Something to look forward to.

I've booked a class at the Glitterpot with Jane Gill on 9th May as one replacement class for the two I had to cancel earlier this month. I have a feeling that we could be making something similar to this which I found on Paula Pascual's blog following the Trade Show at the NEC in February. It uses the new Woodware Flower and Leaf punches. I wanted to book two but the other, at the end of May (FPC orchids), was already full :crying: Seems strange 'cos all of Jane's FPC classes at the Craft Barn that I went to were only ever ½ full (nice from a pupil perspective) but at the GP they are full - or is it because this one is on a Saturday and not midweek? Anyway, they've taken my phone number and put me on a waiting list so I could still be lucky, if somebody is unlucky and has to cancel.

Take a look....

I thought I'd show you my most, all-time, favourite FPC card that I've made .............. to date :giggle: .................... once again inspired by Jane Gill & her FPC classes. This is so simple but I love it! I know, there is a mistake but, I noticed it too late to do anything about it. I still just love it though! The flowers (anenomes) on this one were punched with the X-cut flower punch but a slightly larger flower can be made using the EK Success Paper Shaper Retro flower. The petals are scored on both sides to give shape and then chalked dark from the centre out. The centres are fringed quill rolls and the leaves are the large ash punch. Stems are just randomly cut from green paper. Base card is ivory pearlescent and the flowers are matted and layered onto toning burgundy and the same ivory pearlescent as the base card - all hand cut, sized and scored by me. Hope you like as much as I do......

What a week!

It's been over a week since I last posted and what a time we've had! Easter passed completely uneventfully, except for the weather - LOL! Visited grandkids with their eggs, played hangman and helped with homework for a while. Was still feeling pretty lethargic although better in self but having forced myself to do some shopping I decided to continue on the 'force myself' programme - LOL! Then Tuesday arrived!

Oh boy - what a day! Made my normal morning visit to aged, disabled parents only to find Mum in a state of 1/2 undress (never, ever known before) and fighting for breath. Last time this happened she ended up in hospital from which she discharged herself (long story) but suffice it to say she wasn't too keen to repeat the experience. Called GP for a home visit but upshot was - she was sent to hospital! There she has remained until today and they've now discharged her but - she is still far from well! She has many, many health problems - GP calls her a complicated lady - lung disease, heart failure, diabetes, hypertension, macular degeneration, ulcerated legs and I'm sure there's some I've missed! Dad, bless him, has bad memory problems (mild dementia) and is a worry wort but he's also disabled (severe mobility probs due to several causes), blind in one eye, hypertension blah-de-blah!! Not only have I had hospital visiting but extra visits to Dad to make sure he hasn't done anything silly - like burning the house down - and also to get his dinner as he hasn't a clue how to use either the oven or the microwave. He's been shown soooooooo many times how to but, he just doesn't remember. Dad is 86 and Mum is 79. Growing old is fine if you can keep your health and faculties. Unfortunately neither is the case with my parents and I'm getting older by the minute - :giggle:. Have had no time this week to 'look after myself' as they've had to take priority but this morning I've had a bad one. Can't quite put finger on it but I feel as though my post-viral probs are catching up a bit! Just hope I've recovered enough that some resistance has built up and I'm not going down with anything again .................. please, pretty please!

You know what thought did!

Well, I don't seem to have progressed much - in fact, not at all. I guess there must be some improvement but I'm not finding it obvious if there is. Still can't move around for long without it laying me out although the shakes and nausea has reduced a lot and the cough is nowhere near as bad. I've got to start forcing myself to do more, starting tomorrow! Hubby has been sooooooo good! He's not been well himself but he's been doing any cooking as he can actually manage better than me. He's in a wheelchair so doesn't have to stand, which is what does me in! Just as well he can cook, although what we're eating is by no means a full scale meal.

One day I will write in this blog in the way I intended but in the meantime it's more a personal diary thing.

Here's a piccie of a card inspired by a stamping workshop I attended at the Craft Barn last year. Woodware stamps stamped onto co-ordinating patterned Papermania paper and decoupaged.

Think there's a change .... YAY!!!

I feel better as long as I don't try to do anything. The minute I stand and try to do something I feel nauseous, dizzy and start fighting for breath. I guess it's a positive that I do feel better even if I can't do anything though so, looking on the bright side. Managing to eat a bit more as well. Hubby spoke to our GP and he says it's a month to 6 weeks to start feeling well again so there's still a way to go.

I'm missing out on so many things I'd had planned though. Eldest son is taking part in an archery tournament tomorrow (County Indoor Championship) and I was going to support him. Just another thing I've had to cancel! Would have been shooting myself but I'm 14 months into a frozen shoulder at the moment so haven't shot for the past year.

No Change

There's still no change in the way I'm feeling. Had my visit with the Practice Nurse yesterday but couldn't get to see a GP without hanging around for a couple of hours. There was no way I was up to doing that! Nurse gave me a good check up though and confirmed that there was no chest infection. I was quite happy to let her check me out as if anything odd had presented she would have got a doc - LOL!! Basically I was told what I expected. It's viral and I've just to ride it out - plenty of fluids, eat little and often and paracetamol or ibuprofen. Exactly what I've been doing for the last couple of weeks ........ nearly. Mind you, she says, if there's no improvement by this time next week I should go back to see a doc!

Ho hum - still more of the same - just hope it starts to improve soon 'cos I more than just fed up now but not well enough to do anything more about it ............... doh!

Phew!!

I can breathe a small sigh of relief as the classes yesterday used a spring card and a slider card as their base. I've made spring cards before using the instructions available on Joanna Sheen's site HERE (so much easier to use than any template) and I've also watched the workshop that was available at Moovision on the Crafty Cow site for the slide-up card - unfortunately no longer freely available but available to purchase HERE. A couple of my friends on the imag-e-nation forum have produced written & pictorial instructions for this card so I have them saved for later use. A couple of the more clever members have made the slider card in different shapes and one even made an hexagonal one! Very clever. I did miss playing with some lovely stamps though, which is a disappointment but I can live with the fact I didn't miss out completely and the bonus was, somebody got to play who wouldn't have done if I'd gone - LOL!

Here's an example of one of the spring cards made with Sheila Weaver's instructions on the Joanna Sheen site. I used an A5 card blank (A4 folded in 1/2 by me) and played from there. I already had the medallion made (peeloffs on pearlescent card) and this was an ideal way of using it

I'm still feeling very unwell. I have an appointment with the Practise Nurse on Tuesday so reckon I shall be requesting to see a GP while I'm there. This has been going on for well over a week now and it's far too long. I can't stand for more than a couple of minutes and it's impossible to actually 'do' anything at all. All I can say is, thank heaven's for laptops - LOL! Every time I stand I get dizzy and feel nauseous but there was a bit of a bonus in that I managed to get a reasonable night's sleep last night. The first in over a week!

Hating this!

I shouldn't be here at home! I should be esconced in my class at the Glitterpot - well, on lunch break now and doing a bit of shopping - lol! I've been clock-watching all morning and timing the class through. Sad, I know, but I've never had to cancel any craft class before and it's a new experience for me and ....... I'm hating it! I'm just hoping, when Caz posts the cards made on her blog that I won't like them - yeah, right!

I've just noticed that I've had some visits to my blog. Totally unexpected as I haven't published it and I haven't told anyone about it either ..... not yet anyway. I've been keeping it as my own daily-ish ramblings at the moment but it's a bit of a bonus that somebody has found it. One day I may be brave enough to make it properly 'public' but not sure when that'll be - LOL!!

Here's a photo of the last card I made at one of Jane Gill's classes at the Craft Barn before it closed. Loved this card and I love Jane's modern approach to FPC.

Decision made...

.... unfortunately! I am feeling so ill it became obvious yesterday that I wouldn't be able to make the classes on Saturday so I rang and cancelled. Sooooooooooo disappointed but hopefully somebody will be able to take my place and enjoy the class. Caz will be posting the cards on her blog afterwards so I will be able to see what I've missed.

I thought the blog was becoming too text-full so here's a photo of one of the flowers in my Mother's Day bouquet from my eldest son and his family. Beautiful gerbera!!

....and not much better!

Still feeling rough. I've no idea where this bug came from but I do wish it would go away! Thought about cancelling my classes at the Glitterpot on Saturday but decided against it. It's still 3 days away and I'm hoping I shall feel well enough to go. Classes are with Stamping Caz and I am, or would be, really looking forward to them. I've not had classes with her before but I've been reading her blog - and now subscribe so I don't miss out - lol!!

I had to force myself to get up early this morning as Mum had an appointment at the hospital with the vascular surgeon and it's important she keeps all her appointments at the moment so her treatment can advance. She's elderly and become very frail since Christmas and she can no longer walk any distance. Not sure she really realises quite how ill she is. It's only when nasty things happen, as now, that it hits her but it still doesn't seem to sink in. Hope I'm more clued up and can manage my health issues more effectively as I age. In some ways it's too late for her. Getting old is fine, as long as you can keep your health and your faculties!!

I had one thing today that cheered me a little - a delivery from Hallmark Scrapbook. I ordered 6 of the new Cuttlebug embossing folders, 3 Cuttlekids dies and 3 Sizzlit dies. The Cuttlekids dies complete a Christmas pressie for my eldest grand-daughter, having taken advantage of a seriously reduced price on the Cuttlekids die-cutter that Mad About Cards had a few weeks ago.

Feel like $*$*!

It's Mother's Day here in the UK and I feel like - well, best not to say but me & my hubby seem to have a touch of the lurgey! It started a couple of days ago and we've gradually got worse. He's cooking breakfast at the moment which will probably do me for the rest of the day.

Had a beautiful bouquet of flowers delivered yesterday from eldest son & family and youngest has just popped in with choccies in a looooovvvvvveeerly clear, plastic box!! Can certainly make use of that once the chocs are eaten - LOL!! Unfortunately I haven't got to see any of the grandkids 'cos nobody wants to come near us - :-((

Dropped Mum's card off to her this morning, on the morning paper run, and she loved it. I haven't made a card in months but last year I made a selection of Floral Punch Craft cards so I added a greeting and gave her one of those. She loved it!

Here's the card before the greeting added.

I love doing FPC and have had a few lessons with an amazing tutor - Jane Gill. She is so passionate about the craft that it rubs off. Unfortunately I've not been in a position to do classes for a while. The last ones she ran at the Glitterpot were on hubby's birthday so couldn't attend but I shall be looking for her next ones. Will have to keep an eye open at the Craft Barn as well, now that's re-opened.

The very first!

Well, this is the first day of the rest of my life - or at least the first post on this blog - lol!!

This has been a long time in the thinking about, having originally signed up way back in 2006 with the expressed purpose of charting the coming together of my craft room, from the horrendous 'before's' to the amazing 'after' pics! Unfortunately I don't seem to have progressed much past the horrendous before's - roflmao! My craft room would be amazing if I ever got it finished. Well, amazing for me, that is but nowhere near as amazing as some I've seen on my travels through the internet. Every time I go to work on it I seem to find I need more space. I think I have enough card and paper to last 10 lifetimes as well as the yards of ribbons, 100's of (unused) stamps and 1000's of peeloffs - and just don't get me started on inkpads, dies, pens, paints, punches and oh, did I mention ribbons and peeloffs - lol!!!

One day it will all be finished but most of my time is taken up with my aged, disabled and very frail parents. In the meantime I escape by booking craft classes as it's about the only way I get to have some 'me' time at the moment.

I might get brave and post a few 'before' piccies of the room - that's before some storage went in. Then there's a few photo's taken once cupboards went in. It's progressed a little way on since then but there's still a long way to go and all the ideas are still running round in my head!

Thank heaven for my friends on the imag-e-nation forum. That's got to be the best, and friendliest forum on the whole of the net!

Well, reckon that's about it for my first, historic post. Don't know when the next will be but at least I've done it now, even if it's taken 18 months - lol!!