Life in bloom

Hi everyone! Hope you're all having a fun crafty week.

Thanks so much for all your lovely comments about my Mum. She's doing OK. We had to go to the stroke clinic yesterday. They think it was a mini stroke but have no firm evidence that it was so we really are no further on. She had a test to look at the blood flow in her neck and then a head CT. I found it quite stressful as he mentioned checking for the cancer spreading to my Mum's brain and my Dad passed from a brain tumour so it was a pretty awful day. At first glance, he said he couldn't see anything so we have to wait to see what the oncologist says on Monday and whether it could possibly have been a reaction to the chemo infusion or whether he agrees that it could have been a stroke. Unfortunately I think the build up of stress over the last week has caused my CFS to flare up again which I could really do without so I'm feeling rotten today.

To cheer myself up, I've ordered a host of crafty goodness (see below) which arrived today so I can at least stroke my new stuff!!!.....

Anyway earlier in the week I did manage to make this card. My sis asked me to make a card for her partner's Grandma's birthday. I chose this gorgeous summery PSX image. I coloured with mixture of lyra and watercolours. Papers are by MME and Heidi Grace designs. Sentiment is Papertrey Ink. I used Kraft stock to mount the sentiment and cut out the leaves using a Boss-Kut die. Do you like the cute little sunflower charm? My sis found a little gardening charm set on her travels with work.

I'd like to enter this into:

Cupcake Craft- in the garden

Papertake Weekly- bloom and grow

Stampavie- summer

Sweet Sketch Wednesday- sketch

Truly Scrumptions- anything goes

Crafty Catz- anything goes

Crafty stash used: Stamps (PSX, Papertrey Ink); Watercolour pencils; Lyra pencils; Copics; Assorted cardstock; Papers (Heidi Grace, MME); Nesties; Button and thread; Boss Kut die; charm; ribbon; mini tag (Lakeland)

Here is a piccie of my latest new crafty stash. All this stress is severely playing havoc with my finances. In the last 2 years, I've learnt the meaning of retail therapy in a big way!! I also bought the hugest stash of October Afternoon papers which you'll be seeing soon! Uhhh, plus today I'll be doing a big order of Papertrey Ink stash that my hubbie can pick up whilst he's working in the States in the next couple of weeks.

Finally, on the theme of gorgeous blooms, I thought I'd share this piccie I took this morning of this gorgeous rose called Noble Antony that we have in our garden. It has the sweetest smell I've ever encountered. My sis and I bought this variety of rose for my Mum after my Dad passed away as my Dad was called Tony. My Mum and Dad absolutely adore/d roses. It's quite an unusual variety and I had to order it over the internet. Then the other week in my local garden centre just around the corner from our house, I noticed it!!! I got one for me and my sis. I like to think it was a sign from Dad that wherever we are (we moved house since my Dad passed away), my Dad is saying he's always with us. Isn't it beautiful?

Hope you have a fun and restful week x