Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Sassy Cheryl's Challenge: #193 (TWO WEEKS!) Winter/Cold Weather



Yup, it's coming-winter and the inevitable cold weather.  You wouldn't have guessed it today-it was in the high 60's here today.  Tomorrow, however, is a different story!
This week's Sassy Cheryl's Challenge (and next week's, too!) is a winter/cold weather card using a Sassy Cheryl's image.  So many of our friends are celebrating Thanksgiving next week-lots more cooking and perhaps a little less card making hence the two week window :-)
I used MME Merry Little Christmas mini paper pad, colored with Copics, cut out everybody, popped Maddie in front of the snowmen.  I tried a snow paint pen-disaster!  I've finally just thrown that pen away-i bought it last year and have never had any luck with it.  The snow is Flower Soft.
I hope you'll make room in the next two weeks to have a little fun...
You'll find some mighty cute images at Sassy Cheryl's store!

Other challenges I plan to enter:
C is for Challenge - 2W, Papercrafts only, E1 - (2nd week) Winter is Coming
Lady Anne's Challenge [Note new Blog Address] - M, E3, C10, papercrafts - (NovemberMore than 1 Layer


Monday, November 18, 2013

Ardilla's Papers: Christmas and snow

Ardilla's Papers: Christmas and snow  So very cute!  I haven't seen this little gal in a while and I love her-what a great card!
Thank you for joining us this week for the Sassy Cheryl's Challenge.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Sassy Cheryl's Challenge #192 Your Favorite Holiday Color



I've been MIA for the Sassy Cheryl's Challenges for a couple of weeks, but so happy to participate, again.  I have a back injury that is slow in healing-but it IS healing :-) 

This week's challenge is to use your favorite holiday color(s).  I decided to feature my favorite Christmas colors.  I am a traditional gal-love the red and green, but for this challenge, I put a contemporary spin on the red and green.

This darling snowman is colored with Copics, and then I did some fussy cutting.  The tree is Memory Box die.  The sentiment is a Marianne Designs die and stamp.  The snowman's scarf blows right off the page!

Do join us this week for the latest Sassy Cheryl's Challenge.  Remember to use a Sassy Cheryl's image.  You don't have to use Christmas colors-perhaps you have favorite Thanksgiving colors or you celebrate Chanukah...show us your colors!

Other challenges I plan to enter with this card:
Make it Monday - W, papercrafts only - always Anything Goes
MarkerPOP Challenge - 2W, 2E, C10, must use Copic or ShinHan markers - (2ndweek) Anything Goes with markers
The Paper Girls - 2W, layouts, cards - (2nd week) Cut it out! (Die- or Fussy-cutting





Sunday, November 10, 2013

Tiddly Inks Challenge

Sooo...I've been down and out with a seriously bad back for days, many, many days.  I've made progress-slow progress.  Just when I thought I was on my way, my little dog let out a piercing shriek announcing the arrival of my husband.  I had been sound asleep.  You know how you jump awake when your startled-yeah, that happened. A scream followed, a blood curdling, too loud scream as the pain shot through and through.  Needless to say, I lost ground in the recovery process.

Well, today I decided  that though I'm uncomfortable, and I move like I'm well into my 100th year, I needed to do some moving.  Realizing that given my back issues this might be my new normal (oh, how I hope NOT), I'd better put on my big girl panties and just do it.  Nothing taxing, mind you-purely pleasure!  I went to my studio (aka the cats' apartment) and with one cat in my lap and another at my feet, I colored away.  The cards may not be inspired-I prefer to call them clean and simple which honestly is my style anyway-these are just a little simpler than usual.



These are TiddlyInk images.  I vowed not to get hooked on another digi artist.  My computer is stuffed full with an impressive number of digis-clearly, I have a problem, but been down and out for so many days, I did a little blog hopping-seemed harmless enough!  Hah!  I'm on a design team with the very talented Angie.  She's a guest designer for Tiddly Inks this week-this is her fault!  That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!  These little girls were just too cute.  Apparently, they needed me as much as I needed them because they hopped right into my cart.

I've already written notes to two friends, one in need of cheering and the other to whom I owe thanks.  They'll be in the mail by Tuesday :-)



Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Gifts...Enough and more than enough

After some busy, fun filled weeks, I am now down for the count.  Foolishly, I decided to try and unroll a 12x 20 (?- BIG) rug in a furniture filled room by myself; my 59 year old, tall, slender, spine curvature, prone to back strain, self.  My darling husband came home as I as trying to use a car jack to raise the bed (innovative, don't you think?). He finished the job-rug finally in place-color me happy.

Alas, on Wed., my back HURT with each and every movement, but I had theatre tickets, expensive ones, and I was determined to go, enjoy lunch with friends and see this oh, so funny production.  The bus ride is about an hour and a half each way-ill advised for anyone plagued with back pain.  The day was wonderful, but the next day...  The next day, I could not move-no, really, could NOT move.  The slightest twitch sent electric shock pains through my body.

It's been exactly a week since the great rug unrolling debacle.  I've spent the better part of each day either in a recliner or my bed.  Lord, knows recliners are hulking, ugly pieces of furniture, but I have come to know the inner beauty of a Lazy Boy recliner!  Gratefully, our bed has a head and foot raising option-hence the need of a carjack to lift it when placing a rug beneath it.  I have made great use of this function.  It has enabled some independence in getting out of bed.

Yesterday, I went to the doctor.  He prescribed a muscle relaxer and pain killers, only to be taken at night and affirmed that I needed to lay low, use heat.  Today, after a wonderful, restorative sleep, I was able to get out of the bed without sound effects!  Of late, I've sounded like I'm giving birth at the moment I rise.  Within minutes, I was strongly reminded that, though I've made progress, I have a long way to go...sigh.

This has been a journey, a time of forced rest, relaxation, reflection, and regrouping.  The timing of this event was almost providential.  At the suggestion of a dear friend, with whom I share a number of strongly held beliefs, I had just finished reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.  This book and it's message touched me deeply.  I had committed to the idea of looking for and documenting gifts.  I've done this on and off for years.  My list has always been topped with my family and friends- the undeniably greatest earthly sources of my joy ( and, who are we kidding, heartache!).  I do thank God each and everyday for these, His most valuable gifts to me, but there are so many, many more- the gifts I take for granted, the gifts I don't even notice because I'm just "too busy" with the stuff of life.


So, now, I'm not so busy.  It's really easy for me to get down, and when I'm hurting and frustrated, well, I can get downright miserable, but I was determined to use this healing time more wisely.  I miss the daily activities I sometimes dread, but when I can't do them, I certainly appreciate the ability to do them.  

Crafting, creating gives me joy.  I love the process, and I love sharing this with others, but, for now, I cannot engage, so my blog sits in cyber space- that's fine, really.  Few visit here unless they're required to to enter a blog hop- I get it. Life's crazy busy, and we are all on sensory overload and so, so many of us are putting out our thoughts, ideas, and creations.  While Brene Brown speaks of our culture of scarcity(my new mantra thanks to Brene-Enough, and more than enough)- never enough ( yeah, I love her writing, too), there really are enough, more than enough, of us sharing in the blog-a-sphere.  I'm not writing this for anyone other than me, really- but publishing makes me vulnerable, and if I touch even one person's heart, then it serves a purpose.

I am still.  I notice the warmth of the sunshine, how the sunlight streams into the room, bounces of the glass table top.  I look out the window and see the leaves- bright oranges, yellows, and reds, a celebration as they joyfully let go for their upcoming winter slumber.  My little dogs recognize that something isn't right-they don't leave my side.  I am comforted by their warm little bodies pressed next to mine, the rhythm of their steady breath.  As word leaks out into our little town, a few phone calls, some sweet emails, a meal...




The daily miracles-answered prayers both big and small.  Daily meditations-gratitude-leave it to Oprah!

And, my family, my wonderful, sometimes dis-functional family... I notice my husband's kindness in ways I often overlook, his compassion, caring-a gentle, loving giant.  He supports me in so many ways.  My children call and text- words of love and caring, commitment and concern for me, for one another.  I am so proud of them, so grateful for them.  My new son, my son-in-law, called just to tell me he loves me, us, his new family.  What a wonderful young man!  My granddaughter, just a baby, doesn't even know how much I love her- perhaps will not be able to even wrap her mind and heart around it until she one day becomes a grandmother.



I am healing, and soon, my world will expand, again-a gift!  While this has been a painful interlude, and I do NOT wish to repeat it,  it has been a meaningful time...a gift.





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