Autumnal Sympathy Cards

I used a versatile tree stamp and some lovely papers to create a selection of Sympathy cards; it did take me a while to come up with the right "look" because I'm not used to doing more downbeat stuff, but sadly, it is a fact of life that such cards are needed from time to time.

There has been a definite chill in the air these last few days. I've taken to curling up with my throw wrapped round me to watch telly in the evenings; autumn must be on the way! Brrr!

90th Birthday Card

My mum asked me to make a 90th birthday card. I knew I wanted to keep it quite subtle and delicate so here was the result:

In the end there was rather more going on in the card than I had planned; if I was making it again I probably wouldn't have plonked the Happy Birthday right there and might have made more of a feature of the 90, but overall I think it came out ok, considering I don't do a lot of stamping!

Quick cat update - I'm pleased to report that he's still continuing to eat and seems much more like his usual self; I am totally nonplussed by it as he seemed at death's door just a few days ago! But if it means I have him for longer than expected, that's fantastic! Thanks to everyone who left such kind comments, they were much-appreciated!

Making The Best of It

I took Ben to the vet's yesterday as he was no better, and they did a scan and more blood tests, the results of which seem to point strongly to some sort of tumour process in his abdomen :( At 14 there is only so much I'm willing to put him through, so I decided to bring him home and keep him as comfortable as possible. The vet gave him a steroid injection and, from the minute I got him home he was prancing about, miaowing for food, which he hadn't done in days! He tucked into frequent small meals throughout the evening and we cosied up on the couch to watch tv with a hot water bottle and he did lots of purring and was much more his old self.

This afternoon I feel he's slipping back a bit, but the injection is probably wearing off. I'm to try giving him steroid tablets but I know he's living on borrowed time so for however long he has any quality of life I will cater to his every whim!

Sorry this is turning into a bit of a cat blog instead of a craft blog but I did manage a little bit of making - some festive matchbook notepads which are great stocking fillers!

One good thing to come out of the depressing cat situation is that it's reminded me what lovely, caring parents and friends (both online and off) I have, so many people want to be kept informed of his progress and it's been very touching.

So thank you! (proper crafting will resume soon, I promise!)

Cat Update

I managed a wee bit of crafting today and made some Christmas cupcake gift tags:

My cat Ben is home after spending a couple of nights in the vet's, but I'm not sure he's really any better and I'm going to struggle getting him to take his medication and eat his food :( It's so hard when your pet is ill. I feel so helpless. I don't think I'll ever have another pet. It's too painful when things go wrong.

Anyway, he's seeing the vet again on Friday so we'll reassess things then. In the meantime I'll try to carry on as normal so I'd better go and make a card!

Feels So Strange....

Sigh. Well, my precious wee cat has been ill over the weekend, which has been quite hard-going. The vet thinks it may be pancreatitis so I've had to leave him at the surgery over -night to receive fluids and medication. It feels so strange without him but it was even stranger seeing him ill so I know he's in the right place and I hope he's comfortable and not feeling too stressed.

This means my crafting news may be sporadic over the next few days. All I have to show you tonight is the card I made for my kind cat-owning friend Angela on her birthday:

and a set of Christmas bookmarks:

I'm off now to catch up with everyone's blogs, and then, I think, a bath. And off to bed without my furry friend - sniff!

Punchin' and Stickin'!

At the craft group I attend, the lady sitting next to me was amused by the "production line" of embellishments that I was churning out:

I'm never happier than when I'm punching (paper, that is!) and sticking loads of things all at once; it means I don't have to think too much! And there are lots of items that I can use these embellies on!

I also found that the Christmas cupcakes I made recently fit very nicely onto dinky 3" x 3" cards:

Only problem is, I don't have any envelopes to fit! Anyone know a good source? Or maybe I'll just make them into gift tags instead!

Boats and Notes!

I hope my friend won't mind me sharing this card, it was a commission and I was quite pleased with how it came out. Her Dad is very musical, in particular the piano/keyboard, and he lives in a coastal town which has a ferry, so I wanted to combine the two elements!

The piano keys are hand-drawn, the little boat (which I think looks a bit like a ferry!) comes from a cute stamp set by Woodware. The musical notes are (horrors!) peel-offs!

I like it when a plan comes together!!

A New Week

After a busy weekend spent soaking up some of the Edinburgh Festival (hanging around in a beer tent, eating cheese and mushroom crepes and attending a comedy show) and visiting the newly-refurbished National Museum of Scotland (so busy it seemed as if the entire population of the world was there at the same time as us! A bit.), it's high time I got down to some crafting!!

I've got some new baby toppers on the "go", finally using the improvised rattles I made the other day:

I have a list of cards to make for friends and family who have birthdays coming up, so I'd better get a move on.

Meantime, talk amongst yourselves and here's a photo of some lily-type flowers that have finally started to open in one of my outdoor pots:

Woop!

Great Inspiration!

I made this card for my uncle's birthday and I'm putting it on here mainly to show my parents who gave me the original idea for the image:

It's supposed to feature my uncle (who likes cars and driving) and his dalmatian cross Keira. I think there are parts I could have drawn better, but I hope it hit the mark!!

I've also been glued to this lovely blog, which features lots of ideas for notebooks and other altered items, and it's inspired me to do slimline notebook covers and post-it notebooks:

It's nice to find great sources of inspiration, just the thing when your mojo is playing up!!

Cheerier Things

Because this is a cheery craft blog, I'm not going to make any comment about the unspeakable events that have been going on in parts of the UK, apart from to repeat one from somebody else who said they were planning to go and see Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes next week but felt they didn't need to now! My thoughts are, of course, with those people whose homes and businesses have been affected. What is this world coming to? Sigh.

I've been "fiddling" again, and, using various of my trusty punches:

+ an idea spotted on't internet, I made some baby tags:

Which will then be turned into cards like this:

With all this rain we've been having, everything's looking very lush and green, including these weeds that I can see from my craft room window!

That isn't my garden, I hasten to add; it's the garden of the neighbour directly behind me. I think someone needs to get their strimmer out!

Wax Tarts Excitement!

I'm currently working on various dog and cat-themed cards to give to my friend Michelle who runs a boarding kennels and cattery. Hopefully some of her clients' owners might need a card or two from time to time, so it would be useful for her to have a stash of them around. Animal-themed cards are my fave, so making them is no hardship!

I'm making several of these doggy toppers to fit DL cards, a size I don't often venture into!

Much as I'm not looking forward to the inevitable descent into autumness, the approach of the season has been eased by the arrival of this batch of wax tarts:

I'm going to try and resist using them until September, but I can't wait to fill my home with spicy, warm aromas!! Plus, I've never used wax tarts before so that'll be a new experience!!

Still Lazy!

Another lazy day yesterday, absolutely nothing achieved. I went along to the craft group where we were supposed to be making cards for a table sale in November, but the sum total of my creations were some pink Christmas cupcakes:

A few days ago, however, I was experimenting and made some baby rattles using various punches:

I'm not sure what I'll do with them - probably add some baby bears!

I think I've been slightly less useless today - at least the decking has been painted! Yay!!

So Lazy!!!

I've had a shopping day today - just groceries and toiletries and some basic craft stuff, nothing exciting. I also treated myself (after a week of relatively healthy eating) to coffee and a rather crumbly scone, and I treated the car too, by paying the valeting bloke in the shopping centre car park to wash it for me! Shh, don't tell Himself, I know it's very lazy of me!! But it really needed a more thorough wash than I'd have been able to give it. Even it's tyres are nice and black and glossy now!

It's been lovely weather all day and I've made some summery dragonfly tags:

Just wish I'd got out there and painted my decking whilst there was plenty time for it to dry. But it felt too much like hard work! *feelings of guilt*

I'm such a lazy-pants!!

Feeling Festive?

Well, not really, considering the lovely weather we had here over the weekend, which allowed Himself and I to have a little barbecue for two on my decking on Saturday. Very pleasant, except I forgot to warn my neighbour - who had his washing hanging out, oooerrrr! Despite this mishap, the same neighbour kindly lent me his pressure washer thingy yesterday so that we could clean up my decking in preparation for painting it. The latter task I should have done today, but I, er, gave it a miss. Sigh. I'm not a gardener or a DIYer (I'd much rather be crafting), but these things really have to be done...

However, I must be feeling a little bit festive, because, this morning, I created some Christmassy items:

Cupcakes.

And some other Christmassy characters.

They still need to have "bits" added to them, but I'm pleased with how they came out and I plan to use them on lots of things between now and December!!

I don't think I've ever done Christmas this early!! I feel faint!!