Is it someone else's turn yet?

Just a wee update in case you think I've disappeared :)

Sorry for lack of posts. I feel so tired and grotty!

I still have the labrynthitis- 4th week of it.
And 3rd week of a bad cold and cough, too.
But also, I now have an infection in my OTHER ear, so I have anti-biotic & steroid drops for that.
Oh! And the little matter of a chest infection, which is making my asthma worse, so I have anti-biotics for that.

I am constantly tired and dizzy, and my chest hurts from coughing. Surely it is someone else's turn by now?!!!! -Not that I would wish this on anyone, I'm sure. Hmmm.... or am I.... a bully or two from my past, perhaps?!!!! LOL! Oh don't laugh, it hurts!

Hope you are faring better. Take care!!!

A troublesome stamp.....

This stamp was a freebie but I really love the image and was determined to make a card with it.
Unfortunately it was one of those troublesome ones that I just couldn't get to stamp properly. Here are some attempts....(!)Doesn't really show in the photo's - or perhaps it will if you click on them and enlarge them- but there was always a section that didn't come out, no matter what I did!

Also, I really wanted to use my new ProMarkers :) but found out the hard way that these make the ink run, even if it says it's permanent, waterproof ink, because they are alcohol pens, Helena, and that's what they do- D'OH!!! So I have now ordered a Stazon ink pad, which should be ok with them.... meanwhile, I stamped and embossed the image (above photo) and coloured over the embossed lines. I used a ProMarker Blender to make the grass fade away a bit at its edge, then rubbed an inkpad round the edge of the card.

-(PAH! The woman in the craft shop in town said that you don't get blender-pens for ProMarkers and her chirpy-boy sidekick said I wouldn't need them PAH! When I went online to seek out colours they didn't have, I found the blender!)

I made this one into a card, but I'm not too sure about it. So it remains in my box, unused and not listed in the shop. I don't think it's good enough to sell - bit patchy on the girl's hair- but it would be nice to write a note to someone on, accompanying a pressie, say. So this is in my 'mine' box. LOL!

Don't ask about the monkey nut on the coffee table, here. I have no idea what it's doing there. We buy them to take to the park and feed to the squirrels, but...????

Still wanting to play with my new Markers, I decided to flip the procedure: I scribbled colours over a piece of card (as with the background layer on the card above) and then stamped on top. I used a ColorBox Fluid Chalk inpad for this (in French Blue) and er.... it stamped the image perfectly! Oops! Ah well, I guess this proves it isn't the stamp, it's me!!! LOL!

I inked round the edge of the card with the same inkpad.
I really like this! So I used it to make a card with, and decided to write to an old friend, Mikiko, with it. She wrote to me at Christmas and I owed her something.... she is very good at Japanese paper folding so I wanted to do something special....

You can get free template downloads like this from www.byDonovan.com

I mounted the image on an A5 piece of purple card, and added some glittery bits with a clear Sakura Sparkle pen.

I made a wrap for the card by punching a strip of vellum and securing it with a shaped paperclip.
This is how the folder closes... then it went into an envelope for sending. I hope she likes it :)

Right!
I'm off for dinner now. I'm cooking chilli :)
(TIP: add a few teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa! YUM! It really helps lift it.)

Then I need to update the shop. Here's a taster of what's going in:

Thanks again for all your comments! I love reading them :)

Penny Black Saturday Challenge

Decided to join in another challenge. This is the Penny Black Saturday Challenge from Passion For Papercraft. Penny Black is a brand name in rubber stamping. The hedgehogs you see lots of around here, they're Penny Blacks. As are most of the daft cats. They do also do some nice wispy looking plants and swirly things though, it isn't all cuteness and whiskers.

Anyway! The challenge this week is "Doodling!" and on mine I took a white Sakura Souffle pen and just drew a wiggly line all over a bit of purple card in the background. Ta-darr!!! The ribbon is from my local haberdashery. Must get some more of that one. It was about 60p a metre, I think.

I like it. I think it worked! I'm going to put this one in the shop tomorrow, with about a dozen others!!!!

Up and about, just about!

Here is a photo taken of me today.
It's the first time in....erm... I don't know. Since Christmas?! That I've worn make-up.

We were going out for a drive, and possibly some shops and food along the way. So I thought I'd spare the populace, not to mention Luvbug, the sight of my pale virus-ridden bleagh. The observant among you, or possibly stalkers (LOL) wil notice the haircut. That was done a month or so ago. Layers! I actually agreed to layers, and let them clip away my long, long, straight hair. Waah!

I have put on soooo much weight.
Everything I wear is tight and my chubby cheeks have taken over my chin. Sigh...

I took this one outside of a place called The Suffolk Food Halls, which was full of lovely, luxurious foody things and we spent far too much but said, never mind, it's a one-off treat....

Here's another, from the car park;I love the way I managed to catch the bird!

Bob came too, of course. Here he is at a reservoir we visited. He's pointing to a windsurfer.
It looked like a lovely place to walk around, full of paths and trees and bird-hides. You could also hire bikes. But I was soooo dizzy and woozy, and the wind coming off the water set my bad throat off again :(

It was still great to get out though, and a lovely clear day. It's Mother's Day here today, and I wasn't able to go and see mine because I didn't want to risk giving her the bug. So I felt a bit lost. Hence, it was nice to go out, even though I now feel like I've been hit by a truck! It was nice of Luvbug to get us out of the house. Can't wait for warmer days. We live in such a great spot for exploring nice places.

Cards for the shop :)

Hullo!!!

Well, in between spins and whirls and falling over and climbing up again :) I managed to finish some cards for my shop. I've just added these:

The ballerina card from my last post is also in the shop, as well as packs of my cat portrait notelets in packs of 5, for example, these:

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Info on prices and payment (because I've been asked about this in emails!):

• The average price is about $3(US) but all postage and packing is free, anywhere in the world. I have to list prices in $ as it is a US site, but if you want to see the prices in another currency, go to the bottom of the shop's page and click on the flag of your choice.
  
• You can pay in any currency. Paypal will convert it and any charge goes to me, not you.
• You don't need a Paypal account to pay via Paypal- for me to invoice you in Paypal all I need is your email.
• Alternately you could send me a cheque. Just email me.
  

Here is a link to my shop.

Sorry for the blatant commercialism. LOL!

Papertake Weekly Challenge

Papertake Weekly have a card challenge that runs from Monday to Sunday. This week's layout sketch is this:Here is my interpretation:
This is a larger card than I ususally make. I just took an A4 sheet of card and folded it in two. Now I have to make a envelope!!!!

It's also much more pink and girlie than usual.
I had my partner's little niece in mind when I made it :)
It isn't her birthday for a long while though... I suppose she was just an inspiration. LOL!

Erm... think I messed up the eye there a bit (on the left). Rats. Never mind. I'll do better next time. I like the ruffles! I did ballet when I was little. I never got to dress up like this though and I really wanted to!

Recipe:

• The ballerina images are downloadable from Sketching Stamper.
• Last month I finally succumbed to the lure of Letraset ProMarker pens :) and bought a starter pack. I used these to colour the bodice and hair.
• I used Derwent water-colour pencil on the ruffles and skin.
• Then I picked out details with a clear Sakura Stardust pen.
• The background paper is Laura Ashley.
• The papers layered behind the image are Papermania.
• The ribbon is from my local haberdashery again, 50p for 10 metres :)
• The tag is a sticker from a freebie pack that came with a magazine, stuck onto paper and card.
  

This is the inside of the card..........
apart from the skin, which is water-colour pencil, this is all ProMarkers with added sparkle on the hair-band:
Here is the back:
I did enjoy making this card!!!

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Health update:

Went to the doc's today. He said he thinks I have Labrynthitis, which sounds like something out of The Hobbit. It's a middle-ear viral infection. Bleagh!

I was hoping it would be infection, rather than virus, so that a course of anti-biotics would clear it up. When you're told it's a virus, it's then you realise how much you take anit-biotics for granted! -There's nothing to actually clear it up, but he prescribed something that should take down the inflammation in the middle ear and hopefully speed up the healing.

The bad news is that this condition typically lasts 3 - 8 weeks. OMG!!!!!! THEN he said that SOME people have it for years. WHAT??? How can you live with this dizziness and nausea for that long? How do people DO anything? LOL!!!! I managed to do the laundry this week but not much else. The nausea means I keep having to lie down! I was meant to go to the Post Office but didn't dare in case someone would see me walking wobbly and think I was drunk.

Hey ho! One good thing that has come from this- my ears have been 'blocked' for years. I mean, I can't make them 'pop'. They are completely 'closed' and it even means I have reduced hearing in my right ear. But this doc has referred me to an ENT specialist now, and even booked the appointment then and there. It'll be 21st April. I hope the labrynthitis has gone by then, but if it isn't, then at least I know I'll be seeing a specialist for that too.

Repeated thanks for your comments, emails and messages!!!!

Card for a pig-collecting aunt!

My Aunty Pat's birthday is on St Patrick's Day.

Do you know, I only saw the connection between her birthday and her name a few years ago?
I said this to her and she paused, looked at the floor, then said, "Oh YES!!" -telling me that
(a) she hadn't realised either and (b) this is who I get it from.

Aunty Pat is the only aunt I have contact with. She has been lovely to me down the years. She isn't well nowadays and I really must get down to see her more.

The only other thing to add is that she collects pigs. Hence the theme of my card for her:I forget where I bought that piggy charm from. I do remember that it was only 49p. It's very thick and heavy so I had to make a box to go with this card.

The photo's aren't very good as I took them in artificial light. I keep forgetting to take pictures in daytime. D'oh!

Here's the inside and back:
I bought a bunch of these crochet flowers from Bubblyfunk. I've stuck a circle of wool in the middle of this one:

Recipe:

• The chipboard frame was free with a magazine. It's red on the reverse (from a Christmas set) so I scribbled with metallic purple on the other side.
• The multi- coloured ribbon and the lace were free too.
• The background paper is from Papermania 'Raspberry Champagne' (99p for a 6 x 6 pad of 50 sheets at Artymiss at the moment).
• The 'have a great day' stamp was part of a 99p set at The Range.
  

Hope she likes it :)

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Spinning:

Thanks for all your kind wishes and advice re my dizziness. The room is still spinning, or swimming would be a better description. I think it's a left over from Monday's migraine: I'm taking a small does of my migraine medication and it is helping to gradually reduce the woooozy effect.

Never mind. It's a very cheap way to feel like I've been at the brandy :)

Patchwork flowers and someone, stop spinning the room!

Daring Cardmakers have a challenge this week based on PATCHWORK. -Any theme, so long as it inspires you to make a patchwork looking card. Here's my attempt:

Sewing the paper was nice and relaxing. I haven't felt well this week so it was nice to sit and quietly sew.

Any nursey types out there?!
This started Monday when I woke up with a migraine. I was so dizzy I actually fell over. Migraine medication has taken away the headache part, but not the dizziness. Every now and then the room swims around and I feel wooooooooooaaaaaarrrr...... I've never been so dizzy. Ever! Thinking is a lot slower too :) and I keep having to go and lie down because if I'm upright too long I feel like I'm going to pass out.

Hmmm. That all sounds like low blood pressure doesn't it. Hmmmm. I wonder...

Birthday card for a brother.

I came across this cat stamp when I was re-organising my craft space the other week! I bought it last year from an Ebay shop; it was only a couple of pounds. I had never used it as it arrived as just plain red rubber and I didn't have enough mounting foam left for it, so it just go put by for another day.....

Hmm.... then it suddenly occurred to me this week to just stick it to an acrylic block with Pritt Stick glue :) et voila!!!! I just cleaned both with a 'baby-wipe' afterwards.

I'll see if I can find the Ebay shop again, if any of you would like to go and browse there....

****UPDATE: The Ebay shop is Nella's Corner- click the link, write 'cat' in her search box and it goes straight to this stamp. It costs £2.99 :) ****

• I stamped onto beige card with black India ink, then tore the edges and rubbed with a brown chalk inkpad.
• There is a slight wavy pattern in the background to the cat, this was me doodling with a clear SakuraGlaze pen :)
• The lovely background paper is from a Papermania 50 sheet 6x6 pack, called Oriental Spice.
• I've gone over some of the pattern in the green paper with a Sakura Stardust pen in clear, so in the sun this is quite glittery.
  
• The ribbon is from a local haberdashery, who always have an enormous basket of 10m bundles for 50p each.
  

This card is for my elder brother, David. His birthday isn't till 4th April, but I wanted an excuse to use this stamp, and it just evolved into something I thought he would like :)