Exciting News & New Twin Boys and

My exciting news.............................some of you already know this but I had to kind of keep my mouth shut til now....but our daughter is 20 weeks pregnant!!!!! I AM GOING TO BE A GRANNY!!!! She has had a very rough and difficult time up til now (emotionally and physically poor girl) but is thankfully feeling a lot better.  She was hospitalised twice due to sickness and they were worried it was ectopic at the very start.  Lynne had her 20 week scan this week and tho baby played up and she has to go back again on Monday for them to see the head fully, everything is perfect.  We are all delighted for her and Michael and they are going to start looking for a flat in the New Year.  Her nursing studies will be put on hold for a year even tho she is on secondment from work so that is good news too.  I will try to upload a scan pic on Monday so that you can all see my gorgeous grandchild!!

Neil (our son) has a pair of friends who are both in the same profession (Police Force) and they had twin boys yesterday.  Both very healthy weights and all doing well.

But here is the card I made for Neil...

Aren't they adorable - I got the stamp from The Range - no name on it all at so sorry there:(

Not entering any more challenges til the New Year but just wanted to share it with you - so fed up seeing Christmas cards on DC site now :(.

Happy Crafting folks!

Update

Blogging friends,

I have been having trouble commenting this last few days and also uploading but I am back now. Cleared all my cookies (no change) then unchecked the 'keep me signed in' box on the sign in page of blogger just to see what happened - hey presto I can comment on all blogs including drop down forms and pop up forms!!

I had a follow up appt at The Royal Free at 9am today Scar looks good and healed (now sits nicely in amongst my turkey neck creases), 100% movement in my neck tho I still have muscle spasms on a daily basis and full feeling back in my two fingers.  I have to go back on my Amitryptilene for another few months and try to cut the dose down very slowly (did get off them but my neck spasmed and I could not bear the pain) but spent hours in the bath trying to ease the pain.  Wanted to stay off them but hey ho he knows best - at least I am off those darned Tramadol fro good now - honestly if any of you ever gert offered them for anything DO NOT TAKE THEM - they are so addictive and so darned hard to get off.

Anyway, I am back in blogland hopefully so I will be paying you all a visit over the next few days. No card at the mo but in the middle of making a thank you card for Lynne to give to the OPD where she has been doing her first placement at Uni. They have made her feel part of the team and she has learnt and done such a lot in those four weeks!  So proud of her - I shouldn't tell you this but her doc thinks she has Pelvic Imflammatory Disease and she is really struggling healthwise at the mo - she had treatment for CIN3 a year or two back too so she is worried sick.  Any advice girls?

May be back later with a card for you but need to get to shops in a mo (once this torrential rain and thunder and lightening stops yea?) to get some milk.

Happy crafting!

Wonderful family news!

My beautiful daughter Lynne and her boyfriend Michael got engaged last night - we are all so chuffed for them both as they have had a rough year or so - Lynne has been poorly on and off and Michael had a work-related accident which kept him off work for a couple of months. 

But now things are looking up - they are engaged and Lynne starts at University of Hertfordshire on Monday doing an Enhanced Diploma in Adult Nursing!  Will post a pic of them soon!

Such a happy Mummy and Daddy tonight!!
 

Our Christmas Cards 2010 and a Secret!

 

Well folks ~ here goes our Christmas cards for this year.  I have been working on them on and off over the last few weeks but wanted to wait til I had finished before I posted them all together.  I got the idea for them in October's issue of Cardmaking & Papercraft where the fabulously talented Karen Watson displayed her stunning cards.  Although I love hers to bits I didn't want to steal her ideas totally so this is my take on them - some bit simpler than Karen's but I think just as effective.  Some people have seen them and said 'Yuk they are horrid'  but others have said 'they are stunningly different' so I desperately need your comments on these in case I have to start again........I SO wanted something a bit different this year as I am so fed up of seeing cards with nothing but funny or silly childish images.  Although I am not that religious, I DO think that these cards show what Christmas really is about (or should be).

The stamps were bought online from Time To Sow  from their Words Like Honey Range. I so enjoyed embossing them all with different colours of Meltdust - Platinum, Copper & Bronze.  All the solid backing papers are from Papermill Shop and are all textured in a small way; the lighter coloured pearlised card has Seasons Gretings on it and the stamps were stamped onto prealised ivory paper.  All the papers/card were slightly distressed around the edges - some much more obvious than others in particular the red with black.  I added pearlised embroidery thread to them all in a random fashion.

Now on to my secret........................well..................... you will need to keep checking back for this until I can let you in on it but it will excite you as much as it has excited me I am sure!!

Happy Memories of My Dad

It is 10 years on 17th November since I lost my dear Dad to a massive heart attack and to commemmorate the day I have made this Memory Book to give to Mam. I am going home to spend the week with her as she took his death very bad and has never come to terms with it. I have a younger sister who lives locally but she is useless, an older sister who is estranged from all the family and a dear brother who lives in The Netherlands so I want to be there myself to help Mam thru this horrid time of the year. It will also be a thank you visit as she was a rock for me when I had Ovarian Cancer last year and came down to 'look after' us all - I love her to bits as most of you will know. Back to the memory book ~ using a chipboard book I bought for this purpose many months in advance from The Blueberry Barn, I covered the pages with 6 different backing papers from Funky Hand Colour Me Happy CD, and added a hammered card (edged with Distress Ink) margin for added strength. Adding lots of pics of Dad at various stages in his life, I decorated the pages with various things - Sizzix photo corners in various papers and card; Cardstock Father Stickers from BoBunny; brass coloured brads; Ribbons in royal blue, beige, pale blue & navy with stitching, navy & white striped; brown hemp; pearls; cream rub-on letters; yellow paper daffodils and a lush pale blue rose and some computer-generated sentiments.

I added a 2-sided tag which I made from the tag on a pair of jeans that can be tucked in the pocket on the inside of the front cover.

Pics include some of Dad on his own - one when he was in the RAF regiment and the other when he was celebrating something (lots of Guinness glasses on the table!)........

.............. pics of him and Mam on their wedding day, on various holidays throughout their married life and at Graham and I's wedding in 1999.....................

.....................of him always being surrounded by kids (as an uncle to many) and as a dear Dad to my oldest sister (who is now estranged) and my brother ..............................

.........................to me and also my younger sister; then as a darling Granda to Jennifer, Susan & Tracey................

.....................then to Mandy, Mark & Michelle.......................then to my two, Neil & Lynne.............

and finally to Natalie & Daniel.

This book took me some time to make as I had everything ready but simply could not put it all together - I am sure some of you will be able to relate to that feeling I had and, although it will be 10 years since his passing, I feel he is with us everything second on every day in some way.

Its not been easy but I am entering this into 2 challenges :~
Sentimental Sunday's Tag It and

Get Funky's Take 5.

If Mams were flowers.......

I know we all love our Mams to bits but I love telling my Mam as often as I can - I do this by sending her cards that express how I feel as she lives 600 miles north of us. It is very hard for both of us being apart but it is now coming up to the timeof the year that she hates - my Dad passed away on Nov 16th 2000 - and she still finds this time very hard. Becasue it will be 10 yearrs this year I am going up to spend a week with her but meanwhile am sending this card too.

It is for 3 challenges -
Mami Doodles Sketch;
Digistamp Boutique and
Crafty Cardmakers Clean and Simples.

Using MamiDoodles sketch, I stamped the DSB image and coloured with Promarkers then mounted it on green card and added flowers and sentiment.

Ingredients:~

Freebie image form DSB coloured with PMs~

Flower ~ Blossom, Dusky Rose & Coral;

Vase ~ Cinnamon, Caramel & Sandstone;

Leaves ~ Meadow Green, Apple & Forest Green.

Flowers from stash and sentiment made on PC using Scriptina Font.

I am back off me hols!

Hi everyone,
Well I am finally back here after our 10 days away - we went to Glasgow first for a couple of days then travelled up to see my Mam in Elgin for a week, then stopped off in Kendal on the way home for a night.
It was a very emotional time for me as this was my first time home since my cancer op. Seeing people I haven't seen was very hard as some of them have a strange reaction to the word CANCER. Weird - what is the point of hiding from it because in reality it can visit us all. It just paid me a visit but I feel stronger now that my first visit home is over - there were a lot of tears etc but I have moved on from that stage and I found it very hard to deal with hence me not being on here til now. My head has been all over the place but Graham and I went out today and we talked deeply for a long time and I feel better now. But my damned neck is causing heaps of pain right now.
I have also been taking part in a 6 week cancer online course and have managed to off load a lot of my mixed emotions on there.
I hope you are all well and enjoying this lovely summer we are having.....he he...
I have two cards to post but not uploaded them from camera yet so please be patient. Be along very soon,
Sheila X

Health Update

Please accept my apologies for not posting and, worse than that, not commenting over the last few days - I have been in a lot of pain with my neck. But first of all I must tell you about the help I am getting for my Cancer recovery - it has not been an easy journey for me and my GP feels that I need some counselling so she told me about The Cherry Lodge Cancer Centre in a nearby borough of London.

I visited 2 weeks ago and spoke with the fabulous Fiona (Macmillan nurse) who told me all about the centre and what it can offer me. I was unsure if it was suitable for me but I went along to their Drop In morning yesterday and was taken aback with the amount of peeps who were there - roughly 20 men and about 35 women! I chatted with lots of the women and now feel this is right for me. They offer free to members many alternative therapies and I had a taster Reflexology session which I thoroughly enjoyed. It will help me to talk about my Cancer (which is now gone - forever I hope) and knowing that other women are going thru what I went thru in Oct 2009, will aid my total recovery. I have been an emotional wreck over the last few months although I have disguised it very well!! Typical of me! So you will now be able to follow my journey there too.

If any of you lovely followers are going thru this I would love to know how you are coping mentally with your diagnosis.

Onto my neck now - I had a CT guided Steroid Injection yesterday afternoon thru the side of my neck to my nerve endings in C6. It was very painful even tho I had a local anaesthetic! But so far it appears to be helping - he did say it may take a few days to work but at the moment I have to say I am getting SOME relief! I am feeling positive that I will not need a disc replacement op but it may have to be carried out in the future! Yikes!

I promise I will do some commenting over the next few days and I am going to post the 2 cards I have managed to make today in a bit.

New Manga Stamp

Well well, what an afternoon I have had. My 24 year old daughter has just tested positive for Glandular Fever after having blood tests done on Tuesday. I knew there was more to her illness than tonsilittis. She has to call our GP tomorrow morning to get some advice about it regarding work etc.

So I hurriedly made up this card for her to cheer her up - it is her 25th Bday on 7th June so this could not have happened at a worse time for her. We were planning a BBQ on Sat for her but may need to rethink plans now. Thing is we have all been in contact with her over the last couple of weeks anyway so if we are going to get it too we will already have it if you follow me.

If any of you fab people who visit my blog would like to send her a card to cheer her up please contact me and I will send you our address.

This card as well as being for Lynne is also going into 2 challenges ~ The Sugar Bowl No 36 'Pink, Black & White' and Charisma Cardz No 22 ' Flowers'.

http://charismacardz.blogspot.com/2010/06/challenge-22-flowers.html

Ingredients:~

Backing paper freebie from a mag months ago - floral and striped matted and layered onto black from my stash;

Image is 'Cheerleader' from Sugar Nellie (a prize that I won in a recent challenge) coloured with PMs ~

Shale, Cinnamon & Caramel for hair; Dusky Rose & Blossom for clothing; Black, Cool Grey 5 & 4 for pom poms and shoes and Ivory, Blush & Dusky Pink for her skin.

Pringle for 2 challenges

This card is killing 3 birds with one stone so to speak - it is for my darling Graham for Father's Day; for Catch the Bug Male Challenge and for Passion for Promarkers Anniversary Challenge.

Using card and paper from my stash, I followed Tammy's sketch by embossing beige cardstock with my Sizzix Argyle Folder, cut pearlised paper with my Xcut border punch and added a ribbon and sentiment. The image is Pringle from Sugar Nellie and is coloured with my PMs ~ Cornflower, Pastel Blue, China Blue, Henna, Cinnamon, Caramel and outlined with Cool Grey 1.

I apologise for the state of the close up - think I may need to chum up Graham to see if he will let me used his fancy Nikon camera that usually only comes out for holidays!

Off to the doc just now for my blood results but will be back on later today hopefully!

Card for my Brother!

This one is for my big brother
who loves in The Netherlands. He went out there to do 12 weeks work 12 years ago and has never come back.

He has now set himself up in the building business and I wanted him to know that we all wish him the very best of luck in his new venture. Just hope he remembers me when he is a millionaire!!


I used a Bugaboo Freebie and coloured it in with my PMs, crimped some black paper (loving my crimper!!) and layered image onto another freebie (this time I think it is from Polka Doodles Bday Freebie!). Sentiment was done on PC again layered onto crimped black paper from stash.

I kept the card fairly plain as I do not think Robbie
is into ribbons and bows etc!!

Sure he will love it!

Miss You Mum

I made this special card for my dear old Mam who lives 600 miles away in North East Scotland. We phone each other every Sunday night and last night she said that she hadn't seen or heard from my younger sister (who lives 10 miles from her) for over a month. This really upsets me as the whole family stood over my Dad's grave 10 years ago and said we were going to look after Mam.

I know she will love this card (I try to send her on once a week).

I used my Earth Fairy Freebie from Pollycraft, coloured with my PMs, and matted and layered her on blue and orange paper from stash then stuck it all down on Dovecraft's Retro Floral.

I added buttons, ribbon and bows and made a sentiment on the PC.

I am entering this into Polka Doodles Something for Mum using blue/beige/orange Challenge No 20.

Look what I got in the post today!

The postie has just delivered this fab bag of candy from my friend Monika in Germany ~

included is :~

A beautiful card made by Monika

5 Bella Images

Catch A Falling Star Pollycraft stamp

Martha Stewart confetti flowers, leaves and circles

tiny flower embelishments

a pack of 3 glitters - in pink, lilac and green- all shimmery

2 gorgeous brass moons

5 brass buttons

4 beautiful wooden butterflies

4 lovely wooden flowers

4 flet daisies

6mtrs ribbon - various colours and

finally, a pink pastel fluid chalk inkpad!

Wow, how will I ever use all of this. I would like to thank her from the bottom of my heart - she is so kind. Do pop along to visit her - her work is fabulous.

Girly Creation for A Special Niece

I discovered the fab Charisma Cardz Challenge No 17 this morning so while making a special card for my dear niece who has just had a miscarriage, I tied it in with the Challenge which was to create a Girly Creation with added flowers. These I made myself in the same way as I did the other day. Loving them!

The image is one of my favourite - the lovely Lola Rose from Pink Petiicoat coloured with my Promarkers. Colours can be seen below - thought it was quicket to take pick than type them all out!! Cheeky me!


Close up of my flower! Used Pink Petticoat papers - Gingham Blossom/Cranberry and Pink and Doodle Dots Positive in Pretty Pink.

Adapted this from the normal 'mother' sentiment to suit me. I couldn't think of anything apt but know this will mean so much to Jen at this difficult time for her and her partner.

Hope you can make out the colours - that is if you are interested! Hope so.

Thanks so much for looking.

Pollycraft Challenge No 41

This card is for my daughter Lynne's 25th in June and I thought I would enter it into Pollycraft Challenge No 41 - Make Your Own Flowers!
The Image is Lola Rose from Pink Petticoat coloured with Promarkers as usual!

The backing paper is also from PP and is from the Lola's Boudoir range ~ Pretty Pink and Black Borders.

The flowers I made using my Bigshot to cut shapes from PP's Boudoir Pretty Pink Text Small and Random Dots. I inked the edges of the text ones, scrunched them all up and then made flowers alternating the papers and fixing with pink brads from Paperchase.

I just LOVE Lola Rose - in fact I love all of Pink Petticoat's range. Hope you do too........

I did take close ups of the flowers but for the moment cannot upload them to the PC for some reason. When it allows me to I will add them to this post.

Beautiful Blogger Award

Creative Coops is very generously handing this out to her followers - well for anyone that wants to express 10 interesting facts about themselves!

Well here goes mine:~

1. I got married 10 and a half years ago to my first love - we had been school sweethearts but both gone our separate ways - and met up again after 25 years. Within 3 days we knew we would spend the rest of our lives together as man and wife.

2. I am a Cancer Survivor. I had a malignant cyst 13cms in size removed from my right ovary in Oct 09 - had all my lady bits taken away at the same time just in case it had spread. It hadn't TTL!

3. I only started cardmaking in Summer 09 when I was off work with my sore neck - needed something to make my brain work. Couldn't think of giving it up now.

4. I was born with a 'strawberry' on my nose!

5. I have a 8in scar on the back of my right thigh - got from sliding down a corrugated iron sheet - encouraged by my older brother and his pals. Oops!

6. I have suffered from depression several times throught my life. Always managed to come out the other side.

7. I enjoy reading lots of different genres of books and once spoke to the famous writer Adriani Trigiani on the phone (she wrote the Big Stone Gap Trilogy and several others) - if you want to know WHY then contact me and I will tell you.....

8. I love chocolate!

9. I also love Mackie's Ice Cream!!

10. The best holiday I have ever had was to Egypt to celebrate Graham's 50th in 2008. We saw the Pyramids, the Valleys of the Kings and Queens, visited Luxor and Karnak temples, cruised up the Nile and saw poverty like I had never seen before. Jeez, we are SO lucky to have what we have in the UK.

Please feel free to 'award' yourself this prize and add your 10 interesting facts.