An Update on Life.......

 

Mom had her first chemo treatment on October 29th.

She is doing AMAZINGLY well....

I am so very proud of her, she is being very strong

and positive throughout this all.

 

I am a firm believer that attitude gets you a long ways,

especially where your health is concerned.

 

She is going to have 6 months of chemotherapy.

We are meeting with a radiation oncologist on the 16th

to see if she needs radiation too.

That will need to be done in Victoria, which is

 1.5 hours away, kind of sucks but at least there is

somewhere on the island that does it and

we don't have to go to the mainland.

 

She has had no nausea, a bit of a sinus headache

the night of the first treatment, which was taken

care of with good ol' Tylenol. We were told

this may happen.

 

She has been sleeping good and eating well.

 

She is having some issues with swelling in

her right arm, which we knew could potentially

happen. She has started to wear a compression sleeve

and is having lymphadema massage to help it.

 

We are waiting for her hair to fall out.

Sounds weird saying that but we were told

day 14 is when it would happen, so

pretty much any day now. I am debating

whether to shave it or just let it go.

I will let her decide that.

 

Mom and I took a drive to Victoria last

Monday and found her a wig and some

new hats to wear so she is all ready to go

when her hair falls out.

 

Have I mentioned how proud I am of her?

She is my hero...... =)



A Long Due Post........

It has been awhile since I have posted.

I have been finding it hard to be overly creative as

of late. My last post, June 17th, was EXACTLY a 

week before I found out my mother has breast cancer.

Cancer is not a rarity in my family, in fact, I pretty much

know my fate, it is just a matter of when. 

For some reason {because my mother was turning 70} 

I thought she was in the safe zone.

Silly me, being in the medical profession, I knew

that was not the case but I was hopeful. 

You never want to see your mother go through 

something like this. 

My dad is also a survivor of cancer and I know

my mom will also fight it because she has

her family in her corner fighting with her. 

Hopefully, once everything has settled down

a bit and we find out what the next steps are

{she is currently healing from her 2nd surgery}

I can join the ranks of creating and posting again....

Birthday Wishes For a Coworker... =)

It's feels good to be posting again....

Today's make is for a coworker who

has just joined our team over the last month.

As many of you are aware, I make

birthday cards for all my co-workers.

This card is using the Saturated Canary

image. This little cutie was part of a digi 

pack that is currently available.

Her name is Sweetheart!

This is quite a simple card but that seems

to be my type as of late. I am really liking

the clean and simple lines.

Copics

E000, E00, E04, E11, E21, E25, E27, E29,

R20, R22, R24, YG13, YG25

The sentiment is from my all time favourite

one stop shop, Simon Says Stamps,

This sentiment is actually from the

Big Birthday Wishes stamp set.

For the sentiment, I used Stampendous's glitter

embossing powder.

Artistic View

Gina K Kraft card stock

Black layering card stock

Prima Doodle Deux DP

Stitched Circles

Sm Scalloped Circles 

SSS - Big Birthday Wishes

Hope you enjoyed this card I made.

Thanks for visiting....

Happy Birthday to My Nephew With Kenny K.. =)

So it's my nephew's birthday today!

I can not believe that he is 11 years old,

where does the time go?

I had a hard time finding the perfect digital

image to use for his card. He is a sports

fanatic! He plays on his LAX and hockey rep teams.

I am certainly super proud to call him my nephew!

The image I used was from Kenny K.

It is called Anime Hockey.

I chose to ink it up in his team colours

so it is more personalized.

The sentiment for this card was made

by me on my computer.

Copics

E000, E00, E04, E11, E41, E42, E43, E44,

E50, E51, E52, R20, BG00, YR13, YR16, YR18,

C0, C1, C3, C5, C7, C9, T0, T2, T4

I popped the image and sentiment up with the 

3D pop ups to make the image stand out!

Artistic View

Gina K 80lb Pure Luxury White

Black layering card stock

EP Jack & Jill

AC Basics

Pop Up Stickies

I really hope you enjoyed this little

number I came up with.

Thanks for visiting...

OMG! I made a couple of cards....... =)

So I have truly been lazy, I don't know how 

quite to explain it but the MOJO has 

been sucked right out of me!

I have no desire to make cards

and this really hurts me because I love making them.

I did manage to get a couple done for my

cousin(s) birthdays. One is from my mom's side of the

family and the other is from my dad's side.

So that means that they are very similar, 

but cute none the less.....

These images are some oldies from CC All That Scraps.

Their names are Birthday Boy and Cupcake Girl.

Copics Used

E000, E00, E04, E11, E21, E25, E27

R20, R24, R29, Y13, Y15, Y17, G14, G19

B97, B99

Copics Used

E000, E00, E04, E11, E21, E25, E27, 

E41, E42, E43, E44, Y02, Y04, YR21

V01, V12, V15, RV91, RV93, RV95

W1, W3, W5

Copic X-press It

Gina K - Slate Grey

Stitched Circles

SSS "Big Birthday Wishes"

White embossing powder

Copic X-press It

Gina K - Slate Grey

Stitched Circles

SSS "Big Birthday Wishes"

Clear embossing powder

Right before they went postal, I 

decided to add Glossy Accents to the balloons

and the top of the cupcake to add some depth.....

I really hope you enjoyed these cards.

I will try my hardest to get my butt in gear and 

post some more creations.

Pocket Letter Pals...... SO MUCH FUN!!!

I am so excited to share with you my very

first completed PLP or Pocket Letter Pen-pal.

It is all the latest rage and let me tell you these

are SO MUCH FUN TO MAKE.......

I came across it surfing YouTube, the creator, Janette Lane

came up with this idea as a new way to exchange

interesting creative stuff with pen-pals from all

over the world. 

You can do themes if you would like... Me, personally 

I am a huge fan of Anything Goes. It allows

me to create from my personality and I love that....

You can join here, it is free and it is FUN!

This is a great way to use up scraps of paper 

you have lying around OR if you are like

me and have too much paper and there is not enough 

 time in this universe to use it all up.

So basically you use the 9 pocket trading card

protector sheets and you fill them with whatever you want. 

Being that this is my first one, I am thinking I will keep this one

to start my binder off with..... I have 3 more on the go right now.

I also have 3 partners that I am trading with.

This is a really unique way to send little goodies to

your swap partner. They can choose to use the stuff OR

you can keep it just like it is and store it in

a regular binder, which I think is what I want to do.

This is a picture of the back and of the goodies that

are put in the protecter. So as you can see, I have shaker stuff, 

stickers labels, die cuts, wash tape, twine, button accents 

and the most important, TEA!

I used Gold and Glitter tea from David's.

You also should include a letter to your pen-pal

and an About Me section, which is the centre.

I have listed 5 things about me.

I really hope you enjoyed this and I hope you

join us over at PLP. Who knows, maybe we can

become pen-pals!

Hi My name is Nikki and I am a Slacker......

I am so sorry everyone, I have really been slacking 

on the blogging front, in fact, I have been slacking in

all my creative endeavours. I have a ton of cards 

that I need to make that have been piling up.

I have started doing some mixed media stuff

AND THEN.........

There is this new amazing thing I have started doing.

I do not know if you have all heard of it {I am sure you have}

It is called Pocket Letter Pals aka PLPs.

Holy crap, they are so much fun to make. 

I am currently working on 4 right now, so

when I have completed them I will post about them

so you can all see what they are about.....

Hopefully by next week, I will be back to regular postings!

Mixed Media - Friend's are Like Flowers....... =)

So for today, I decided to showcase

a Mixed Media project I completed on April 10, 2015th

This is the first one I have down in a long time....

so I guess, including my journal art page, it

is my {THIRD} project I have done like this.

Of course, I got the how to's from Vicky Papaioannou

but the design part of it was all me.....

I hope you like it.

The quote used was " If Friend's Were like Flowers, I would pick you"

I really {LOVED} how this one turned out.....

I am learning as I go........ it is a {HUGE} learning process,

and for me, a perfectionist, I am reminded

from my mom that I need to just let go and remember

that it is art work and it is not suppose to be perfect.

I love how the distressed edges (from the Pitt pens) 

{REALLY} make it pop and look 3D like....

One of the things I really have learned is to let the

layers dry completely! You can really ruin your pens

if the layers are wet or even damp.

Recipe

Artist Loft Canvas 8X10

MME Lost and Found "Blush" DP

MME Jack and Jill "Quite Contrary" DP

Old Book (for stems)

Perfect Petals Spellbinders

Circle Punches

Heart Punches

Golden Gesso

Fasber Castell Gel Medium (AMAZING)

Golden Moulding Paste

Rhonda Palazzari Stencil

White Gel Pen

Black Stickers

Faber Castell Gelato in "Tangerine"
Faber-Castell Pitt pens in Cobalt Green,

Walnut Brown and Black

Distress Paint in "Mermaid Lagoon"

Brushes

Tim Holtz Heat Tool

I hope you {ENJOYED} this piece of work!

Journal Art - Giving it a Try!

So it has been a minute since I have posted

and for that I apologize.

I took a bit of a {CREATIVE} break,

something in which I think I needed.

 I was suffering from some major lack of

creative mojo but  I think it is back now.

I have currently given up my design team

positions for now. I was finding it hard to do with

 my work schedule. That and I don't

have access to a creative space at my place

(other than my dining room table, that I used

to ink images up) so I have to go

to my mom's and use her craft room.

So my days off were strategically planned to make

sure I got everything done that needed to be done

and well quite frankly, after doing that for 2 years,

it was not fun and I was getting stressed.

So for now, I am going to concetrate on doing my own thing

for a while. One thing I really wanted to do

was start an {ART JOURNAL}.

I found the most amazing

lady, Vicky Papaioannou of Clips N Cuts. She also

has a YouTube channel where she shows her

amazing work. I am addicted to her channel.

She also makes some phenomenal cards as well.

So today, I am going to show you my first

journal art page that I completed on April 9, 2015.

I started off pretty simple but I am

really happy with the results of it,

being my first time completing one.

The quote I used is "Being Creative Makes my Soul Sing"

Sorry for the lighting here, all of these pictures were 

taken without my proper lighting...... it 

{REALLY} does make a difference........

Changing up the sizes of the lettering makes the piece

look {UNIQUE}. I used a mix of stickers 

and chipboard letters........

Mixed Media is an awesome way of using old books

you have lying around. I love the {VINTAGED} look of typed letters

and distressed edges...... simply fantastic!

I love the texture of the stencils and the moulding paste.

The texture of this background was achieved with

the Tim Holtz tissue paper.... I absolutely LOVE

this stuff, it is {GORGEOUS}..... 

You HAVE to seal it though, with Gesso if you

are planning on adding colour to your background.....

Recipe

Moleskin Sketchbook

Golden Gel Medium

Golden Gesso

Golden Moulding Paste

Tim Holtz Distressing Paint

"Mermaid Lagoon" 

"Mowed Lawn"

Tim Holtz Tissue Paper

Distressing Ink in Walnut Stain

Faber Castell Pitt pen in Black

Black Stickers

Chipboard Letters

Old Book

Spellbinders "Hearts" Diecuts

Spatula

Paint Brushes

Tim Holtz Heat Tool

I really hope you {love} my first ever

journal art page. I really enjoyed doing a project

that had no specific due date attached to it =)

Digi Choosday's Challenge Week 13 - Ovals (Think Easter)

Sadly this will be my last post with Digi Choosday's,

I have made the decision to take a little

break and have stepped down from the team.

This week's challenge is "Ovals, think Easter" at Digi Choosday's challenge.

When I think Easter, I think bunnies and well, 

what is cuter than this little guy here. 

His name is Noah!  His link is below.

Isn't he just too cute? I used an oval spellbinder

to cut out the digital image, so that is oval

requirement of the challenge...

Copics 

E42, E43, E44, E47, E49, 0

B000, B12, B14, B34, B37, B39, Y00, Y02, Y06

T1, T3, T6, E74, E77, E79

The designer paper is from the Work and Play

Collection 1 and the scrabble tiles are from the 

Love and Kisses collection

Gina K Kraft, Lemon Drop, and Blue Raspberry card stock

Petite large Oval

3D tape

I used a technique called "Out of the Box for Die Cut"

I hope you enjoyed this card I made,

please don't be afraid and leave a comment.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

Rules for Our Challenges

You do NOT have to use Polkadoodles products to enter but of course we'd love you to!

You CAN use any digi, rubber/clear stamp on your project.

1. Please follow the challenge theme

2. NO BACKLINKS!

3. Max 2 entries per person

4. You must include a link to our blog and mention us in your post

5. You MUST be a follower of this blog to be eligible to win!

Noah Digital Stamp Download

Work and Play 1

Work & Play 2XL Collection 9 - Love & Kisses BONUS EDITION

The Paper Shelter Challenge #196 Blooming

Sadly this will be my last card with one

of the most amazing design teams.....

I have really enjoyed my time with this

fabulous group of ladies. Thank you for

accepting me to your group... =)

The "Blooming" challenge is happening 

over at The Paper Shelter.

I decided to use one the newly release stamps

called Spring Soul. She is perfect for this card.

You can find her here!

I went crazy with the flowers and

it was so much fun. I also seem

to have an addiction to these colours!

Copics

Skin: E000, E00, E04, E11, R20

Hair: E74, E77, E79

E42, E43, E44, E47, E49

R00, R21, R22, R24

C0, C1, C3

My take on the blooming challenge was

to add tons of flowers. This image

was perfect for this card....

Artistic View

Gina K Kraft card stock

Black and Coral Pink layering card stock

Authentique "Essentials" DP

Burlap Ribbon from Michaels

Prima Flowers

Stamens from Wild Orchid Crafts

Sweetheart Blossoms from Wild Orchid Crafts

Roses from Wild Orchid Crafts

Pearls

Please don't forget that if you use a Paper Shelter design,

you could win a $30.00 voucher {pictured below} to the store.

If you choose to use another, you will have

a chance to win 3 digis of your choice.

Either way I wish you the best of luck.

I have entered this card in the following challenges:

Don't forget to pop by the store and
see all of the lovely designs.

CHALLENGE RULES

1. You don't need to use a Digi from The Paper Shelter to enter,

but those using a Paper Shelter Digi will be eligible to win a $30

Gift Certificate {pictured below}. Any winner not using a Paper Shelter image will

win 3 Digis of their choice.

2. No back-linking to previous posts

3. You may combine your challenge with any other challenges but you MUST provide 

a link back to our challenge blog in your post.

4. Prize must be claimed by the Saturday after the winner is announced or 

it will be forfeited.

5. Maximum 3 entries (one of them must contain a Paper Shelter image)

**Anyone not following the rules will have the entries deleted**