My Family & Other Animals

Wednesday 8 August 2012

"The Way You Make Me Feel..."

I've had a heck of a week so far. Saturday and Sunday were just a write off, I'm not sure if it's to do with my low blood pressure but I went to work on saturday night and by the time I got there I was shaking, sweating and my head was as light as a balloon. The girls at work are such a pair of diamonds, I went from one booth to the next and in the minute it took to do this very simple task, it was arranged for me to go home and for my friend to work the rest of my shift for me. How lovely is that? It's always nice to know you work with decent people isn't it (not that I was ever in any doubt about them anyway, so thank you both, Tina and Elaine x x).
Monday was just the worst day I have had in a long, long time. I woke up in a very dark place and realy couldn't shift it all day. I watched one of my recorded episodes of the Channel 4 show 24Hrs in A&E (that's accident and emergency for my international readers) and the show featured a little girl who had set fire to herself next to an old bar heater. Her dad rushed over and took her clothes off and of course in the process ended up with burnt hands too. In the hospital he never left his five year old's side, even when they wanted to check his hands he made them wait while his daughter was cared for first. The way he spoke to his little girl, reassuring her and telling her exactly what was going on was a pure delight to watch. I of course sat watching it through a torrent of tears, missing my (adopted) dad and still breaking my heart for the relationship I never got to have with my natural father. I am nearly fifty years old and it never fails to amaze me that a decision taken by two people fourty six years ago can still affect me.
Their decision has been the dominant thing in my life. Counselling has been sought, closure tried, friendship yearned for, acceptance and loved denied and answers refused. There is nothing anyone can ever say to me that will help me to understand how a mother can abandon her child and the father who fought for the child could then do the same too! There's never been a truer saying than 'You can't pick your family', because if I could.....
Yesterday was a rather better day, spent with my dear friend (above) Elaine and her delightful mother Izzy. Jo and I had knitting lessons and tutorials (izzy even berated me for not trying harder patterns!), followed by a lovely lunch and some warm and friendly banter. Overall it was a really nice day and just the lift I needed to get me through the rest of the week.
I'm sorry if you find this blog a little on the dreary side but I am trying to be as honest with you as I possibly can. I don't just see my blog as being about the cards I make, it has become more about the journey I'm on and taking others along with me on the way.
But on to this weeks card for the I ProMarkers crew and this weeks challenge #129 is Vintage. I used one of the latest Kenny K Retro releases Frieda Flapper (available HERE) as I thought she was such a good fit for the challenge. I used a totally (Bazill) deep black background and then I put a Leane Creatief Lea'bilities Die (Frame Square Curve) over the top of that. My ribbon hides the place where I had to run my emobssing folder through my Grand Calibre twice to try and get the design to match up (I didn't do a bad job either but the card looks better with the ribbon ON it, trust me!). I finished with a lovely little cat charm, a couple of rose buds, some pins and a crocheted flower. It looked okay but I felt there was something missing in the gaps, so out came the old faithful alphabet rub-ons and Boo Boo Be Doop just finished the whole thing off.
She's a really cute character and it's so nice to be able to colour something realtively quickly because you don't have hair to do (and when your swede is that big!! Sheesh). Hope you like her as much as I do, don't forget the free candy over at the Kenny K's Krafty Krew site, just add your name to be in with a chance of winnning 3 Kenny K images, go on, what have you got to lose.
It's a lovely day so far so I'm going to get my next Kenny K card done and then concentrate on my other two Design Teams. Hope you like the card and that I will see you again real soon,
Hugs 'n Stuff,
Andy
xx
Entered Into: The Craft Room Challenge - Fashion
Deep Ocean Challenge #31 - Anything Goes
Art Impressions Challenge #75 - Any Sentiment
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge #167 - Add A Charm
It's All About The Vintage And Beauty Challenge #24 - Doilies (Flower)
Paper Crafting Journey Challenge - Anything Goes
Pixie Dust Studio Challenge - Pixie Plays In The Attic (Vintage)
Crafts and Me Challenge #96 - Use A Digi

23 comments:

  1. Don't apologise for your post - I have only recently become a followers ( due to your amazing cards) but I like to know more about the person behind the post.
    So sorry that you have had such a hard time but glad you have such lovely friends to help you though.
    I have recently just lost my darling sister to the horrible cancer and am only just starting to grieve - I do find that consentrating on creating something or getting lost in tv helps a little .
    Hope you have a better end to your week - take care.
    Sue

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh dear Andy, I hope you feel better soon, it's horrible feeling rough especially when you're at work, but thankfully you know who your friends are in a situation like that! I do find the crafting is a great therapy when feeling low, and this card is a real treat! Love the Betty Boop reference here, and your colouring is amazing!
    Take care x

    ReplyDelete
  3. Andy - your blog posts are so interesting - never know what you are going to cover. So glad you have wonderful friends to stand by you!!! Hope the rest of the week goes sooooo much better. Wonderful card - super image, great layout, awesome coloring.

    ReplyDelete
  4. You know one of the things I love about our crafting community is how caring and sharing everyone is. We all come from such different backgrounds and experiences that we can celebrate those differences and learn from them. Don't apologise for who you are just be yourself and do it your way.

    Nag over.

    Smashing card your colouring is brilliant as is your fussy cutting, thank you for sharing with us at Craft-Room Challenge XOXO Zoe

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wonderful card gorgeous image Hugs Ginny ♥

    ReplyDelete
  6. Aww Andy sorry you have been unwell and feeling so low. Life gets to us all at times, and thank goodness for good friends and family.
    One of life's major problems is that we can't always get the answers to the questions we ask. Your abandonment has obviously played a major part in your life, but try to think of how you might have turned out if you hadn't been found by the loving family that you grew up with. It's easy to say, and very hard to do, but try to live with the positives and accept that no matter what you do the past can't be changed.

    Whoooooo hoooooooo taking on bigger challenges in knitting... hmmm I see an Arran jumper appearing one of these days. It may look complicated but it really is just knit and purl with a few stitches being moved on a cable needle :) (Yes I can knit them, or could before my eyes and hands deteriorated).
    I love the comments you leave for me, but as to doing a tutorial on using Prisma pencils there is an expert out there who shows exactly how to use them in the shape of Bev Rochester. I learned all I know from her tutorials. Take a look at this one.
    http://allmysketches.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Colouring%20with%20Copics%20and%20Prismacolor%20Pencils
    She uses Copics in it but it works the same with Promarkers. I think they do give just a little more of a kick to some images.

    Now to your gorgeous card. Wow... love it... that image is perfect. Love your embossed background (keep trying to get that folder but it always seems to be sold out) and just the right amount of embellishments. Love it.
    Eileen x
    ps. keep smiling :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Afternoon Andy ..as you know I recently became a follower of yours due to my eye being caught by your utterly fabulous cards and let me tell you I look forward to reading your blog so dont apologise for thinking its dreary because believe me it isnt...its lovely to get to know about the person behind these wonderful creations. It must be lovely to have such lovely friends who looked after you so well at work when you were not well.
    As for this card...wow...again ...gorgeous image...love KK he is fabulous but you are the one who brought it to life with such a great card...keep em coming!!!
    Hugs
    Debby x

    ReplyDelete
  8. Love this card Andy! The image is so cute and your coloring is fantastic. the music notes are fun and the texture is great. that little cat charm is the cutest little embellishment! Glad you're feeling better.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Andy, your retro Frieda Flapper image looks fabulous on this wonderfully colored card. It's a pleasure to see your work. So glad to see your entry at the Crafts and Me Stamps' digi team's Use a Digi challenge. Hugz, ~ Rose

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Andy - loving the card and the charm that you've used. Thank you for joining us at C.R.A.F.T. this week. Best wishes to you Jeanette

    ReplyDelete
  11. Absolutly beautiful card! Such a great image and lovely details! Thanks for joining us over at It's All About The Vintage & Beauty Challenge! Hugs and sunshine.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Totally love this Andy, I've always loved Betty Boop and this is gorgeous. Fantastic colouring and a really fun design.
    Sending hugs and sunshine your way.
    Clare
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  13. Andy, your candid banter about your life is so honest and True - as the Kiwi's say "Good On You" for sharing. They're called blog's for a reason- web log- a visual dairy of our lives, and as Zoe says what unites the crafting blogging community is our love of craft and our caring of each other :-)
    Your card by the way is a stunner! thanks for sharing at Craft Room Challenge, Debi x

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi Andy, I really respect your ability to open up in your blog like this. Hang on in there and your crafty friends as well as your dear close friends are always here to listen.
    This is such a fun card. As always your colouring is amazing.
    Great to see you at CRAFT this week hope we see you again soon.
    PS the challenge at INCY WINCY this week is something girly
    Hugs Sheryl xx

    ReplyDelete
  15. Gorgeous card, Andy. Love the colours and design. That flower is totally to die for. Looks absolutely mazing! Hugs...Mona

    ReplyDelete
  16. Fab card (as usual) - loving this sassy little minx...

    Don't apologise for who you are cos from where i'm standing you look like one heck of a guy and a very talented one too...

    Sylvia x

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi Andy, I can only second what others have said: don't apologise for who you are. The crafting community is a lovely one and there are always people there to share the good, and the bad, with you. Sadly, some things in life we never get to understand, but it's nice to know you have friends there when you really need them.

    Your card is lovely, by the way, and really striking - I love her outfit :-). Thanks for joining in with our challenge over at the Craft-Room.

    Take care.

    Maria x

    ReplyDelete
  18. So beautiful card!! Thank you for joining us at Art Impressions challenge! I hope everything best for you to your life!! Hugs!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Funny card. Thanks for playing along with C.R.A.F.T. Challenge. Good luck with the draw..

    Saskia
    DT member C.R.A.F.T.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I love your fun card Andy, it's beautifully coloured. Thank you for joining us at Craft-Room Challenge.

    I hope you are feeling better now, it's great to know that you have such good friends at home and in blogland.

    Sending you hugs
    xxx Hazel.

    ReplyDelete
  21. This is gorgeous. You colored the image beautifully. Thanks for joining us at Pixie's challenge, and hope to see you back.
    Hugz,
    Christine

    ReplyDelete

  22. This is beautiful thanks for playing with us at PCJ this time
    Jacki xx

    ReplyDelete
  23. Simply smashing card! Thanks for playing along at Pixie Dust Studio!

    ReplyDelete

Please feel free to leave a comment, I welcome constructive criticism.