It's been a while...sorry....!

Hello Everyone

Thanks SO much for not leaving me whilst I've been AWOL.

Yet again, kidney dialysis has taken it's toll.  I really didn't know how exhausted this would leave me. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy did the same but there was an end date to treatment with that. With kidney dialysis there is no end date.....

Anyway enough of that, let's show you some cards I've been working on.

 It's a selection of some I've made recently but just not had the time or energy to blog them for you.

I found some of these beautiful flowers in my stash so decided to use up some of them on these to sell for the hospital where I've had all my operations and my initial dialysis sessions.  I gave the cheque for £100 to them and it was really appreciated which is nice.

They offered to give me a guided tour around the Laboratory when I'm next there which is fantastic.  I had a tour around our local Hospital when I was helping out Macmillan Cancer. It's very interesting to see what is being done to help us poor patients with these awful diseases.

The card above was made using Vellum with plain white card. I used to same colour to add the background to the sentiment with Promarkers.  It isn't crooked either, but looks it in the photograph, sorry!

 Some of a free kit that came with a magazine and some new bargains from Hobbycraft!! Along with some beautiful diecuts from my good friend Gill.  Thanks Gill!

Some old embossing folders came into use again and also some of the freebies from the magazine kit and some extra bits like the bows came from Gill. Thanks again Gill...!!!

Well that's another small update from me. Sorry it's so short but it's not easy at the moment.  I'll be back again soon hopefully.

WOYWW 277 - yay, back again!

Thanks everyone on WOYWW and others for being so patient whilst I've been AWOL....!!!  I've had quite a few problems on dialysis and not much energy to catch up or the inclination to be honest. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but boy, this has totally knocked me for six.

So what cards have I made? Well I've done a few and will post them for you all to see. I can't show you my Workdesk, as it's my bed and I've put it all away before realising I'd not taken any photos. So for now, I will show you some of the cards I've made.

This one was a special request for a friend of mine. I made the little vegetables myself drawn freehand and then coloured with PM's and then used glossy accents on them. I used paper which looked like the skin of vegetables but you can't see it very well from the photo.

This one is a little blurred but it's used up some of my 'Sale Bargains' in my stash.  I've been trying to use up as much as I can to make space for new stash!!!

I made this from some of the leftovers from a kit I purchased for one item for someone special.  I'll be showing you what I made soon so you can see.  I had lots leftover, so decided to use it with an easel card and the last of my adhesive borders.

 I just love these embossing folders (free in a cardmaking magazine a while back).  I used Cor-dinations and distressed them with an old nail file someone gave me at a Cancer Conference I went to. I had some flowers in my stash so used them with co-ordinating gems too.  The Happy Birthday was from a Justrite set I had for Christmas last year I think. (Don't rely on my memory, but if you need to know I can check for you!).

Another little kit for someone special who loves cats. Underneath the topper it has a gorgeous poem. Sadly there's only a couple left.

Another kit from a magazine and used up some of the backing papers in it too. The lovely die cut is from my good friend Gill so I'm not sure of the make etc. I just added the gems to it!

I'm really pleased to let you all know that I've now raised over £100 for charity in the last few months with my cardmaking. I donate 100% to the charity and this time I'm sending it to the South West Thames Institute for Renal Research and St Helier and Surrey Kidney Patients Association (SHAK).

It's too late for me I think, but it might save others going through dialysis after having chemotherapy and radiotherapy.  Even if it helps just a couple of people it will be worth it.  To save someone else going through this is what the researchers are working hard for.

If you go past a collection box for Kidney Research, please donate generously! It all helps as they say!

Just catching up a bit.....

I'm just catching up in between dialysis and have over time made these cards. Some are new styles for me, I wanted to try new things. The above is one of them! I had these stamps for Christmas but this is the first inking they've had. I've done more since, but they are still to be made up!

 A wedding invitation reply card. The whole card is covered in Mica Powder and looked really sparkly but you can't see much of it on the photo! 

These two cards are similar, but just different colour schemes!  I added on some flowers to the grass after the photo was taken but they've gone to the charity now so I can't re-photograph them for you, sorry!

This is a gorgeous stamp I got in a sale at a Papercraft Fair last year. It's great for anything baby related!

I'm just putting together a few birthday cards for friends of my Aunt who want more of my cards after buying all I had of the "Thank You" and "Get Well Soon" ones in my charity box. I'm trying to make unusual shaped ones instead of the normal, fold in half type!

So look out for many more coming soon - if I have the energy after dialysis that is!

Keep smiling and keep crafting!

WOYWW 260, still catching up...!!!

Welcome to WOYWW 260!!!

Hello to everyone who is staying with me during my adjustment to dialysis :-) 

I've been told it can take anything from 1-2 years, perhaps longer. So this is going  to be one helluva adjustment time!  As long as I can still do some card making, that keeps me sane so here's what I've been working on lately!

I've made a few of these for the lovely Nurses who have been looking after me on dialysis.  I like to say thanks and I also gave out a few tins of chocolates for them too.  They all work so hard and deserve a treat! Also not forgetting the ambulance drivers who get me to dialysis, without them I wouldn't get there at all. I don't think they get many cards as they were really chuffed to get mine and it's been up in the ambulance ever since! Nice to be appreciated!

I was asked by a friend of my Aunt's if I could make a selection of "Thanks" and "Get Well" cards, and here are a selection of the ones I've made for her to choose from. I will put the rest into my charity cardmaking box to raise money for them.

Some are variations of each other, depending on what paper/card combinations I had left. I don't like to waste any bits of paper/card as you can tell. My pockets aren't never ending so I use them all up to help the charities.

 

All of the cards are definitely straight (says Mrs OCD!) it's just the camera has shown them at odd angles! Sorry about that.

On the following two cards I had a go at making the envelopes out of paper too! Not bad for a first attempt!  They weren't standard sizes so I made them an approximate size.

The following cards are special ones I made for my best friend, she died from cancer at only 45 years of age. These are for her Mum and Dad and her Aunt. It's my friends birthday soon and I want to let them know I haven't forgotten her. I never will.

I do hope they like them and I'd love to know what you think too if you have a moment.

 

Well that's it for now. I hope it won't be so long next time before a posting, but it all depends on how dialysis makes me feel.  It's just a case of taking it one day at a time at the moment as I never know how it's going to make me feel.

 

Take care everyone and hope you managed to get some crafting done on this grey, cold, wet Bank Holiday Monday!

 

Enjoy! Keep smiling and keep crafting everyone!



Thank You Auntie!

I made this special card for my Auntie, we went to have a scrumptious Sunday Lunch with her, and I made dessert - a Banoffee Pie!  I know, very naughty, but you have to have something special every now and then! 

I constructed the flowers out of card and added some Cosmic Shimmer Pearls to the stamens to make them stand out.  My only problem is getting them to dry without kitty deciding to sit on them on the worktray on the bed! I achieved it this time! Yay!

A while back I ordered some new stamps and in with the stamps, they enclosed some die cuts - I've just been putting some of them to good use for my Charity Card Box.  I've had this backing paper for many years, even before I started cardmaking!  It's just perfect for this hot air balloon which I backed with some holographic card I have in my stash.

This cute little bear came from I don't remember where now.  He's in my little box of stamped images I've been sent at different times.  I use them to make Charity Cards as you know and he's so cute.  I'm not sure of the make as it was sent to me. If anyone knows, please tell me and I'm going to add him to my Wish List - which is growing ever longer by the day LOL!!

Enjoy!

Two more for the charity card box!

This is a little cutie!  I used a freebie embossing folder I got with a craft magazine and then cutout a shape using my spellbinders I won in a competition!  Not bad huh!  Offcuts of paper from my little envelope and I had the flowers done.  I've had the brads for ages, and am soon running out of them.  There wasn't so much choice then as there is now, but I still go back to my old favourites!

A male card completed here.  The backing tape measure is actually washi tape that was another freebie from a magazine!  I do love those freebies, they help my charity cardmaking in so many ways.

The stamp was purchased in a sale a few moons ago now.  It's so easy to colour and looks just like those tree houses we had as kids (ours was the garden shed really made into a den!). 

Memories are just great sometimes aren't they!

Hope you're all keeping cool!

WOYWW 214

Hello everyone and welcome to another WOYWW! A bit different this time as I have sun here with me,  which is a bit cooler today (which I love! - I'm definitely a Winter Girl not a Summer one that's for sure!). Someone told me if you're born in the Winter you love Winter weather and vice versa for Summer babies. Not sure if it's true, but it is for me! Is it for you?

So as it's way toooooo hot for me, what am I working on? Christmas!  LOL!!! I thought it might make me feel cooler!  Seriously now, I saw some lovely looking snowy acetate and decided it was way too expensive for me, so my little grey cell, it is working, yes.  Yes!  I got out my acetate and looked at what was on my craftbed. The little grey cell, it woke up and voila.  It doesn't look much in the photo, but I used my Cosmic Shimmer white bottle and dotted it over the acetate and it looks a lot better IRL!!!!  You will see it being used soon!

So here it is - As you can tell I'm making a snowglobe.  I have an idea in my head but I don't quite have all the equipment to do what I need, so I'm going to improvise with it and see how it turns out!!

Finally, I have my little card to show you where I used all those glitter strips up and made my background.  I decided to keep the image plain as well as the card too.  I think with that much glitter you don't need much else!!!

So have a great WOYWW whatever you are doing and enjoy!

This is a really cute card (my fave type as you probably know!). I had some core-dinations from the bargain sale (big pack for £1).  I used my nail file to distress it (who needs expensive distress tools huh!). As I've been dubbed "Queen of Recycling"!!!  The card candy came from the lovely Gill - thanks Gill - I've made them go a long way!

Another decoupage card here. I used one of my Christmas die-cuts and used it as a backing mat for the little rabbit.  I used one of my favourite butterflies on this card. I've only got about four of them left now. 

Enjoy!

Recycled packaging is now made into cards!

Well here's the two finished cards I made using the 'mostly recycled bits' from the packing from the Pound Shop!  Not bad huh, I made six cards from the pack and then here are another two from the packaging and there are more to come too!  I used the freebie butterfly die cut from a cardmaking magazine and just added the rest along the way from my stash box!

Whilst rootling (is that a word?!?!?) in my stash box I found this little image and thought he deserved to be made into a card.  I made a notelet card out of this one.  The pink cardstock is from a £1 mixed bag from the bargain bin!

WOYWW 201

As it's now Wednesday, it's time for WOYWW.  Check out the link to find out more about WOYWW and Queen Julia!

I've had these decoupage items for a while and decided now was the time to use them up and raise more funds for charity!  I think they are Honey and Hugs, so cute huh.  I used lots of foam pads as you can see by the little pile sitting there waiting to be spread all over the house a la Queen Julia!

I used this new style of ribbon design, I was hoping to cut down the cost of postage, butI'm sure putting on the extra bling hasn't helped!  I had a wonderful Easter surprise of some crafty items from my lovely friend Gill, and she had enclosed some smaller foam pads (smaller in height) and they are superb!  I'm going to do a test run in town at the Post Office and see if they help keep the postage down in the standard rate.

I posted a couple of cards going to the UK the other day, and they cost me 90p each - the lady in front of me had a card going to Cyprus and hers only cost 80p!!!!  How ridiculous is that then?!?!?!

Here's my 'smile of the week', I went to a Photographic Exhibition which was held in a church and I just had to take some photos of the stained glass windows.  Aren't they glorious!!!!  It was only on my mobile phone so not brilliant, but you can see how good they are above.  My Uncle used to be the President of the Society so it's somewhere we always like to go.

Enjoy!!

Some Easter cards and 'out of my comfort zone' cards!

 

Here's a not very good photo of some of my Easter cards. I showed you a few I made a couple of weeks back, but these were added when two people said to me "Do you have any spare Easter cards left?" so I had to make them quick!  I think they're cute though so my quick makes made Easter special.

This is something new to me.  First I don't normally make 'flower' cards, but thought I'd have a go at them as I just loved this freebie image I picked up.  I then used my circular nesties to cut out the middle flower and just coloured that one image.  I used foam pads to raise it up although you can't see it too well in these photos.

I used some of my freebie paper pack I got from a craft magazine many moons ago  now.  I'm almost finished as there is only one page left with a few pieces of the other pages too.  The black really shows up the lacy tape.

I hope you like them and enjoy!

WOYWW 185 - the Christmas one!

So what is on my workdesk today?  Well if you're not sure why I'm asking Click Here to find out!  As you all know, my workdesk is my bed with trays on - but today there is something special on there.

There are lots of parcels all wrapped up and ready to deliver to the Cat Shelter.  Yes, I know, I'm daft - wrapping presents for cats - tsk!  Well, why shouldn't they have Christmas the same as us, our little old lady (aged 20!) does.  She has Christmas Dinner and presents the same as we do.

There are loads of crocheted blankets in this top picture and in the one underneath, there are loads of cat toys.

I did the same last year to a different Cat Shelter and they had lovely stockings full to bursting on each cat cabin.  It all looked so pretty with decorations up too.

I'm going to be kept occupied again to make bits and pieces for the next Cat Shelter Fair - fundraising for charities never stops.

Thanks also to Gill for her continuing support of the cancer charities too, along with Julia who also donated some fantastic cards as well.  The comments I heard as I left the shop like "Wow look at this one", "I've got to have this one" and "Beautiful absolutely beautiful".......show you all how much they are appreciated and that they make lots of money to help rid the world of this terrible disease that so many of us have (myself included) or have family members or friends affected by it.

All there is left to say now is "Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year"!!!!

Enjoy!!!