Family Picnic

Later today we are having a family picnic with my Mother's family.  She comes from a family of 13 children so I have LOTS of cousins and relatives.  They are a close family so it is nice that the majority get together for Christmas and then again for a summer picnic even though my grandparents have both passed away now.  We are having a surprise birthday party also.  So I made this card.  It is funny to have a teen looking image on the front for a 70 year old - that is the irony of life.
Have a great weekend.

Patterned Paper:  Cherry on Top - Looking Glass Papers

Cardstock:  Recollections

Stamp:  Kenny K - Sweet Melissa

Happy Birthday sentiment:  free digital download

Celebrating your big day! - TLC, Create

Spellbinders:  Label #10, Small Petite Oval

Circle Punch:  EK Success

Buttons:  stash

Divine Twine

Bling:  Recollections

Ribbon:  Michael's

Border Punch:  Fiskars

Challenges

Kenny K - Special Birthday

Cupcake Craft Challenge - Number Cruncher  http://cupcakecraftchallenges.blogspot.com/

Blessings and kindness

My mother-in-law in 87 years old and has been very independent.  Unfortunately she was involved in a car accident and fractured her leg in several places so she has needed to go to a nursing home for therapy.  She had agreed to move the 70 miles to be in the same city as my sister and us so we went to look at several of the assisted living centers yesterday in preparation for her.  It is amazing at the differences in services and prices so that it is overwhelming.  I work in the healthcare field and find it confusing so I can't imagine what it is like for elderly to make decisions about their care.

I made a card using this weeks Mojo sketch and paper and sentiments from TLC, Create.  The digital stamp is from A Cherry on Top.  I added Ice Stickles to the tops of the flower to give them a little sparkle.  My second card is using a new image from TLC, Create "Act of Kindness" that I colored with Copics.  I attached a feather that I had to the corner of the sentiment.

Patterned Paper:  TLC, Create

Cardstock:  Bazzil, Recollection

Stamp:  A Cherry on Top

Sentiment:  TLC, Create

Ice Stickles

Lace:  Wrights

Border Punch:  Martha Stewart

Bling:  Paper Studio

Challenges

Mojo - Sketch 249

Patterned Paper:  Sweet Shoppe - For the Boys

Carstock:  Recollection

Stamp & Sentiment:  TLC, Create - Act of kindness

Divine Twine

Ribbon:  Michael's

Border Punch:  Fiskars

Buttons, feather, paper clip:  stash

Challenges

Retro Sketches - Sketch#19

You're amazing

My husband had the embolization procedure on Friday and stayed in the hospital until Saturday afternoon.  They do it like a heart catherization and go through the groin into the femoral artery to find the spinal tumor and then kill the blood supply that the tumor has created so that the tumor will shrink and die.  It worked wonderfully.  At first, there is more pain that is why he spent the night in the hospital and he had some when he first came home.  Now he is walking better and is doing much better.  He had an appointment yesterday to see his Oncologist and walked to the garage and forgot his cane.  You don't understand....it was usually which was he going to take his cane or the walker not to have him walk unassisted.  This is great to see him be in less pain.  Now he realizes how risky the procedure was after talking to the doctors again though, but knows he may need to have it repeated since he doesn't have much room in his spinal column for the tumor to grow around the nerve.

Now, I was able to make a card for the doctor using the TLC, Create sentiment "You're amazing" and the Cheryl's Sassy image.  And I have a co-worker that had a hip replacement so I used the Tiddly Ink "New Wings" and TLC, Create sentiment.

Patterned Paper:  My Mind's Eye - Miss Caroline - Dilly Dally
Cardstock:  Recollections
Stamp:  Sassy Cheryl - Bella's Flowers
Sentiment:  TLC, Create
Ribbon:  Michael's
Border Punch:  Fiskars
Divine Twine
Buttons:  stash

Challenges
Deconstructed Sketch - Sketch 59
Sassy Cheryl - Summer

Patterned Paper:  Sweet Shoppe - Nickel and Dime Store Kitchen & Little Steam Engine

Cardstock:  Bazzil, Recollection

Cardbase:  Paper Cuts

Spellbinders:  Small and Large circles, Grand Circle

Stamp:  Tiddly Ink - Wryn New Wings

Sentiment:  TLC, Create

Flowers:  Recollection

Challenges

The Sweet Stop - Sketch 166

Tiddly Inks - Red, White and Blue

Words, timeless and Beautiful

Good Sunday morning.  If you are here for the TLC, Create Blog Hop you are in the right place.
For my card I used a Tuesday Morning Sketch for the layout and colored Paulette's beautiful digital image which you can right click and download below, with Copics.  I took a picture of the Copics that I used.

Patterned Paper:  Sweet Shoppe - Bellisimo

Cardstock:  Recollection, Metallic cardstock from Paper Cuts

Stamp:  TLC, Create see below

Ribbon:  Offray

Pearls:  Recollection

Spellbinders:  Grand Circle, Grand Scalloped Circle

Challenges 

Tuesday Morning Sketch -   Sketch 153  http://tuesdaymorningsketches.blogspot.com/

Right click and save on image.

Now on to the talented Rhonda, for another freebie and a wonderful creation.

Join me for a cup

Later today, my dear husband who has metastatic renal cancer needs to have a procedure to try to help him with all the pain he is having.  He is having difficulty with the intensity of the pain since it is wrapped around a nerve in his spine and he is on a LOT of pain medications and we deal with lots of side effects.  He has had two surgeries on the spine to try to remove the tumor, but first they try to shrink the tumor by killing it's blood supply which is called an embolization.  He is going to have just that procedure done tomorrow which causes more pain because first it causes the cancer to kill itself and it is the hope that eventually the cancer will shrink and he will have less pain.  He has to spend one night in the hospital.  Tonight he was having so much pain it was difficult to watch him suffer so I hope that this will help.

On a more positive note, I made this card for the There She Goes Challenge using digital stamps from the Sweet Shoppe.  I added a heart and buttons.  My other card is using the new design that is available from TLC, Create with a cup of coffee.  I distress the design with Tim Holtz ink and spritzed it with water.

Patterned Paper & digital stamps - Sweet Shoppe - Reach for the Sky
Cardstock:  Recollections & Bazzil
Spellbinders:  Heart
Buttons:  stash
Divine Twine

Challenges
There She Goes - Inspiration 163

Patterned Paper:  TLC, Create
Cardstock:  Bazzil- Prism, Paper Company, Recollection
Stamp:  Label - TLC, Create
             Coffee Cup - free digital download
Spellbinder:  Eyelet Circle
Ribbon:  Offray
Flowers:  Recollections
Ink:   Tim Holtz:  Walnut Ink & Old Paper
Liquid Pearls

Challenges
Chocolate, Coffee, and Cards - Anything Goes  http://chocolatecoffeecards.blogspot.com/




Remember that on Sunday is the TLC, Blog Hop starting at 8:30am PST.

Happy 4th of July

I wish I was wrong, but....the full moon was a problem last night.  As I predicted, the patients were "out of sorts" and it was NOT a pleasant night.  So, I needed a little calm me down time so I could relax before I could go to sleep.  I wish everyone a Happy 4th, but I'm tired of working on and seeing red, white and blue right now so....this is what I came up with.  Now it speaks volumes as to how bad my night really was, LOL.

Patterned Paper:  TLC, Create; Jak Heath, Shabby Princess - Too Soon
Cardstock:   Bazzil, Recollections
Stamp:  Paper Squirrel
Sentiment:  TLC, Create
Spellbinders:  Small Circle, small scalloped circle
Border Punch:  Fiskars
Flower:  McMahon, Prima, Recollection
Braid:  Wrights
Glossy Accents on clear glass areas

Challenges
SSSC- Sketch 162
Paper Craft Challenge - Cool Summer Drink  Thursday with Sylvia  http://papercraftstar.blogspot.com/2012/06/thursdays-anniversary-challenge-with.html

Excessive heat warning

Today is only Tuesday, but we have a weather advisory for excessive heat until Friday at 10pm - whew!  I can't believe this for Wisconsin.  It is like we have moved to the South.  I worry about people who work outside or do not have air conditioning since this is such a long stretch.  I work tonight and I told my son I am already concerned about it since it will be a full moon...since the patients tend to have strange behaviors during the night.  He laughs at me, but.....now sprinkle a little heat and who knows what I'll see tonight.

For my first card thinking of the ocean, TLC, Create has a great image along with these shell buttons that were in the August club.  I thought it worked perfectly with the Saturday Sketch by using the twine with the Martha Stewart anchor punch.  Then Mo's Challenge this week is "Straight from the Heart", I used "Angel with Kitten" as my image.  Our cats are so spoiled and loved so I thought this was a great image to use, and the sentiment is from TLC, Create.

Patterned Paper:  Bearly Mine, Sweet Shoppe - Sock it to Me

Cardstock:  Bazzil, Recollections

Stamp:  TLC, Create - Down by the Seashore

Seashells - TLC, Create - August Club - Beach treasure sticker, beach treasure sticker 2

Twine: Divine twine & stash

Punches:  Anchor: Martha Stewart punch; Circle - EK Success

Challenges

Sketch Saturday - Sketch 214

Patterned Paper:  My Mind's Eye

Cardstock:  Core-dinations, Paper Company, Recollections

Stamp:  Mo Manning - Angel with Kitten

Sentiment:  TLC, Create

Circle Punches:  EK Success

Spellbinders: Grand Circle

Chalk:  Color Box, Creamy Brown

Buttons & Twine:  Stash

Embossing Folder:  Cuttlebug

Butterflies:  Martha Stewart

Ribbon:  Michael's

Bling:  Recollection

Sakura glitter jelly pen on wings

Challenges

CPS: Sketch 172 the last one

Mo's - Straight from the Heart

A Gem of a Challenge  - Buttons, Bows, Bling & Butterflies

Bearly Mine - Ribbon & Bows