Enough

Hi everyone. Hope you're all doing well. I've had a pretty terrible week. Ever feel like you've had enough of all the terrible things life keeps on throwing your way? Right now, I really have had enough. I'm tired and fed up of fighting to get life back to some sort of normality. Just when you think things finally are getting better, life insists on kicking you back down. We found out this week that the hospital made a big cock up and Mum's oncologist didn't have Mum's full notes when we went to see him. Turns out we found out by accident (they thought we knew!!!) that they found a suspicious spot on Mum's liver. This means her chemo will change from being preventative to aggressive and she is likely to face another major operation. We have gone from thinking the cancer had gone to it now being likely to have spread.

I don't have the energy to get angry at the hospital staff who through this error have led us to have had false hope. It seems like just another one of life's cruel jokes that we seem to keep facing at the moment. I'm tired of being positive and of dreading the unknown. Sorry folks, I'm having a bad day!

In an effort to keep myself busy, I've been a cardmaking machine this week!! And have made 4 cards!!! (OK, not a machine but this is good for me!!)

So my first card is my favourite. I love the colour of this stripey My Mind's Eye paper. Image is Penny Black coloured with copics. Papers are by My Mind's Eye, Bo Bunny and Crate Paper. I've done some stitching on this. My use of the sewing machine is not great. Most people would practice before embarking on doing their cards but I'm impatient so I thought I'd learn as I go along, I think it adds to the homemade-ness of it!! lol. The snow sentiment is actually cut off an old Christmas tag. The sketch is an old Basic Grey Challenge one.

I'm entering this into the Winter Wonderland Challenge- recipe: snowman, 4 papers & 3 snowflakes

Crafty stash used: Image (Penny Black); Copics; Papers (My Mind's Eye, Bo Bunny, Crate Paper); Assorted cardstock; Snowflakes (Sizzix die, Woodware punch); Sewing machine; Sentiment (Recycled); Pearls (Wild Orchid Crafts)

My second card has been made using the Sizzix Bigz scalloped card die. The stripey paper is by Bo Bunny. Image is Penny Black coloured with copics. The sentiment and snowflake are K & Co rub ons.

I'm going to enter this into Stamp Something Challenge which is to stamp something cute.

Crafty stash used: Image (Penny Black); Copics; Die (Sizzix); Paper (Bo Bunny); Assorted cardstock; Rubons (K&C0)

My third card is for my friend who's had a little boy. The image is Elzybells and I've coloured him with watercolour pencils and paper pieced his nappy. All the papers are by Making Memories.

I'm entering this into Friday Sketchers.

Crafty stash used: Stamps (Elzybells); Watercolour pencils; Nesties; Papers (Making Memories); Punch (Martha Stewart)

My final card is a total recycled job and was super quick! I hate to see great elements from Christmas cards wasted so I always hang onto them. In this case, the element was the whole front of the card!! Basically I layered it up using some Basic Grey papers and cardstock and simply added some gems. Quick and easy and green!!

Crafty stash used: Image (recycled); Papers (Basic Grey); Cardstock; Gems (Wild Orchid Crafts)

Being stressed is never good for my bank balance as I always resort to a bit of retail therapy. I decided to stock up on some Christmas goodies and some basics at Wild Orchid Crafts and Bunny Zoe's. I bought loads of different coloured pearls, some different button packs, paper flowers, Snowflake gems, pearl pins, lace and the bow-maker- will get back to you on my opinion on this!

Thanks for stopping by today x