Red and Purple butterfly

Last year, for her birthday, my coworker Irma, wanted a red bicycle. So, I made her a card with a red bicycle on it :) (I will post a picture of that in the near future...the picture is stored on my external hard drive and I am just too tired to go get it right now...ha ha.)
So, this year, I asked her what she wanted for her birthday. She said she wanted to get a red and purple butterfly tattoo. So...here's the card I made for her:

The butterfly was cut from one of my favorite cartridges Storybook. I can't remember what size I cut it at, but I cut the purple one using the Shorty/Holes cut, and the regular butterfly cut for the red one. The background paper is just a speckled paper that I got in on clearance somewhere. I wrote "Happy Birthday" with a Zig red pen.

Giveaway Friday: Crate Paper

Check out this super cute collection and enter to win!
http://create.northridgepublishing.com/giveaway-friday-crate-paper/

Smiling

I am smiling today. In 4 days I am picking my sister up from the airport with my brother! We rarely get to do anything just the three of us so this will be a treat (or a torture hee hee).

This picture is of a little balloon that the cutest red-headed little girl gave to me. It stays on my desk to help remind me that it is perfectly acceptable to smile anytime and anywhere. It is amazing how much a little smile can change things. It also reminds me of someone very special in my life who always seems to be positive and always cracking jokes about life. I'm so glad to have amazing people in my life.

I smile today also because I have one of my best friends back. Having spent time in non-contact with them, I realized I couldn't even begin to imagine my life without this person. Scary and yet amazing. So proud I am of all that he has accomplished. In pure awe and amazement I watch this person grow and inspire the people around him. I am certainly one who is inspired by him on a daily basis.

I smile as I look out the window at the snow. Sure I'd love to be somewhere warm right now but I'm not sure I could trade the beauty of winter for that right now.

I smile and laugh as I see my to-do list sitting on the box next to my bed. It is long but accomplishable.

On that note I am off to get started on the list. :)

Another long overdue update...

In keeping with my new outlook on life, I will focus on the good things...
*I have had the opportunity to make some big changes in my life and they have been wonderful so far.
*I live with two amazingly crazy people that I wouldn't trade anything for. They have welcomed me into their home and essentially into their family. They keep life real and entertaining and I am so glad to know them.
*I was lucky enough to have my company pay for me to take a class and the certification exam for professional (medical) coding. I passed the exam and am now a Certified Professional Coder.
*I am so thankful to be back in my hometown. I'm not sure that I belong here for the long haul, but I love being close to family and friends.
*I am also thankful for the amazing friends that I have made through volunteering. Friends that have become a huge part of my life and I wouldn't have it any other way.
*I am extremely excited that my sister, who got married in April and moved across the country (literally) in May, is coming home for a visit. Although she won't be accompanied by her husband, I know that she will have a blast spending time with her friends and family.
*I really am thankful for the little things...a roof over my head, a car to drive (got a new one a little over a month ago...2005 Malibu Maxx...I love it!), a job that I don't mind going to every day and have wonderful coworkers, family and friends that love me no matter what I put them or myself through, discovering new things, being able to see and hear things all around me...the little things really do matter.

Those are just a few positive things to look back on. I am so excited to have discovered things about myself and to have adapted to new things coming my way. One more big change to come early this new year (that is planned anyways) and that will be a hard one, but I am ready and I know that I have a lot of friends and family to help support me.

So...although I do have a list of goals for the new year, this is all I'm sharing right now.

Birthday card for a fisherman

This is a simple birthday card I made for one of my favorite fishermen!
I truly mean simple too:) I used paper from a stack, a package of fishing themed stickers, and 3 brads from my stash:)

Here is the outside: (the sign says "Gone Fishing")

And the envelope: