Monday 23 December 2019

Wishing You All A Very Merry Christmas!

Hello Everyone, the Big Day is almost upon us once again and I hope all is well with you and you'er not getting too stressed out by your preparations. 

I just wanted to say Big Thank You to all of my lovely Blogging Friends and Visitors who continue to pop in and leave some wonderful comments. I appreciate everyone of them and you too.

As for many people this year has been especially difficult for Alistair and myself, with Jim's illness and eventual death, Damian's unluckiness with work, and my own health, and of course our various friends who are experiencing poor health, it's been some year and I will be glad to see the back of it. 
Having said that, and as Elton John says "I'm Still Standing", and are more fortunate  than many folks. I'm thinking of those terrible bush fires in Australia, with loss of live, both human and wildlife. Floods in England destroying homes, volcanoes erupting with more loss of life. The list is endless, which hits all ages, class and creeds, and that's just natural disasters. It is to be hoped that 2020 will bring peace in the world.

This will be my last card for this year and it's for all you lovely people;
A little Hobby Art Goose.

I wish you a Peaceful Christmas and all Good Wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year!




Saturday 21 December 2019

Let it Snow!

Hello Everyone, I hope you are well and managing to get through your Christmas preparations without too much stress.
I was up and out before 9 o'clock to get some shopping, totally forgetting that I couldn't buy any alcohol before 10 o'clock. so that's a task for another day.
I've still got some wrapping to do, but got Alistair's presents wrapped whilst he was away, he was down in Glasgow for Jim's funeral yesterday. I chose not to go, I knew he would be well supported by his boyhood friend who was also attending. Alistair will be back tonight so I'll hear how things went then.

I've got another little Christmas card for you today;
This jolly little fellow is by Honey Bee stamps from a set of stamps and dies called Snowbuddies.
Stamped and then cut out, coloured with Copic Markers and glitter marker, with Glossy Accents on his nose. I used red card and inked up in white pigment ink and added white gel pen to make snow flakes, Sentiment is a freebie from Creative Stamping magazine. I finished by adding Star Dust sparkle to his little had. The snowman is mounted with dimension tape to the card.

Took myself to see Cats yesterday, I loved it, smiled all through it except the bits where I had an emotional cry, the dancing was superb too, I'd recommend if you like musicals., and I just wanted to do something nice to take my mind off a sad day.

Right off to get some wrapping done, thank you all for all the lovely comments on my last card, see you soon,

Tuesday 17 December 2019

Jingle Gnomes!

Hello Everyone, I do hope all is well with you, but if not, I'm sending kind and healing thoughts that you will feel better soon.
There are some nasty bugs going around, but thankfully we are keeping clear of them so far.

We had a fabulous Carolthon on Saturday and raised £1,557, and still the choir sponsor forms and gift aid to come in over the next month. However we are £300 up on last year's Carolthon.  The Befriender's team were brilliant, and for me it was lovely to see some former clients who wanted to volunteer as they knew I would be singing. 

 The other lovely thing that happened was that I met another former client who I have not seen since I left work and have often wondered how he was getting along.  I had a real soft spot for this young man who had a horrendous childhood with sexual abuse that has left him so damaged and a self harmer, and who has tried many times to do away with himself, even to jumping of the Kessock Bridge.......to survive but pretty broken up.  To meet him on Saturday was like an early Christmas present, and to see him so well. In a lovely relationship of four years with his partner and his loving family. Alistair too had a soft spot for this guy and took him up mountains and fossil hunting, trying to give him good experiences. So Alistair was delighted to hear that he was still alive and doing well. Especially good as I know quite a few of the people who used our project have indeed died. and strangely enough, everyone of them have suffered from family sexual abuse.  Anyway, enough of this but it just made my heart glad.

I'm still making Christmas cards, not that they are needed this year, but this stamp I've been dying to use and the card is earmarked for a friend for next year;
This is a Whimsy stamp and I've coloured it with Copic markers. Now I've cased this card from one that the fabulous Faye Wynn-Jones of Stampin Fluffnstuff did a couple of months ago. Her colouring is outstanding. Unfortunately, I didn't have the same colours so did the best I could. I would love to go to one of her Copic colouring classes, but they are in Englandshire. The snowflake die was gifted from Mrs. Duck the other year so I don't know it's brand. I've matted on to glitter card and some papers from LOTV, and added a few clear gems.

I'm still recovering from my long day on Saturday, my knees were killing me by the end of the day, and my voice all but gone as, because of illness quite a few of our singers had to call off so I sang in three sessions, that was three hours phew!! It was all worth it though.

Thank you all for your lovely comments on my last post.
That's me for now, take care of yourselves and see you soon,

Friday 13 December 2019

Hubby's Card!

Hello Everyone, finally getting here, don't know where the time has gone, but every day seems to be awfully busy.
Anyway, I do hope that you are all well, and keeping clear of all the bugs that are going around.

Alistair's brother Jim died on Tuesday, and although it was expected, it's still a shock and so very sad. By all accounts he just slept away, and his daughter and two of his old friends were with him. So he is out of any pain now. So we are  a bit sad here, and it just brings back memories of when my Mum died just around this time, albeit fifteen years ago.
I want to thank all you lovely people who emailed me and commented on my blog, so kind of you all.

So, I've got the last of my Christmas cards that I have to make, one for Alistair;
This lovely image is from the latest Creative Stamping Magazine which I've embossed with WOW white powder on to dark blue card. I used a Tonic Stencil for the stars, and added more with a white gel pencil, I used dies for the sentiments and added loads of glitter. I inked around the edges with DI to bring the eye to the image. Alistair likes dark cards so he should give a thumbs up for this one.

That is all my cards made for this year and written and posted, just a few to pop into neighbours. It's the first year I have been so organised, but I felt I had to be as we as we didn't know when we would be going down to Glasgow for Jim's funeral, one stress less sort of thing. 

Tomorrow sees another year's Carolthon, and those of you who have been following me for a while will know that the Inverness Choral Society sing all day in our local shopping centre for our chosen charity, which this year is Befrienders, who befriend people who experience mental health difficulties and those with dementia and their carers. It's a great organisation and many of my clients when I was working benefited from them.
So it will be a long day, as I will be there all day, with my organiser hat on as well as singing. I will be taking the organising of the Carolthon on proper next year, oh help!, so this time around I'm shadowing the person who is in charge at the moment. We hope for a good day weather wise to bring people into town, and that they will want to donate some dosh... mind you times are hard for some folks but , you never know. There is always a lovely buzz in the centre during the Carolthon, so if you are in Inverness tomorrow so stop and have a listen... we are awfully good....even if I say so myself lol.

That's me for now, a bit of a happy, sad post,  but that's just what life is about.

Keep well everyone and hope to see you soon,

Sunday 8 December 2019

Look Out Sprouts are About ! CCC

Hello Everyone, and how are you all today. Another week almost past and for the Christmas Card Club girls it's another challenge and it's our last one for the year. This time around Rachel has chosen the theme and it's humour.  Here is my card...only one this time,


This is a fabulous stamp set from Hobby Art, and have saved it to make a card for Damian and Moreen. Coloured mainly with Copic Markers after having embossed in green Wow EP, I've also used gel pens on some of the images. I found this card base in a drawer with yet more old stash, it was already cut out and scored, I don't know what this shape is called though. I think, they'll get a laugh at it.  Thank you Rachel for choosing this theme, I really did enjoy it.

As I said it's the last challenge and it's been so good making the cards throughout the year as I've had more than enough, I've also let Moreen choose any she wanted and it hardly made a dent in my box.
So, if any of you would like to join our merry little band, please get in touch with me or indeed any of the other girls and you would be more than welcome.

I have only one more card to make and it's for Alistair, thank goodness for that.

I've sat tonight and got all my cards written out, it's exhausting, but at least it's done and I'll get them posted on Monday. Dreading the postage though!!

Thank you all so much for your comments on my last card and your kind comments about Jim, he's still here bless him, but every time the phone rings we just expect the news that he's gone. 

I'm scheduling this for tomorrow for when the Challenge Blog goes live, so I'll sigh off for now and see you soon,




Wednesday 4 December 2019

It's Hoolie Time!

Hello Everyone, I hope all is well with you today, but sending kind thoughts out to those who are struggling a bit just now.
Thank you for the kind words regarding Jim, you are so kind. Alistair who was down for a visit yesterday noticed quite a change from only a few weeks ago. He couldn't really hold a conversation with him as he was falling in and out of sleep, but Jim knew he was there. Alistair feels that it will be the last time he will see him. What a long day it was for him he was exhausted by the time he got home. It's times like this that it feels that Inverness is at the end of the world.

Anyway, thank you too for the lovely comments on my last card.

My card today is one for my choir friend Fiona, I always make her a The Snowman card,

A bit difficult to photograph I'm afraid. Using up more old stash. This was a Crafters Companion kit many years ago, I thought I'd use it up.  I try to make something different each year as Fiona adores the Snowman and she even frames her cards, what a lovely friend. I hope she likes this year's.

Thankfully I'm getting to the end of the Christmas card Making, only Damian and Moreen's card and one for Alistair, I'm running out of ideas.

That's me for now, off to peel the tatties, take care of yourselves and see you soon,