My Birthday Tribute to Loll ~ SCS FS282 "Quit Yer Lollygagging!"

Today is my birthday!  Sing it with me!  No, really, today IS my birthday.  I'm at that age now where the HAPPY is really in the birthday, 'cause I'm really HAPPY to be around to have another round!

We celebrated with the kids and our dear friends Jeff and Susan on Saturday, pictures below, but first things first.

Loll Thompson is an amazing and prolific card crafter.  She has appeared over the years more than any other artist in my Binder of Inspirations.  Here is a direct link to her SCS Gallery.  Be prepared with a beverage and if you get past the first page in the gallery without your jaw on the floor, well, I can't even image how that's possible.

So it is quite exciting that Loll is the featured stamper over at Splitcoast Stampers.  In honor of Loll, other crafters are CASEing one or more of her cards.  It is HARD to pick one!  And it's intimidating to think about CASEing one in the first place and then publishing it for all the world to compare!  But it's my birthday, and filling out my big girl panties gets easier with each passing birthday!

Here is Loll's beautiful original artwork:

And here is my CASE:

You see how the flowers in her window box look neat?  And mine look all tangled, like the photo is blurry, but it's not, it's just that I added too many?  Teacher / Student.  I'm okay with that and am grateful there are card artists like Loll for me to perspire too.

Now let's talk about me.  I have one of those "slap-your-forehead" birthdays that fall on the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd of any month.  You know how you turn the calendar and see it's so-and-so's birthday and dagnabbit your card is going to be late?  It's really okay to be that so-and-so because we get to receive cards for several days AFTER our birthdays!  Mister always says I'm the only person he knows who celebrates for an entire week.  (Me, grinning.)  Included in that week, of course, here in the USA, is the 4th of July.  People always say that I must have been born a premie because I'm definitely a firecracker!

Here are a few photags from the party on Saturday.

Jeff, Susan, Dan, Rachel, Kevin (Mister/Papa)

Duke the Dog

~~~

The twins helped make birthday cupcakes for me (Bama) and Susan:

Adam, Bama, Henry, Susan

Jeff and Susan have been friends for 35 years.  I don't mean friends with each other, although that's true, too, I'm sure; I mean they have been our friends that long.  That's a gift right there!  Susan is included in the celebration because her birthday is also in July, on the 25th.

I received the coolest bracelet ever!

(A momentary aside:  The bracelet is laying on one of the old day-to-day placemats we've been using for about five years now.  Note the trendy chevron pattern!)

I also received a very cool planter full of cacti . . .

. . . which we are going to endeavor not to kill. Mister and I tend to overwater cacti, while Dan and Rachel, on the other hand, are skilled at maintaining extraordinary cacti gardens at their place. Thank you for the great party and the gifts!

Enjoy! As always, thank you for stopping by to visit. Special thanks to you if you take the time to join as a follower or leave a comment!

Paper:  PTI rustic cream; SU violet
Stamps:  Leaves from Rubber Stamp Tapestry
  Flowers, SU Pocket Silhouettes; sentiment,
  SU Party This Way; W R M Botanicals 42035-4
Ink:  SU crumb cake, Marvy old olive, violet,
  and lavender
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