Tracy's card and an update on Shaun

Hello all - thanks so much for your comments and visits - it means a lot to me at this very difficult time. Shaun is increasingly wakeful but that has the downside that we can see his suffering so much more and that isn't easy. He's fully aware of what you say to him which is brilliant and I watched his physio session today and was so pleased to see him moving his arms and legs independently and also being able to do deep breaths. On the down side he's having trouble with bleeding in his gut - due to the drugs he's on to keep him stable - they think they have found the source of the last bleed but we'll see. So there are great positives and set backs - but he's fighting and I couldn't be more proud of him - Shaun really is the best and I love him so much.

I have managed to put a card together this week! Its for my sister in law's birthday - not really sure its her thing but I enjoyed the time I spent making it.

This is the front....

and this is the whole thing. I used the karen burniston accordion flip album die and a set of autumn blueprint stamps from Tim Holtz. The whole thing is done on kraft card. I have used alcohol inks to do the colouring of the tops and bottom strips and also the front of the card. 

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

vintagejourney -challenge-15-colours-of-autumn

theartisticstamper september-challenge-autumn-colours

Big hugs to you and thanks for visiting.

Rachel xx

My Shaun is awake!

Hello all - I have had the most wonderful day - my Shaun has finally woken up - and to cap it all he knows who we are and although he can't speak can mouth 'I love you' - oh so wonderful! I know its going to take a lot to fix his body but his mind can surely help. Thankyou all for your support and prayers - its a small step but an important step and I thank you all for your help in making it.

Rachel x

Hope

Hello Lovelies - before I give you an update can I just thank you for all of your continued support - you are the most wonderful folk and I really do appreciate it. Shaun has had a good day today - he's been stable and we got some flicking of his eyelids today and his eyes are open. He's not focusing yet but I feel like this is progress. Long may it last!

I made my Tims tag for September the other night - I'm determined to try and do one new thing a week and I had a great feeling about what I wanted to do with this - I have this as Shaun's bookmark in the hospital - I read a few chapters to him every day of the last Stephen King Novel - his favourite - and I sit it on the bed when I'm reading to him - its very much to him - from me - I hope that he can recover from this heart attack and I hope that he can be happy again and enjoy our children grow up.

Here it is - I used the techniques from tims tag this month although I found the first step pretty tricky - anyway I improvised and I'm pleased with the result.

I just adore the butterfly die cut strip from Tim Holtz. All the colours are from alcohol inks and I used TH rub ons and TH braid. I chose three colours of the thread - one each for me Lucy and Penny. I plaited them and added them to the top of the tag. They represent our combined strength in our hope for a return to normal or something close to it.

I'd like to enter this into timholtz-12-tags-of-2014-september.

vintagejourney challenge-15-colours-of-autumn

Thanks so much for dropping by today . It may be a while before my next post but I will try to keep you updated on progress.

Big hugs

Rachel xx

Happy Anniversary Mum and dad

Hello Lovelies. How are you today? I'm not so good - today was a step back with Shaun - his blood pressure was dropping and they had to sedate him again. That meant that we didn't get any response today. Then they took him away for scans - we've been told that there was nothing showing up in the scans so I think we can be grateful for that.

Anyway - onto a lighter note - its my lovely mum and dads 54th wedding anniversary today so Happy anniversary to them! Here's the card I sent - its a bit unusual for an anniversary card but I think my mum and dad will forgive me under the circumstances. Its the card I made for this months clarity challenge which is all about nature.

I used one of the seed pod masks and lettuce adirondack to create the first layer then stamped using some of the insect mini stamps from clarity plus the sentiment stamp the best things in life are free. Then I used the gingko stencil and some paperartsy grunge paste and after drying I used distress pine needles to colour it up and finally scraped the edges. I also used the pine needles distress to create the background.

I'd like to enter this into the claritystampchallenge.

Thanks so much for all your support - I hope to be back to the land of blog soon but I'm afraid that very much depends on what life decides to throw our way! 

Big hugs

Rachel xx

a few signs and mid month at Imagination crafts

Hello lovelies. I just wanted to thankyou for all your kind comments and wishes. You cannot imagine what a comfort they are to me at this tricky time. Thankyou. Yesterday Shaun started to show signs of waking. His eyelids are half opening and he's trying to breathe for himself all of which is good and hopeful. They are, however, still very worried about his liver and we are looking for signs of that settling down and starting to function. Here's hoping.

I just wanted to remind you of the current challenge over at Imagination crafts. Its anything goes and this is what I made for my midmonth post.

Thanks for looking today and I wish you a wonderful Monday.

With big hugs

Rachel x

Sleeping Shaun and Guest Designer at Little Claire

Hello Lovelies - How are you? I am well but not happy without my Shaun. He's still in intensive care - he is not being sedated any more but unfortunately has not woken yet. I believe they said the fact that his kidneys and liver aren't functioning properly means that the sedation isn't being removed from his body which is part of the reason why he hasn't woken. He looks very peaceful but I will be much happier when he wakes.

I almost forgot to post this - its my card for the latest Little Claire challenge. The challenge this month is Birthdays and here's the card I made.

I made the background paper using distress inks then stamped the images in black archival and added some clear embossing powder before heat setting. I used the whisper-a-wish-stamp and the silhouette-gardening-stamp-set.

I hope you like my card and thanks so much for all your positive wishes both on here and on facebook.

Big Hugs 

Rachel x

a corner turned and anything goes with the option of a sketch at Creative Inspirations.

Morning Lovelies - I'm feeling much more positive today - Shaun just seemed so much better yesterday - they fixed his rib cage back together yesterday and hopefully that means things are all going to be good now in his chest. They've also started to wean him off the gas part of the bi vad machine thats pumping the blood around - and he's responding well. There's still a long and twisted road ahead of us but I still feel very positive. Thankyou so much for your comments and best wishes - you are all very kind and I will never forget the kindness I have felt over the last few days.

Onto todays post - its a new challenge over at Creative inspirations - I'm taking a break from the challenge blog after this week - I need to focus on Shaun and the girls but I will be back with them as soon as possible. Anyway I used the sketch from the blog this week and an image from Robyn's Fetish.

I made the background using distress inks and the panel I embossed with an embossalicious folder then swiped a staz on over the top. The image was coloured with spectrum noir pencils.

I hope you enjoy your day and thanks again so much for your support.

Big Hugs

Rachel xx

oak house studio

Hello all - I had two cards made for oak house studio before the events of last Thursday. I'll show you the first one now. I've put the details on the oakhousestudio blog here. Thanks for looking and for your support.

To create this I used the following products:

Ink-in-a-Bottle - Pumpkin Pie, Simply chocolate and Brazil Nut

Colour-Chemistry-Pigment-Ink - pumpkin and yummy chocolate

Mountain-Ash-Leaf-unmounted-stamp

Creativity-never-goes-out-of-style

To make my background I stippled the inks onto some card using a stencil brush leaving a pattern reminiscent of alcohol inks. Then I stamped the leaves using the pumpkin first and then the simply chocolate. Next I stamped the sentiment onto a piece of card that had been similarly coloured and matted and layered with dark brown card. Last thing was to add the brown bow.

Big Hugs

Rachel xx

an update and some cards

Hello lovelies - well can I first say that I'm overwhelmed by the comments and support I have felt since my last post both here and on facebook - you are all very kind and I really do appreciate it.

Shaun is still with us - he was on a specialist life support machine called an ECMO but that wasn't enough so last night he had more surgery and is now on a Bivad ecmo machine - that basically means he has four tubes - one for each chamber of his heart and the machine is taking on the work of the whole heart - this is a stepping stone to either recovery, a mechanical heart or transplant. He is very poorly and very much still in the woods. I will post as and when I can to give you updates.

I have two committments for today - I won't write much about them but the cards are made so I may as well show them since I have a spare 10 mins before heading back to the hospital. The first is for the Christmas card club - the theme this fortnight is something begining with S. Ladies I will try my best to get around to visit when I can. Here's my make - its obviously S for snow.

The stamps are from creative expressions and chocolate baroque.

Next up is Craft a scene - the theme this month is autumn splendour.

This time the stamps are from Phill Martin. 

Thanks for looking today and thanks so much for your continued support! 

Hugs

Rachel xx

Poorly Shaun

Hello all. I've had a difficult day - my gorgeous husband Shaun suffered a massive heart attack and is currently critical in intensive care in hospital. Please forgive my lack of posts and visits over the next few days - my mind is elsewhere.

Hugs Rachel x

Chocolate Baroque colour and inspiration challenge

Morning lovelies! How are you today? I'm good and still resting! Hoping that things will be good by Sunday!

There's a challenge on at present over at chocolatebaroquechallenge where you have the following inspirational photo to use plus the colour scheme:



I decided I would like to enter and this is the card I came up with:

The majority of the stamps are from the Briar-Rose-Butterflystamp-sheet but the corner and the sentiment are from the Pretty-Poppies-stamp-sheet set.

I started off by stamped the main image in black archival then painted it using distress inks (rusty hinge, tumbled glass, faded jeans and frayed burlap) Then I masked the image off (not an easy task) and created the background using sailboat blue adirondack for the sky (applied using a stencil brush) - I masked off the hills and moon too). Next I used the same technique for the hills but this time i used the rusty hinge again. Finally I stamped the extra vegetation in and cut and matted and layered. The side piece was done last of all.

I would like to enter this into the following challenges:

chocolatebaroquechallenge -challenge-two

lisabdesignsinspiration - monthly-challenge - butterflies and flowers

theartisticstamper - september-challenge-autumn-colours

Thats all for today! I do hope you are well and happy! Thanks for dropping by!

Hugs

Rachel x

Back to school at Creative Inspirations

Hello Lovelies! How are you today - I hope you are well. I'm okay. Resting those achilles - except for a swim yesterday - that should help! I'll be going to the gym today but just doing weights. Anyway - on with todays post:

This week's challenge at creative inspirations is Back To School!

This week's prize is from CLASSY CRAFTS and they are offering the Winner a £10 Gift Certificate!

Here's my make - I'm not too pleased with this one - it was made in a bit of a hurry and I think that shows! The stamps used are from Sheena Douglass and Lyndsay Mason.

The embossing folder I used is from Sheena douglass and is great for this time of year. The stamping on the main background is from the stampset The Chemist by Tim Holtz. 

Thanks for looking today. 

Big hugs

Rachel x

Indigo Blu: Indian Summer

Hello lovelies! Just a quick post from me today - I'm running late as I schedule this on Monday night there was a meeting in the village I had to go to so didn't get in the attic until after 9 which means getting to the computer after 10. Anyway - the run - well it went okay although I think I'm starting with some sort of achilles injury - I'll rest it now until Sunday which should enable me to get around the Great North! Fingers Crossed!

Today's card is for the challenge from Indigo Blu which this time around is called Indian summer - I've used two of their stamps - the poppy and also a bauble that I've used to create the border.

all of the colouring is using distress inks - ripe persimmon and mowed lawn.

I'd like to enter this into indigoblublogchallenge.

Thanks for visiting and I hope to see you again soon!

Hugs

Rachel x

Its anything goes at Imagination Crafts

Good morning lovelies! Its September - wow - it doesn't seem possible does it? Its also the last day of the school holidays and me and my girlies are off to see my mum and dad - I am also hoping to squeeze in my last run before the great north on Sunday - I'll go for a 10km today - I'm hoping it goes well - I did two short ones last week and my legs felt like lead! Sunday will be interesting!

So its a new challenge over at Imagination Crafts starting today - and the theme is anything goes. I have used an MDF frame and charms set and this is what I did:

I used the following imagination crafts products to make my picture:

sage green sparkle medium

fluorishes stencil

MDF frame and charm set - only used the frame part

Silkies - lilac

Butterfly stamp

To make this I first painted the frame with MDF Chalk paint and once dry I painted with the silkies. When dry I used the stencil and sparkle medium and left this to dry. Meanwhile I stamped and coloured and fussy cut the butterfly then stamped the background using a stamp from the same set. Finally I glued the whole thing together.

Thanks for looking today and I hope you will join us at the imagination-craftschallenges blog this month where the prize is a fabulous £40 to spend on their wonderful goodies - the prize is drawn from entries who use imagination crafts products in their make.

Thanks for dropping by today. I hope to see you again soon!

Hugs

Rachel x