

Hey everyone!

I hope you got a chance to look at my first post from today feature the BRAND NEW Card Kit and COPIC Club from A Walk Down Memory Lane! I am super excited about it and hope you'll join me in oooohing and ahhhing over these kits!

Anyway, I wanted to do another New Year's post because I've gotten some beautiful emails today from friends and family wishing me a Happy 2009 and also, looking back on my accomplishments in 2008. It's funny, because I was just saying that normally, New Year's is kind of well, not a huge deal to me. Well, BOY was I wrong when I started reading the emails and comments I've gotten, and most of them came from you guys, my stamping friends.

Last night, on SCS, I participated in a challenge hosted by my good friend. You know who you are :) The challenge was to make a card for a friend. Easy peasy...until I realized how special this card needed to be. I hope she likes it. I used her fave color combo...hee hee. I decided to try Amy R's sketch from last week. This was very intriguing to me with the circles. Anyway, this is my FIRST card of 2009 and I'm really happy with how it came out. I used the Cup of Stuff stamp set from The Greeting Farm. (formerly Pink Poison) Check out the NEW website and gallery...Marie has worked SO hard to revamp it all and it's SPLENDID indeed! (sentiment is from PTI)

On that note, I want to share with you one of my New Year's resolutions. After all, it's a LOT harder to slack when I have ALL you guys to keep me accountable, right? Heh heh...be gentle.

My New Year's Resolution is to send more RAK's. I make SOOOO many cards and get to share this amazing hobby with so many of you, and I find myself "hoarding" cards LOL. Now we ALL know there are some we just CANNOT part with, but still...

Anyway, I started this morning, and I have 60 cards that I made in 2008 that will be donated to Cards for A Cause through SplitCoast Stampers. I encourage ALL of you to check out this thread and feel good about something that can truly make a stranger's day.

For the rest of you, If I don't have your address, please let me know. I am working on a Birthday calendar too. The reason i got INTO stamping, even before I was so blessed to be asked to join Design Teams, etc. was because it was something I wanted to share with the world! I always knew that I had found my "calling" so to speak. Sure, there is blogging, and I am really loving having met SO many of you through my little corner here in cyberspace. Still, there is something about sending a handmade card that well...I'd like to get better at remembering to do! And now it's OUT there...there's no turning back! LOL!

HAPPY NEW YEAR MY FRIENDS!!!

Jessica :)