Party on Girls!

There's nothing like good friends, but good girl friends, well, they're priceless!  One of my best friends is having a birthday tomorrow (won't tell you how old!) and I'm so excited to be able to celebrate it with her.  She's been with me my entire life and while I've been a pain in the ---, she has always loved me unconditionally.  She gave up part of her spotlight when I came along, slapped my bottle in my face when she was asked to give it to me before she went outside to play,and helped keep me in bed while we were waiting for Santa Clause.  She would roll her eyes at me when I would make a fort out of sheets in our bedroom, and just look at me with that "what in the world is she doing with her Barbie doll?" look on her face when I would swing that doll around by her black pony tail and let her go flying across the room dressed in her airline stewardess outfit and when she landed, I would come up with some exotic place like Paris, France or London, England that she had been flown to from our little house in West Virginia.  Of course, her blond Barbie was dressed very properly in her nurse's outfit while taking care of the sick and needy at home.  Me, I was having a margarita and she was passing out shots, and not of liquor! She took me to my first concerts:  Three Dog Night, The Fifth Dimension, and John Denver. She has always been interested in what I was doing, even if she didn't understand what all the things I did in the navy stood for or meant.  When I would come home on leave, we would go make up and clothes shopping, and spend as much time together as we could.   

My sister, Jonalea, is a gift to me from God.  He had the foresight to know I would need her undying love and support throughout my life.  She's always been my biggest supporter and cheerleader and has encouraged me to take chances and take advantage of every opportunity that came my way. When my life wasn't in a happy place, she asked me what could I always count on, what was the core of my life, where did my strength come from, and I immediately responded, "family".  If there is one thing I would ever wish on every person, it's that they have a sister like mine.  She's a blessed woman and I thank God every day for being gracious enough to give me a gift I don't deserve, my precious sister.  Jonalea, I love you and I know I don't tell or show you often enough how fortunate, honored, and humbled I am to call you sister.

One thing about my big sis is she loves to celebrate occasions and milestones in life, but she usually is the one doing all the planning.  Her husband planned and pulled off a surprise birthday party for her on her big day and we all got to celebrate her.  She has such a zest for life and such wonderful friends that when I saw Party Girls from Art Impressions, I had to use them for Jonalea's birthday card.  Here's my take on Party Girls:

I love the bright colors and used my copics on these Party Hearty girls and added tons of Stickles to the gals tops, pants, and confetti, and put some Diamond Glaze on the balloons to make them shine.  I love the DCWV Pocketful of Posies paper and my Coordination paper.  The ribbon and diamonds are from my small stash that I've kept. Here's a closeup of these gleeful babes out celebrating:

The embossing on the papers was done with a cuttlebug folder, and I distressed the edges with my Close to My Heart distressing tool.  And a glimpse of the inside:

I wrote on the inside "Celebrate" because I think it's important to celebrate the important people in your life.  Today, Jonalea, my dear, sweet, precious sister, I celebrate you!  Enjoy!