Saturday Surprises

No, I didn't win the 600 million dollar lottery, but this is a happy Saturday for me!  First off, I was nominated by Suzanne Russell "Beauty & Blessings Blog" for the Liebster Award--Leibster, is a German word meaning "beloved, dearest or favorite" and this award is shared only among up-and-coming bloggers who inspire you and have less than 200 followers. Once nominated, you then: 

• Acknowledge the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
• Give the award to 5 other bloggers, who have less than 200 followers and let them know through a comment on their blog.
• Post the award on your blog.

Thank you so much, Suzanne--what a boost you've given me!  Hard to pick just 5 people to nominate, but here they are:

• Debbie ( http://debbiedoescrafts.blogspot.com) She has awesome cards with dry embossing--one of my favorite things!
• Natalie ( http://www.simplysweetstamping.blogspot.com/) Truly one of the sweetest people I know & you won't believe her talent which includes making gorgeous flowers!
• Lai-Yoke ( http://walchowdesign.blogspot.com/) The first person to ask for my address to send me a card--I hadn't even realized people did that & what a thrill to get my first card & from across the world!
• Tracey ( http://inmycreativeopinion.blogspot.com/) I was so excited to get a comment from someone not on the design team who I hadn't even communicated with--& she's done it more than once.  I found her blog & love her style!
• Sue ( http://scrumplescrunch.blogspot.com/ ) A fellow nurse who is now my friend & what a talented papercrafter--she takes time to leave comments noticing details & explaining what is good about the card!

You won't be disappointed if you check out these wonderful crafters!

Secondly, I won the DeNami Color Challenge #9 (here).  This is my first time to win a DeNami Challenge, so needless to say, I'm thrilled to have my card (posted here) chosen.

I know this is a long post, so I'll close with the story behind this card.  You may know I recently resigned from the position I've had for 17 years.  Some people in my office didn't even say goodbye & yet a group of physical & occupational therapists that I worked with by phone (never met them in person) sent me a card with each of the 6 people writing a note saying how much they will miss working with me.  It made me cry & feel so thankful for good people in my life.  I used my PSA monogram stamp for the thank you card I sent to these wonderful professionals.

Thanks for visiting--I'm grateful for all of you.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend!