Sunday 24 July 2011

LATEST CARDS FOR JUNE/JULY

Here's my latest batch of cards which were made for the last couple of months:-




This was a simple black/silver card with a football theme to it.












I feel I'm still quite an amateur when it comes to stamping and colouring in!  I punched a lace edgeing onto pretty rosebud
paper.  Stamped an image of a fairy on pink card and also added a little dragonfly.















This was a fishing theme for a man's card and I just added various fish themed boards onto a green backing paper.















I made this 60th anniversary card for a lovely couple who go to the country and western club we go to.  Their names are
Basil and Maureen and it's lovely to still see them get up and have a slow dance together!

They were so pleased with this card which had a lace backing paper then I punched out a silver and a red velvet heart from my Big Shot machine.  I added a stick on lacy silver heart on the red one.  I stamped the greetings in red ink.










This card has a brown patterned backing paper to which I added a cream and gold square of embossed paper.  I then added a gold heart with a gold stick on lacey heart on it.  I also cut out two butterflies and stuck them together for a double effect with an added gold stone.










I love the dog on this card!  I added some backing paper in green half way up then put on the cardboard cutouts and placed them on.  At the bottom I stamped some little brown paw prints.








This is the first time I've done a card like this - It's stamped on two different pieces of card then put together.  this one is of a garage....




and when you open the doors, theres a little man with his car!

It took quite a while to colour all the little bits and pieces in the garage, but I was pleased with the end result!










This was a lovely bluebell backing paper to which I added a butterfly cardboard cutout with a ribbon tied to it.  Also there was a little oval 'Love' emblem that I placed on it.  Then a 'Congratulations' greeting for an anniversary theme.













I received some free 'seaside' themed cardboard cutouts that I think are gorgeous!  This is one of them I placed on a striped backing paper added the cutout of three little sailor boys looking out to sea!  I added a blue ribbon to the cutout and some blue coloured stones in the upper corner.  I think this was nice for a man's card!








This last one I made when an old friend of my late Mum wrote to tell me her husband had recently died.

Joy lives in Canada now but my Mum used to care for her mother until her death and they stayed in touch for many years and I met her a couple of times when she visited England.

Since Mum's death she writes to me and asks how my Dad is and my family, which is sweet of her.  She had been married for 55 years so it must have come as a great shock to lose her husband Jeff. 

I used red poppies on a backing paper to which I added a picture of two swallows on a cutout to which I added a black velvet ribbon and a 'Sincere Condolences' in a black fancy border.

So, that is all my creative wares for the last two months - please leave me a comment on them if you wish!

Thursday 14 July 2011

MEMORIES ..............

Around the first week of July is always a poignant time for me -  for the 7th used to be mine and John's Wedding Anniversary and the 8th was the day he suddenly died.

These two days were days I came to dread in the years when John first died - one day we were celebrating being happily married for 26 years and laughing about some of his antics he was telling us about from years ago, at a wonderful family meal.  The very next day I was staring at him cold and lifeless in the hospital mortuary and I don't think that shocking image of him will never, ever leave me!

But I do try to remember all the best bits of having been the wife of John, he was a real cockney character and was always making us laugh with his tales and could mimic a fine Irish or Scottish accent to add flavour to the story he was telling! He was a good provider and worked very hard. He was a wonderful, loving father to his 3 girls and he adored and treasured each one of them.

Although 12 years have passed by since the sad day we lost him, I always take a quiet moment to reflect and remember him.  I especially feel sad for my daughters and how they must feel about losing their dad much too early in their lives.  He's missed out on so much of their lives, their courtships and weddings where he wasn't able to walk them down the aisle, his two little grandsons who I know, he would have adored. Just seeing what wonderful women his young girls have turned into would have made him so proud, cos I know I am!

I don't know how those 12 years have gone by so quickly and I count myself one of the lucky ones to have found love again and remarry another wonderful man - I would have hated to have been on my own now at this stage of my life. I'm privilidged to have Mike by my side now and love sharing my life with a very caring, loving man who completely understands how I feel around this time and supports me when I feel sad and shed a few tears for John.

John will always be remembered as a part of my life and in my heart and I 'see' him in the things my daughters and grandsons do or say in lots of little ways!

Someone who played a huge part in your life cannot be easily forgotton or pushed aside, even if life has moved on for us. 

I've learnt that when you lose someone who is a part of who you are - that time will surely heal the wound but it won't ever erase the scar!

RIP John:  31st March 1943  -  8th July 1999