Playing Cards with Friends - November 2023

Hello friends!  Only two more sessions of Playing Cards with Friends this year! Gosh does anyone else feel like the years are just flying by??

My guest for November is someone we all know and love!  Her blog name - Three Umbrellas - caught my eye right away in my first year of blogging ... it was as if we were bound to be friends!  I have had this poster framed and hanging in my home for years - in fact it has moved and lived with me in three homes ... so far!

Have you guessed?  Yes, it is Donna Mikasa who has been inspiring me as a card maker for as long as I have been making them!  She and I had the best time as teamies on the CASE this Sketch team.  We have had a few live facetime chats, and my husband and two of my granddaughters have even gotten in on the conversations on occasion - they think she's awfully sweet, too!  

Between travel with her husband and spending time with her precious grandbabies it has taken a very long time to get her to say YES!  But she did this month and I'm thrilled about it!

Okay - ready for our assignment?  November 13th is World Kindness Day!  If you have a mind to, you can read all about how it started HERE.   Among the 5 Facts pay particular attention to #3!

I've made this an 'anything goes' assignment but one to show appreciation to someone who has been particularly kind to us, or someone we know.  As I thought on that, Donna's kindness surely fits the bill!  She quite often sends cards and gifts - spoils me rotten is what she does!  I admire her for the kindness she spreads across our community, too!

My card features one such gifts sent as an 'early birthday gift!'  TOO generous my friend, but I just loved using this Tropical Vibes kit for my card today!  Ready?  Here she is:

Isn't it lovely?  This could easily be a Christmas card for someone who is

lucky enough to live on an island - hmmm why didn't I think of that earlier? lol

Here's a closeup of all that gorgeous texture from the included embossing folder...

My sentiment comes from The Stamp Market's Kindness Matters set, and here

are all the lovely inks I layered for those gorgeous tropical florals... I deepened the 'throat' of the Hibiscus with a Copic marker one shade darker than the darkest ink.

Well, Donna, I hope you love my card half as much as I love you, my sweet friend!  Thanks again for this wonderful gift, and so much for your friendship, too!  I'm on my way to see what is bound to make me go OHHHH!  and bringing all my friends with me!  You'll find Donna's post right HERE!

Thank you, my friends for stopping by.  I have ONE more card session in December!

Until then, we'll have lots of cards to share among friends!

=] Michele