Sunday, November 08, 2015

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...... =)


Friday, September 18, 2015

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....

Saturday, June 13, 2015

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


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....

Friday, June 12, 2015

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...

Thursday, June 04, 2015

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.

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

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!




Monday, May 18, 2015

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!




Wednesday, April 15, 2015

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!

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

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 =)

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

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!

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

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 
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**