More BRAKs and "a Major Award!"*

Here are some more fun cards I was surprised with on Friday, I love a birthday that just lasts and lasts and lasts, don't you? This adorable, squirelly cupcake card came from Bee! Isn't that sweet?? The "eat your cupcake" directive cracks me up, like anyone has to tell me to eat it, it'd gone before they get to "...cake"! She says in France (she's French) squirrels are red! Isn't that interesting? Like little foxes I imagine, how cute!! (She finally has a pic of herself up on blog, and it's funny, she actually looks a little like my college French teacher!(who was a very pretty young lady :)
This card came from one of "my peeps", Jana! It was so fun to open it because I recognized it immediately as one I fell in love with from her blog that several weeks ago!(it photgraphed much nicer on her blog!!) I love the little rain dots she added, splish splash! Thanks, Jana, that was so sweet of you to send this one to me! :)

I've also been tagged by the Joanne , Bee, and Monika with the Arte Y Pico Award(Art & More). It is given to bloggers who share their art and creativity making their contribution to the blogging world.

Here are the rules:
1. You have to pick five blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also contribute to the blogging community, no matter what language.

2. Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone

3. Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and the link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself

4. Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of Arte y Pico blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award. (Now that is a very interesting site! I don't speak Spanish or crochet, so I probably won't be visiting often, but I did think this little project was cute!!:)

Five people I pass the award on to: I haven't decided yet!! You hear a lot about many of the same people here I've come to know and love through blogging and this award has been passed to all of them already I think! I wish I had more time to browse blogs (which is always disappointing because there is SO much out there to enjoy!), but I do like to peek in at who's been over here and I always find a new treasure! SO I'll be back with a list of some blogs I haven't mentioned before for you to enjoy/discover!

...Which leads me to a QUOTE OF THE DAY (from a book I will be sharing more with you later):

"Prizes mean nothing to me. My work is my prize." ~Katherine Hepburn

I learn a lot from this book! Now personally I LOVE prizes, they really give me a boost! It always feels SO GOOD to be recognized, and affirmed, and get some little extra goodies in the process for a job well done!! And it feels good to give them, too!! BUT I like being reminded by this quote that work that you love and have put your best efforts into should be not be diminished in any way by the awards and praise you DON'T receive for them. It's still your work. It still rocks! (Maybe it was easy for her to say since she got LOADS of prizes and accolades, but I believe this feisty lady really had her eye on a "bigger prize": the satisfaction she got at the end of every day from the job with which she had challenged herself.) If you share your work, self and creativity with others by blogging, you should feel really great about that. And you deserve this award!! Please link your blog in the comments section for us to explore and enjoy! :)

Have a blessed Sunday everybody!

*I just cracked up when I visited Linsey's blog for one of the first times and saw her announcing she'd won "a Major Award!" "Christmas Story" is just a classic to quote year round!! (at least, I think she meant to reference that!!)