BRAKS & RAKS

Happy Hump Day!!! wow, is it really Wednesday already?! Hope you all are having a great week!! i finally got my, you know what, moving to upload some pixs... today i got some more BRAKs and RAKs to share with you from some of my FANTABULOUS friends.... this is sort of a long post... are you ready??? let's go... this here is from the "calender girl", Jenny.... Jenny, i'm not making any offenses on my nick name for you, but you really do make FABULOUS calenders!! ;D anywho, she sent me this bunch of goodies for my bday with that CUTE CUTE CUTE monkey card!! i forgot to take a pix of the inside which was creatively done, but please check out her blog for a peek! Thank you Jenny for the surprise of goodies, so SWEET of you!! my dear friend, Joy U. sent these great yummies for my bday... LOVE the CC Designs stamp (i have to put that on my list to use, hehe) along with the pretty paper pack and BEAUTIFUL bday card!! Love the sweet Belles 'n Whistles image and the hanging charm on the card!! Joy was one of the first girls i've actually got to meet in person after starting my blog and since then the friendship keeps going strong! Thank you Joy and Taelyn for the yummy yummies!!! next up is from my partner in crime, Kim Y.... hehe, jus' kidding Kim! but she is my partner in crime, with our Lollipop Crafts Challenge blog... she sent this bday gift filled with fabulous things... beautiful flowers, leaves, rhinestones, ribbon and that ADORABLE card!!! i just LOVE the monochromatic colors!! Thank you bunches Kim, i can't wait to use these goodies! 1LuvnMama out did herself with this AMAZING bday card! my fave color(s)... the earth tone with the blue is just, WOW! i love the border edges she used and the way she popped the flowers... with this card came these awesome supplies!! oh oh oh, can't wait to use them... Thank you Mama, for thinking of me and sending a fantastic bday gift!! i actually got to meet Mama in person too... she was one of a few wonderful friends that came to visit me and the lil' man in our battle of survival... Thanks for that too Mama!! Karen sent this RAK to me for a March swap.... new papers to play with and these AWESOME hanafuda magetic pin holders... the holders are great for me to pin up important notes to my filing cabinet... and she made this WONDERFUL card... ugh, the pix didn't really capture the embossing, but she used a embossing folder from SU! and added rhinestones to the middles... simple and very elegant... Thank you so much Karen for all of the goodies!! (i did order that embossing folder, hehe).... and this bunch of sweetness is from a local sister in heart, Colleen! the card on the right along with the sweet treats in the middle was a RAK for Vday... and the card on the left that i ADORE (yes, because of the monkeys) is my bday card... wondeful, wonderful gifts... oh, i don't have a pix but she sent me my bday present waaaaaaay before my bday.... and that was a HUGE surprise... Thank you my dear Colleen for my CINCH!!! i'm loving it, even though i haven't used it much i am planning to for mother's day gifts!!

i am very fortunate to have ALL of these ladies in my life... their surprises, friendship, love and endless support holds a place in my heart... they all play important parts of who i am as a crafter, as a person, as a mother and as a friend... THANK YOU ALL OF YOU!!! Please check out their blogs and give them some LOVE... their creations are FANTASTIC and will never disappoint you... hey, you just might learn something from them.... =D

this has been a long enough post... Thank you for sharing this time with me and checking out all the new goodies i can play with!! come back tomorrow to see what's hoppin'!!

RAKs, BRAKs, and just because....

Oh my YONKERS!!! this was suppose to go up on Friday, but of course when i thought i was up on top, i fell right back down again!! things are better in my hood, and it should be smooth sailing from here... or atleast i hope! haha!

Well, Happy Sunday Friends!! Hope you all are enjoying the weekend... and for those of you on spring break, wow, it's the last day already... how time is flying right past us huh.... i got some goodies to share with you from my bday and just because... pictures are smaller than normal , but you can always click it to enlarge... so let's get going... and be warned, it's a long post...

This one here is a sister swap from Karen... I partnered with her last month and she sent me this beautiful card that she made and this cute little HK magnetic pin holder! Love it both and i was able to case the pin holder, without the HK though.... Thank you Karen for the beautiful card and lovely HK! visit her blog for more of her wonderful creations...
Also, she surprised me with this RAK too... it came after our swap as a "thank you"... cute sushi embellie stickers and pretty die cuts! Thank you again Karen for the wonderful goodies! isn't this just the cutest?? this little kitty was given to me by my kiddies for my bday.... and tucked around his neck is a beautiful birthstone pendant!! Lovely! DD1 chose the necklace and DD2 chose the kitty! so much meaning behind this gift! i LOVE my kiddies!!!!
i wouldn't normally do this, cause i hate my feet, LOL, but i had to show you one of the gifts from my hubby!! he sent me with my bestie to have pedis on my bday... and as a present from my nail tech, she blinged out all of my toes... LOL... might not be able to see it but she added rhinestones to every toe and gave it a little deco... her work is fantastic!! this isn't the only thing hubby gave me.... he also purchased my copic refills and some other knick-knacks and took me to an "ONO" dinner at Outback!! Thank you hubby for a wonderful day!
the pix above and below is a BRAK from the talented Brenda.... who is the punch queen and now i have to say Cricut queen! she sent a bunch of goodies, that i admit, i'll probably hoard, LOL... all the cutie critters and the sand castle card in the middle was made with her cricut... too cute right?! and the 2 build-a-bear goodies was made using her BAB dies... the bumble bee themed creation is a photo album and the other one is a notepad... yah i'll more than likely leave it in it's plastic bag and use for display only! hehe! Thank you so much Brenda for all of the beautiful creations!! check out her latest creations by visiting her blog!
oh, and this is the inside of the card she sent.... LOVE IT!!!
and this here is from Amy Y. she really surprised me with this one... she snuck it in the bag of the yummy blog candy that i won from her newest release... (i will share that another day)... the image you see here is one of her creations too... LOVE the sassy pose of the fairy, don't you? the card is beautiful, and very spring and warm feeling!! Thank you Amy for helping me celebrate!! for more sneak peeks of her newly or upcoming images, or just to see her awesome creations, hop on to her blog!

okie dokie... thank you so much for visiting with me today! hope you enjoyed my sharings as much as i was head over heels to receive such fabulous gifts!! don't forget my surprise birthday candy ends tonight at midnight... link is above to go to that post... and come back tomorrow for the winner and also for a new challenge at Lollipop Crafts!

March OCS and more lovely BRAKs

It's Monday!!! and boy am i super tired from all the excitement and thrills yesterday! it was a long day indeed and i was falling asleep by 9pm after all the clean up and motherly duties... i think another day of sleep would do me justice... LOL... Hope you all had a WONDERFUL Easter!!! Thank you to all that sent Easter wishes our way... please know that we think of all of you often and keep you near and dear to our hearts...

my sharings here are long overdue... so let's check out these goodies today...

Teri is the hostess of this awesome card swap that she calls "one card swap (OCS)" every month... she pairs the players up with different crafters each month and we trade card... it brings new ideas and new friends and it's all about having fun... check out her blog often as she has the open calls each month for the next month's pairing... and hey, if you're already a player, isn't it just fabulous?!
my partner for the month of March was Enjoli.... when i saw that i was paired with her, i told myself, Oh no what am i going to make for her?? check out her blog... her creations are beautiful and detailed... i was super nervous to be swapping with her... she sent me this beautiful Easter tent card!! isn't she lovely?!? love the spring colors... we also found out that we have a lot more in common than we think... and the number one, we both LOVE TGF stamps!! Thank you Enjoli for this wonderful card!!!
Enjoli also sent over this cute cute BRAK... OMGosh, it's so cute!!! look at Mommy Anya... doesn't she look fabulous?!
here's a side view.... she used this cute mailbox and decorated it for the perfect gift giving idea... on the flag she put Mommy with some hanging charms....
these are the goodies that were waiting in the mailbox... ribbon, glitters, stickles, clear stars and 2 lovely CC Design stamps... i just LOVE those pixies... Thank you soooo much Enjoli for your kind birthday gift!!! Love it all!!
my dear friend, Berenice, whom i met in the beginning of my blogging journey, sent this lovely BRAK all the wat from Mexico City! she knows i LOVE HK and sent me this booklet of stickers... and all these goodies... and that cute altered card you see pictured is full of sparkle and shine... it's beautiful! she also sent some postcards of the city, which i have hanigng on my cork board... would love to come and visit you someday GF!! Thank you very much for my wonderful birthday gift!!!
this next one is from my super duper kind friend Colleen... a bunch of things i LOVE... a new HK die (omgosh, i didn't have this one) and one of the cheeky girls from TGF (yippee now i'm only missing one) smirk stamps and a bunch of playful embellies... Thank you Colleen for all the greatness you've sent my way!!!

well, my craft room is still a mess... the weekend flew by so fast, i didn't really have time to clean up... so i still have things here and there and a load of Easter extras lying around from the last minute putting baskets together... i've been avoiding stepping foot in there... seeing the mess makes me feel even more tired... LOL... but it has to be done... and soon! Thanks for always coming by and spending a few moments reading my sharings and ramblings... i hope you enjoy your time here... will be back soon with some cards... yes, i made some... LOL! Have a fabulous day and a fantastic week!!!

Curiosity and a BRAK!

Hello All!!! for most of you in Hawaii, tomorrow is a state holiday, which means today is your Friday!!! woohooo!!! unfortunately, i won't have the day off.... but it's okay, because that means work will be quiet and slow... or i can hope right?! hehehe!

so i had some questions on my project yesterday... what is a book/holder???? well, for those of you that were waiting for my answer, i'm showing you what it looks like inside today......

going back to what 1LuvnMama created for my bday, i got the inspiration from her... Thanks sweetie!! so here's a pix of what the front looks like....

and here's the mystery... when you open the "cover", this is what the inside looks like.... fabulous right?! a pouch to hold some yummies... on my project, i did a double pouch... so it's a little bigger than this one with a pouch on both sides....

here's a tiny pix of the sideview when it's closed.... hope this helps you envision the similarities of my creation.... and thanks for your curiosity!!!!

received some BRAKs in the mail the last 2 days... and this one is from my sweet GF Joni H.... Thank you Joni for the birthday goodies!!! i LOVE the pretty card and new supplies to play with!!! Thank you for always thinking of me!!!

i had another one to share with you, but it will have to wait.... it's funny that this week, a lot of my friends are having issues with their cameras.... i guess i started the fad after misplacing mine... LOL... and then the turn came back to me again.... while taking some pictures last night, my battery died.... boohooo! so i couldn't snap some shots of the other BRAK!!! i have a fairly old camera that still uses batteries, and hello, couldn't find any in the house last night.... so i'll be paying a trip to the store to get some either today or tomorrow... and then, i spied the DH online yesterday looking for another camera... is Santa going to grant my wish this year?!?!?! ooh! i hope so... LOL... so i'll be a little later sharing the BRAK with you... well, thanks friends for sharing a moment with me today... i hope you all have a BEAUTIFUL day!!!

Case of my mssing camera! LOL

Is it Tuesday already?! OMGosh how time is flying by.... well i did find my camera... as predicted, under mounds of junk mail in my basket... now who would hide it there??? LOL, ah, atleast i found it... that's the main thing....

well i hope you all had a wonderful weekend... i must say, mine wasn't the best... after a few stressful days at work last week, i was looking forward to the weekend only to tell myself, i rather be at work right now... yah, that bad... but i did receive some happy mail which turned my gray skies blue.... and i so want to share it with you... =D

i was super lucky to win one of Michelle's blog candies that she's offering this month... and this is all the sweetness that i got... new stamps, some stickers and chipboards... plus a gift certificate to Tamiko's... (please excuse my messy desk in the background, it was late so i didn't take the pix outside)... Thank you so much Michelle for having me as one of your winners!!! very grateful for all of this...

1LuvnMama sent over this cute bunch of BRAKs for my birthday!! look at how cute that card is... and above, with the Swiss Pixie, is the holder that carried all of these goodies... Mama, i had to case your holder... and when you see it, i hope i do you proud! hehe! Thank you so much GF for the wonderful BRAK!!! i love it!!!

and here's another BRAK from my darling friend Lisa G.... she sent over this cute card with Cheeky Shooter on it... perfect combo with her DP and flowers.... also sent a template kit for cards and tags... oh, can't wait to play with those... and some sweetness for the DDs too!!! but i think Mommy will have to borrow their stamps... =D do you think they'll let me?! LOL!

Thank you girls for the surprises of gifts and for thinking of me and my birthday!!! i'm overjoyed with such awesome friends!!!

that's all i have for you today... be back with some DT cards tomorrow, so be sure to come and check out the challenges... i wish you all the best of today!!! have a blessed crafting day!!!

Cake and BRAKs... YUMMM!!!

I'm still stuffed from the yummy cake last night... and i'm even more stuffed with the mounds of goodies i've received from some darling sweet friends!!! beware, this post has lots of pictures... and a little something that just might boost your sweet spot... =D said i was going to share my cake with you, so here it is....
had to take a pix of the cake in the box... it's so tall that the box can't even close... LOL... the baker had to make shift the top flap so that it could atleast be covered... with a little clear wrap on the front...
this yummy is about 4 inches high by 9 inches wide... the ruler proves the height.... LOL... the top is covered with a light blend of haupia (coconut) filling swirled with guava and passion fruit filling...
here's the half of the cake that we did not touch... lucious tropical blends... the bottom (pink) layer is guava cake with a whipped guava filling... a touch of tart when you bite into this layer... the next layer is passion fruit flavored cake with a whipped passion fruit filling... little bit tart, little bit sweet... the 3rd layer is cocunt cake with a whipped coconut filling and on top of that another layer of cake... it was then covered with a nice light touch of cool whip as frosting... mmmmm.... it was so yummmmy!!! we don't get this all the time because it's so huge and we can't finish it all... but this is on top list for special occasions.... i'm sure there are different variations of this sweet treat as well as different names for it too... but this one here is by far, the best on Maui....
a gift, a gift... from my sweet GF Michelle U.... OMGosh how darling CUTE is this matching bag and card....
this is the goodies she had stuffed inside the bag... can't really see it in the picture, but she had stuffed some pretty HK charms inside too.... wow-wee!!! Thank you very much Michelle for thinking of me on my birthday!!!
another fabulous GF, Brenda, sent this pack of goodies.... isn't that cupcake just the yummiest.... she sent more paper for me to play with along with some flowers, ribbon and click its... she also made a cute cute little bag that was filled with candies... it's not pictured because i couldn't find... i think the DDs swooped it away.... it's no where to be found... Thank you Brenda, for the yummy birthday goodies!!!
OMGoodness! i now have a Amy Y. exclusive sweet November stamp!! WOW!!! Amy Y. sent all these goodies over in celebration of my birthday... yummy yummies! pretty paper (to go with the paper Brenda sent =D) ribbon, stamps and that wonderful card with her altered Creey Cake girl!!! Love it!! Thank you Amy, for thinking of me on my birthday!!
Joy U., my sweet GF that i got to meet last year with Michelle U. sent this mountain of sweetness for my bday too... haha, and look, she kept most of these fantastic goodies in my fave color... hehe!! uh-oh Joy, i think you're gonna get me started on collecting these cute Hero Arts stamps... =D she also sent one of her cute mini desk organizers with a mini pen and post it notes... just darling.... can you see the charm on the card?! it added to the beauty... Thank you Joy and Taelyn for the sweetness in this gift!!!
and here, my awesome GF Kim Y. surprised me with all these yummy new supplies... yippee! she knows how much i LOVE Maya from La-La land crafts... i was so surprised to see Maya in the mounds of goodies here... she sent Maya along with Rosie and Lala, some ribbon and flowers... in this cute matching bag and card set... i think i'll have to start a container for my collection of Lala stamps.. =D Thank you Kim, for all the sweetness and blessings you've sent!!!
and last but not least, Kim also sent this gorgeous bracelet for DD#1... in her favorite color... DD#1 loves her bracelets and her eyes lit up when i told her this was for her... the smile on her face was enough to make my heart melt... Thank you Aunty Kim for the lovely gift!!!

phew, did you stick with me until the end??? Thank you very very much to my lovely friends, for all your gifts of kindness... i really have to clean up my craft space now, so i can start playing with these goodies... you all touched my heart with the thoughfulness you all have shown... and i THANK YOU for being apart of my life and for being such AWESOME friends!!! Thank you to all of you who sent birthday wishes yesterday!!! please know that you all put an extra smile on my face and made the day even more special!!! i am truly blessed with great friends!!! Thank you for spending a part of your day with me today... i wish you all nothing but the best! Thank you again and again!!! Loving always, Kris