Ring and Run

I live in a great neighborhood. Mostly adult couples with a few smatterings of children, but mostly grown-ups. Right next door to the west lives Michael. He's just about the best neighbor anyone could ever have. You should see his yard...nearly perfect lawn, and gorgeous flower beds with a beautiful variety of Spring to Fall bloomers. He gives me a hand with some of my yard projects, okay...it was all his doing, trimming the low-hanging and dead branches from the evergreen tree in the front, but I pulled them, piled them, helped to cut them down to size, and bagged them. We laughed and talked the whole time. The two of us often laugh and talk over the split-rail fence between our backyards. So yesterday my friend Mary and I went for a walk along the Lake, and when we were done, we decided to sit on our front steps and visit. We got to talking about Michael, and I got this brilliant idea to play a prank on him. Mary laughed and said I was naughty. True, but I convinced her to come with me and hide behind his Jeep while I did a ring and run. So I tiptoe over and push his doorbell about 10 times and hightail it back to the Jeep. Nothing. We wait a few more seconds, still nothing. I figured the doorbell wasn't working, so I sneak back and pound on the door. And run. I make it to the Jeep and Mary and I couldn't stop laughing. He comes to the door in his stocking feet holding a wine glass. And we laugh even louder. Michael said he knew right away who had done it as soon as no one was at his door! Then the three of us visited in his driveway for about a half hour. I hope your neighbors and your neighborhood are as wonderful as mine. Sometime soon, Michael, me and DH, and the neighbors to the east, Tom and Martha, are going to have appetizers and drinky-poohs on the patio and spend a summer evening just being neighbors. Wanna join us?!

Now to the cards...I actually have a couple of those made. First up is one I've made for The Card Concept 38, with this as an inspiration photo...dreamy...

And it's also going to play along at Uniko, where the theme is Anything Goes with the optional twist of a Masculine card. Mine has no twist, unless you count the grays as 'manly,' lol. 

All the papers, except the Michaels white base, are scraps! Yippee!!! Even the large yellow cardstock panel. For the polkie dots, I used my newish, but NBUS AE Finished Frames die; love that die since it was first released. But the NBUS are the stamps from Verve which I won from the CLBH (thanks Amy!!!). Stamped with black Versafine and ME Smoke. A few gray sequins, *sigh*, and that's it. A bit of a happy card, if you ask me.

Next up is a card I'm popping into a couple of places, and it honors fellow BABE, Kim Heggins from Cupcakes, Cards and Kim. Every now and then, I want to CASE a friend's card, and put it into my BTYB page. You can click on the tab at the top and see a few more, and I will try to get more of you special people in there as time allows. And being retired, you'd think I'd have all the time in the world to do that, but I feel like I'm busier now than I was when I was working. Go figure... Anyway....Miss Kim is one amazing person, and an incredible card maker. She's on several DTs, and did you know she sews? Her craft room is something to behold, decorated with The Mouse and Lucy. I had the privilege of spending an entire week with her at the Lake House, and let me tell you, a sweeter, more gentle person you'll never meet. I just think the world of Kim. You will too. Go visit her blog, you'll see exactly what I mean! 

The card that honors Kim will also go and play at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge, where it's anything goes. There's still lots of time to play, so I encourage you all to join me in the gallery there.  First I'll show you Kim's card, which I CASEd:

Extra-extra special, don't you think? And my card looks like this:

Michaels white for everything. RC flower stamps and dies. NBUS Verve sentiment (LOVE that font!). Fancy Pants sequin mix. AE Finished Frame die. WPlus9 Circle die. And a scrap of ribbon. Nothing more fun than a shaker card, is there?! And since I've kept you here, reading and reading, I'll shut up now. Have a great weekend and happy dances everyone!