Got Cake?

I made this card for my older brother. He is the same brother who started our family's weight loss club (as a family we are down 301lbs since February). He loves receiving my cards. He thinks they are just as good as hallmark. I think they are 10x better but that is his way of paying me a compliment.

I thought the sentiment "Got Cake?" was perfect. His answer should be no on any other day, but for his birthday he should indulge.

Happy Birthday (not so big anymore) Big Brother. Love you!

What's a serger?

I made this birthday card for a very good friend of mine who is turning 33 this week. I value our friendship more than she knows...even though she says I'm an old lady.

Don't be deceived by the paper design, she doesn't know how to sew. As far as I know, she has never picked up a needle and thread. I fell in love with the colors and the layout.

Happy Birthday dear friend!

My Friend

Fathers, like mothers, should be celebrated and praised for all that they do. This series of cards will honor the fathers in my life.

There is no guide book, no manual, or perfect way to raise a child. Bringing a new life - a new soul into this world is not an easy decision. Fears, doubts, and the uncertainty of the future all way on the hearts and minds of soon to be parents. Being the man of the house, the provider, these fears way  more heavily on the the father.

The father that is receiving this card is a new father. His wish is not unlike the wish of many new father - to be the best father he can be to his son and to be a better father than his father.

No matter how tired he is, how stressed he might be, he always greets his son with such love and excitement. His day is made 100 times better by seeing the smile on his son's face as he enters the door and hearing his son's laugh. He loves spending time with his baby and often spends a full day together, just him and his son. Although my friend has only been a father for a short period of time, he has already fulfilled his wish - he is the best father his son could ever ask for. 

Happy Father's Day friend!

Hats off to the Graduate

This is one of my favorite times of year - graduation time. There are only a handful of events that can compare to the feeling that comes with graduation. The bitter sweet feeling of knowing a part of your life has ended and a new life is fast approaching. Thus far I have graduated 4 times - kindergarten, middle school, high school, and college (soon that number will be 5). Each time I felt the excitement and fear of the unknown. What a great feeling.

This year one of my nieces is graduating from high school. She lives out of state so I only get to see her once or twice a year, but I swear she was 12 only yesterday. I am so very proud of her; of the young woman she has become; of the wonderful person she is. She is going to college in the fall - studying to be an engineer. She is one of those people who knows what she wants, works hard to achieve her goals, and doesn't settle. I can't wait to see how she takes over the world.

Congratulations to all the Grads!! Job well done.

Working Mama

Stay at home mothers are never fully appreciated for all that they do. They not only run the house, they are taxi drivers, coaches, tutors, and sometimes medics. They do so much for others that they often forget about themselves and their needs. As if all of this was not enough, there are those mothers that also work - they must be superhuman.

The woman that is recieving this card rejoined the work force after more than 15yrs as a stay at home mom. She was nervous at first. Unsure if she could handle the stress and demand of a job. She wondered what skills she possessed and what she could offer an employer. Turns out she had nothing to worry about. She is hard working, reliable and capable of anything.

Happy Mother's Day Working Mom!!! I always knew you had it in you!

Godmother Mama

I admire women who give birth and raise nothing but boys. To be the only woman in a house filled with dirty stinky boys takes a certain type of person. Someone who isn't afraid of washing a load of whites - which haven't looked white since the day they came out of the package. The type of woman who has learned to no longer ask where a stain came from or why a pair of tidy whities with three holes is in the laundry basket instead of the trash. Between stories of video games and gross bugs they find outside and bring inside, I am amazed at how a mother of boys keeps her sanity. But they do because that is a mother's love - to love what others wouldn't. To see the beauty in bugs, the poetry of the stories, the humor in the laundry. 

My godmother is a mother of four boys. She raised them practically on her own. They have grown up to be wonderful young men who are kind and giving. They love her so much and would do anything for her. They are no longer dirty or stinky, however I doubt it very much if they throw underwear away once there's a hole in it - its some kind of guy thing they never grow out of. I would be willing to bet that Adam had holes in his underwear and Eve couldn't convince him to throw them away either.

Happy Mother's Day Godmother Mama!

Big Brothers

I come from a big family - both in number and in lbs. :) My oldest brother discovered the South Beach Diet about three months ago. This is a man who drank diet coke for breakfast, loved his pizza, and could finish a bag of chips in less than 10 minutes. Three months later, he as lost over 45 lbs and he feels and looks great. So great that he started preaching the word (or words I should say) South Beach. Now, 9 of us are either doing South Beach or at least reducing our fat, calorie, and sugar intake. As a family we are down over 200lbs. It is truly amazing. The least likely of us is showing all of us how to live a healthy life. We send in our weekly lbs lost (and rarely lbs gained)  to him on Sunday mornings.  Throughout the week he sends us encouraging text messages and makes phone calls, seeing how we are doing. He always gives words of encouragement and he never makes us feel more guilty if we say we ate a brownie :)

Sometimes big brothers can be a pain in the butt and sometimes they care about making your butt smaller. So I decided to make my brother a thank you card.

The sentiment is a stamp image and it says "You are beautiful - inside & out'. The card itself is a standard size 4.5"x 6"made of kraft paper. I used three patterned pages from DCWV- The green stack. My embellishments are a button with a thread tied through and a yellow flower brad. What looks like twine is actually embroider thread. It's a manly card but its still adorable. I think he is going to love it.