You know those male cards that are a bit harder to make?? well have a read of this

http://craftytracysstampingcorner.blogspot.com/

I went over to Tracy's blog to thank her for helping me out with the photo/blog linking thing and spied her newly designed stamps... Little tinker had not even mentioned them to me when we spoke the other day..... She's like that, never one to blow her own trumpet.

Tracy used to work in the local craft shop and through that, we became friends, not that we see each other very often but when we do its like a continuation of our last chat... I like friendships like that :-) Tracy has kindly sorted out some papers for me... which I will collect tomorrow as I'm sort of near hers when I go to the hospital...

Thanks to both Tracy and Lea for their excellent instructions on doing the photo/link thingy..

Can you help me please?

Can someone tell me the most simple way of posting a picture of someone else's candy with a link so that when a blog visitor clicks on the picture it will take them to the owner of the candy's blog......

Thank you tons and tons xx

If you read this please send out winning thoughts to number 12.

Ha!!! gotcha!!!!

Thank you so much for the winning thoughts.....

That was a bit naughty of me... because I am number 12 on the comments for the blog candy on http://passionforcrafts.blogspot.com/

If this candy doesn't reach somewhere in the 300 - 400 hundreds I'll eat that hat that everyone talks about! If I was to say Copics, Miss Anya's, Nesties galore, paper strokingly heaven, flowers, ribbons and buttons.... you would be leaving this post right now and getting over there...... *whooosh* you've gone already......;-)

REMEMBER...... NUMBER 12

A couple of cards

My friends twins are 5 tomorrow and we live about 150 miles apart so I don;t get to see them very much.

I think I made a card that is a bit too old for a 5 year old with the card for Mollie. Her birthday cake was Tinkerbelle and she is having ballet lessons and loving them.. Morgan's is about right for a 5 year old but not exactly what he is into... I mailed his mum and asked her if he was still into football..... Nope!! now he is into Dr Who, Transformers or Power Rangers...

Anyone going to Devon/Cornwall?? BARGAINS at Trago Mills

A lot of people who live in Devon and Cornwall know of the bargains to be had at Trago mills.. and I know of a lot of friends who live in other parts of the Country who have also bought some really good buys there....

I went to the Liskeard Trago yesterday and was pleasantly surprised to see that they have expanded their craft section which was poor before ( apparently they did this last July but being a hermit I hadn't been there for ages!)

I've posted this mainly so that anyone who is coming this way, saves their crafting money if they can, to enable them to be able to get more for their money....

I think you can see on the photo above the difference in the prices but have made a mental list of some of the things there from the craft essentials leaflet so you can see the difference.

Daisy & Dandilion clear stamps RRP £5.99 - Trago price £3.79
Wheelabe tote RRP £59.99 - Trago price £ 39.95 or 99.. give or take 4 p!
Scalloped Cardstock 12x12 RRP £9.99 - Trago price £6.75 or there abouts, might be slightly cheaper
Alphaminis foam stickers RRP £1.99 - Trago price £1.49 and alphamania cardstock stickers
Cat & Dog Collections RRP £16.99 - Trago price £11.49 or cheaper.
Scalloped cards are between 50p - £1 cheaper than the RRP per pack
All paper flowers, Stamp duos and studded stickers are RRP £ 1.99 - trago price £1.29
Papermania The big one 12x12 papers RRP £14.99 - Trago price £10.79 or slightly less.
Clare Curd clear stamps RRP £5.99 - Trago price £3.79

Sorry I can't remember any other prices. Trago is a bit hit and miss with the products it carries but if you or any of your friends passing by either the Newton Abbot or Liskeard, its worth a crafting visit :-) - Highlight what you want in the craft essentials leaflet, give them the dosh and cross your fingers ;-) ..........

Mega Blog Candy at Crafty Goings On.....

Karen has 72 Copic Marker pens as blog candy over at
http://charmedcrafts.blogspot.com/

It does end today 1oth April but you do still have time to enter ;-)

Karen says on her blog :-

The twist is that we want you to link to a project on your blog (in your comment) that either uses a download or a stamped image that you coloured in.

• Link to a card you made with a download or a stamped image (does NOT have to be one of ours)
• If you are using one of the Charmed Cards & Crafts downloads then you get two chances (please enter two comments, in the second just write "my second chance). All entries will be checked.
• Please mention the candy on your blog.

Here is the card I made using a Dottie at Work download, my friends daughter is 18 soon and is training to be a hairdresser.

Are you looking for Retro flower punches?

I have spent a hour tonight looking at different sites to get a small, medium and large in the retro flower punch... ( well if I can't get hold of the Miss Anya stamps then I have to console myself someway!!)

Have just ordered them from here

http://www.bgpayne.com

Never bought from the online store before but the prices are reasonable...

A few cards at last!! & update on Steph

I made 40 thank you cards for my cousin 's wedding. They were all simply made with embossed plain white card and a few gems.








Below is the Congratulations card I made for my cousin and his new wife.


An assortment of cards made for friends and family recently. I'm a bad blogger by not giving details of what products I used but will get back into the swing of blogging soon I hope.










Steph recently returned from her third trip to Germany for treatment and the results from her second treatment was a further 15% reduction in the liver tumour... all good news :-)

Card magazines

What do you do with yours??

I'm ashamed to say that I am sorting through hundreds of the things at t his moment... 5 years worth to be exact... more than £1k's worth of mainly advertisements so it seems.....

I'm taking out some of the quick make sections and a few odd pages for future inspiration and then will take them to the scrap store. I'm sure they will be made good use of but if anyone has other ideas what they do with their old magazines, I'd be pleased to hear.

I might get some time soon to be able to blog regularly. xx

I know a secret... its not one to keep to myself though...

http://craftytracysstampingcorner.blogspot.com/

Take a look over on Tracey's blog for a link to a ***NEW*** stamp site. Great stamps, great prices and excellent customer service.

:-)

Good news about Steph :o)

Steph and Ali are n Germany at the moment, Steph had her second lot of treatment yesterday... and the results of her first treatment...... I won't keep anyone in suspense... Dr Vogl gave them the fantastic news that the tumour on her liver has shrunk by over 20%..... how fantastic is that... as you can imagine they are both over the moon... Ali will have her partner around for longer even after one treatment.... and Steph will have something so many take for granted..... time..... I keep having a little happy tear...

Also she has been told she has a tumour pressing on her spinal cord that was in the UK going to be treated by radiotherapy .... Dr Vogl had said he can give it a blast with the Chemoembolization to remove it...... yep more tears from yours truly... so i can only imagine how Steph feels.

Take a look here... http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=607675658&ref=name#/group.php?gid=49543032511&ref=ts
This is one of Debbie's groups on facebook to highlight the petition that can be signed online to get Government to allow Chemoembolization here in the UK for all patients with Mesothelioma which would open the doors for ALL patients with cancers that can be treated to do so....

This is the direct link to the petition... don't forget to make sure if you sign it to ensure that you check your email after ( and junk mail) for the confirmation email. Make your vote count. :o)

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Mesothelioma-/

Fund raising is still continuing to make sure Steph can have the 3rd treatment...

Please pass on the link to all you know to sign the petition... There are people dying when there is no need, make your thoughts known to the Government.

PS I am still making cards!!

Thanks a million and I sincerely hope everyone reading this is happy and healthy xxx

Update on Steph

:-) Good news is that Steph has had her first lot of treatment with Dr Vogl in Germany. He scanned her liver and said that he would be able to use the treatment on all the tumours that are there :-) She is back home now and is very tired. She was'nt able to have her normal chemo on Thursday due to her white blood count being too low..... this could have been because she had only had the treatment in Germany a few days beforehand..

Her next lot of treatment is due on the 20th Feb, the fundraising is still ongoing for that treatment, there was a fabulous fund raising evening on the 23rd January, many artists gave their time for free and a really good evening was had with lots of fundraising activities as well such as two lads who had leg waxes and one of them had his hair shaved... my niece did the pulling off of the waxing strips... shes evil !!!!! for a 12 year old... her friend also did the other leg... and they were pretty hairy... OUCH!

Stephs postman is doing as much fundraising at his depot and out and about to raise funds for the final treatment... what a fella eh!

I'm posting a video of Debbie Brewer who was Steph and Ali's inspiration behind the treatment - be warned, this might make you gulp back a few tears. A brave brave lady. This was taken last year after Debbies first treatment, when the treatment had shrunk the tumour by 18%, now it is 56% smaller..and in partial remission. she is due to go back in March. Dr Vogl sounds like my Consultant Mr Drabble. (By the way... if anyone is on facebook, please join my group called "We love Mr Drabble" )

The link to Debbies interview with the BBC.
http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=61960208520&h=37rtb&u=0FRyh

Please Help and pass on. I thank you all.

Steph is a 35 year old wonderful woman who just needs a chance!.

Steph has been having treatment since she was 30 for cancer. . The Cancer started in her breast then to her bones and then to her liver.

There has not been a month gone by where Steph has not had treatment since her diagnosis in 2005

Back in October, Steph won the fight for Avastin as it was not available on the NHS in her local PCT. Unfortunately she was only able to have a few infusions as she then became very ill with ischemic colitis.

Since 24th Oct 08, Steph has been in and out of Brent Ward, Stonehouse ward and St Lukes hospice in Plymouth.

After speaking with Steph's oncologist in the past 2 weeks, we now know the prognosis. Because of the bone and liver cancer, there is about 5 months of Steph's life remaining, and that's on treatment!

There has been a lot of contact with a lady (Debbie) who is being treated by a Prof. Dr. Thomas Vogl in Germany. He thinks he can give Steph better treatment to prolong her life and not just give her quality of life. Debbie is now in remission.

Chemoperfusion is something that is not on offer here in the UK.

So, this Chemoperfusion will cost about 4000 euros per treatment and we believe Prof Vogl wants to try 3 sessions.

Bearing in mind Steph is very poorly, she needs this as soon as possible.

Steph attends the same Macmillan Centre as I do and I wanted to be able to spread the word about her fundrasing as much as I could. I know very few people have very much money spare not just because its after Christmas but also with the credit crunch, but if you could donate a £1 it would be a pound closer to Steph being given the chance of extra quiality of life as well as extending her life. Please please can you pass the link to my page onto all your blogging buddies. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Here is the link to be able to donate directly

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=2242662

Some extra links to read or watch about Steph.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7818016.stm

http://www.plymouthsound.co.uk/Article.asp?id=1091956

http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/news/Cancer-patient-s-desperate-plea-cash-German-treatment/article-591274-detail/article.html

Steph's groups on facebook, please join and leave her an uplifting encouraging message if you feel able to. Whilst funds are being raised, Steph also needs encouragement and her spirits to be kept high... Shes a fighter but why do it alone when there are so many good people out there who would love nothing more than to be part of her journey... in letting her know she is thought of.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=37527647167&ref=mf

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=27649788290

Extra edit!

Today was also my mums birthday and as I have been feeling unwell.. ( its only the diabetes meds!! yuck) and not in a fit state for leaving the house, it suddenly come to me after first posting this that I might not have been able to take flowers anywhere but in posting this.... hopefully a ray of hope can be expanded for Steph..... that for my mum would be the best present I could give right now.

No cards just an update on my absence.

Having been away from my blog for so long now, its like starting over again......

Since my last post way back in the second week of November I have had a raging infection in my wound which was so bad that it ached to use my left arm.... yep I'm left handed! and combined with my pc keep shutting down... it made for a no show from yours truly...

Ten days ago just as the infection had started to go... a discovery was made as to why it was taking so long... I'm diabetic! with extremely high blood sugar results.. 27.1 on the last one... I'm seeing the doctor this morning for fasting cholesterol and another finger prick to see what the result is today.. I have been put on two different medications... the side effects of one is that you lose weight.. YAY!! and the other that you gain weight.. BOO!

I need to go visit the blogs of the people who left comments in my absence and to upload some cards that I received for my birthday and Christmas.

Thank you to ...... Linda, Chris, Emma and Tina xxxx

Unfinished/half started??

I'm having a bit of a tidy up (AGAIN) of my craft stash...

Totally ashamed of how many images I have coloured but zilch done with them, hundreds of different flowers, hearts, awareness ribbon punchies, etc all in the bottom of a "thats for tidying up" container... with another one exactly the same in the drawer full to the brim...

I'm guilty of opening more than one glue stick at a time.. why?

Brads in another "small bits to tidy up" container mixed in with small pieces of ribbon.

Envelopes and unused cards in a massive pile on the side.. instead of in the drawers bought for that purpose.!

And thats with having a small room that resembles a tupperware haven with a place for almost everything....

Someone please tell me they are the same.. or better still worse??!!!