RAK from a little girl

Last but certainly not least, is this super cute RAK from my GF Teri. She also stamped a whole bunch of images for me, but there were so many, they didn't fit in this cute little bag she made! Hahah!

Here's a close up of "Sake", one of the new Ketto images from Stamping Bella. Since Teri knows my fav color is purple, she colored Sake wearing a purple dress to match the purple bag! So cute I can't stand it!!! Thanks so much, Teri! Your kindness and generosity have touched my heart! I'm so blessed to have you in my life!

Friend

Take a look at this next RAK. This RAK came from a very sweet gal named Gracie. Let me tell you, it was such a lovely surprise to receive this in the mail! It's an image folder that Gracie made and check out ALL these wonderful images she sent me!

Thank you so much, Gracie, from the bottom of my heart! Your thoughtfulness shows the kind of person you are - Kae is lucky to have you as her Mommy! Looks like I'll need to start coloring these images and make some cards soon ...

Overdue thanks

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend! By the time some of you read this, it'll already be June 1st! Can you believe it? Really, where is the time going? Well, before the time gets away from me, I wanted to post some RAKs I recently received. I'll do several posts so each one will be dedicated to the specific person who gave it to me.

This first one is from Jen. She gave this to her students at her Cricut Basics class a few weeks ago. I really liked this little bag, so of course I had to get the cartridge that made it! Jen is an excellent teacher and I learned a lot from her during this class. Thanks for this cute bag and the super embellishments, Jen!

In case you're new to Blogland, please check out Jen's blog. She has some awesome ideas to share and some really great stories too! She's a super lady and I'm very thankful that I got to meet such a wonderful person.

"New Moon" Trailer

So I feel like a giddy teenage girl again, ok? I just saw the trailer to "New Moon" on the MTV Movie Awards. I can't wait until the movie comes out!!! If you're a "Twilight" fan and missed the trailer, check it out here. Woo hoo! Enjoy!

For Twilight Fans

Ok gang, if you're as obsessed with Twilight as I am, hurry and check out Lauren's blog here. OMG - I can't wait for the MTV Movie Awards this weekend for the full trailer of New Moon!!! Enjoy!

Monkey see, monkey do ...

Hi everyone! It's almost Friday! Yay - we made it through another week! I made this card before work today, to give to my BFF. Here's the story behind the card: A while back, Kyoko told me that I should do "something", but I said no, I shouldn't. Anyhow, Kyoko and I were discussing "something" the other day and I admitted that she was RIGHT. Boy was that a mistake! Hahahaha! All day, this is what I heard: See? I told you! Just admit it! I was right! Haha - I was right! I can't believe you finally admitted it! Hahaha! Ever have a BFF like her? So irritating, yeah? Nah, just joking, Sis! So, anyway, I decided that I was gonna have to make a card to mark this momentus occasion (because she knows I'm never ever gonna admit she was right about ANYTHING again).

I knew exactly which stamp I was gonna use for my card. I wasn't gonna make a mushy card, because we're not really mushy gals. We're squishy (haha!), but not mushy. I think I finished this card in five minutes. Funny how sometimes you just know exactly how you want a card to look and it turns out perfectly. Well, here it is:

Yup, that's us! The two monkeys "sticking tongue" and blowing spit balls at each other. Ok, Kyoks, you were RIGHT. Enjoy it while you can, Sis, because I don't know when I'll be saying that again. LOL!!!

May OCS

Hi everyone ~ hope you all had a nice Memorial Day holiday. It was a beautiful day today in Hawaii! A great day to remember all our service men and women in all branches of the military. I am so grateful to all of them and their families for serving and protecting our country.

My OCS is late this month. It was due last Wednesday, but my partner and I had communicated with each other and we both agreed that it would be ok if we were late. Anyhoo, I wanted to do something very different for my partner. This month, I was paired up with Jodi of Inked Inspirations. OMG, talk about pressure!!!

I decided to make a Tri-Shutter Card. I got the idea from Bonnie over at The Craftiblog. Her instructions were super simple to follow! I would encourage everyone to give it a try. Here is the front of my card:

This is how the card opens up:

And this is how the card looks standing up:

This card was definitely a challenge for me, but I'm very pleased with the way it turned out! I sure hope Jodi likes it ~ hope you guys like it too! Until next time, Aloha ...

Card for Mom

Last night we celebrated my Mom's birthday (and my son's since my folks were on the mainland on his bday). Sorry, foodies, no food to show. We ordered chinese food and had a homemade birthday cake. Everything was so delicious!

Remember my attempts at coloring black hair? Well I decided to use this image on my Mom's birthday card. I didn't realize how handy it was to have an image ready and waiting to be used!!! I may have to do more coloring of various images just to have them on hand. The card base is a printed card from a DCWV box card set, used my Nesties scallop to frame the image, and added All Natural Accents flowers. Simple card, but I think it turned out pretty nice.

Here's the inside:

My family is always joking around about stuff so I thought for the inside of the card I'd write something funny instead of mushy. Everyone laughed when they saw what I wrote. Especially my Sister!

Ok, friends - hope everyone is having a nice weekend and let's not forget all our military men and women of the past, present and future. Let's pray for all of them and their families and thank them for giving their lives for our freedom.

They grow so fast ...

Hi all ~ nothing crafty to post tonight. I'm a little sad and also happy tonight. Definitely having mixed emotions. See this picture?

It's so true. My darling baby boy will be 18 years old tomorrow. Where did all those years go? For those of you who know me and my family, you know that we've had our share of rough times with my boy. He's had many physical and emotional obstacles in his short life and if I could take away all the pain he's suffered, I would do it in a heartbeat. Any mother would. As I write this, I am crying, because my boy is becoming a young man. He still has so much to learn about the real world and if I can shield him from future pain and suffering, I will. He has definitely come a long way. Although he will be 18 tomorrow, he doesn't graduate from high school until next year. He's doing well in school (despite his disabilities) and even though he's not a very social person, I know one day he'll blossom into the young man that he is meant to become. I thank the Lord every day for blessing me with my special boy.

Stamped image folder

Happy Monday everyone! I made this little folder this morning before work. I was getting my May Aloha RAK card ready for the mail and had put my stamped images in the card. Then the lightbulb came on! My bulb is usually dim, but it was shining bright this morning! Haha! Instead of making a full size folder like the one Joy made for me, I decided to make a smaller version, more like an A2 card size. Here it is ...

Here's another view of the folder open with the images I included. I hope my Aloha RAK partner likes it!

The lightbulb is still bright so I better get to work! Thanks for stopping by!

May Aloha RAK

This is the first time I'm participating in Jen's Aloha RAK. It definitely was a challenge to use the colors she suggested. I didn't quite pull it off, but I think I came pretty close to it. If you're a regular visitor to my blog, you know I'm kinda obsessed with "Twilight". Well, I hope my Aloha RAK partner also likes Twilight because this is the card I'm sending! And it's a shaker card! We shall see ...


I'm also including five different stamped images, but those will be a surprise for my partner! Now I need to finish up my May OCS and start on a few other projects I have lined up. Thanks for stopping by and always leaving me such sweet comments. I read all of them and appreciate your taking the time to comment! Until next time, take care of yourselves, be kind to each other, tell your loved ones you love them, and stay safe. Have a wonderful week everyone! Aloha ...

Sweet RAK

Hi everyone! Where did the weekend go? It seems like whenever I post on a Sunday night, I always say this! And it's true! Yup, this weekend, like so many others, just flew right on by. My weekend started off great with this super sweet RAK from my GF Chalsie. She sent me some really nice crocheted flowers, a sheet of "love" rub-ons, and a "Twilight" keyring! I love them all, Chalsie! Thank you so much for being so thoughtful!


Now, check out this gorgeous card that came with my goodies. It's beautiful and it's PURPLE!!!

You can't tell from looking at the entire card, but Chalsie cut out three layers of Anya's clothes, her shoes and her headband!

Look at all the cutting detail!!! Oh my goodness ...

Hmm, maybe one day I'll be as good as Chalsie, Cami, Kyoko and all you other patient cutting sisters! Thanks again, Chals, for everything ...

Trying to color black hair ...

Happy Aloha Friday all! We made it through another week! Yay! Ok, so I bought some Copic markers the other week from Hawaiian Graphics so I could color black hair (Note to self: buy more Copics to color brown, blonde and red hair!) This was my first attempt: Eeww, starting out with the orange Anya, then the purple one. The black hair on the orange one came out so ugly! LOL! Gee, I didn't realize it would be so hard to color black hair!!!

The hair on my furfle girl (purple) got a little bit better.

The next two got better (I think so) ...

Don't mind the blue eye shadow on this one ~ my hubs thought it would look nice. Gee, what year is he living in??? Hasn't he heard that no one wears blue eye shadow anymore??? Hahahah!

And finally my pink girl ... hopefully practice does make perfect. I think I got better as the coloring progressed. What do you think?

Well, I'm off to work in a little while. I'm going to Mamma Mia tomorrow night with my sister (dinner first at Assaggios), then to Jen's Cricut class on Sunday. I need to work on my OCS and my May Aloha RAK too. AND make some "local" cards for Brenda's MS fundraiser (please see the link on my sidebar). Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Until next time, take care of yourselves, be kind to each other, tell your loved ones how much you love them, and be safe out there. Aloha ...

Super Superstar Blog Candy Alert!

Hi all ~ please be sure to check out Joy's blog for some "Superstar" blog candy! Joy is celebrating 36,000 hits and also her DD Taelyn's newest achievement in school - receiving the "SUPERSTAR" award! You just have to read everything this little lady has accomplished during the school year to receive this special award. Congratulations, Taelyn! We're all very proud of you!

Congrats, Joy, on raising such an awesome little girl!

A Little Note of Thanks

Good evening everyone! Can you believe its Thursday already?!!? Woo hoo - the weekend is almost here! I can't believe I made it through the week! Thank You Lord!

I wanted to share with you a little post it note holder I made for a couple of the girls at my office. These young ladies are a huge help to me - I don't think they realize how much stress they actually take away from me when they're working on my "projects". So, thanks you guys! You make my life at the office so much easier! Back to the project ~ I found this particular holder on someone's blog (I'm so sorry I can't remember!) and I really liked the look of it because it's like a little purse! I didn't take a picture of how it opens up, but you can figure it out, right? I used a SU stamp that says "A Little Note of Thanks Just For You". I thought that was so appropriate for this little note holder and to convey my thanks to them. I hope they liked them!

That's it for now. I'm in the middle of coloring some Anya images that I hope to be using on some cards this weekend. Trying to color black hair with the Copics I picked up at Hawaiian Graphics a couple of weeks ago. I'll post the colored images when I'm done. Thanks for stopping by! Aloha ...

More awesome awards!

My goodness ladies! You are spoiling me! Can you feel the air getting thicker? That's my head swelling up and taking all the oxygen! LOL! Here are some awards I recently received:

Beary Cute Blog from my Beary Cute BFF, Kyoko. Love you Sis!

These next FOUR awards came from Sweet Gracie! Thank you for thinking of me girl!

And this last award came from Jenny V.! Thanks Sweetie Pie!

Aloha to all my blogging sisters here in the Islands and around the world!

Inspiration Award

Thanks to Joy, Gracie, Jenny V. and Claudette for this special award! I'm sending this right back to ya! Smooches! You guys inspire me by everything that you create and your kind words and comments on my blog. THANK YOU!

In case you don't know the rules, here they are: 1) link back to the person who gave it to you; 2) put the picture/award on your blog; 3) you can nominate anyone and as many as you choose; 4) leave a fact that no one knows about you; and 5) leave a comment on the blog that gave you this award. ***Here's my fact: If I had to start my career over, I would go to culinary school and become a professional chef and/or baker!***

There are so many wonderful ladies out there that I want to send this award out to; especially all of you who follow my blog and leave comments for me. Just knowing that there are people out there reading my blog and hopefully enjoying my creations makes it all worthwhile! I nominate all the ladies who Joy nominated and a "few" more: Laura, Cassie, Oma, Shirley, Fay, Chalsie, Michele, and Lorna! Ok, now, don't forget to leave a fact that no one knows about you ... can't wait to see what you post!

Cards for a Cause

While visiting Shirley's blog, I came across a post from Brenda of Floral Fantasies. Please read her story below:

If you are like me, you make far more cards than you know what to do with, so I would be delighted if you could spare a card or even more, so they can be used to help raise funds at a National event which is taking place this summer.

The MS society are holding a series of "Wheel and Walk" events during June where branches will joint together to raise funds for Professor Compston's MS Research at Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge and local MS groups. Details can be found here.

This cause means a lot to myself and family as I was diagnosed with MS almost twenty years ago. At the time I had a very young family, so much in life I wanted to do and saw no future. MS is a horrific disease and Professor Compston has and continues to do some incredible work and I have been more than happy to be one of the 'samples' used in his research. Doctors tell me I am an anomaly as despite spending some years virtually housebound and in a wheelchair, things improved for me and apart from sight and pain issues which you can live with, I consider myself very, very fortunate to enjoy mobility and reasonable quality of live.I have always tried to add my small contribution to MS fundraising in whatever way I can and two of my sons' run the London Marathon for MS.

I really do believe that with your help, a substantial volume of cards can be drawn together to be sold and raise funds on 28th June 2009. I am still in the process of trying to establish if it is possible to have some localised collection points, perhaps craft stores. But in the meantime I would be delighted to hear from anyone via e.mail (this can be done if you follow my profile) so I can give you an address to post your card/s to. Sir Stampalot and Stamp Addicts both have collection boxes for cards in store.I'd be thrilled if you feel able to help spread the word. Just copy and paste the flower image and text from my bog (the flower has the html link embedded to take people to my post).

I hope some of you Island Girls will send some of your wonderful creations to Brenda for this very worthwhile cause. This is a great chance for us to spread the Aloha spirit around the world!

MIA

Happy Monday everyone! Again, sorry I've been MIA lately. I'm finally feeling better, especially since that blasted VOG is finally leaving us! Yipee! I hope all the mommies in Blogland had a wonderful Mother's Day! I know I sure did!

My sister and I celebrated Mother's Day early, with our Mom and Dad on Saturday night. Our folks are usually very healthy eaters, but on special occasions, they like to treat themselves to some not so healthy food. Since it was Mother's Day, Mom got to pick our dinner. Can you believe she chose KFC w/mashed potatoes, gravy and biscuits? And being the healthy Mom that she is, she had to get some of the new Kentucky Grilled Chicken too! LOL! That's our Mom! We also had a nice spinach salad (from Costco) and of course, rice. Dessert wasn't anything fancy - just some apple pie and Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches. After dinner, we played our favorite card game, Tripoly.

I was going to buy my Mom and sister some flowers and candy for Mother's Day, but I know them too well and I would've gotten scolding if I spent money on that. So instead, I made both of them the same card. The flower pot card! Here's what it looked like:

It was very simple to make! I got the idea from Stephanie Luman on the SCS site, and I also saw Dawn Griffith's video tutorial. If you haven't made one of these yet, you should try it!

This last picture is what my hubs and son brought me last night for dessert for Mother's Day. Talk about a delicious chocolate sundae!!! Can you say YUM-O!!! It was from Cold Stone Creamery - chocolate ice cream, mixed with brownie pieces, chocolate syrup, mini chocolate chips, and served in a chocolate dipped waffle bowl covered with candy sprinkles! Obviously I'm not as healthy as my Mom! LOL!

Well, hope you all had a great weekend. Let's all have a wonderful week, take care of yourselves, be kind to each other, and stay safe. Until next time, Aloha ...

Lovely Blog Award

Did you stick around to see what I was gonna post next? Sure hope so! I received this wonderful award this morning from Shirley! Thank you so much, my sweet blogging Sister!

Again, this was so unexpected but very much appreciated. Ok, I know I'm not accepting an Academy Award or anything, but I just wanted to say that I've met so many kind and generous ladies (like Shirley) through Blogland and I am truly thankful for that. I especially would like to thank Teri for encouraging me and Kyoko to start our blogs. So THANK YOU, TERI, for opening my eyes up to a whole new world, or should I say land (Blogland)! You are and always will be an inspiration to me.

I would like to send this award to ALL of my LOVELY followers and commenters. I really do appreciate hearing from you! I'd also like to send this out to: Fay, Michele, Teri, Joy, Enjoli, Claudette, Laura, and Joy! You ladies ROCK!

Have a great week everyone and I'll talk to you soon! Take care, and be safe out there! Aloha ...

Overdue RAKs

Hi everyone - hope you all had a nice day. Thanks to all of you who have sent me get well wishes! They're working! I'm feeling much better, so I'll be going back to work tomorrow. As long as I'm indoors, the vog won't make me feel too bad.

Since I was home today and started feeling better this afternoon, I decided to work on some very overdue RAKs. This first card is for Chalsie. I was gonna use my Cuttlekids pig die then I realized that I also had the monkey one. I think this guy is pretty cute too!


Here's a close-up of Mr. Monk. Do you guys watch that show "Monk"? He is hilarious! Sometimes I feel like him, especially when I go to Don Quiote on Makaloa Street. LOL!


Along with the card, I sent Chalsie this bookmark I made. Since we're both TWILIGHT fans, I figured I'd try and make a Twilight bookmark. It didn't turn out exactly as I hoped, but I'm happy with it. I hope she is too! By the way, I FINALLY FINISHED THE SERIES!!! OMG, I can't stand it! I didn't want it to end!!! Lorna, are you finished yet??? I'm gonna have to read it again and I can't wait for NEW MOON to come out on November 20th!!! Can you tell I'm obsessed? Ok, calm down, girl. It's only a book ...

This next card is for JackieLou. I know that she likes PINK, so I hope she likes this card! I am sending her some Princess Carina Ballerina and Himawari Chan (Himawari Babies) images. Can't wait to see how she uses them!

That's it for my creations today. I'm gonna do another quick post on another topic. Hope you stick around ...

Oldies Part 3

As promised, welcome to Oldies Part 3! If you've visited me on PCP, then you've already seen these creations. But if you haven't, then these aren't Oldies at all!

This first picture if of my very first box in a bag. I got the pattern for this from Diana Gibbs on SCS. Because it was so simple to make, I decided to make another one to hold my gift card for a baby shower.

These next two projects were made for Girls Day, back in March. I got this box idea from Jane. It's very versatile and can be used for any event. Check out Jane's blog - she's got some great Copic tips.

That's it for now, blogging peeps! Hope you all have a fantastic week. I'm off to read my book (I'm almost done with Breaking Dawn!!!) and then catch some zzzs. Until next time, take care of yourselves, be kind to each other, tell your loved ones how much you love them, and stay safe. Aloha ...