A last minute post for Crafty Individuals

Hello Lovelies - well what is that saying - what a difference a day makes? Shaun was great today - his infection indicators were coming down so the antibiotics must be working - and his whole being was so much more positive. He's been sitting out in his chair today with his tracheaostomy cuff down chatting away - when I just phoned in Shaun was doing his emails - so I think the fight is back on! Thankyou all for your kind words of support - it really does help me to read what you have got to say! Nothing is better than seeing him positive though!

Today I have a card to show you I made for the Crafty Individuals challenge which is Halloween or Christmas. Well I have loads of stamps for Christmas and none for Halloween - so I decided to do Halloween of course and improvise!

I think the girls must be making me excited! They went to a halloween party last week then today  went on a ghost hunt and also learned how to ride their broomsticks! On Friday they're off to a Halloween dress up day at our local nursery out of school club. Followed by trick or treating - as long as I get back from the hospital!

Anyway - my card - the background was painted using aquatints which was then stamped with archival black and silver distress paint. Then I stamped the Crafty Individuals penguins, painted the yellow parts with squeezed lemonade distress ink then fussy cut. I stamped and cut the hat and pumpkins then put the whole thing together using TH letters to finish off the card.

I'd like to enter this into craftyindividualsblog - halloween-madness-or-christmas-frenzy

Big hugs to you - hope you have a great Halloween and I'll be back on Saturday hopefully with more positive news!

Hugs

Rachel x

An infection and a card for Shaun

Hello lovelies - well its not been a good day for us today  - the consultant painted a very bleak picture again - Shaun now has an infection that they're trying to get on top of - but its the reason behind the watery lungs from the weekend - the infection has stopped his kidneys working again (probably) and this is what caused the watery build up. That's two reasons why Shaun has been suspended from the transplant list - but Shaun is fighting and seemed very well today - despite the news from the consultant - I am full of admiration for my strong husband - he is wonderful. I made a new card for him tonight in the attic - I've used the grunge palette of aquatints and one of sheenas' new stencils plus a sheena stamp.

I also used some distress inks and a clarity mask to help achieve the clouds. I hope he likes it!

Big Hugs to you!

Rachel xx

A set back and autumn at Clarity

Hello Lovelies. Not good news on the Shaun front - he has pulmonary edema again which explains his breathing issues over the past few days. He's currently sedated and on the filter to try to remove as much fluid as possible. It feels very raw to me at the moment - his place on the transplant list has been suspended until his lungs are working better again. I know this is sensible - I'm just trying to keep positive!  Hopefully better news soon.

I have my entry for the Clarity challenge this month which is Seasons. I have decided to do the season of autumn and have used 2 clarity stamps and a clarity stencil.

I made the background using distress inks and then used more through the stencil. The verse is stamped on card coloured with distress using sepia archival and mounted on brown card. I then stamped the partridge and painted it using distress, fussy cut it then added it to the card. 

I'd like to enter this into the claritystampchallenge - the seasons.

Thanks for dropping by.

Big hugs

Rachel x 

Lavinia challenge October

Hello Lovelies! How are you today? I am good and well although feeling a bit weary. Shaun has had a not so good couple of days - his breathing has been difficult but I'm hoping that things will improve. I'm sure they will soon. Its hard to see him having such a tough time.....

I had to make two birthday cards this week for girls in Penny and Lucy's classes. I decided to use the opportunity to play with my aquatints and also make something for the Lavinia challenge which this month is autumn colours. The colours are lovely but my backgrounds needed more time - I painted these in such a rush - rushing up and down the ladder to my attic to sort things out with the girls in their bedroom. Anyway - once they were overstamped I thought they didn't look too bad so decided to go with them.

All stamps are from Lavinia. Here's some close ups. I used archival black to stamp all the images.

I'd like to enter these into the laviniastamps-challenge-10-autumn-colours. Have you seen the wonderful new dies they have? They look beautiful!!!

Big hugs to you and hope to see you again soon! Thankyou so much for your continued support and comments - I really do appreciate it.

Rachel x

CC3 Challenge: worn covers.

Hello lovelies. How are you? We're all good - Shaun admitted to being bored a little now so I think he's definitely getting better! He's having proper solid food now and starting to enjoy it - so thats all good.

Today I have my entry to the CC3 challenge this fortnight which is worn covers. Here's what I have done:

I'm using my make to home my Tims tag 2013. They've been hanging around looking for a home and this is perfect. Thanks to Kath Stewart for the idea!

The compendium-of-curiosities-3-challenge-13 is sponsored by Inspiration Emporium who are sponsoring the challenge to a massive $50 prize. There's also a goodie bag to be had to the winner chosen by the curiosity crew. 

I decorated the inside too!

I used the apothecary papers, the chemist stamp, distress sprays and inks, layering stencils and of course a worn cover. 

I'd like to enter this into the compendium-of-curiosities-3-challenge-13

Big hugs to you!

Rachel

The Transplant list and Christmas card club - finally!

Hello lovely blog friends - thankyou so much for your kind words on my last post - I have more news today - Shaun went on the urgent transplant list yesterday - we had a meeting with the transplant coordinator and she explained the procedure and the likely timings too. It seems that the average wait on the urgent list is about 6 weeks but it could be anytime from now. Shaun is apparently in a good strong position from his blood type and tissue type. We now have to sit and wait - and meanwhile Shaun can get stronger. The immunosuppressant  drugs that he will be on after the transplant sound pretty awful but its the price to be paid for a chance at life. The average heart transplant patient lives 13 years - but there are people who have had transplants up to 30 years ago so we just have to wait and see what the future holds for us. Its very scary and I think there's an emotional rollercoaster ahead - but we'll ride it.

Onto card stuff - there's a new theme for the Christmas card club today - I'm hoping its a christmas deer because thats what I did! Its CAS and my first attempt with my spectrum noir pencils - I think I have a lot to learn!

Big hugs all!

Challenges: craftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge -use-something

(first use of spectrum noir pencils)

craftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge2 -chnc-challenge-extra-for-october-2014

Rachel xx

water and yoghurt

Hello lovelies! Well it was such a good day with Shaun yesterday - the last two days he had been struggling to breathe but weds night they did an x-ray and found he had pulmonary edema - water on the lungs - they gave him some frusimide (a diuretic) and he had a fabulous sleep and was bright eyed when I got there. He stood again for his physio then the speech and swallowing lady came along - she thought he was ready to try a drink so took his cuff down and he tried swallowing some water - it went really well - then he had some yoghurt - again it was easy! His face was a picture - it was so wonderful to see. Long may it last! His kidneys appear to be working well too! woohoo!!!

Here's a card I made for him using some of sheenas new stamps and the fabulous aquatints -

I think he liked the sentiment!

Big hugs to you and thanks for dropping by!

Rachel xx

a sketch at Indigo Blu

Hello lovelies!

I hope you are well and happy - thanks so much for your comments on my last post - you're very kind. Today I have a card for you from Indigo Blu. I was lucky enough to get top 3 last month and was asked to GDT for the challenge blog using the current challenge which has about a week left to run - there is a sketch to follow and you have to use Indigo Blu stamps. Here's what I did:

In the making of this card I have used distress inks (milled lavendar, dusty concorde, iced spruce) archival black ink and the following Indigo Blu stamps - Large snowflake (LS), Here comes Santa (HCI) and stag cliffhanger (SC).

Shaun is doing well - he actually stood yesterday for the first time which is amazing. It really tired him out though - he's not spoken any words since Monday - he has to go onto a different sort of ventilator to enable this to work and have the cuff taken down on his trachaeostomy. He's been struggling with this so had a day off yesterday. The kidneys are now working partially but not fully and until that happens he won't be able to go on the transplant list. Little steps - he's doing so well - and I'm beginning to feel that things may finally get back to a semblance of normal one day! 

Thanks for dropping by today!

Big hugs to you!

Rachel xx

Craft a scene week 2

Hello lovelies! How are you? I'm good and more importantly so is Shaun - no decision was made yet about the transplant situation - the meeting is now this Tuesday so I'll put anything I know in my next blog post. This said he is getting stronger by the day and his kidneys even did a bit of work today - thats fingers crossed they'll kick in properly soon.

today I have a reminder for you of the current challenge over at Craft a scene - this month its by the silvery moon - create a scene using this as your theme. Here's my make:

Sorry the photo is not the best - the diecut is by Tim Holtz - I attempted to get some crackle on it - it does look better in reality - honest - the background is done using distress inks and the tree stamp is from Clarity.

Big Hugs to you!

Rachel xx

more me time

Hello Lovelies! Well I have another card to blog today - its for a good friends partners' birthday. Before I show you though just to let you know that Shaun is continuing to do well - 5 hours in his chair today and writing well to communicate - he may even get his cuff down on his tracheostomy tomorrow and then he can have a valve fitted so he'll be able to speak! Brilliant!

Here's my card for Graham - I made it in response to the Chocolate Baroque Challenge - Its a colour challenge: 

Here's what I did using the steampunk birds set and also one of the texture fragments. I also used the accordion die from Karen Burniston and distress inks (vintage photo, rusty hinge, mustard seed and frayed burlap).

I started by producing the background by inking on card and stamping then cutting with the die. I affixed the panels together then cut the squares. Next I stamped the birds and the words and added them. Then finally I added the extras.

I would like to enter this into the following challenges:

chocolatebaroquechallenge challenge-three

Thanks for popping by - off to have a look around your blogs now!

Big Hugs

Rachel xx

Tims tag October and an important meeting

Hello lovelies. How are you? I hope you are well and happy. We're good - Shaun has been sitting in a chair for the past couple of days for a few hours at a time and is coping remarkably well. The consultants are saying that he is a bit of a medical miracle - which is fabulous news. They say there are very few people in the world who have come this far given the condition he was in when he arrived in Wythenshawe. They're having a meeting on Friday to determine whether or not he's ready for the transplant list yet. Fingers crossed. On the downside his kidneys didn't start to work when they took him off the filter for 24 hours - but it might still happen. But his positivity and determination is shining through - along with all of yours and our thoughts and prayers. Thanks for them - please keep them coming.

Onto my 'me' time - I've made my Tims tag for this month already - I had such fun and enjoyed the techniques in this months tag very much - Cheers Tim! It really has been fun - I used all the techniques outlined by Tim in his post here. I have used mostly TH/Ranger products - distress stain sprays, layering stencil, wishbones, rub ons, stamp/die set, ribbon, sepia accents and tinsel twine but I have also used a couple of  stampin up stamps (pumpkin and hat) and grunge paste from paperartsy.

I started by doing the stamping/heat embossing of the web then created a mask using the mask sheets - that took a lot of cutting for the web but I even enjoyed that bit! Next I used the bubble stencil and grunge paste then left that to dry.

Next I worked on the pumpkin stamping it in dried marigold distress ink then adding the face in black archival. The sepia accents were then added and left to dry. I also used mowed lawn stain to colour a strip of card and stamped the Happy Halloween onto it. Then I set about using the distress stain sprays to create the colour.

Once dry I used the distress tool on the edges then used black soot distress ink around the edges. Finally I put the whole thing together.

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

Thanks for dropping by and thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers.

Big Hugs

Rachel x

By the silvery moon at craft a scene

Hello my lovelies - how are you? I'm a bit frazzled but okay. More importantly my Shaun is doing good. They have got to the bottom of his oxygen issues - with all the lying around he's having to do the bottom of his lungs have collapsed compromising his ability to exchange the gases at the alveoli in his lungs. So he's had a bronchoscopy (two infact) and they've drained some of the fluid from his lungs which helps the exchange so now with him doing more sitting up too hopefully things will gradually get better on that front. They also changed the pipes on his bivad today so hopefully things will be a bit quieter tomorrow and he'll be able to start the process of getting better again.

This card is the first of my ones for the craftascene new challenge this month which is 'by the light of the silvery moon'. All of the stamps I have used are by Lavinia.

I would like to enter this into the laviniastamps challenge-9-add-some-ribbon.

Thanks for dropping by today - I'm starting to get myself a bit more organised now and will do my best to visit you if i know you've been here! Thanks for bearing with me at this difficult time and for all of your positivity and best wishes - I really do appreciate it.

Big Hugs

Rachel xx

Boo

Hello lovelies! Thanks for all of your comments and well wishes - Shaun has been making good progress this week with improvements in liver function - however last night his blood oxygen levels plummeted until his oxygen levels on the ventilator were significantly increased. He has been fine in himself throughout this episode but the team aren't very happy with this development and took him off for CT scans today - I do not know yet what they found - I'm hoping to meet them tomorrow to get an update - I get so scared at these points - fingers crossed its not too much of a setback.

Its the first of the month today and I have a GDT post to share with you for A Little Bit Crafty. The theme this month is Boo. I made a very quick card using a doobadoo stencil, distress ink (seedless preserves) and TH sizzix dies.

Hope you like this - its very simple but I think quite effective.

Big Hugs to you!

Rachel x