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Monday, 20 January 2025

Not Having Fun. UPDATE.

Here I am back in Hospital, again. They're trying to get a needle in but my veins are very small, and after four attempts, they have now gone to find a Doctor. I've had enough needles. I'm waiting for them to give me something to stop me throwing up, and get rid of the nausea. I get to the stage where I can't deal with any more needles, and I  become very anxious. I'm close to that point now. I'll update this later. 
Ok, so I was eventually discharged last night, and am back home again. I have a card to share! Yes, another cad inspired by the lovely Eileen Godwin. I wonder if she reads my blog?! I somehow doubt she has the time, but hey, you never know! My trip to hospital didn't go well, they were unable to find a vein to take blood, and after many attempts, they gave up. So no blood tests, and no fluids to re-hydrate me. I seem to be doing ok though, so that's good news. The Doctor I had was great, really supportive and made sure I had all the meds I needed plus a script for some other meds I needed. She was also very apologetic that they had tried so many times to find a vein without luck. They wanted to try a vein in my foot, but I've had that done  before and it's absolutely horrible, and is so painful. I said NOOO! Luckily they understood, and so that was the end of it!
Here is my card. 
I stenciled the background in pale pink and pale blue ink. The border is a bit wonky, but the sky is not going to fall because of it! My hands are still a bit shaky. The weather here is not the best today, especially as it is SUMMER, and it has been raining this morning. We've also had loads of strong wind for the last 2  1/2 weeks, and I am over it! Everyone is sick of the wind, and we just want our Summer back again. Ok, thanks for dropping by! Have a SUNSHINE day! Remember to always be your authentic self, and shine bright each and every day!

Sunday, 19 January 2025

"Darcy" and "Rory" Stargazing!


Another card inspired by Eileen Godwin! I keep finding her videos and just have to have ago! I used a circle mask to make a half circle. On one side of the circle I brushed on some Tumbled Glass Distress Oxide ink. I am quickly falling in love with these inks. They blend so well, and the colours are gorgeous. I like that you can use a damp cloth and 'wipe' over them to create a sort of 'misty', or softer look. (No I didn't do that on here!) So once I had done the blue half way across the circle, I stamped the berry branch, and then stamped Darcy and Rory, and lastly the star cluster. Yes, all Lavinia products! I also added some red, and white Nuvo Drops to the berries. There's also a dot of silver Stickles on a few of the darker berries. I very lightly stamped a stamp that says something about 'the clouds are lined with silver', in the top right hand side of the card. This was another fun card to create! I stuck the finished card to a piece of black card. The whole card measures around 4 3/4 by 5 inch. Ok, Romeo goes back to the vet next Tuesday. They tried to take blood last week, but because they had poked and prodded him to check where the pain was, he would not let them do the test. He is a very chilled, relaxed boy, but he hissed and howled and turned in to a hell cat. Not his normal behaviour at all. I was stunned to see him like this, and very stressed. So he now has some tablets to take so he is relaxed and calm, and hopefully he lets them take blood. They need to check if he has any other health issues before they can prescribe something for the pain. He has one tablet Monday night, and one tablet two hours before his appointment the next day. I've never had to sedate a cat before and I'm very anxious about it. Poor thing, he was very stressed at the vet. Once we got home that day, he was quite sore for the next couple of days, but the pain seems to have settled a bit now. Fingers crossed that everything goes well for us on Tuesday! Ok, thanks for dropping by! Have a SUNSHINE day! Always be your authentic self, and shine bright each and every day!

Wednesday, 15 January 2025

"Toad Lodge"


 Here's my card I made this morning. Inspiration from Eileen Godwin again. I used one of my LS stencils to begin with. I used  blue and pink Distress Oxide ink for the stenciling. Once I had that done, I left the stencil in place, and used a lightly damp (not wet) cloth and carefully 'wiped' over the inked stenciling. This removes some of the ink and gives a soft muted effect. I used my heat gun to dry the card before stamping on it. A tip I learned from Eileen. I always learn something from her! My challenge is to remember to use those tips when I create something! Ok, so I had Romeo-Valentino to the Vet this morning. It turns out he has some arthritis and obviously some pain. I did wonder if he was in some pain. He needs to have some blood tests as well, to check his kidneys, heart & lungs etc. We'll get that sorted out soon. Thanks for dropping by! Have a SUNSHINE day! Remember to always be your authentic self, and shine bright each and every day!

Tuesday, 14 January 2025

Lavinia Stamps "Secrets."


Once again, I was inspired by a card Eileen Godwin had done. I remember the first time I watched her create something. It was a 'lightbulb' moment for me. I knew in an instant that this was the kind of art I wanted to do. I love Eileen's style of art, it's clean and elegant, and very calming. When I create  something like this, nothing else exists, the world and all it's sometimes ugly bits and everything else just melt away,  and it's only me and my art! To create this, I used a square shaped sticker stencil, and placed it in the center of a square white card. I used a circle mask and a stencil brush to add colour, (Distress Oxide ink pads) moving the mask to create half circles on the left side of the card. I then stamped the Thistle stamp on the right hand side, and stamped the sentiment half way up the card. The stamp I chose purposely fits 'around' the sentiment. The last thing I did was to add a tiny dot of Silver Stickles on the top of each spikey bit on the Thistles. I really enjoy creating this kind of art, it's very relaxing and un-complicated. Thanks for dropping by! Have a SUNSHINE day! Remember to always be your authentic self, and shine bright each and every day!


Monday, 13 January 2025

A Gaggle Geese!

Please be kind...this is not my best effort! I stamped on one of LS Scene Scapes pre-printed cards. I had been wanting to use this stamp as I'd had it for a while. The Geese are supposed to be walking (waddling?) around a pond. You may need to use your imagination! It's a bit messy and as I said, not my best effort. I am a bit stressed because I have an appointment on Wednesday, for Romeo-Valentino. He's eating and drinking ok, but he just seems a bit lethargic. I'm hoping it's not serious. The last time I had one of my cats (Bella-Rosa) at the vets, it was not a good outcome. What made it worse, was, Auckland was in lockdown a the time, due to Covid, and I was not allowed in to be with her. It was beyond heart breaking. My cats are my world, and are so much more than just a cat. Ok, thanks for dropping by! Have a SUNSHINE day! Always be your authentic self, and shine bright each and every day!
 

"Mooch" and "Brodwin"

 

Here's another 7x7 inch card I did yesterday. I call them 'cards', but really they're pictures, little pieces of art! Ok, I used a Sticker stencil to create the Toadstool, and used a patterned stencil to get the shape. (All Lavinia products.) Then "Mooch" the cat was stamped on one side. I stamped "Brodwin" the Owl, to look as if he is about to land on the Toadstool, or was about to fly away. (It depends on your point of view!) The word "Wish" was stamped last. I used a pastel pencil in white under "Brodwin's" wings, and a little black pencil under "Mooch" to ground him. I also added a black edge around the card, then mounted it onto a larger piece of white card. I also drew a black edge around this card. ow, there's a bit of a story attached t this card! When I first used the stencil (patterned one) over top of the Sticker Stencil, (the Toadstool) the blue colour was really pale and didn't look right. So I had to add more colour. Luckily I had not cleaned the patterned stencil, and after a bit of fiddling around, I was able to place the stencil in the same place and add some extra colour. It was a bit of a challenge, but I was not about to bin the card! Thanks for dropping by! Have a SUNSHINE day! Remember to always be your authentic self, and shine bright each and every day!

Saturday, 11 January 2025

"Hattie" and "Dana"

This is a 7x7 inch card. All Lavinia products. I was inspired to create this after seeing a card created by Eileen Godwin.  "Hattie" the Witch, and "Dana" the fairy. I love the clean lines and simplicity of this. Since being in hospital, briefly, New Years Day, I am still not well! I didn't get the correct treatment and was still dehydrated when I was discharged. Struggling to eat or drink, and still feeling very nauseous, and not able to get an appointment with my Doctor for 9 days due to him (and the entire Medical Center) being on holiday, it was a challenge. Even then he was so booked up all I could get was a phone consultation with him two days ago. So I haven't had much energy to do any art work, until I was inspired by Eileen's card! I am exhausted and just want to close the blinds, put a sign on the door that says, "Don't knock, don't call, just back away and leave me in peace!" Or something a little 'stronger' than that, lol! Luckily I still have my sense of humour!
Thanks for dropping by! Have a SUNSHINE day! Remember to always be your authentic self, and shine bright each and every day!
 

Thursday, 2 January 2025

Happy New Year!

These first two cards were inspired by Jo Rice from Lavinia Stamps. I love the simplicity of these cads and ha fun creating them.
The card below is one I made for a friends Birthday. It measures 5x5 inches. I used a sheet of the new Scene Scapes papers from Lavinia. It has some sparkle on it, but I don't think you can see it. I used a clear Wink of Stella pen on the wings. The sentiment is one of Suzanne Canons beautiful creations. I love her Calligraphy!
The last card below, was inspired by Eileen Godwin. I used one of Lavinia's sticker stencil for the large Hare in the background. I hope you can see him, he is very pale. Then I used the stamp that matches that image. I finished the card by placing it on a black piece of cardstock, That was after I had taken this photo! I had fun creating these cards, but was 'interrupted' with some health issues. Long story short, I was unwell NYE and had the Ambulance here twice in one day, and ended up  in hospital for a few hours while they did some tests. I am VERY happy to be home and to get back to my artwork!  (The cats are also very happy to have home!) 
Thanks for dropping by! Have a SUNSHINE day! Remember to always be your authentic self, and shine bright each and every day!