sweet RAKS & an extraordinary day...

The above card is from Monika at M.A.D. Stamper - we recently did a little image swap so we can try out some stamps we don't have. Monika is so sweet and she won the Guest Star Stamper for Papertrey this week! Check out her Father's Day card - congratulations, my friend!!! I love the set Monika used on her card, Petals & Paisley by SU! It's a set demos got as a Christmas present I believe Christmas 2006. I love the saying, 'find joy in the little things' I found joy in my mailbox the day this card arrived for sure!!

This cute card I got from Carolina at Carolina's Creative Pad Carolina is so sweet and a fabulous stamper! Check out the hunk of wide satin ribbon she sent me? It's pink & brown (my favorite combo) She used SU! chipboard for this card and don't you just adore the trio of brads in the center of the spiral clip? DH said it was so cool. She really has innovative ways of creating!

I want to say a special Thank You to the following ladies who recently blessed me with their Requested Random Acts of Kindness: I hope I didn't forget anyone! I wrote all the names down somewhere but not sure what I did with the note.

Jessie Rone
Charmaine Ikach
Carolina Buchting
Rose Ann Reynolds
Kathy Rocco
Nicole Cooke
Marilyn Moseley
Lori Hendricks

I found out last week a dear friend/customer was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer (in March), in April had surgery and is now currently undergoing 6 chemotherapy treatments. It was one of the things that tugged at my heartstrings I referred about going through last week. When I heard the news, I was numb and immediately internalized it and broke down the following day; so much that I couldn't function at work & went home because all I did was cry all day. This friend is so dear to me, really more like a mom (and that means a lot to me, having lost my own mom at the age of 25 to Lung Cancer) so the news was devastating. She has a great support system and I wanted to be that as well.

I was so happy yesterday to have my friend tell me she was ready for a visit from me so I took her the RAKS. Surprisingly I was real strong while I visited her and did not cry (I prayed for strength before going). I gave her 3 hugs before I left and will be in touch with her to visit again in about 3 weeks after we settle back from vacation.

My friend loves to stamp & send cards to her friends & family and told me she was going to take a year off from stamping because she doesn't have the energy. I could tell, because just opening the cards was zapping her energy.

When Jessie offered to send her some cards she made early in her stamping (mostly cased, she said) for my friend to have to send, I thought that was a sweet idea! You should have seen the box! I was FLOORED! They were all fantastic and if you are familiar with Jessie's awesome stamping you would not be surprised! My friend was so grateful for all the cards, but I sure saw excitement in her eyes when she realized she can still send her family & friends cards from her 'stash' So a special Thank You to Jessie for your generosity & awesome idea!

In addition to a card, Carolina made my friend one of her precious Travel Tissue Holders - she liked that a lot too.

Thank you from the botton of my heart, ladies! I am so grateful to each of you for helping make an ordinary day extraordinary extending kind your kindness & friendship to reach out to a friend of a friend. It resulted in me finding joy in the little things (that really are not little at all); realizing what a few minutes, some stamping supplies, postage & extending your heart to another really means.