Flying visit to Napier

We flew down to Napier last Thursday for a couple of days, picking up a rental car at the airport to get around in.  The main purpose of our visit was to visit an elderly Aunt.  Aunty May is 97 years old!!  And look at the photo – she looks at least 20 years younger.

(L-R: DH Neville, Aunty May and myself)

She lives in a beautiful retirement home in Napier (in the nursing home facility) which is more like an up-market hotel.   We enjoyed taking her out for lunch with her daughter and catching up with all the news.  We also enjoyed dinner with Kay and Ian (her daughter and son-in-law) at their house on the Thursday night and then at a restaurant on the Friday night.  Great to see them all again.

Whilst down there we visited Pauline – a very talented Stampin’ Up demonstrator - who has been so kind and supportive and it was so great to finally meet her face to face. 

Thanks Pauline for the morning tea and tour of your craft room (not long enough!!) and Nev enjoyed meeting Pauline’s husband, Garry who shares the same interests.  A really lovely couple.  Would love to live closer and join in some of her classes – I adored all her creations, they’re just beautiful.

Well, back home now and all inspired to make some more cards.

Share and Care afternoon

September has been designated Gynaecological Cancer Awareness month by the Silver Ribbon Foundation for Gynaecological Cancer based here in New Zealand.

I put my name down to hold a Share and Care event in my home.  These are being held through the country in an attempt to educate and inform women of the signs and symptoms of gynaecological cancer to enable early detection.  As those of you who regularly read my blog know, this is a cause that is very personal to me.  I held my event yesterday afternoon (Saturday).

(Left: Me)

(Right: Some of my guests)

The Silver Ribbon Foundation provided information, a quiz, prizes and promotional giveaway items.  19 ladies of varying ages came and we had a great afternoon and according to my guests, they gained a lot of insight and information about the four main gynaecological cancers – ovarian, uterine, cervical and vulval/vaginal. My cancer – fallopian tube cancer – being very rare, is treated as ovarian cancer.

Did you all know that pap smears only screen cervical cancer?  The other gynaecological cancers including the biggest killer – ovarian – can not be detected using a pap smear test.  Unfortunately there are currently no tests available that are able to reliably detect these cancers so noticing and getting prompt medical advice about any abnormal symptoms is crucial – these cancers are called the silent killers!

(Right: What did I forget to say – gee I look worried!)

Would all you lovely ladies please have a look at the Silver Ribbon Foundation’s website and set about educating yourselves and then pass on what you have learnt to all your female family and friends.  You owe it to yourselves to be forewarned and therefore less vulnerable.

Not only did we have a fantastic afternoon but their generosity resulted in over $180 being donated for the Silver Ribbon Foundation.   Thanks to all my guests for helping make this such a huge success.

 

 

Here are photos of the information packs given to each guest;  little flower bouquets containing Herschey’s chocolates – yum! that a stamping friend helped me to make for everyone; and some of the cards I made and sold with the proceeds to the Silver Ribbon Foundation.  My lovely friend and neighbour, Joan, donated a bottle of wine (beautifully wrapped) which we raffled off.

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Thanks to the Paper Handmaiden

I was very fortunate to win some blog candy from Joan – a beautiful bird stamp set.  But that was not all.  Joan had read my post regarding Tyler being in hospital so included some handcraft kits for him to make with me.  Aren’t they great!  Tyler popped in briefly over the weekend (they were on their way out to dinner) and I showed him what had been sent by Joan.  Oh, he was so excited and has decided that he wants to make the Noah’s Ark first.  As school holidays are starting soon there will be plenty of opportunity for him to come and stay so we can do some crafting.

Thank you so very, very much Joan. That was such a lovely thing to do.

Hope you all will go and check out Joan’s blog – she is one talented and lovely lady.

My day as an honorary WOW paperKrafter

Last Saturday, 5 September, I was privileged to be Karen’s guest at the Stampin’ Up Regional Training convention at the Parnell Rose Gardens.

Left: My friend Karen my hostess, and her downline WOW paperKrafters.  (Sorry I airbrushed out the view of the stamp sets we received – hee hee!!)
Right:  A view of everyone else in the room.

We had a wonderful day – beautiful venue, great speakers, lovely fellow stampers, yummy food and some neat giveaways.  We were all given a stamp set (not yet out in New Zealand so can’t reveal), and I won some lovely brads.  I took along approximately 20 swaps and received some lovely ones back.  Wish I had made more now.  Somehow I forgot to take a photo of my swap, so will have to show you a copy of the photo Karen took of the one I swapped with her.

This is the gift card holder I made using a coaster that I covered using the Tea Party DSP.  Stamp sets I used were Priceless and Best Yet.

I will gradually photograph and post some of the lovely swaps I received back from the many talented ladies that attended. 

Just look at my new toy!!

My kind and generous husband has let me buy myself one of the Making Memories Slice machines.  This will complement my stamping when cardmaking and mainly, when scrapbooking.  It will not be replacing my little Cuttlebug which I use for it’s versatile embossing folders, but have found the number of dies rather limited.   

This picture also shows a few examples of what  I have cut out.

 

 

On the right is a Xmas card I made.  The dear little deer (lol) was cut out on my Slice and it’s antlers were stamped in with one of the stamps from SU Priceless set.  The snowflakes are from SU Snow Flurries set and the ones on the blue card (hard to see in the photo) have been embossed with a blue sparkly embossing powder.  I covered the image with a torn piece of vellum which not only saves me from needing to colour in the features of the deer, but also creates a misty effect.

The Slice machine gives me the added advantage of cutting to different sizes and when I can obtain the new MS (mirroring and shadowing) design cards that are coming, these will also give me more versatility.  There is also an embossing kit that enables you to emboss or deboss any of the designs but as yet, haven’t bought this.

Wow, aren’t I a lucky girl!

Update on Tyler

Sorry I have taken so long to get back to you all.  I am very happy to report that Tyler is out of hospital and recovering well.  He started back at school although he is still on antibiotics (and will be for another 4-5 weeks) and has to visit his doctor every week for a check-up.  He will then go back to the hospital next month for a further x-ray and see the specialist, so hopefully he will be completely in the clear by then.

The downside for Tyler is that he is going to miss out on his long-awaited class camping trip next week.  He is still not well enough for that and the school staff don’t want that added responsibility.  Hard to explain to a little boy that he is not being punished, but that everyone is just looking out for him.

Thank you so much, both from me and Tyler, for all your kind words and thoughts.