Baby got BAK.

Well, if that Justin Bieber song didn't get stuck in your head after my last post, I sure bet you've got a song in your head now!!

I've always wondered why we crafty folk refer to the cards and other goodies we get in the mail as "RAKs" (Random Acts of Kindness) even when they aren't random at all! Recently I got some lovely cards for my birthday, which I shall hereafter refer to as "BAKs," or "Birthday Acts of Kindness." Sound good? Ok, on we go!

First, from Lindsey over at Bashful Blogging, comes this cheery Bird-day card:

Linds is a whiz with color, and I really love the pops of yellow all over the place. Plus, Linds knows I love a pun!! I haven't spied this one on her blog yet, but keep an eye out for it! (She also knows I love a good surprise!).

Next, a card from my birthday-sharing buddy Emily that makes me look way nicer than I actually am ;) :

Gorgeous! It uses my favorite shades of orange, pink, and green, along with those glorious wings, which I bet Em knows I'd never in a million years have the patience to fussy-cut at all, much less as perfectly as she did here. You can read more about it in her blog post here.

And finally, from my uber-creative-with-her-Silhouette pal, Meg, comes a card she knows I LOVE:

Ack! If you recognize this one, it's because it's kinda famous -- it was part of her amazing final round submission for Gallery Idol a couple months ago. You can see the whole rad suite here. And yep, the tape pops out:

Since my bday often falls on the first day of fall (as it did this year), this adds an air of poignance...or something ;)

Thanks for the BAKs, crafty pals! You made my birthday brighter. And a little more full of loot, too -- there were some fun stampy gifties that came along with each card! I'll be sure to let y'all know when I use them. Woohoo!

Have a lovely day!

RAKs in, RAKs out!

Happy Monday! Hope your weekend was great. Mine was spent submerged in tasty (mostly homemade) food and drink -- yum!

My mailbox has been busy, too -- in both directions! First up, a giant HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my pal Lindsey -- be sure to stop over and wish her well on her big day.  Here's what should be in her mailbox...whenever the Canada Post snafu gets worked out, anyway:

The girl can grow some awesome flowers, so this seems suitable, no? I've used PTI dies and stamps with some of that fabulous dots and stripes paper from Echo Park (from Scrappy Chic, of course!) -- the blue stripes are from a 6x6 pad, while the green is 12x12 -- love the variation in scale. Have a great day, Linds, and I sure hope your card gets to you eventually!

Next up, a local RAK:

We have some new next-door neighbors, and they seem really nice. What better way to keep it friendly than with a little gift? The card uses mostly scraps from my desk -- papers from Crate and Amuse Studio, a house die-cut from a coaster with a stickles-filled heart at the center, and a fitting sentiment (PTI). Peeking around from the back is a jar of homemade strawberry-rhubarb jam for a little housewarming gift (oh, is it ever yummy, too -- we've almost polished off a whole jar ourselves, and I just made it a few days ago!).  The recipe I used is in this book, which has all kinds of totally doable canning recipes. Highly recommended!

And now for a couple of incoming RAKs, both from the fabulous Meg!

This is part of a trio she already blogged here, and I just love it! I'm also fairly certain I'd never have the patience to deal with all the tiny pieces she popped up so perfectly. Fabulous!!

Also, to celebrate Simon the kitten's arrival:

How cute is this? I swear, that woman is a genius with her Silhouette! Plus, it's punny in addition to being so well-designed. I absolutely love it!! I think Simon might approve:

...or he will, once he wakes up ;)

Here they are together:

I just love my stampy friends and neighbors! I hope you all have a delightful day!

Tuesday Trigger Time!

Oh my, I haven't managed to play along with the Tuesday Trigger at Moxie Fab World in ages! This week's is particularly inspiring for me -- here it is:

The distressed paint, the clustered bouquet, and especially that echeveria right smack in the middle of all those girly flowers -- just lovely! Appeals to my gardener side as well as my crafter side!

Here's what I came up with:

I was especially inspired by the colors of the echeveria as well as the tight cluster of flowers. I used a die-cut sheet from American Crafts layered over my card, which was then layered with lots and lots and lots of die-cut flowers all clustered together -- as an added bonus, I used the Flower Fusion die from Stampin' Up, which has been languishing unloved for quite some time :)  All the supplies here besides the die came from my Counterfeit Kit for March. You can check out the whole challenge here. Let's take a closer look:

I'd like to say there was some rhyme or reason to the way I made and layered the flowers, but here's what I actually did: die-cut a nice little pile, then squished them all up into a ball, then un-squished them, and then adhered them somewhat randomly, adding pearls here and there. I trimmed the overhang on the left and bottom, but not on the right...because that's more "carefree," don't you think? 

Finally, I'd like to thank my talented friend Emily for sending me that awesome new watermark, which was created by Kasia -- also a very talented crafter! I love skating, and I'm in training to be a roller derby NSO (that's non-skating official) for a new start-up league nearby, and Kasia's a derby girl from Calgary! It's a small crafting world, after all :) Thanks again, both of you!

Have an absolutely delightful Friday, and if you haven't already, be sure to check out this post -- there's a giveaway open until Saturday night!!

Supplies: cardstock -- pti, american crafts. papers - cosmo cricket, studio calico. sentiment sticker - my mind's eye. pearls, die - su. 

cha-cha-cha...

...as in, "happy birthday to me -- cha-cha-cha..."

Yep, it's my birthday. So far, so good. Or: so far, so extra-good! I got some great birthday happy mail from two of my craftiest blog buds, Emily and Meg! Our story is one of the rare few where people who met online end up neither married nor scamming each other for cash ;) At least, not yet!

First up is Em's, which came a couple days ago -- this means that Emily is super-on-the-ball, because she's shipping from Canada to the US, which might as well be the slow boat from Timbuktu! Fun fact: it's Emily's birthday too! Feel free to drop by her blog and see the cute card her husband and son made for her. Here's what she sent me:

First: that card is so stinkin' cute! I love her amazing coloring skills. (I envy them, too!). You can get the details on that card here. And then, that cute little arrow set! So versatile -- I can already see a couple card designs, plus they'll work great for layouts! Thanks, Em!

Next is Meg -- her little packet of joy came today, right on time (she thought it would be late!)

Not only does this card totally sell me on the Sunshine impression plate from PTI, it also features the cutest little paper-pieced, party-hat-wearing pup! And the button collection (with the cute and thoughtful tag) is almost entirely full of colors I don't have -- get out of my head, Meg! How did you know? You can see the details on this card, as well as the one she made for Em, right here.  She does a fine job of telling our behind-the-scenes story, too. Thanks, Meg(let)!! I will indeed have a glass of wine for you!

Speaking of which, tomorrow is the real birthday celebration for me -- my awesome husband is having a little party at a local wine bar. I'm sure some great layouts will ensue!

Well, I'm off to do...well, whatever I feel like! Ha! You go do the same, birthday or not!