What a Busy Month July Has Been (Part Four)

Other people's kindness and their giving of their precious time never ceases to amaze me and what a caring and very talented group of cardmakers are to be found on the MSE Forum here.

The fabulous Tams aka Rusty organised a card shower for me as I had decided lie low for a while as things were getting scary with the health of my eldest son, Paul.  These are the cards that the forum members made for me.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone of you and I can tell you that a lot of tears were shed over these.  I know that everyone who visits will agree, you all are so very thoughtful in the cards you have sent.

Jenny, Tams and Anda.

 Karen, Sarah and Claire.

 

Niki, Jan and Margaret.

That elephant snuck in again, Sarah! Vicki and Sarah.

Toni and Jo.

Dawn and Debbie

Ali B, Lisa and Melissa.

What a Busy Month July Has Been (Part Three)

My OH and I decided we would travel back to south west France this year for our holiday.  We stayed in Les Sables D'olonne about 30 years ago and had a fabulous time. We weren't disappointed this time around.  We  found a tenth floor apartment overlooking the sea and it was great to just relax and read and totally chill out.  We went walking around the town, visited a few bars (where I got legless after two beers!) and just found a restaurant when we were hungry.  It was fun trying the rusty French again.  These are the views from the apartment.

While we wre in France I had the best of news that my eldest son had received the outcome of the recent scans.  They could find nothing in the head scan where the brain tumour had been removed and a shadow on his lung.  This, apparently, is manageable but not curable. He will have radiotherapy for anything lurking still in his head and some chemo for the shadow. I cried. 

What a Busy Month July Has Been (Part Two)

My grandson Joe has just turned thirteen so I thought we could do some 'grunge' stuff.  Sadly, the Tim Holtz bits and pieces I had ordered didn't turn up in time so I found the 'Metal Magic' powders I bought from Debbie Moore's website.  Joe made some embellishments for his future grunge book with some chipboard shapes and this is how they turned out.  Some of them look like they have just been found in the sea.   Great fun and especially for mens cards.

What a Busy Month July Has Been (Part One)

What a busy month it has been at Boz Towers.  My grandchildren and DIL came over from Canada and visitied all the rellies.  We had the pleasure of their company for nearly a week so I planned lots of crafting for the girls, Ellie and Lucy and something diiferent for Joe.

The girls wanted to make a little memory book for their mum and dad and a card for their other nan and grandad.  They each had their own ideas about what to make and we had great fun selecting all the embellishments too.  Lucy and Ellie also decorated a box each to keep the memory books safe.

Here's two of their memory books and even their daddy's was decorated with plenty of pearls.

LUCY'S CARD

On Lucy's card for her grandad she chose a paper from Tim Holtz Vintage paper pack and an image from Doolicraft from my stash as are the buttons and ribbons.  She inked up the edges with some Antique Linen distress ink.  The sentiment is from Craftwork Cards and Lucy used an SU scallop oval punch with it.

ELLIE'S CARD

On Ellie's card she was quite specific in having  her grandad's age so we cut the numbers on the Cricut. The sentiment is computer generated and we cut this with a Spellbinders Grommet Tags die.

The girls found a couple of LOTV images and made their cards for their nan and used papers from stash and decorated them both with flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts and ribbon from stash too. Lucy added a Marianne die cut too.  Ellie chose to make a paper flower using the Spellbinders Rose Creations.

Their grandparents were delighted and want to frame them.  Clever girls!!!

I would like to enter Lucy's card in the following:

Cards for men: Challenge 14 Cleen and Simple

Vintage, My favourite!

I love looking through old family sepia tint photographs.  I came across this one of my Mum who passed away forty years ago.  I believe this was taken when she was about twenty-one.  I was just in my twenties when she died and she didn't speak much about her early days.  In the sixties, you just didn't ask probing questions of your parents. I wish I had but might have got a clip round the ear!  It might have answered a couple of mysteries.

I am so pleased that we are so open with our own four children and the grandchildren are always asking for stories about what we got up to when we were small.  I can't remember how many times we bunked off Sunday school to play in the park. Yep! Sunday school!!

I've used papers from the First Edition Desert Bloom pad and some old tea-dyed gathered lace around the frame for this card. A couple of the new Spellbinders Floral Flourishes and some pearls and small flowers to finish.

 I'd like to enter this into the following:

Craft Your Days Away ~ Challenge 23 Vintage
 My Mum's Craft Shop Challenges ~ Challenge 12 Something Old, Something New
Lollipop Crafts Special Summer Challenge  ~ Anything Goes

Getting on with life!

I've been able to breathe easy these last four years as my eldest son, Paul, has been in remission from throat cancer. He had radiotherapy and chemo to shrink a massive tumour on his neck. There were many dark days at that time but his dad and I helped to pull him through it. Now another scary time approached as a couple of months ago he started to have seizures and was eventually diagnosed with a brain tumour.  He had his operation to remove it 10 days ago and, as he recovered so well, it's hard to believe that he was allowed home three days after the operation.  His surgeon, Mr Chandler, at Kings College Hospital in South London, is renowned for operating on small children so we knew he was in safe hands.  Paul was up and out of bed and escaping from the ward just a few hours after the op in search of coffee and muffins. He'd spotted a Costa Coffee franchise at the bottom of the stairs and was off to get himself  'munchies'.  He'd even taken photo's of himself and posted them on Facebook not long after coming round.  Now I'm holding my breath for the results that we will know on Tuesday but I know in my heart that whatever happens Paul will do his very best to get through this setback.

I made him a 'get well soon' card that he loved and he asked me to make something similar for all the nursing staff on his ward. I used an image from the 'Wine Buffs' CD along with some SU's razzleberry card stock and ink.    

I've kept quite a low profile these last few weeks but I have been totally overwhelmed by the love and support shown to me.  There are some pretty amazing people whom I've never met but absolutley amaze me especially those beautiful people on MSE.  My Red Hat friends in the US have kept a prayer vigil for Paul and I know that they helped me once before.    Keep Paul in your thoughts and prayers to give him the strength to face what ever comes on Tuesday.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Creative Craft World GDT

The fab Choccy asked me if I would like to be a guest design teamie this week over on Creative Craft World's Challenge Blog.  After I'd patched her up having bitten her hand off, I said that I'd love to. (sorry Choccy, hope it's better!!) She sent me off giving me the chance to have anything Christmassy from Robyns Fetish Digi Stamps.  I love vintage style cards and chose this one called Sarah's Christmas. The image has been lightly painted with Tim Holtz Distress Inks, mat and layered with Spellbinders Oval plain and scalloped Nesties and placed on to an acetate wrap.  The card layer, SU's Christmas paper from a couple of years ago and the Acetate were all die cut together through the Calibur Machine so that all the layers were perfect.  A touch of Christmas gold ribbon and Voila!

 

Huge hugs to my sis-in-law for all the inspiration

June Birthdays - Part 2

It's my daughter-in-law's birthday and we love her dearly.  She's married to our no: 2 son and the family now live in Canada.  But they are coming over for a couple of weeks very soon.  The card was cut and embossed on the Calibur.  The papers are from the First Edition Up, Up & Away pad and I am continueing my obsession with LOTV images.

It's difficult to see but the fairy's wings have been glittered and, as usual flowers from Wild Orchid.  I decorated the inside again but after packing it safely for posting I realised that I hadn't taken a picture. Doh!

June Birthdays - part 1

There's a few birthdays to celebrate this month so here's the first card I made for my  niece.  A couple of really lovely internet friends Sarah and Karen decorate the inside of their cards, so I thought I'd give it a try.  I've fallen in love with the First Edition papers and I've used two from the Desert Blooms pad with a LOTV image. I cut an extra large card on the Calibur machine and embossed the edges and added a few Wild Orchid flowers and some guiper lace leaves.   

She loved it!
I would like to enter this card into the following challenge:-
Divas by Design New challenge - Florals

Officially a Teenager!

My fabulous one and only grandson, Joe, who lives in Canada, offically becomes a teenager on Wednesday the 8th.  I can't recall ever making a card for this age group.  The five girls are easy as I can easily follow their latest interest ( in Canada it's all swoons for Justin Beiber) but for Joe, well.... pretty difficult.  I remember he went to a ice hockey game a while back so I picked the theme from there.

 The paper and topper came from a My Craft Studio CD and the name was cut on the Cricut.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenge:

 Kaboodle Doodles Challenge #69 Show Us Your Colours

Red, white and blue.