Really?

Hello Blogger world! I'm sitting here contemplating my next move. I'm writing this here because it is safe for me to share across the miles to no one in particular. I have to tell someone about my thoughts. I just found a lump under my left arm. It's not in the armpit. It's over the rib cage. It's not painful but it's very firm. I actually felt it back in March and I brought it to my oncologist's attention and he said he thought it was probably a pulled muscle. :-\ I don't think a pulled muscle should get bigger. That's just my thought about that. I also kinda think I should be a little more freaked out than I am right about now but then again... nothing really bad ever happens to me. I've always believed that. The thought has gotten me through life somehow... not entirely in one piece... but it got me through whatever I was facing at the moment.

Till later... I hope! :)

Blog Candy!

DT Call at Fitztown Challenge Blog

Using images from HERE and HERE.

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Also Blog Candy available!

One lucky follower will win six fabulous digi images of their choice.

You can choose from here or here.

All you have to do is:

1. Become a follower ~ click the 'Join This Site' button at the top.

2. Add the blog candy badge to your blog and link back to our challenge group:

http://fitztownchallengeblog.blogspot.co.uk/

3. Spread the word.

4. Leave a comment with your blog address and some love.

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Don't forget our first challenge starts on Monday, May 27th,

'Anything Goes'!

Kenny K FB Contest

I want to add this to Kenny K's FB Page and cannot figure out how to do it! lol I'm gonna give this a quick write up and then I guess PM my card to the group. 

Here is the card:

This image is a Kenny K Download. It is the free image for May and called Anime DJ. You can find it on the left hand column. I colored the image with Copic markers. The card is a portrait 5X7 card. I used a The Paper Studio from Hobby Lobby embossing folder. All card stock and ribbon is from my stash. I dotted the image with some Robin's Nest Black Dew Drops. The sentiment comes from Raisin Boat's Rock Star clear stamp set.

Now to go back to FB and try to figure out how to get this uploaded to the group! lol Thanks for stopping by and if you're playing along with my EMA-gination Celebration please don't forget to leave a comment! :)

This Card Makes Me Happy!

Sharing a little card that makes me happy... and gives me the urge for sherbet... whenever I see it! :)

I've used two embossing folders, Floral Fantasy from Cuttlebug in pink and from The Paper Studio at Hobby Lobby in green. I colored the image in Copic markers and added some Stickles in Firefly and Tropical Tangerine for some shimmer. I accented the image with three Robin's Nest Clear Daisy dew drops. The image is Tulip Umbrella by StampArt Design by Kathryne from Whimsy Stamps.

Hope this card puts a smile on your face too! Now I'm off for some sherbet! lol ;) Thanks for stopping by! :)

La Mer by Mitzi Sato-Wiuff

In an earlier post, I shared my exciting news about designing cards for Mitzi Sato-Wiuff. I absolutely love her interesting images! You can find her images at Scrapbook Stamp Society. This digital image is called La Mer.

Here is the card:

This is a 6X6 landscape single fold card. I colored the image with Copic markers. I purchase my Copic markers at Oozak. The background printed card stock is from The Storyteller's Club. The white satin ribbon is from Raisin Boat. The white pearl beads are from Michael's $1 bins. Seashells are from The Dollar Tree. I used a Heidi Swapp distresser around the mat and image and folded down a corner to add interest to the image. I added Stickles in Star Dust to add shimmer to the image and a silver gel pen for some definition.

Be sure to join our weekly challenge at Scrapbook Stamp Society! This week it's Anything Goes and you can use any kind of stamp from any company; however, there is a freebie from Mitzi Sato-Wiuff available for your use on the challenge blog. 

There will be one random draw for a $30 gift card from Scrapbook Stamp Society and the DT will pick their Top 3. 

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you'll leave a comment, especially if you're interested in playing along with my EMA-gination Celebration. :)

Happy Mother's Day

I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day. :)

I visited with my mom and sisters after Sunday service. My son took me out for some fried chicken. Yummmm... ;) lol Came home and spent a quiet afternoon coloring with my Copic markers. My baby daughter dropped by for a visit. Nice quiet Mother's Day for myself. Just like I like it. :)

Thanks for stopping by! :)

New News!

Haha... I didn't know how to announce this... it's not necessarily "good" news... "good" news is a cure for cancer has been found! Technically, it's not "new" news either... I've already shared this info on FB but it's new news to blog world. So here I am! :)

I've been placed into TWO new design teams! 

One is a sub-division of Scrapbook Stamp Society (SSS). No team logo. No different website... well... not really. It's specifically for the SSS Challenge Blog and featuring artwork from Mitzi Sato-Wiuff (MSW). SSS carries her images and I've used many in my DT work. I like her images. The challenge blog will feature MSW artwork the first two weeks of each month.

The second IS an entirely separate entity of SSS. It's called Fitztown Challenge Blog. Has it's own separate website and a team logo. You can see it proudly displayed on the right hand column of my blog! :) This is featuring artwork for Morgan Fitzsimons... thus the name. :) It's set to be a WEEKLY challenge blog and officially starts it's first challenge January 27th. Would love for you to come check it out! :) There is no set schedule at the moment and I will show up when I show up. lol Perfect! It's like my real life! :)

So now... when I pick my images to design for SSS Blog I can use Sherri Baldy Stamps (SBS) and those are scheduled for the 5th and 20th of each month. I felt guilty in the past because I did not always pick SBS images. These are adorable girly images! I like working with lots of different kinds of styles. 

Thanks for stopping by! :)

Mother's Day Card

To be honest... I'm horrified I named this post Mother's Day Card. The post I named Mother's Christmas Card gets looked at ALL the time. Apparently, what to write in a mother's card is quite mind boggling and folks Google it quite often and up pops up my Mother's Christmas Card. I imagine that will be the case with this card... but I am getting ahead of myself. 

First let me tell you about my "blind date" ... ;) lol We did meet... and as I wrote... I did't feel well... I had to throw up! :'( And there's no hiding it when you've done that. I splashed cold water on my face and then I not only had a beet red face... but the front of my top was soaking wet. :-\ Nonetheless, I believe it went very well and I am still super excited about making a new "crafty" friend in my home town! Yay! :)

Then, she brought gifts too! I was pleasantly surprised and horrified at the same time. Her gift was way over the top and I felt my gift was ever so mediocre after I opened hers. Look what she gave me:

I was just so THRILLED! My immediate thought was "I'll never part with these!" When we were saying our goodbyes that is the first thing she said "Don't hoard the flowers!" *GASP* It's almost as if she knew me already! lol ;)

Then she gifted me... The. Most. Awesome. Card. EVER! I. Love. It!

I had to find out where she got the image! I thought it was too cute! I recognized the eyes to be a Heather Valentine image and I was right. It can be found here. :)

Now... on to my Mother's Day card. I used a La-La Land Crafts digital image called Heart Key Marci. La-La Lands is having Contest #13 on their Facebook group and I am entering this card in that contest. Here is my card:

First, it's a massive card... 5.5X8.5. I didn't want to have to squeeze things in. I wanted there to be plenty of room and boy howdy... there is room! :-\ I used Graphic 45 Fashionista paper pad for all the printed card stock. Lace ribbon is from my stash. I used a Michael's Recollection lace border punch to add to the center row of ribbons. The white satin ribbon is from Raisin Boat. I used two Fiskars punches, Lace 3-in-1 Corner Punch on the image and Heritage 3-in-1 Corner Punch on the papers peeking out from behind the image. I colored the image in Copic markers. Then... I. Forced. Myself... to use three of the flowers Maria gifted me. I did as she did on my card... added Stickles in Star Dust on the flowers to make them even prettier! 

Thanks for stopping by! :) Don't forget to leave a comment if you're playing along with EMA-gination Celebration! :)

It Is ALL About Me

A couple of weeks ago, I met Maria M. on Some Odd World. She introduced herself to me as a fellow crafter living in the same fair city I call home! Talk about exciting! :)

Today, as this posts to my blog, we will be meeting for the very first time. We plan to have lunch at a deli near the town university. I am bringing a bag of goodies I got for her. A few scrappy items I hope she can use, a Dove milk chocolate bar with almonds and this card:

I made this for her yesterday and posted it to my blog last night. I just couldn't write it was for her because she reads my blog. :) Isn't that nice of her! I hope she likes the card and gifts. :)

Today almost didn't happen. If you've followed my life, and I imagine my imaginary friends have to some degree... ;) lol... you know I have been taking Sprycel to control the CML. When I began taking this medication, I knew a side effect could be heart disease and / or renal failure. I took the pills anyway because I want to live!

Well, I haven't been living for the past few months. I've been having severe anxiety, massive headaches, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, nausea and, on occasion, diarrhea. I thought at first it was from a stomach bug I caught at a family picnic. Turns out, after many tests, it is the onset of heart disease. How diarrhea and nausea have anything to do with heart disease is beyond me. My brother has been diagnosed with kidney cancer but they took a biopsy from his lung. He went in with what we all thought was bronchitis. He caught a cold and it lead to a bad cough. :-\ The wonders of science and medicine!

Once again, I do not believe I survived a near fatal accident in 2007 and went into remission from leukemia to be brought down this easily. There are treatment options to explore. It might be putting a little bit of a stumbling block for my schooling but not anything that cannot be overcome. I refuse to lose my optimistic view on life. I refuse to wallow in self-pity. In all of this... I've tried desperately to not complain. Some days, it's a wonder I get out of bed at all much less bathe and dress myself. On occasion, I've found myself having an awesome pity party and wishing I'd sent out invitations. Because in the midst of ALL. Of. This... I am only human. 

Why post this here? Because I don't know where else to post it. In case something should happen to me out of the blue, I'd like to know someone could come on here and read it and realize... oh... that's why she hasn't been on FB. :) I'm considerate that way. lol I don't want to post this on FB. It cannot be said with a status update. It needs to be a post. I have so much to say! :) 

So last night, about 3 AM, I woke feeling ill and I continue to feel ill as I write this. I'm still going on my ... what I've been affectionately calling ... "blind date". If the last thing I do is meet someone from my home town who loves crafting as much as I do, I'll be a happy camper! :) What if I were to have to go to the hospital after meeting with her? I'd like to think she'd be kind enough to think, "Gee, maybe I should go to her house and pick up her Copics and some images for her to color!" and then she would! :) lol My world inside my head is a very pleasant place to be where all the people are kind to each other. :) It has to be... my reality sometimes sucks. 

In all that has happened with my health, my MD has always stressed to reduce the amount of stress in my life. haha I've tried. I do only what makes me happy as often as I can. If I had been born rich instead of beautiful, there would definitely be much less stress. So if you are reading this and you've not heard from me, remember this.

Do not judge me because I do not do the things you think I should be doing. No one is walking my path with me. I am doing this alone. Some days... it takes more courage than others and so for now... to me anyway... It. Is. All. About. Me.