Saturday 26 February 2011

Another Up-date

Hello all you wonderful Crafties, hope all is well out there in Crafty Blogland!

Just thought I'd up-date you again - second treatment completed yesterday and dare I say there is a little improvement?  It is certainly showing in my blood tests, although it might take a while for it to filter through to my body!  But I woke up this morning and my knees weren't as stiff and swollen, although there's still a way to go with the rest of me!

Still don't know how long it's going to take before I'm back but, in the meantime, here's another card I've managed to produce this past fortnight.  My middle niece has just moved into her first home with her darling baby daughter and when I saw this beautiful image by A Day for Daisies, it so reminded me of the pair of them. 


Stamp: A Day for Daisies, 'Sweet Boy' (but I think it could be either boy or girl!)
Papers: Digi Papers by Sarah Smutchz, 'Dainty' 

I wanted something delicate and pretty to put with this image and these beautiful digital papers were just the thing.  The stamp could be either girl or boy, I think, and it certainly looked like my little grand-niece to me. This image is so like a photograph we have of the two of them, it was uncanny.



I told you I'd been gathering colouring tips whilst I've been away and I hope I've managed to use some of them in this 'portrait' - I certainly feel I've got some reasonable shading going on here.  I hope my niece will like it.

I wish it wasn't such a struggle to create at the moment - my head is full of ideas but it's too tiring to do much with any of them.  Still, there's a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel now and I can't wait to see if this new drug lives up to the promise.

Might I also take this opportunity to say a big 'thank you' to Christine, Bron and Lin who, in my absence, have given me awards for my blog.  It means a lot, ladies, and I promise I'll publish them properly once I'm back.

Take care, my crafty friends.
Happy crafting.
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Friday 11 February 2011

Today's The Day!

Hello my Crafty Blogland friends.  Just a quick note to say that today's the day - I'm starting my new treatment at 1.00 p.m., not a moment too soon, I can tell you.

It'll take a few weeks to kick in and make the long-awaited difference (so I'm told) but this does mean that, if it works (and we'll just have to wait and see) this could be the little miracle I've been hoping for.

I've not been a slouch whilst I've been waiting - I've been blog hopping every day, seeing what wonderful things you've all been creating and picking up colouring tips and inspiration along the way.  I'm looking forward to getting back to some creating of my own!

I did manage to make a birthday card for my mum, though - thankfully I've a stock large enough to cover all occasions but Mum's birthday card had to be a special one. 

I have always loved this photograph of my Mum, taken when she was about my daughter's age (20):



Very 'Gina Lollbrigida'!  Beautiful!

So I had the idea to turn it into a digistamp - me and my big ideas!  Anyway, I traced the main features and scanned the resulting tracing in then printed the image out and worked with that.  I don't think I've quite managed to catch that 'Mona Lisa' smile (she's looking a little stern, perhaps) but here's the result:


The most exciting thing was that Mum immediately recognised the picture!



Just for info, papers from the new Cosmo Cricket 'Circa 1934' range. Gorgeous!

The cardigan was paper-pieced (that was fun! Scissors are not easy!), the rest was coloured with my Copics and, of course, the shading was added with my Prismas.

As usual, the photograph simply does not do it justice.  IRL it is much crisper.

Despite all that, I was delighted with the end result.  And it felt good to have created something worthwhile. 

Right, off to watch some rubbish telly until the nurse arrives to administer the first dose (and teach me how to use the needle myself - ouch!).  Wish me luck!

Happy crafting.
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