Monday 20 June 2016

Father's Day

It's been another eventful week one of good news and of bad.

My friend is continuing to make progress after her stroke although she is still unable to stand up on her own as she has been left with severe vertigo. She has had a visit from a Doctor from the Rehab Centre and they have said that as soon as a bed is available she will be transferred. She is desperate to get more intensive physio as she is wanting home soonest - unfortunately soonest is likely going to be longer than she wants.

Her Brother-in-Law, who had been in a coma for 3 weeks, unfortunately lost his battle last Monday evening. His 15 year old daughter had already started fundraising for the ICU where he was being cared for and it was planned that she, along with her Highland Dance school friends, would dance over the Forth Road Bridge on Father's Day. Everyone thought it would be cancelled but no, she bravely went on with her fundraising event.  That's one gutsy young lady & her Dad would be rightly proud of her!

I decided to use this week's Freshly Made Sketches Challenge as the basis for the Father's Day card my son commissioned from me and also for a Birthday Card.

After making the dandelion card last week the main dandelion die disappeared, been searching high and low for it for a week.  Couldn't understand how it could vanish into thin air.  Fast forward to Saturday when I was making the Father's Day card and got out my Tonic Studio nesting dies to create the background. Once I finished using them I was putting them back into their packaging and felt something on the back of the magnetic sheet - yep, it was the dandelion die!








































I Used

Cardstock
White 300 gsm - Fabiano
Colours - Trim Craft

Stamps, Inks & Dies
Dog from "Bubbly" Stamp Set - Penny Black
Gathered Twigs Distress Ink Pad - Tim Holtz
Scalloped Rectangle Nesting Die Set - Tonic Studios 
Tim Holtz Stitched Ovals - Sizzix





For this Birthday card I used another Penny Black Stamp also from the "Bubbly" set. I went for the "Birthday Wishes" sentiment rather than a "Happy Birthday" as the impatient patient isn't a very happy bunny at the moment!








































I Used
Cardstock
White 300 gsm - Fabiano

Stamps, Inks & Dies
Party Cat from "Bubbly" set - Penny Black
Birthday Wishes - Personal Impressions
Assorted Tim Holtz Distress Inks
Assorted Promarkers
Tim Holtz Mixed Media #2 - Sizzix
Tim Holtz Stitched Ovals - Sizzix


*****


One final card this week is a variation on one I made for a previous sketch. While I was doing the earlier version I realised it would be nice as a sympathy card - didn't dream I would need to make it quite so soon!

I slightly darkened the colours and instead of the round gems I used smaller tear drop shaped ones. The sentiment is by Cheery Lynn and was cut from card which had been shaded to match the feather background.








  










Monday 13 June 2016

Friendship

It's been a few weeks since I've posted anything but things took an unexpected turn and there has been a lot happening.

A couple of weeks ago, and within the space of twenty-four hours, both my friend and her Brother-in-Law were rushed to hospital. My friend suffered a stroke less than 20 hours after her Brother-in-Law had a massive brain haemorrhage - needless to say it's been a rough time for her family.  Her B-i-L was being transferred to a hospital 30 miles away as she was in the ambulance going to the one he was leaving.

Both are currently still in hospital, however, things are beginning to settle down now and everyone is now getting in a routine. Instead now of taking my friend shopping or for a coffee it's visiting time with the impatient patient at the hospital
- she has told me that as soon as she's able I've to take her on a good day out, but not to Hobbycraft (as if!).

I decided to try this week's Freshly Made Sketches Challenge 



not sure if this first card fits the sketch - perhaps it is a loose interpretation, but then again . . . maybe not!

I've used three dandelion stems instead of the first three oblongs:


































I used Spellbinders D'Lites Dandelion die set cut from black cardstock which was highlighted using Cosmic Shimmer Gilding Wax (Pearl Moon and Golden Green). The  sentiment stamp was from a Kaisercraft set. 


I thought I'd try something a little closer to the sketch the dandelion one and used my Cheery Lynn Pierced Banner die set for this one:







Tim Holtz Distress Inks were used to create two separate backgrounds one shades of blue and the other combining various blues, yellows and orange. The plain blue was used as the background and the other used to cut the banners and Happy Birthday from. The Creative Expressions Happy Birthday was cut twice, the first was coated with clear embossing powder but didn't seem to stand out enough so I cut a second and used a gold embossing powder which I layered it over the first to create a drop shadow. The ribbon was also coloured using the Distress Inks.