A Little About Me Updated

Hi everyone, I hope you are all well. I thought I'd come on here and just update for those who sent me lovely wishes on my post below. I had my lumbar puncture and the pressure was high confirming that my BIH has come back sadly. The procedure didn't go to plan and they had to have numerous attempts and doing it, this has left me in a lot of pain and it is only now that I have been able to sit up for short while. I have another week off work next week but then hopefully I should be back there. The one procedure does not appear to have cured it and the doctors believe I will need another one. For the time being I am just trying to take things easy.

Before my procedure I did manage to make my mum her Mother's Day card and I should be back on here shortly to share that with you.

Bye Bye Birdie

Here is a quick card I have made today. As soon as I saw the cute paper I knew what stamp I wanted to use with it! I have stamped the birdie from the Elzybells (sadly now closed) Bye Bye Birdie set and coloured with Copic markers and Copic Spica glitter pens on the cloud and the birdie's tail. I have then cut it out using Nestabilities oval and scallop oval dies, the scallop one out of Bazzill Kraft CS; this has then been added to base with 3d foam pads. The base is another sheet of Kraft CS with a sheet from the First Edition Up Up and Away Collection and a piece of Doodlebug Bubble Blue CS added. Greeting from the same set stamped then the layer has been wrapped around with The Ribbon Girl Tile Blue Seam Binding and WRMK Little Boy Blue Sew Easy Floss with a SU! Marina Mist button added. Doodlebug Mini Jewels added to finish.

STAMPS: Elzybells Art Stamps. INk: Memento Tuxedo Black. CS: Craftwork Cards, Bazzill, Doodlebug, First Edition. TOOLS: Nestabilities, Copic Spica At You Glitter Pens, Copic Markers - B91, Y11, G20, G21, N1, B000. EMBELLISHMENTS: The Ribbon Girl Seam Binding, We R Memory Keepers Floss, Stampin' Up! Designer Buttons, Doodlebug Mini Jewels,.

I might not see you for a couple of days but hopefully I will be back soon -x-

Thank You Butterflies

First off I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who left me wishes on my last post, they are so appreciated and so thoughtful. You are really lovely people so thank you. I will keep you updated next week after my procedure.

I managed to make a quick card today after seeing the lovely sketch over at Clean & Simple. I have first added DB Fairy Dust CS to a white card blank followed by another layer of the CS with a sheet from the WRS Gorgeous Ginghams pack; this layer has then been adhered to the bottom layer with 3d foam pads. A white cardstock layer added on top with the butterflies. I have first cut out the MFT Die-Namics butterflies with felt and then with sparkly vellum (yes I am loving using this again, it has been in my stash for years!!) and adorned the middles with Bazzill Jewels. The greeting is from the MFT Framed Greetings Stamp & Die Set.

STAMPS: My Favourite Things. INK: Memento Tuxedo Black. CS: Craftwork Cards, Doodlebug Designs, Wild Rose Studio, 100% Wool Felt, Paperchase Sparkly Vellum. TOOLS: My Favourite Things Die-Namics. EMBELLISHMENTS: Bazzill Self Adhesive Jewels.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

A Little Bit About Me

Most of my regular visitors will know that I suffer with kidneys problems which causes me a lot of pain and time off work. A few months ago I was given some extra antibiotics (I take regular ones everyday) to get rid of a particular bad kidney ingfection I was having. A rare side effect of these antibiotcs is that it can cause intracranial hypertension. I suffered with this for over five years during my teenage years but thankfully it went away never to return again ... until I took these antibiotics that is.

I ended up in A&E with bloodshot eyes, blurred vision, severe headaches and nausea. I was admitted to the medical admissions unit and given pain-killers. I had a CT scan to rule out brain tumours and sent home waiting for a Neurology appoinment with the diagnosis given that my Benign Intracrainial Hypertension (BIH) had returned query due to the antibiotics.

BIH affects one in 100,000 people, usually females around my age range. There is no known cause but it basically causes the pressure in the brain and spine to go up. One theory is that the body is making too much of the cerebrospinal fluid (the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord) and this means that the pressure increases. The only way to effectively get this pressure down is to have it drained off via inserting a needle into the spine (a lumbar puncture) and getting some of the fluid drained off. BIH itself causes severe headaches and visual distrubances - this being the most serious; it can lead to blindness if not corrected.

I have my Neurology appointment today and I am hoping that they can sort something out for me. I am guessing that I will need another lumbar puncture and I am crossing all my fingers and toes that it will work and my BIH will go away again.

I am sharing this information with you as some of you lovely people are so caring and loyal and I wanted you to know. If I am not around for a little while you know why but hopefully I will be.

**UPDATED** I have been for my appointment and I will be going into hospital for the day on Tuesday for a lumbar puncture and to see the opthalmologists. It's not at my local hospital but one in London where they have a specialist unit for Neurosciences, at least I should be in good hands! Thank you for the support messages, they are so so appreciated :0) xxx

Best wishes to you all,

50 and Fabulous!

Here is a card I have made for my aunt. I have used Maya Road Philadelphia chipboard numbers and coloured them with a Copic marker and added Clear Bazzill Jewels to them; these have then been added to circle layers cut using Nestabilities dies - the white layer is 3d foamed from the scallop layer and added to base with DST. The base is a sheet of DB Fairy Dust CS which has been run through my Cuttlebug using the Seeing Spots embossing folder and layered with DB Lilac CS. The greeting has been printed (from my PC) on to sparkly vellum and wrapped around the layers with Wild Pansy Bazzill Jewels added. The whole lot has been added to a white CWC Elegant card blank.

For the inside I have layered up more cardstock and vellum and stamped the PTI (Birthday Bash Sentiments) greeting onto a white Nestabilities circle.

STAMPS: Papertrey Ink. INk: Memento Tuxedo Black. CS: Craftwork Cards, Doodlebug Designs, Paperchase Vellum. TOOLS: Nestabilities dies, Cuttlebug Seeing Spots Embossing Folder, V17 Copic Marker. EMBELLISHMENTS: Maya Road Chipboard Numbers, Bazzill Jewels.

It seems that spring has really sprung now, what lovely weather we have had today so far. I hope everyone is having a nice day whatever you are up to!

Spring Is Sprung

Another new challenge for me this week - the Penny Black Saturday Challenge. This week is 'Spring Is Sprung', I do not use orange/peach that much on cards but actually I think its a very pretty colour depending on how its used. I have stamped Butterfly Bear out and coloured with Copics, adding a little glitter to the butterflies with a gold Spica pen. I have then cut this out with Nestabilities and mounted to the base with 3d foam. The base is sheets from the CWC Ice Cream Parlour Collection mounted to DB Melon CS with Peach Seam Binding wrapped around. I have punched a MS Monarch Butterfly out of more Melon CS and then sprinkled with DB Tangerine Sugar Coating Glitter. CWC Tiny Sentiment also 3d foamed and the card finsihed off with tiny pearls.

STAMPS: Penny Black. Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black. CS: Craftwork Cards, Doodlebug Designs. TOOLS: Nestabilities dies, Martha Stewart Monarch Butterfly, Copic Markers - bear: E25, E27; butteflies: YR21, Y23, Spica Gold; grass: G21, G24; blue shadow: B91 & blender pen. EMBELLISHMENTS: Seam Binding by The Ribbon Girl, Doodlebug Ultrafine Sugar Coating Glitter, Craftwork Cards Tiny Sentiments, Pearls by The Hobby House.

Less Is More - Masculine

This is the first time I have entered this challenge but I love the 'less is more' look. This week is the masculine challenge. For this card I have used the football bear from the Forever Friends The Good Life Sports Collection, stamped him onto white CS and coloured with Copics. The greeting (Our Craft Lounge) stamped in the corner and this panel has then been mounted to blue CS using 3d foam pads; the whole thing has then been adhered to a white card blank using DST. Thank you for a great challenge Chrissie and Mandi!

STAMPS: Forever Friends, Our Craft Lounge. INK: Memento Tuxedo Black. CS: Craftwork Cards, Papermania Capsule Collection. TOOLS: Copic Markers - Bear: E40, E41, E43, R20; Shirt: B91, B93, B95, B97; Grass: G21, G24; Blue Shadow: B91, Blender Pen.

Back To Normality

Hello all, after the shame of the photo I took on Wednesday, I thought I'd show you what my craft desk usually looks like!

I have also just bought a couple of baskets to go on top of my stamp cabinet to add in the things that I have recently bought but not put away yet.

The trouble with me is unless things are right in front of me I forget what I have got so I thought if I had some of the products here I can use them before I put them away, well in theory anyway! :0)

And whilst we are kinda on the subject i thought I'd show you how I store my little dies - MFT Die-Namics, PTI dies, Magnolai Doo-Hickey etc, as I have just recently re-organised them.

I bought myself a Tim Holtz Idea-Ology Unmounted Stamp Binder and in the inserts that come with it I have added a sheet of white card with the dies names on it. To the outisde of the inserts (they are plastic) I have added the dies using strips of magnetic tape. They come off so easily and they also stay on well when flicking through the inserts. How do you store yours? I'd love to know!

That's it! Thank you for visiting me today, I really appreciate it. I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend so far.

Bubbly Bears

This card is made from my Nan & Grandad's 61st Wedding Anniversary next week. I have stamped the very cute Penny Johnson Bubbly Bears out and coloured with Copics adding touches of glitter to the bubbles; I have then cut them out using a Nestabilities die and added to base with 3d foam pads. The base is simply a layers of DB Posie Pink and Ladybug CS. The top layer of Ladybug CS has been put through my Cuttlebug using the Doo-hickey Romantic Lace border. Ribbon wrapped around and tied in a bow at the front. The sentiment is Mellisa Frances Rub-ons and Bazzill Jewels added to finish.

STAMPS: Penny Johnson. INK: Memento Tuxedo Black. CS: Anit'as, Craftwork Cards, Doodlebug Designs. TOOLS: Nestabilities dies, Magnolia Doo-Hickey Romantic Lace border, Copic Markers - bears: N6, N5, N4, N3, N2, N1; ground & shadow: B000, RV000, R81. EMBELLISHMENTS: Ribbon by The Ribbon Girl, Bazzill Jewels, Melissa Frances Rub-Ons.

WOYWW

My entry for What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday? ...

A little messy after making just two cards! Hmmm ... I better get on and start clearing that up!

Hope everyone is having a good day!

You Know You're Old When ...

I have made this card for my Aunt who is turning 60 this week ... she has a great sense of humour so I when I was this image by Bugaboo Stamps I knew I had to use it on her card! I have printed Stella out and coloured her with Copics adding touches of glitter and glaze to her glasses. I have mounted her with DB Swimming Pool CS added to base with 3d foam. The sentiment is also by Bugaboo but I changed the font to suit my needs; this has been printed directly onto a sheet from the DCWV The Linen Closet Stack and then also added to base with 3d foam pads. The base is a layer of Bazzill Kraft CS followed by a layer of DB Dragonfly CS then another sheet from The Linen Closet Stack. Elegant Peacock Seam Binding wrapped around and tied in a bow using the Bow Easy. The 'Happy Birthday' is rub ons by Bazzill Basics and the '60' has been cut out using the Sizzix Sizzlits Girls Are Weird alpha set and then glittered with DB ultra fine glitter. Bazziil Jewels added to finish. I hope she likes it!

STAMPS: Bugaboo Stamps. CS: Craftwork Cards, Anita's, Bazzill Basics, Doodlebug Designs, Die Cuts With A View. TOOLS: Sizzix Sizzlits Girls Are Weird Alphabet Set, Copic Markers, Doodlebug Designs Ultra Fine Glitter. EMBELLISHMENTS: Bazzill Basics Word Rub Ons, Bazzill Basics Self Adhesive Jewels, Seam Binding by The Ribbon Girl.

Milton with Lily

Hello there, how are you? still remember who I am? lol Things have been a bit busy here, I have been working lots and doing some courses and stuff. Anyway, enough of that ... yesterday I did get the time to make a card :0) using some new Dies to Die for goodies. I have used the new Milton with Lily stamp and coloured him with Copics before cutting out using a Nestabilities circle die and adding to base with 3d foam. The base is a piece of Doodebug Bubblegum CS added to a Craftwork Cards 6" Elegant card blank with two sheets of the new MME Lush 2 Fuchsia paper added on top. I have also wrapped around some seam binding in Strawberry Glaze and added a double bow to the front. MFT Die-Namics Butterflies cut out with vellum and adhered with Bazzill Jewels. The Greeting is from the WRS Cute Greetings set.

STAMPS: Wild Rose Studio. INK: Memento Tuxedo Black. CS: Craftwork Cards, Doodlebug Designs, My Minds Eye, Paperchase Vellum. TOOLS: Nestabilities Circles, My Favourite Things Die-Namics Butterflies. EMBELLISHMENTS: Seam Binding by The Ribbon Girl, Bazzill Self Adhesive Jewels, Copic Markers - bear: E25, E27, E29; Flower: RV 17, RV19, C3, G24, G28; shadow and ground: W00, W1, W3, W5.