Dinner Magnolia & Punch It Out

This week's challenge is Punch It Out at Just Magnolia. I've paired the sketch from Friday Sketchers Challenge #97 with my new Dinner Tilda. I've colored her with Copics and paper-pieced her outfit. The DP is from the Eva paper pad from Basic Grey and the CS is Bazzill. I used an oval Nestabilities, Swiss Dots embossing folder and the EK Success Flower & Flourish punch. The flowers are Prima, sprayed with Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Mist, the pearls are Hero Art and the ribbon is from stash.

This card also fits the following challenges:

Our Creative Corner - Bows
Cute Card Thursday - Mono Mania
Papertake Weekly - Cutie Pie

Hope you're having a good week and thanks for visiting.

Cheers,

Check It Out

"Check It Out" is the latest challenge at Penny Black Saturday Challenge. It's also an appropriate title for this update because I haven't participated in a challenge since last September and I'm shouting "check it out", I'm back. Life has been its own challenge the last six months but I'm happy to say that most of it is now behind me.



I've used the sketch from Basic Grey's Challenge, as well as paper from BG's Lemonade paper pad. My little hedgehog and the words are from PB's "Wonderful" transparent set and I've colored with Copics. I also used Swiss Dots embossing folder, square Nestabilities, and MS' Doiley Lace Trim double-edge punch. Flowers are Prima and the jewels are Doodlebug.

I know I've been gone a long time but I'm hoping you'll come back to "check out" my blog again.

Cheers,
Judi

So Much For A New Year

2009 still seems to be haunting us. Sue came home on December 31, and on January 15, she was back in the hospital having a second surgery on her lower back to remove a "pocket of puss" (her surgeon's words). The infection has also attached itself to the replacement in her left knee which will have to be operated on.

Sue is actually doing quite well after this surgery. She has not experienced the confusion and agitation as she did last time, and she already has all her IVs out. She's done a little walking with her walker and spent quite a bit of time sitting in a chair. The biggest questions now revolve around the antibiotics.... IV or oral, and for how long. The infectious disease doctor should be in tomorrow and hopefully will have some answers.

Even though I haven't participated in any challenges in a while, I did get Christmas cards made. Here are a couple that I sent this year.




Still looking forward to participating in challenges this year, just not sure when.

Cheers,
Judi

January 2010

Finally January 2010. I can't say I'm sad to have 2009 behind us. Of course, there were some highlights but, for the most part, it was not a very good year.

The year started out full of excitement. I had created this blog and intended to immerse myself in the world of card challenges. Even though I was working, I usually managed a couple of challenges a week. Starting in April, Sue went through two hip replacements which involved a lot of hospital visits and additional responsibilities at home. My posting and participating in challenges were more sporadic but by August, I was looking forward to things getting back to normal.

Unfortunately normal didn't last very long because in September Sue ended up in ER with a cracked knee. She was in an immobilizer for six weeks and then a brace for another four weeks. She was back living in my bedroom and I was playing nurse again, as well as working full time and making sure Mom was okay.

We were now through September and October and being ever the optimist, I was again hoping that, once Sue got the brace off and was walking normally, I could get back to the land of blogs and challenges. But I had no idea of the things to come.

November 16 found me taking Sue to the ER in what ended up being a two week hospital stay and a five week stay at a rehab facility. I'm not going to go into a lot of details but she had a blood infection which almost killed her. Her white blood cell count was 37000 (normal is between 5000 and 10000). I don't think I've ever been through anything so scary. She had to have emergency surgery to remove abscesses which were causing the infection. She was literally out of her mind for over a week and actually remembers nothing of that time.

I got her home on New Year's Eve. We are now looking forward to a healthier 2010 (and I'm hoping to spend a lot less time in hospital rooms!)

My last post was September 27. If you visited me since then, thank you very much and I'm sorry there's been nothing new. I didn't have the energy to blog or participate in challenges. There was nothing creative left in me.

So here's to 2010, a new year of participating in challenges, catching up on old friends' blogs and making new friends.

Cheers, Judi

(PS: I did manage to make Christmas cards which I will post later.)

House Mouse Monday Challenge #52

The House Mouse Monday Challenge has gone to an every other Monday format and even though I had two weeks to participate, here I am posting the last Sunday night. Challenge #52 is to select your favorite challenge from the past year. I decided on two: the sketch from #48 and embossing from #19.


The House Mouse image is "In A Nutshell" and Maxwell is colored with Copics (E00, E33, E29, B02, Y21, YR61, YR68, YG23, C1). "Happy Birthday" is Endless Creations. I used Cuttlebug's "Floral Fantasy" embossing folder and two sizes of Nestabilities square dies. All the paper is DCWV. There are Dew Drops, Diamond Stickles and the ribbon is from stash.

I'm going to send this off to my girlfriend Barbi in San Diego. Her birthday's October 1 and I never get cards to her on time. She'd probably have a coronary if it actually arrived on her birthday. It might actually make it this year!

Cheers, Judi

Penny Black Saturday Challenge #67 (and #66)

This week's Penny Black Saturday Challenge #67 is to use lace and pearls. Boy is that right up my alley! I'm not sure what happened last week but I didn't get the challenge done. It was a wonderful sketch, so I decided to use it this week.

Both the image and the sentiment are from PB's "the Wonder" transparent set. The image is colored with Copics (E00, YR00, E29, E37, C1, R02) and Tombows (155, 177) and the sentiment is stamped with Deep Green Chalk ink. All the paper (except the white) is from the "Greetings of the Season" paper pack from Hobby Lobby. The rectangles are cut using Nestabilities large and small deckle dies and the two circles are cut using the Creative Memories custom cutting system (I think this is the first time I've actually used the system). The snowflakes are punched with an Emagination punch and gold charms from stash have been added to each. The pearls are Hero Arts and the ribbon is from Hobby Lobby. "Old Gold" glitter from Art Institute is on the star and a touch of Polar White Flower Soft and Crystal glitter is snow.

Back to work tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers, Judi

More Blog Candy

I'm a regular visitor to Debby's blog and she is celebrating 500 followers by giving away some wonderful candy.


Check out Debby's blog. Her cards are wonderful and truly inspirational. She does some pretty amazing things with paper, rubber stamps, ink and embellishments. Love her flowers and that 3D effect!!

Cheers, Judi