Lumbar Puncture!

I have health issues (who doesn't... right?)... not something I usually want the general public to know, but today I am frustrated!  And so, I am using this as a rant platform... SORRY.

 

>  I am at present awaiting a lumbar puncture (lucky me... huh?).  I finally got fed up with the wait and so decided to become a nuisance (at the moment I will do just about anything to hurry this along!).  So I find out the name of the secretary in charge of LP's at the hospital where it will take place (which by the way, is over fifty miles away).  Very nice lady, its gotta be said, but apparently the hospital is VERY busy and there are a number of people in front of me. 

 

A reasonable answer you may think... until you hear - 'busy' equates to the hospital performing 12 LPs in the course of, wait for it... a DAY? ... no     ~     a WEEK? no     ~     a MONTH? no, yeah real busy this hospital!  They will manage to complete 12 LPs in approximately five months... yes, you heard me correctly FIVE MONTHS.  Until I get my LP, it cannot be established what is wrong with me (although, they have their suspicions) and a diagnosis cannot be given  ~  until I have a diagnosis I cannot get any treatment ~ until I get any treatment, I cannot get better!  FRUSTRATION!!! <   *RANT* *OVER*  

 

I feel so much better for that!

 

I made a card today, after dragging out my SATURATED CANARY 'Summer' stamp.  I'm by far the best 'colourer' out there (even as a little girl I used to go over the lines!), but this colouring lark is very therapeutic and I've been in need of a little therapy lately!

 

'Summer'...

 

 

 

 

 materials...

CARD BLANK- Green scalloped edged
MAT -MY MINDS EYE 'Pretty Please'
FRAME - cut using an oval die and my cuttlebug.  Green CS (an old file divider)
IMAGE - SATURATED CANARY stamp 'Summer' - coloured using promarkers
EMBELLISHMENTS - buttons, gems, glittered border strip - from stash.  Glitter tape - AMERICAN CRAFTS - spinach

Challenges:-

CHALLENGES 4 EVERYBODY - Ch #40 - 'Anything Goes'

THE CRAFTERS CAFE CHALLENGE BLOG - Ch #60 - 'Add Glitter'

Happy Crafting :-))

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Cha Cha Slide

Hi there everyone, it's gonna be a short post today, 'cause I can't be bothered! Yeah, I'm having an off day!  I'm feeling grumpy (even though I KNOW I shouldn't be!) and moany (predicta-text wanted to insert 'moody' here, even that has picked up on my state of mind!) and rather than inflict that on YOU, I'm gonna make this short and (not so) sweet...

 

I found this sketch at 'SCRAP365' and thought I'd give it a go... I'm NOT happy with the results, but I'm a grumpy c@w today, so I'm not the best judge...

<--- stamping (Scraptastic set)

  <--- Thickers (AC 'My Girl)

 

I used mostly AC (American Crafts) AMY TANGERINE - 'Yes Please' papers for this, with a few bits and pieces from my stash.

<--- is the sketch

 



 SCRAP365 - Sketch Day Happiness- 'Sketch'

ALL THINGS CRAFTY - Facebook

 

I'm off before I start having another moan, you don't need to heard my worries and I don't need to heard yours - actually I'd LOVE to heard yours, then I wouldn't feel alone!  (Gosh that sounds sad! I really am having a bad day!!!).  I hope you all have a good day x

 

Blah... blah... blah...

 

The Kit Killer... pt. 2

Ok so, yesterday I 'killed' my Scraptastic kit, or so I'd thought.  But after posting my pics on the Scraptastic facebook page a very nice lady - Sharon suggested I maybe able to get one more page from the scraps I had left!  Well... I love a challenge, so here is layout seven...

 

This is a picture of my lovely girl in 2000, when we went to Spain with my father.  We stayed in his villa in L'Escala.  Michelle is taking a well deserved siesta (thumb in month, as usual!).  I had to add a couple of 12x12 pieces of CS (which to my mind is a bit of 'kill the kit' cheating).  I used a white 12x12 which I used as a frame and then used a piece of Kraft CS - cut down to 11 1/2 x 11 1/2 to this I added a little bit of roller stamping for added texture.

 

 

'KILLED'

 

 

I REALLY have 'killed' it now, I probably could get a couple of cards out of the embellishments left over, but I'd rather save them for a future layout.

 

Thanks for stopping by...

 

 

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The Kit Killer

What Happened...

To Spring?

 

 

It hasn't stopped raining since I posted about 'Spring Has Sprung'! Really, what is going on?  And why am I surprised?  The British weather is about as predictable as... the actions of a schizophrenic or a box of fortune cookies or a long-term employee of McDonalds or a game of chance or... shall I go on?

 

Well rain or no rain crafting must be done!  Oops, I think that should read 'work' must be done, but what the heck, crafting is more fun!

 

I killed my Scraptastic kit... 'killing a kit' is apparently something you have done when you have managed to use up all the supplies in your kit (us Brit, don't refer to our stash in any shape or form as ever being 'killed', just thinking about murdering my stash is sending me into a panic... but since the Americans seem to have this scrapbooking thing down to a fine art... who am I to argue?), or as much of the kit as to not be able to produce anything more.

 

I was very frugal (if you can call spending money you don't really have - as 'frugal') and only bought ONE main kit with no add-ons or extras (aren't I a good girl?  We won't mention the rather large packages my charming postman has just humped up my flight of stairs).  So, anyway, I'm quite pleased with myself for getting six pages and one card from my April Scraptastic 'LET ME GO' kit.

 

This very simple card was made with the few remaining scraps of paper left after I'd finished my sixth layout...

 

... 'The Kit Killer'

 

I wanted to follow the brief on the Scraptastic Blog site and make a 'Miss You' card using one of April's stamp sets (so when I said earlier that I didn't buy any 'extras'... I lied, I DID, I bought the stamp set from the other kit available - 'WORTH WONDERING', it had such lovely things on it that I couldn't resist... sorry about the dishonesty (or rather I'm sorry I got caught!). 

 

Challenges...

SCRAPTASTIC BLOG - April's 3rd blog challenge - 'Miss You Card Using April's Stamp Set'

A CARD A DAY BLOGGING - Facebook

If you're interested... this kit contained...
1 12x12 - FANCY PANTS 'As You Wish' - 'Dictionary'
1 12x12 - FANCY PANTS 'As You Wish' - 'This & That'
1 12x12 - FANCY PANTS 'As You Wish' - 'World Travels'
1 12x12 - CRATE PAPER (by MAGGIE HOLMES) 'Styleboard' - 'Pretty Palette'
1 12x12 - CRATE PAPER (by MAGGIE HOLMES) 'Styleboard' - Sweet Collection'
1 12x12 PEBBLES 'Garden Party' - 'Tulip'
6 12x12 BAZZILL - cardstock - 'Aqua', 'Aspen', 'Sawdust'
Embellishments - loads of...

I have had some lovely comments left on this blog... I THANK YOU xxx

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Spain 2000

Hello Again...

 

Its been lovely weather here for the last couple of days - SPRING HAS SPRUNG.  The birds are singing and the flowers are blooming (the weeds are blooming even faster, but that's life!).  My son's orphan lambs are joyous... skipping, jumping and enjoying their happy (all be it short) little lives.  Life is great, life is beautiful and life is wonderful...

 

 

...or is it?

 

 

Well, yes it is... but you know, we wouldn't be human if we didn't have a moan! I know I should be happy to see spring all around me, to finally feel the warmth of the sun and to... at last smell the roses...

 

 

BUT, yes here it comes...

 

 

I'm gonna let you fill in the rest, 'cause me?  I really am happy and have absolutely nothing to moan about (I could, but I'm not going to - must be something in the air!  I don't feel like ranting about life's unfairness at the moment, so I'm not going to).  I'm just happy to be breathing (not must fun if you're not -LOL), so for today I'm not moaning and I am going to celebrate the arrival of spring!

 

I made is scrapbook page (I'm steadily getting through a lot of my old photos), using my SCRAPTASTIC April Kit 'LET ME GO' and a picture I found of my son.  Its a precious memory of the time we spend with my father (now deceased) at his villa in Spain, and it has now been preserved in pride of place within our scrapbooking album.

 

 

For this layout I followed the sketch with the SCRAPTASTIC blog, for the April Challenge...

 

 

I hope you like it... I do!

 

 

SCRAPTASTIC CLUB - April's Sketchy Thursday - 'Sketch'

SCRAPTASTIC CLUB MEMBERS Facebook Page

PENNY'S PAPER-CRAFTY CHALLENGE BLOG - Penny's Ch #174 - 'One For The Boys'

FAN-TASTIC TUESDAY - Ch #32 - 'Anything Goes' (MUST BE SQUARE)

ALL THINGS CRAFTY Facebook Page

Blah... blah... blah...

 

 

 

 

Mint Sauce Anyone?

Hello Peeps...

 

I thought I'd have a little go at the scrapbook sketch over at LETS GET SKETCHY, the inspiration there is GREAT and the DT say the nicest things!

 

So the sketch is...

 

and my interpretation...

 

 

 

 

I used my April SCRAPTASTIC kit 'LET ME GO', this is my fifth layout using this kit, which is almost at an end!  I haven't shown my fourth layout... 'cause it was a disaster!

 

 

SCRAPTASTIC Facebook page

 

SCRAPTASTIC CLUB - 1st April Blog Challenge - 'Stitching'

LETS GET SKETCHY - April Week 3, Team A - 'Sketch'

Blah... blah... blah...

 

 

Mixed Blessings

Easter has bought mixed blessings this year.  The caravan park, has been heaving, I mean every time I looked around, one child had multiplied into five!   I don't think we have been as busy as this, in the last twenty odd (nearly thirty) years we've been open. 

 

We had an incredible 47 children to the Easter Egg Hunt (at one stage we even had a queue outside the clubhouse as they waited patiently to register their names), with an even more incredible 40+ people (I say people, because although it is for the children - inevitably all the adults get involved as well) for the Scavenger Hunt!  Quite, quite amazing, it is so wonderful to know you are doing 'something' right, and that all your efforts are appreciated!

 

So in trooped the little kiddie-winks (some not so little!); they registered their names and ages; collected their egg (made of cardstock); decorated it, with various pens, felt-tips, gems, stickers etc.; handed it back and waited patiently for everyone else!  The ages where divided into two groups (7 and under/8 and over) and the Easter Bunny's helpers (namely... anyone I could rope into helping, usually other family members, this year this privilege fell to my brother, my sister and my brother-in-law) proceeded to hide all the decorated cardstock eggs out on the caravan park (easy places for the younger group, harder places for the older group). 

 

In the mean time... The Easter Bunny (me) explained the rules to the darling (and some not so darling) children.  When my 'hiders' returned, I then allowed the younger group out of the clubhouse to look for their eggs, 3 minutes later the older group were allowed to leave.  Mayhem then reigned as 47 children (plus some of their parents) started looking for Easter Eggs!  Oh what fun!  We learnt (the hard way) many years ago to make sure we wrote down where we hid all the eggs, as some children had difficulty finding their eggs, and as much as we all thought we would remember where they were - we didn't!  So NOW - because it really is not worth hearing 'Little Johnny' cry... "I can't find my eeeggggg!" - we make sure we know where each egg is hidden by recording it, as we hide it!

 

As the children found their eggs they bought them back to the clubhouse for their prize... this year it was a chocolate bunny lolly for the younger group and either a cream egg or packet of chocolate sweets for the older group.  They then handed their eggs to another helper (I'm good at roping people in!) for it to be stuck to the black board with their name and age, and displayed for all to see (the children are always very proud of their creations, and the parents are always interested to see what has been produced!).  The first, second and third child who returned were also rewarded with a rosette.

 

At this point each child is offered the chance to participate in the Scavenger Hunt.  They have the rest of the day to collect the items on the list and to return it to the clubhouse between 7.30pm and 8.30pm (just before the bingo kicks off... but that's another story!).  At this time the Scavenger Hunt is marked (by our resident 'Judge' - that would be ME) and prizes handed out.  We now have the timing just right, that one event leads directly onto another!

 

So you can see what an amazing Easter Break we've had.

 

Mixed Blessing?

... Because on Saturday my BEAUTIFUL pedigree Russian Blue Cat was run over

and killed!  So very, very upsetting, but, again I must count my blessings knowing that he was killed instantly, and didn't suffer.

 

Even though I was incredible busy this weekend (I also had my brother, niece and nephew staying with me and my other niece wasn't far behind... it really is no fun sleeping in a bed with two little girls, especially when one of them likes to sleep side-ways, even if it is flattering to be regarded as "You're the best... ever, Auntie Karen", I'm getting too old for this kind of thing and my back has been protesting ever since!), and funnily enough, I still found time to do some crafting!

 

So now I've finished my ramblings... I'll get on with the crafting bit. 

I'd like to share with you the quick card I made from the left-overs from my previous card (last week) and a scrapbooking page I completed about my niece's 8th birthday...

 

 

 

Bits and pieces left over from last weeks card, the gems are from my local 'Pound (£)' shop.

 

 

 

All the papers (and 'thickers') are from 'AMERICAN CRAFTS ' 'My Girl' Collection.

 

These hearts were a £ shop find (21 chipboard heats for £1)

 

Fabric flowers and leaves are from 'CREATE AND CRAFT TV' shopping channel

 

Enamel pin is from Jan/Feb 'QUIRKY' Embellishment Kit

 

I'm so pleased with how this turned out, I think it is the colours that I find the most appealing, and OF COURSE that beautiful photograph of my lovely little niece!

 

Enjoy your crafting... there's a great challenge at MY CRAFT CREATIONS at the moment... go check it out for some amazing inspiration. AND a great linky colour challenge with CRAFTIN DESERT DIVA'S

 

A CARD A DAY BLOGGING

 

MY CRAFT CREATIONS - 14/4/14  -  26/4/14 - 'Anything Goes'

 

CRAFTIN DESERT DIVA - Craft-It-Up & Link-It-Up Colour Challenge

 

 

Blah... blah... blah...

 

 

 

Rainbow Buttons

Hi Everyone... I'm here with a little creation with buttons today.  It all came about because I tidied up a little... and discovered (or rather unearthed) a pile of buttons, so waste not want not...

 

...and so with a card blank; some punched circles (paper from scrap pile); a quick trip to the sewing machine (which is still out by the way... so much for tidying); some glue; a bit of ribbon; a few sticky letters and the afore mentioned buttons... et voile!

 

Quick and simple.

 

A CARD A DAY BLOGGING

 

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I Blame the Hormones

So I just tripped up the steps!  Who does that?  Seriously, I now have huge bruises on my legs and hip...NOW I feel old... remember when  you were young, and you just seemed to 'bounce'... well not anymore!  That's my disabled moment for today (I hope), now on to the important things, before the pain and stiffness really kicks in...

I'm showing you my PROJECT LIFE week 50 pages first...

 

Using the 'Jade' Edition

 

 

Now to more recent matters...

 

I am attempting a sketch challenge today, with a scrapbook page made with my recently acquired 'SCRAPTASTIC' April Kit - "Let Me Go".  The sketch is from a site called "Lets Get Sketchy", there's some amazing and brilliant inspiration for everyone there, so go check it out!  And the sketch is...

 

 

 

...and my interpretation is...

 

From this...

 



 

To this...

 

In 4 short years!

 

 

 

My son was the sweetest, until the hormones kicked in... then he became a moody monster... overnight!  I bet all you mums out there are saying "Done that, Been there"!  Thankfully he's now all grown up and the best son... ever!

 

 

CHALLENGE...

 

LETS GET SKETCHY - April Week 1, Team A - 'Sketch'

 

... also found on Facebook Scraptastic Page

 

Have fun crafting x

 

 

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