Would just like ......

......to wish you all a Happy New Year!!



May you all have Peace, Good Health and Happiness in the coming year.


P.S. I only just noticed that my clock is wrong....it's an hour fast..can't have set it properly!!
Will save me having to alter it in the spring which hopefully isn't to far away now....(I wish!!)

I'm still here....

....even though I haven't posted for a while. I hope everyone has had a good Christmas/Holiday season. I haven't done any crafting but I do need to get started as I have 3 family birthdays and a commissioned one in the next month. My Christmas was a quiet relaxing one....but my mind has been thrown into turmoil. The reason?....well I'll tell you. I come from a family of 5 kids and we were all split up and went into foster care at an early age.....I have no problem with that... (even though there are still a lot of unresolved issues for me)...and we all kept in touch over the years. My older sister lives not too far away from me and I was a little surprised when their Christmas card came by post..it's usually hand delivered. I haven't seen her for a while so when I took my card for them I got a real shock. My sister has had a lot of health problems..mainly inherited ones. Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis. When I saw her I nearly didn't recognise the little old lady hunched up and confined to a chair unable to stand without help. I transpires that after 2 operations on both knees, 2 hip replacements and the replacements of cataracts in both eyes she is totally housebound. One of her hip replacements had to be removed and replaced by a temporary rod until they can operate again in February at the earliest. She twisted and broke her elbow while trying to use a walking frame the hospital had provided her. To top it all her husband has sustained a back injury and is unable to work at the moment or carry my sister. My sister does have a stair lift but due to her present difficulties cannot get to it, so has to sleep on the sofa and cannot get to the upstairs bathroom. He considered giving up work to become her full time carer...but with a mortgage they just can't afford to do this. His work often takes him abroad..and so would need a carer for those times. At the cost of £8 an hour and £50 for a night carer the cost again is not feasible. So what do they do? I just feel so helpless that I can't do anything to help....and I admit I am downright terrified.....this could be me in 5 years time. At 56 she is only 16 months older than me....that vision is not a pretty one...

Almost done...

...my Christmas cards that is. I've got 2 Christmas and 1 birthday to do by the weekend for a customer. I was hoping to get them done tonight but I'm in so much pain with my back, and the painkillers are not helping one jot. I think the pain is caused by the travelling on buses....4 of them today. It was my last rheumatology appointment. A 10 minute appointment, and two and half hours to get home. As I thought, he has passed me back to my GP, and stressed that I must have another bone scan in the next year as I am losing bone density at a rather alarming rate. I did remind him that it was to be expected really as my late mother and both of my sisters are sufferers. At that he reminded me to take great care not to fall or cause undue strain on my bones as they are so vulnerable....as if I need telling....I'm wondering a bit if is the problem with my back at the moment. He couldn't give me any explanation why walking is so painful on my feet though....he put that down "possibly" to M.E. Can't win really can I?
Now I have to get the calendar and work out if I will need a prescription ordering before Christmas...the surgery is closed for 4 days and I don't want to run out of medication in the middle of Christmas. When I've done that I'm off to bed with a hot water bottle to see if that will ease the pain at all.

I'm not happy.

Besides feeling really down due to this cold/flu I have...and can't seem to shift...my second youngest son commented yesterday that due to the government clamping down on people claiming benefit I would have to start work very soon. I replied that I wish I was fit enough to work and would be there like a shot if I could. He then said....and this is the bit that really upset me..."what's wrong with you anyway..you look all right to me. If you can make cards and use the computer there's not much wrong with you...what is wrong with you anyway." Now I have got used to strangers and slight acquaintances making those sort of comments....but from my own son, I was devastated. I retorted by asking him if he would like a copy of my medical records...and I ended up walking out of the room. Today he's acting as though nothing has been said....and perhaps I'm being a tad sensitive...but his comments hurt, and they are still hurting. The upshot of all this is that I have moved all my crafting stuff upstairs to my bedroom where it will stay. It's meant moving everything round as there is even less room than downstairs..but I'm afraid I'm stubborn and wont invite any more such comments from him by pursuing my sanity saving hobby in his presence. Needless to say I haven't done any cards or participated in any of the challenges for the last few days.

Loads and loads....

.....of blog candy on offer...so grab a cuppa...get comfy and here we go.

Kadoodle... have a cowboy stamp to give away this week.
Sally ...from Bootiful Stampz is giving another stamp away
Suzanne ....has some gorgeous stamps to give away....ends Dec 14th
Julie.... has a Christmas quiz candy ...ends Dec 14th

Emma ...is celebrating being invited to join the Forever Friends DT with candy..ends Dec 15th

Kim ..has candy plus some of her own charms...ends Dec 17th

Dawny... has candy to celebrate her birthday..ends Dec 20th
Rica ..is celebrating being chosen for the Basic Grey Challenge DT...ends Dec 23rd
Jill ....is celebrating her 40th birthday on Dec 16th with some gorgeous candy...ends Dec 23rd
Karen...has mega mega mega Christmas candy!...ends Jan 1st
.....and don't forget Whiff of Joy Stamps Advent Calender give away.

Now how kind am I? ......I could have kept all that to myself and increased my chances of winning some of the gorgeous and very generous candy....Only kidding!!

Still not.....

....feeling anything like human, but I've managed 1 card for 2 challenges. I'm not really happy with it though. The first is for Friday Sketchers #31........and the second is for Stamp Something....snow something.

Backing paper from Funky Fairy....sentiment and snowflake strips cut from paper from magazine.

Image stamp from Woodware which I've water coloured and added Sakura clear glitter to the snow.

I'm a bit late ....

...but hopefully not too late. My card for this weeks ABC Challenge which was T for Three's....and SCSC #10 which is embossing. Kept it fairly simple as I have still a few more cards to do....a few Christmas and a couple of birthdays.
I've dry embossed 3 baubles on to champagne pearl card....mounted them onto a silk red card and then onto plain white card stock which I've also embossed around the edges. The sentiment is stamped with wetlook marvy red then heat embossed....it looks a lot shinier in real life. Finished it off with 3 red gems.

How chuffed am I????

The answer to that one is...very! Ok, so I'm still feeling absolutely yuck! and getting worse..I think this may turn into a chest infection. I just heard that my vintage card for the Cupcake Craft Challenge has been picked as one of the top 5...whoo hooo!!! It may not seem much of an accolade but it means a lot to me. I am so critical of my artistic abilities and this doesn't half give you an ego boost. Thank you Lauren...and all the people who commented on my card...it's made my day! Off to have a little browse now.

I've lost a day.

Yesterday I got up had breakfast then went back to bed for a couple of hours.....that turned into 14. I slept the whole day and most of the evening through. I got up again to get myself a drink and take some painkillers....that was what woke me up.....then went back to bed. I can't say that I feel any better for it. Determined to stay up for a while today so I busied myself with making a card. Anything more strenuous was out of the question. It's a good job I've taught my boys how to look after themselves because I'm just no use to them at the moment. Little Theo must sense that I'm not well...he hasn't left me alone for the last 3 days. He's not normally allowed upstairs but has managed to get through the door and laid on my bed with me. When I have got up and gone downstairs he's followed me around chirruping at me, and sat on my knee purring when I'm sat in the chair. They do say that animals know when you aren't well, and he has been a comfort.

Well here's the card and it covers 2 challenges. Papertake Weekly Challenge which is a Ready Steady Craft! recipe...1 ribbon, 2 rectangles and 3 small round embellishments...and Dutch Dare card Challenge #26 which calls for scalloped edges on the card.

Backing paper... magazine download..sentiment cut from a backing sheet. Santa image....Paperartsy. Flowers....Woodware punch. Ribbon and brads from stash.

2 lots of candy....

....up for grabs...and you really don't want to miss these.
Check out Paula of Pollycraft designs.....she has something absolutely AWESOME! to give away.
Sally of Bootifulstampz has a weekly give away of a stamp not yet released.

A quick post.....

...and I hope I'm in time for this one. A card made for SCSC #9. I decided not to make up anything new...use images that I've already made up and papers embellishments that I've already got. The pyramage image is a sheet from Jooles...backing paper from a magazine download....Sentiment stamp from Woodware and ribbon and eyelets from stash.

Might be back later....but then again I might not.

Flu?...

After my bout of not feeling too well a couple of weeks ago I thought I'd be OK....but I'm not. I don't know if it's the M.E. or this horrible bug that seems to be sweeping the country.....but I feel "fluey." It's a bit hard for me to know if this is just going to be a bad cold or the flu.....because since the onset of M.E...... which started with a very bad bout of flu....my body is still making flu antibodies.....even though I haven't had flu for the last 3 years. It's one of those things with M.E.....your brain and body just don't listen to what the other is saying! Not what I need just now. I haven't got as far as I had hoped with the card making..but I have managed 3...all similar..but not the same.

The backing paper for all three and the image on the blue card is from Fred, She Said bundle "Catching snowflakes" The image on the red card is Emma..again from Fred She Said. The green decoupage elves (don't you just love 'em?) image is from La Pashe....available online from the Imag-e-nation shop. The sentiment stamp is ..I think ..from Woodware.

Right....I'm off to bed with a hot drink and a hot water bottle. I have to be up reasonably early tomorrow.....things to do...like collecting my prescription and getting it filled...which I should have done today (have run out of painkillers) but didn't get up in time.....Thursday being half day closing for the doctor's and the chemist.

Made a card...

...last night. I think I'm back in crafting mode. This card...I think ...covers 3 challenges.

Friday Sketchers #30 .......Stamp Something Black Friday Challenge, which calls for something black.... and last, but I'm not too sure about this one Cup Cake Craft Challenge 16 which calls for vintage. Would you consider this vintage?

The backing paper on the card stock I don't know the origin. The other papers and stamps from Paperartsy.

The seasons greetings button is one I downloaded from another blog...and I can't remember who's blog it was. The name on the sheet is Lyndsey Marie..so if it's you, or you know who it is could you please let me know so that I can give credit where it's due.

Might be back later.... or not....I've a few Christmas cards to get done for the weekend...so I'd better get a move on.

Not felt like....

After a disappointing Saturday I haven't felt like doing any cards, so that means I've missed doing some of the challenges. I really must shake myself up and get motivated again. I like doing the challenges..they inspire me to try something a bit different. To start there is some gorgeous blog candy up for grabs...so here goes.

Katharina has a fabulous Whiff of Joy Advent calender event. A new stamp every day!
Claire has an enormous amount to give away for over 36,000 hits.
Kadoodle have a new stamp to give away this week.