Surprise!

Well...it happened.

I turned 60 last weekend!

(Holy moly...I can't believe it....Me??...60??)

And guess what?!

My sweet beautiful daughter gave me a surprise party.

Me...who knows everything that happens in our household and family

Me...who nothing sneaks past.

Me...the captain of our ship...household manager...

and overseer of everything that goes on with everyone in my family...

somehow knew NOTHING about the party.

I wasn't surprised.

I was SHOCKED.

And...

everyone who was there was shocked that I was shocked..

Because apparently....there was a group consensus that given my "woman in charge" personality...

 I must have known about the party.

But I didn't.

I've got a few photos to share....

from what was one of the most wonderful days ever...

 This is the look of genuine shock...

arriving at what I thought was going to be a normal night out...
Dinner. out....for my birthday...

Just my sweetheart Gary...my daughter...and I...
But no....
I walked into the restaurant dining room...and wow...I was shocked.
Truly shocked.

What Chelsea did for me in planning this party...touched my heart
This was the first of many joy filled tearful moments for me that night.
(Happy tears of course...and tears of gratitude ...for the fact that I have kicked cancers butt 3x's...
and am here..to actually turn 60...
2 years ago at this  very time...I wasn't so sure that I wold be celebrating being 60.)
Chelsea and I could not stop hugging.
I just love her to pieces.

Oh!...Look!...A non-crying photo!
(NOTE: I cried right before this photo was taken...and right after.....gee...I was a mess!)
This is my amazing and beautiful daughter, Chelsea....the greatest gift in my life..

She planned this wonderful party from A to Z...

all on her own.
(By the way...the cake was delicious.)

I adore my little family...

There's just the 3 of us...

but we've got enough love for a family of a million.

Gary...Chelsea,..and me...
(I'm on the right...the 60 year old!...as if you did't know!)

I love this photo...
Family and friends who made this birthday amazing...

I looked around the room and thought...

Everyone that I love..all of those who fill my heart with love and joy...are right here with me.

There cannot be anything better.

There's lots of love in this photo.

Lots.

Now...it's time for me you whip up Thank You cards...

to send a love filled Thank You for all of the beautiful and generous gifts that I received.

So...for the first time in a long time...

I am creating cards....for my myself!

Today I'm sharing one of the the Thank You cards that I created 

I made  a short stack of this card...

Tomorrow I'll create a stack of another Thank you card...

and then I'll be all set.

So here's Thank You card #1

I used one of the beautiful images in Penny Black's Gentle Day stamp set.

I colored the image with Copic markers

and did some highlighting and shading with Polychromos Pencils

I used an (alcohol) blender pen to blend the pencil shading with the Copic coloring.

I love doing that...

I love the look of pencils and Copics together...blended with an alcohol marker

I created the blue inked background with Clarity Stencil brushes

The deep red and blue paper layers are both metallic card stock.

I embossed the blue layer with an Anna Griffin floral motif embossing folder

I used a Spellbinders Scalloped Die to cut out the image

and I hand cut the sentiment banner and then I matted it.

The image and banner were positioned with foam dimensionals and fun foam

(*The sentiment is from a Crafter's Companion stamp set...sorry, I can't remember the name)

I have lots of metallic card stock in lots of amazing colors...

but I have o say...'this blue is gorgeous..

It's Gorgeous Gorgeous Gorgeous.

and 

Shimmery Shimmery Shimmery

And it's extra gorgeous when embossed.

I'm very happy with the short stack of this card that I created.

It feels good to create some cards that I will actually write out and send !

Tomorrow...I'll create another stack...

and then I can send the cards out to everyone who celebrated my birthday with me.

Thanks for visiting today..

I hope that the same kind of joy that filled my heart on the day of my surprise party...

is the joy that finds YOU today..

and makes your day a wonderful one!

Michelle.