Que Sera Sera

Digital Scrapbooking with Digital Scrapbook Artist 2

2010-08-20T22:54:00.002+02:00

I'm well and truly hooked! I thought I would buy this program to enhance my cards, but I've ended up playing with layouts to make to first scrapbook pages. I would never have believed I would be doing this as Scrapping hasn't ever rocked by boat. But, with a new grandchild on the way I can see me playing with this lots.
Here are some of my first pages.

Reflections and an Anniversary Card

2010-08-11T17:18:00.004+02:00

Two more cards made recently.
The first is for Mother and Father in law for their Anniversary this weekend. I wouldn't do anything too romantic for them, so this is just a little different.
The second was Mike's birthday card which I also entered into our forum challenge....and won!
I love trees in any form or fashion and especially love what Barbara Gray does with them on Clarity stamping.
That's all for today and I'm amazed that I've posted so many. Who knows, I may even put up another one tomorrow.

Wedding Cards.

2010-08-10T19:22:00.007+02:00

Two posts in one day! Don't get used to it though, it won't happen that often :). I had two wedding cards to make for a customer, and here they are. The Book a Easel card is for their daughter's wedding in September and is much larger than it looks in the picture. The other one is for close friends of theirs.

Baby Cards - my favourite to make

2010-08-10T18:50:00.008+02:00

I think that baby cards have to be the ones I prefer to make most of all. Even more so when they are for our first grandchild. All I have to hope now is that they don't decide to change her name, as I will be busy making even more.
I've decided that if they do change their minds, I will add these to the digital scrapbook that I'm going to make, so then she will know what she may have been called.
I don't think there will be a change of mind though as Daddy has already put her name on the nursery wall, so changing that could be quite tricky. We have also seen a 3D scan of her and I'm amazed at what technology allows us to see, she is so like her Daddy! Even great Grandma thought so when she saw it.
Anyway, with all the images I've been collecting over the last 9 months, I am still making cards for her although the special one with all details on it, will have to wait until she arrives.

Book a Easel and Shutter Card with Forever Friends

2010-06-17T23:13:00.006+02:00

Both for a special friend of mine here in Spain The pink one was from Nita's hubby and a last minute request.
The lilac one was from the Clipart Fairy's cd

Side step card

2010-06-07T06:47:00.004+02:00

I've had to give myself a good talking to as I haven't been making nearly enough cards of late. This has been mainly due to watching over our new baby forum, and a trip to the UK to spend some time with my Mum. However, with lots of special dates looming, it was lovely to sit and and make a few cards and remind myself that I do actually enjoy doing it.
I think this one is self explanatory.

Cuppa-Craft Blog Candy

2010-06-07T06:45:00.003+02:00

Pop across to Toni's blog for the chance to win some fabulous card making stash.

Silhouette and MCS Image

2010-05-23T14:43:00.006+02:00

I made this card for my neice's birthday and was inspired by a card seen on Karen J's blog - thank you Karen.
The image was taken from the MCS Flourishes cd, and the flower was made from the Wings and Flowers cd - I really love that cd and would recommend it to everyone.

Musical Shaped Cards

2010-05-22T15:31:00.008+02:00

It must be time to update my blog. I'm so sorry it has been so long since I was here, but don't the days just rush by?
I'm not sure where I'm going to get time to keep on top of it now, as I've got another project to look after.
For those that don't know, my favourite place to visit on the internet, is closing down at the end of May.
I have therefore started up a new forum where our cyber family can still visit and share our crafting obsession. If anyone wants to go see what our new home looks like then take a stroll over to this address, put your feet up and enjoy the company.

http://crafters-re-united.lefora.com/

Anyway, here are two cards that I have made recently. One for my son's birthday and one that I just had to play with after I saw the original idea on another web site.

I'll now try to add more cards more often, but you'll know where to find me if I'm not around.

Lynn

2010-04-21T11:48:00.001+02:00

Bev has some wonderful candy to give away. Hurry up and visit her blog to enter into this fabulous draw.

Lynn

Valentine and Pazzles

2010-02-12T17:39:00.003+01:00

I don't usually make Mike a Valentine card, instead out comes old faithful that I made about 5 years ago - he's happy with that and I'm happy guessing whether I will or won't get one from him. You can tell we really go overboard on Valentines Day can't you?
However, the last few months have been frustrating as my new cutter has been troublesome from the start and everything possible seems to have gone against us to get it replaced. It even got soaking wet when we returned it to the UK via the Postal Service.
I was almost beginning to think that I really shouldn't have one, but Mike persevered and I am now trying out all its functions in the hope that I will master it one day.
This is really the first complete card I have made with it, so I hope he appreciates it and won't get fed up with it over the next five years! LOL

Exciting news and a Baby Card

2010-02-02T17:53:00.005+01:00

We have recently found out that we are going to be grand-parents for the first time. We are so excited and I am already planning more visits to the UK this year. We always knew that being in Spain would be difficult when grand children came into our lives, and we did think we had a couple more years to go before we had to think about it - lol!
David and his partner Jo are over the moon and so looking forward to becoming parents, and of course we are happy for them (and for us) as well.
It didn't take me long to start thinking about baby cards even though we have a while to wait yet, and so I thought I could send one to Mum to be straight away.

Art Deco and Martha Stewart

2010-01-20T23:25:00.003+01:00

It has been far too long since I put up a card on here, so at long last with inspiration from Myra at our card group, I got around to making a couple of cards. I hope that this will kick start me into making some more. I'm sure that after the long saga with my Pazzles cutting machine, that when I do get it back again next week- hurray! - I will be able to start posting more. We are off to the UK on Friday to see family so I'm really looking forward to that.

An untraditional Christmas card

2009-11-13T07:50:00.005+01:00

I recently hosted a challenge on the Imag-e-nation forum and was so taken with one of the entries that I had to try to produce my own version of it. So a big thank you to Kim for being the inspiration for this card. I hope it makes you chuckle as much as it did me.
I have altered the dog image since first posting it, so this is my second attempt.
Just in case you are wondering, the two circles inside the little card are magnets for closure.

What would I do without my Craft Robo

2009-11-12T19:37:00.003+01:00

Once again my Craft Robo has taken all the hard work out of cutting out this card.
I have kept it simple and plain apart from the dove where I used Glamour dust.

The snowflakes on the next card were mainly cut by Robbie. I am selling him very soon, and I have bought a Pazzles to replace him. This new machine will be known as Paco and I'm hoping that he will also be as good, if not better, than Robbie has been.

Pleated Card with Cuttlebug Border bars and Rollographed background

2009-11-05T09:41:00.007+01:00

I really enjoy doing these pleated cards and thought it was the best way to show off the new Cuttlebug embossing border bars.
I used the rollograph to stamp and emboss the backing paper which seems to have given a good effect. Hope you like it too.

3 Side step cards

2009-10-01T09:02:00.007+02:00

I love the versatility of these cards.
They are great for any event.
Here are 3 that I have done recently.
The first one is for Father-in-Law's Birthday
The second one is for our son's partner who did so well obtaining her 1st, and the third one speaks for itself - lol.

An amazing chance to win a cutting machine.

2009-09-30T16:59:00.004+02:00

Wow, Jak is offering the most amazing blog candy prize. I don't think I have ever seen anything like this up for grabs before, so if you have always wanted a cutting machine, then now is the time to go visit Jak's blog.

Bev's Collab Candy

2009-08-14T09:24:00.002+02:00

Bev has some amazing candy to give away, visit her blog to see how to enter, you won't want to miss the chance of winning this one!

Tickled Pink

2009-07-29T13:18:00.012+02:00

The umbrella was made using the Cuttlebug build a flower die

Ballet shoes with ribbons

A paper weaving card, inspired by a card seen on Toni's blog.
Thank you Toni.

A few recent cards

2009-07-24T11:48:00.005+02:00

An engagement card for my niece.

A wedding card for a customer

and a card for class.
It is a tunnel card and I used the Spellbinders die for the clock .

It is about time.....

2009-07-23T08:15:00.007+02:00

I added some more cards! But this is July and it is the start of our visitor season. We have just had our great friends Richard and Brenda out to stay and have had a wonderful relaxing time with them. This is Brenda and I in Murcia - one of the few trips out that we made as it was impossible to stray too far from the pool for too long - scorchio is the word I'm looking for! I'm also adding a picture of the buoys that Brenda paints when she is at home in the Isle of Man - aren't they stunning? The card is one I have made since they left yesterday and is for friend's granddaughter, who is spending her birthday in Spain. I'll put up some more cards later, that I have been making of late, but with my sister and BiL due here in a weeks time, it might be later rather than sooner.

All aboard!

2009-05-27T08:40:00.004+02:00

I had to get out of my sick bed yesterday having been there for 3 days with a flu virus (no, I don't think I was oinking). I realised that brother-in-law Chris would be 50 in June and a special card was needed.
Thankfully I had cut this one out and put it to one side, so all I needed to do was add the frills.
He is the engineering officer on P & O Aurora, so although it is a bit like taking coals to Newcastle, I hope he likes it.

Birthday Cards

2009-05-05T11:02:00.003+02:00

I had two birthdays to make cards for this week. One for my neice and the other one an order. I hope the all like their cards.

Men's cards

2009-05-05T10:51:00.005+02:00

Once again I have been ignoring my blog for too long. I have had tendonitis in my wrist for the last few weeks which is really painful, but thankfully it is all better now.
I have also been busy at classes with a couple of men's workshops.
Here are a couple of cards from the class. The baseball one also won me first prize in the Imag-e-nation forum challenge, so I was very chuffed about that. I think this one could be really nice as a girl's hat too, so I may have to try it in pink and fluffy stuff.

Some recent cards

2009-04-21T19:19:00.006+02:00

I really have been so busy lately and have forgotten to update my blog with some of the cards I've been making. My latest excuse is a bad case of tendonitis in my right wrist which has forced me to spend less time on the computer and even less time making cards.

I am pleased to report that it is on the mend now though and I'll soon be back in the swing of things again.
So, here are a few cards that I have done with the girls in class lately.

Amazing blog Candy

2009-04-16T10:35:00.003+02:00

To all those reading my blog, you just have to go visit Bev's blog as she is giving away the most amazing candy for her blog anniversary.
Happy Anniversary Bev, and may lady luck shine down on me!

Some more great blog candy

2009-03-08T21:20:00.001+01:00

....and a chance to win some fabby Martha Stewart punches. Check out this blog for a chance to win!

I'm supposed to be retired!

2009-03-04T17:28:00.003+01:00

But I've been working virtually full time at Ollie Doodles. Two classes on both Monday and Tuesday and then another class this morning followed by a workshop tomorrow afternoon. Roll on Friday ....I've got a day off! Here are a couple of the cards that the girls have been making this week. My physiotherapy has finished now, so at least I don't have such early mornings to contend with. It might have made a little difference so I have bought a T.E.N.S machine to carry on with at home.

Cantilever card

2009-02-25T19:11:00.003+01:00

Just when I am up to my eyes in cards for extra lessons and a workshop, I have orders coming in as well. Thankfully, today at our card group, we did a cantilever card, which turned out to be appropriate for one of the orders. For those of you who haven't done one before, I have added a picture of the inside.

Bev R's birthday candy

2009-02-21T08:12:00.003+01:00

For all the card makers that may be visiting my blog, go and look at Bev's blog and see the wonderful array of birthday candy that is up for grabs. What a fantastic prize for some lucky person.

Happy Birthday Bev!

A card for Mother in Law

2009-02-19T10:32:00.004+01:00

I feel a bit guilty in not producing something a little more special for my favourite MiL.
However, the Kanban sheets are so pretty that I couldn't resist making one up.

For those that are following the progress of my knee, I am currently having physio at 9 am every day! It is extremely hard to get out of bed so early each day to get there on time, and Mike is suffering too as he is taking me in case of any twinges afterwards....hey if I have to get up so early so does he too! lol
I am not sure if it is coincidence or the physio, but I think it is getting fractionally straighter, so keep everything crossed for me please?

A couple of cards......

2009-02-17T23:15:00.008+01:00

...... that I did for class.
I haven't done any iris folding cards for ages, so was quite pleased with how this dress turned out. (It is a pattern from the new Coppernob book)
The pink card is a folded double pocket card...great fun to do when you can remember which way to fold it!

2009-02-06T11:06:00.003+01:00

I had to make a card for my great nephew's birthday and was having a hard job thinking of an idea. Then, when I posted the previous card for my neice, I thought I could work it along the same line. I also remembered that my nephew - Charlie's Dad, had let me onto his Facebook page where there were lots of photos of Charlie, so it was a shame not to make use of them.
I hope he won't mind having his face all over his card!

2009-02-05T10:25:00.004+01:00

I saw the physiotherapy consultant last night, and I'm going to have 24 sessions over the next 8 weeks. I asked him how hopeful he was that it would improve my current state and he wasn't that positive in his comments. I think it may be a matter of too little too late.
Still, after all the time that I spent on crutches , and suffering a broken rib, I am going to give it my best shot, do everything I'm instructed to and hopefully get some benefit out of it.
I think this maybe a good time to buy paracetamol shares!

I haven't had chance to make a card the last few days, so I'm putting up a Blue Peter card instead. It was made for my niece's birthday.

Always a pleasure.....

2009-02-03T00:12:00.005+01:00

....to make a new baby card. This one is an order from my neighbours, who are out here on holiday.

What a day!

2009-02-02T23:51:00.006+01:00

I had a hospital appointment at mid-day, so arrived there at 11.30. I was in with the consultant at 11.33 and back in his room again after having an x-ray at 12.00...so far so good. He is going to give me a course of physiotherapy and then if that doesn't improve things, we will start to discuss a new knee. Hurray, at last someone who realises that although I'm too young in medical thoughts to have a new one, life is passing me by and now is really a good time to have it. Straight from the hospital to my card class. I gave the ladies quite a challenge today as they have never done any floral punch craft before. The card here is the one that they did, but I also was challenged as I had a new student in the class - one who had never done any crafting before. Poor lady was mortified when she realised what her first card would be, but we got there in the end.

Two pieces of good news today!

2009-01-26T21:12:00.008+01:00

The first one is that the hospital called and my appointment is rescheduled for Monday 2nd February. Please keep everything crossed that it isn't cancelled again.
The second thing is that I have been asked to do some workshops on the Cuttlebug and Nestabilities. I was chuffed to be asked as I love using both and so teaching others how to use it will be very enjoyable. For those of you who read this who are not crafters, the Cuttlebug is an embossing and die cut machine and the Nestabilities are dies that can be used in the machine.
The card here is one that was made today in class using the Cuttlebug to emboss the pattern.

2 for the price of 1

2009-01-24T21:21:00.010+01:00

Bet you can't believe this - 2 posts in one day?
Well apart from giving you the newsy news, I omitted to say that I have been back to work. That means trying to get inspired and come up with the 3 card designs that I have to teach each week. It has not been easy, especially as I have personal cards that I would like to make but don't seem to have time for. As much as I enjoy the teaching, the preparation that goes into it and the 'thinking time' is stealing my hobby. So much so that I will really have to think hard about whether this is really what I want to do. Anyway, for the time being, I will plod on and see how it goes. The two cards here are one from last week and one that I will be using this week.

2009-01-24T21:07:00.007+01:00

Thought it was about time that I put something on here. What with people inviting me to join them on facebook, and others asking why I have been quiet on here, it all leads me to think that they know something that I don't!
So, having spent our Christmas in Cornwall and having enjoyed seeing friends and family it was good to get back to normality here in Spain.
We hadn't been back long before our first visitors of the year arrived - my sister Bobbie and her husband Chas (as per photo). They were only here for a 4 day visit, and although I feared that their visit would be marred by the cold, we did have some lovely sunny days and wonderful walks on the beach.
Still limping, I had to rely on my faithful crutch for support, and I think I overdid the excerise bit as I suffered the consequences the following week. My hospital appointment was cancelled on the 17th Jan, so I am now waiting for the consultant to recover from what ever illness that she is suffering from and get to find out how I am really getting on - it is a long haul, thats for sure.

How time flies...

2008-12-21T12:15:00.012+01:00

when you are getting ready for Christmas. The preparations have left little time to do anything more with my blog apart from add the link to a website.
The website in question is the one I set up just over 18 months ago to raise money for the Samaritans here on the Costa Blanca. Please have a look if you haven't already done so.
We are off to the UK tomorrow to spend Christmas and New Year in Cornwall with Mike's family. We will be taking my mum to Bobbie and Chas's (sister and brother in law) and will visit her there in Newton Abbot on Boxing day.
Nita and Terry (our friends from Spain) are spending time with us in Cornwall and are staying for the New Year too.
I am hoping to be able to get about a little better by then, but it is a slow slow progress and I am looking forward to seeing the surgeon to see if I am progressing as expected or whether it has all been in vain - keep everything crossed for me please.

The card I've added is for all my friends and it wishes you all a very Merry Christmas and a Peaceful New Year.

2008-12-14T22:21:00.003+01:00

Just a couple of my cards that I have made this year. The baby card was an order for one of my regular customers and the butterfly was for Jenny - Jevon's partner.
Later on, I will also include a few of our photos that we have taken on our travels around Spain and Europe.

The Saga of my Knee Surgery

2008-12-14T08:45:00.018+01:00

On October 17th 2008, I went into our local hospital for what I thought was going to be a straight forward arthroscopy on my knee. I thought it would be just like the others I have had done in the past and that after a 10 day recovery period, I would be up and running - ok walking fast - and benefiting from the procedure.
But this is Spain, so I shouldn't have been surprised when I was told that I had had a micro fracture procedure performed and that I would be 6 weeks non weight bearing on crutches.
This procedure involves making tiny holes/fractures in the femur and tibia and allowing the growth of fibro cartilage which in turn resumes the job of the cartilage that has been worn away.
To say I was amazed is a bit of an understatement. I had not been told that this was an option, in fact I had not been told anything at all. Even more shocking is the fact that I didn't even sign a consent form for any procedure at all!
Thank heavens it was only a short visit to Portugal that we had planned for 2 weeks later and not a once in a life time holiday!
Once home, I realised that my next appointment with the surgeon was in 3 months time, and only common sense could tell me what I should and should not do after the 6 weeks of using crutches were finished, and before seeing the surgeon again. Post operative information leaflets? No, of course not!
I was however sure that when I went to see my local GP, he would surely be able to tell me what I wanted to know and be able to recommend physiotherapy. Wrong again! He just told me to take it slowly and that the surgeon would tell me what to do when I saw him.
So I am now in that foggy area of not knowing what to do for the best. The information I can find on the internet suggests that this procedure can have a 4 - 6 months recovery time, and can take 12 - 18 months before I am on the baseball team again - I'm really looking forward to that! Also, some sites suggest that physiotherapy must be undertaken from virtually the day after the operation, others suggest that no physiotherapy is necessary.
So where does that leave me at the moment? Very frustrated that is for sure.
I am still using the crutches for long walks - my own prescribed physiotherapy - and I am going without them around the house, but hobbling badly at the moment. The knee feels strong enough to support my weight, but I can't extend my leg fully from the knee and I feel like there is 'something' stopping me from doing so.
I am very anxious at present as to whether all this has been of benefit. I am also extremely worried that it hasn't helped or improved my mobility from what it was like before.
If only they would forget that I am only 51, pretend that I am 55 and give me a new knee! Yes, I understand there are reasons why, but I am willing to take that risk. I make cards with a lady of 86 years who had a knee replacement over 40 years ago and has never looked back. Now who is to say that I couldn't have that luck too? Why do they have to think so pessimistically and think that I am bound to need a revision on the new joint? Don't they have any confidence in their work? Hasn't it improved at all over the last 40 years?
Ah well, lets just hope that the operation I have had, does what it says on the can, and that what ever I am doing just now is enough to make it work in the long term.
I will keep you updated.

Can't believe I'm doing this, I said I never would.

2008-12-13T10:19:00.008+01:00

However, we have unfortunately lost our web site and so friends and family all over the world are asking for up dates other than our Christmas letter.
I am not sure how long this is going to take me to sort out, so if anyone would like to give any hints or tips, they would be more than welcome.