Merry Christmas!

As promised, here are more beautiful RAKS I received this year. This wonderful vintage Santa image card came from Anne Ryan and you can find her gallery on SCS here. Ann has a unique style all her own, and she makes some of the most stunning cards ever! She has a knack for mixing colors, textures and eye-popping ribbons that make for some dazzling cards! Always leaving such encouraging comments for everyone, Anne made me feel right at home as soon as I began posting on SCS. Thanks for your kindness Anne, I wish you a wonderful Christmas!
This is from my penpal Lyn who lives in Australia. Lyn doesn't blog, but she and I have been penpals since I got my first computer many moons ago. We recently discovered that we both make cards, how funny is that! Lyn adds such interesting detail to all of her cards, and I look forward to receiving another special card from her each year
And this fantastic card is from my sweet blogging friend Silke. Silke never makes a so-so card! Her signature silver pearls and awesome color choices put her cards in a league all their own! She floors me with every new card she posts, and I'm amazed with the creativity that she shares with her blog followers. Always up for another challenge, that's Silke! It's been such a pleasure getting to know you this past year and I look forward to learning lots of new ideas from you in the coming year!
And last but certainly not least is this beautiful Iris folding card from Jill. I had the pleasure of meeting Jill in person when she came to my house and taught me how to do Iris folding this past summer. Jill creates one-of-a-kind 3D cards, as well as the Iris folding and other techniques. You should click on her name above and check out some of her amazing creations! Jill is having a difficult year with illness in her family, so here's wishing you a better 2010 my friend! This card is just beautiful and I'll always treasure it!

I guess that wraps up the RAKS for this year, so let's bring on Christmas and make the best of the remaining year! A very merry Christmas to everyone!

Carol

Here are 3 more amazing hand-crafted cards I received for Christmas. First up is this adorable card by Denise. Denise has a style I've long admired so I follow her blog religiously. Lucky for me, she doesn't live very far from me, so perhaps one day we'll meet in person! Everything she creates just amazes me whether it's whimsical, dramatic or simply elegant. I love how she colored this cute image and added that notch for her perfect little bow, but just look at the unique way she added the sentiment! Thanks Denise, I just love this card and it will go into my scrapbook of treasured hand-made cards!!
This card is from the very talented Wendy. Wendy's blog is another one I follow regularly because I don't want to miss a thing she creates! Her style of layering just astounds and amazes me, and her cards are just perfectly done! Everything is balanced and I just love the way she uses colors and embellishments! Wendy is another blogging friend who lives relatively close to me and perhaps one day I'll get to meet her in person. Thanks so much for this adorable card Wendy! I love it and it's definitely a keeper!
And this fantastic card is from my wonderful friend Heidi. Heidi started this blog with me last year, but unfortunately for all of us she's chosen to leave the world of blogging. Thank goodness she's still creating her beautiful cards though!! This quilt rack was made by her DH and she sent it to me last year with a different quilt card. This year she sent this Christmas card, ready to be put on this rack for a perfect display option! Heidi's style just amazes me and she has some of the most fantastic creative ideas ever! I'm sad that she's no longer sharing her talent with the rest of us, but I'll share the cards I'm lucky enough to receive from her right here. Heidi, you knocked my socks off with this gorgeous quilt card and I send you big holiday thank-you hugs! I love that I'm able to proudly display these cards on this adorable little rack! You're the best!!!
That's it for now, but I have more RAKS to share a little later. Thanks so much for stopping by and I wish all of you a most heartfelt merry Christmas! May all of your hopes and dreams come true, and may you be surrounded by loving family and friends not only at Christmas, but throughout the coming new year too! Thanks to each and every one of you for taking the time to come see what I've been making and leaving such encouraging kind comments. I'm thankful and grateful for all of you :)

Carol

Some Christmas RAKS

I haven't had time to make cards lately with all the last minute details before the big day on Friday, so I've decided to share some beautiful RAKS with you that I've received this year. This pretty red and white card is from Deanna, my SU! demo! I love how she used this great color combination and that Damask design is just gorgeous! Thanks Deanna, I owe my love for card-making and paper crafting to you, because you taught me how to make my very first card! :)
This gorgeous vintage card came from LeAnne, a sweet friend I've come to know through blogging. Although we live relatively close to one another, we've not met yet, but perhaps in the coming year? Don't you just love this jovial Santa image and the sled? The perfectly stamped background just catches my eye every time I see it! Thanks LeAnne, I'll always treasure this card:)
And what can I say about this stunning card except WOW!!!! This is from my dear friend Michelle of StampersDream.com. When I first learned about the blogging world, Michelle's blog was the one I stalked every single day! She's taught me so much about watercoloring and cardmaking with her expertise in stamping products and techniques, so I owe much of what I've learned to Michelle. This card has to be seen in person to appreciate the incredible details and layering! I loved this card when I saw it on her blog, so you can imagine how thrilled I was to actually receive it! Thanks so much Michelle! This card is going to be enjoyed for years to come! Your friendship has been such a joy to me for these past few years!!

I have a lot more cards to share with you over the next couple days so stay tuned, and have a great day!!

Carol

A beautiful RAK and Happy Thanksgiving to all!!

This beautiful card came in the mail from my blogging friend Wendy Aungst who has a wonderful blog called WeeBeeStampin. Although we've never met IRL, I know enough about her to realize she's very thoughtful and really has some amazing talent for creating gorgeous cards! Please take a little time to click the link above and see some of her fabulous work. You'll be glad you did!! Thanks so much for this awesome card Wendy! It's going into my scrapbook of RAKS that I dearly treasure!
I don't have a card of my own to post today, but I have so much to be thankful for! I've come to know many of my fellow card-makers on a more personal note which makes me feel so blessed. I'm thankful also for everyone that stops by to leave such nice comments here. Your kindness and support keeps me inspired to continue on with this crazy, fun hobby of mine! I thank each and every one of you.............I'm so blessed and so thankful for having all of you in my life! Your friendships are truly cherished!
Have a wonderful and very happy Thanksgiving!

Carol

Another Halloween RAK!

Mr. Mailman just delivered another surprise Halloween RAK today! It must be my lucky day!!This fantastic card is from the incredibly talented Wendy Aungst and you can find her great blog "WeeBeeStampin" right HERE. I have her blog listed on my sidebar too, so go check out some more of her awesome cards when you get a chance!
This is such a great little card and so beautifully detailed!! Wendy has cut out all those adorable witchy boots and popped them up!! My tired old eyes can't cut anything that tiny with such precision, but Wendy, you've done a great job on this card! The inside says " Don't let the goblins get you, Watch out for witches too... And have fun every minute, no matter what you do." How cute is that?! Thanks Wendy, your card just makes me smile all over my face!! I absolutely love this and have a spot reserved for it in my scrapbook of received RAKS!! TYSM for thinking of me this Halloween! You totally ROCK my friend:)

A Halloween RAK

I received this GORGEOUS Halloween card recently from the extremely talented Denise Marzec, otherwise known as "peanutbee." You can find her fabulous blog here. I'm just amazed with all the fabulous details on this great card, and the image with those curled up toes and cobweb skirt just blows me away! Denise, you really put a smile on my face when I received this card, and I'll treasure it for years to come since it's going into my scrapbook of hand-made RAKS. Thank you so much my friend, you're such a thoughtful person!!
Here's wishing you a very happy (and DRY) Halloween. Yes, it's supposed to rain again today *sigh* I think I see some feathers growing on my body?

Carol

Birthday RAKS

I wanted to share some beautiful birthday cards I received recently from some of the greatest blogging card makers and friends I've come to know! First is this gorgeous Autumn themed card from LeAnne of WeeInklings. Her coloring skills are just AMAZING and I love how she used the tab punch with the corduroy button on this great card! I really love the sentiment on this beautiful card too! Thanks LeAnne {{hugs}} You're a extremely talented and wonderful friend and it's been such a pleasure getting to know you :)

This beauty is from none other than Silke Ledlow. I've long admired her fabulous cardmaking skills and this card is incredibly detailed. It has her signature silver pearls (click the picture) all over the cake, and some perfect layering and embossing. Silke also totally surprised me when she sent a fabulous box of goodies for which I'm SO grateful! Thanks g/f...........it's been such a joy getting to know you!! {{hugs}}

This great card is from a designer that I've long admired..........Denise Marzec of the PaperLandscaper. This girl just doesn't know how to make a bad card! Everything she creates is magic! This card is beautifully colored and detailed and of course it's done in my favorite color!! Thanks and {{hugs}} for this wonderful card you surprised me with! Maybe one day we'll meet in person and we can talk NASCAR since we're both such big fans :) You know I'm a happy camper after yesterday's race *wink wink*

This beautiful card is from Jill, aka JD from RibbonChallenged. Jill lives right around the corner from me, and I had the pleasure of having her at my home recently where she taught me some of her fabulous cardmaking skills, such as Iris Folding. This beautiful card is so detailed with paper folding that I can't imagine the patience it took to create it! All of the diamond shapes in the circle are cut and folded pieces of paper!! The center is layered to look 3D, and you need to see this IRL to fully appreciate the time it takes to create something like this! Thanks Jill, this is a beautiful card and I'll always treasure it. Big thank-you {{hugs}} and prayers going your way today for both you and your Mom. I hope you're both doing well today.

Am I a lucky girl or what? Last year I started a scrapbook for all the RAKS I've received, and all of these treasured cards will have a special place in that book!! Ladies, you've all made my birthday very special and I send my heartfelt thanks to each of you for making me feel so loved!!!

Have a wonderful Monday and thanks for stopping by :)

Carol

What a Birthday Surprise!!!

Today my husband and I are celebrating our birthdays and we received this awesome package from Heidi!! First is the amazing tri-fold card she created!! I've never seen anything so beautifully done!!! All those gorgeous flowers and beautiful Parisian Breeze papers! I just sat down and had a good cry when I opened this, because Heidi has not been stamping for a while and I was so happy to see her creating again!!!! She obviously hasn't lost a single ounce of her amazing talent has she? What a beautiful card!!!! I just LOVE this Heidi!!

Look at all these goodies she sent me?!! She knows my favorite color is purple and this beautiful little box was packed full of purple ribbon, buttons, gemstones, embossing powder and candy!! There's a beautiful pack of glittered Autum papers for Autumn, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, along with a pack of Autum ribbons to match! Behind everything you'll see some beautiful pink and wine colored cardstock she sent along. Not seen in the photo were several packs of adhesive refills too! Christmas came on my birthday, and I sure am lucky!!!

Here's the top of the box that Heidi made. She called this "black work".....something I never heard of before. There are tiny pieces of gems or metal somehow stitched into the pattern, and my photo doesn't capture them very well, but take my word for it, this is just stunning! Click the photo for a closer look and you might be able to see them. I'll have to check out this technique one day, not that my tired eyes could ever do such intricate details like this!

Here is the card and box Heidi made for my husband. The top of this box is also that "black work" I mentioned above and this beautiful little hinged box was filled with Dove candy! YUM!!!!

Heidi, my heartfelt thanks for your generosity and kindness with all of these wonderful goodies! You've made our birthdays very special and we'll always be grateful for your friendship. Most of all, I'm absolutely DELIGHTED to see you back in your stamp room again making cards and creating!! I hope to see more of your beautiful work again REAL soon!! We all miss seeing your beautiful cards, don't we?!?!!

Thanks for stopping by today, and make it a great day!

Carol

RAKS

Happy Mother's Day to all of the Moms out there! I hope you all have a great one!
I received this gorgeous card yesterday from my friend and SU! demonstrator Deanna Wolfe. Isn't it beautiful? I don't know if I had enough light on this to capture the beautiful, soft embossing on the green panel, but it's there! You can click on the picture to enlarge it and see it better. I love the colors and that striking single bloom! Thanks Deanna, I owe everything to you for that first card class you taught that immediately hooked me on cardmaking. I loved receiving your thoughtful card:) You can visit Deanna's blog here or locate it on the sidebar.




And this awesome card is from none other than my blogging partner Heidi. The details on this card are outstanding to say the least! The tree is made up of all different sized punched circles! I love the little popped up birds and nest, and the sentiment is wonderful done on a billowy blue cloud! She has it all layered on some gorgeous glittered ribbon that really shimmers more than the photograph shows. I'm so thankful to be able to post some of Heidi's work on here, since she's too busy with taking care of her outdoor chores to get much stamping time lately. Thanks Heidi, your friendship has been such a blessing to me!
I'm blessed to have such wonderful friends who always make life meaningful with their kindness and generosity. I celebrate you ladies today and wish all of you a most heartfelt Happy Mother's Day!

Carol