Had a lovely day today (Auckland Anniversary day). Took Rosie (our dog) to visit a friend who lives literally one minute's walk away from Kohimarama beach. We walked around to St Heliers Bay and had a lovely lunch at one of the restaurants there sitting at an outside table with Rosie tied up next to us. Quite a lovely spectacle with all the yachts on the harbour, a sea which was as blue as the sky, and a lovely, balmy breeze. Wasn't quite so easy walking back to her place because as usual after a larger than normal lunch, I felt more like just relaxing and putting my feet up!
Earlier in January went with Karen and Joan to an extra special scrapbooking class held at NZ Scrapbooking where they had Jamie Waters from the U.S. of A, and a well-known contributor to scrapbooking magazines and books who demonstrated and assisted us to do three layouts - see below:
Above left: Me & my eldest daughter Nicky
Centre, right & below: My husband (Nev) & I in Europe & England
Next day I got all enthusiastic and did another matching layout (on left) .... but .... haven't done anymore since!! No excuses but I will get on and do some more SOON.
Jamie is very much into random groupings of embellishments, and likes to 'pile' them up, one on top of the other. Must admit I do like the concept which is at odds with my tendency to want to balance everything out evenly on the page.
I have made some cards recently. The one on the left is a multiple congratulations card sent to my eldest grandson, Matthew for passing his NCEA exams, getting his learner's licence, and buying his first car (not that he can drive it yet without a qualified driver in the car with him). The other two cards are birthday cards, one for a friend and the other for a soon-to-be 14 year old niece in Australia. Details of the making of these cards are on my Picasa web album (see link at left).
Now for the boring and mundane ... my health ... had my scan and went back to see the doctors at Oncology but nothing had shown up yet although my CA125 levels had risen again and they seem convinced that there is a recurrent tumour somewhere so last Thursday had to go and have a colonoscopy and the less said about that experience, the better! They removed some polyps which have been sent to the lab for testing. I'm now waiting for an ultra scan of my neck and throat and if at the end of all this nothing is found, they are apparently considering funding me to go to Melbourne for a PET scan (we don't have one of these scanners here in New Zealand). Bet they don't include dinner and a show in the funding! All joking aside, I know it may be serious but as feel fine I'm just going to go on thinking positively. The only reason I am recording all this in my blog is not because I am feeling sorry for myself, but just so as I have a record of the sequence of events as my memory gets very hazy at times (actually, most of the time). Writing things down also seems to be a good way of dealing with issues I find. It's just like bringing them out, looking at them then filing it all away in a little box.
Family and friends can be so great and supportive. Thanks everyone for making all this so much easier for me. Even acquaintances I haven't known that long go out of their way to offer help and advice.
I'm starting back at card classes tomorrow night - and you have no idea how much I'm looking forward to being inspired and coming home with my completed projects to admire. I spend hours looking at other people's blogs and ooh-ing and aah-ing over their creations. It's such a fantastic community where everyone is happy to share their ideas with each other.
I know this is going to be one fantastically creative year!
Next I made this birthday card for a male friend (mainly cased from gbedwright) and was very pleased at the way it turned out. It was an opportunity for me to use my new Stem Silhouettes stamp set which I feel will prove to be most versatile. Also used my new Cuttlebug embossing folder, Distressed Stripes then used my Crystal Effects to give it a shiny, glossy finish. This set off the leaves mat beautifully. Cardstock used was Close to Cocoa, Very Vanilla and Sage Shadow. The patterned paper is a non-Stampin' Up paper but feel it compliments this card very well. 
Anabel had us around to her house and her lovely tidy and well arranged craft room last Wednesday where we made these two 'buckle' cards - so called because the flaps slot into the front of the card to hold it closed. 'Scuse the ink mark on the 'friends' card - when stamping the floral card ink accidentally got onto the first card I had made!
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