Ruby's 11th birthday

hello there,

Today is my grand daughter Ruby's 11th birthday. She's going up to high school in September, where does the time go?
She is now well over a year cancer free and doing extremely well apart from some health issues due to the after effects of treatment but nothing too serious.
 We also had some amazing news ealier in the month.  Ruby got very good results in her SAT's and the highest result recorded at the school for spelling and grammar. Not bad for a kid that missed roughly 3 years of schooling due to ill health and hospital stays.
To say we are very proud is an understatement, this child never ceases to amaze us. She truly is a super hero.

I knew I wanted a pretty, vibrant card for her but not too over the top as she isn't really a girlie girl. So I've tried to keep the flowers to a minimum, quite difficult for me sometimes lol.

Papers are by The Shabby Princess.
 Flowers fromWild Orchid crafts.
Doily die by Marianne designs.
Sentiment is PC generated.


thanks for popping in x

Less is More # 73

Hello All,

Not even going to mention the weather today `cos I`m just sick of it. Going to get straight on with my card.

This weeks challenge at Simply Less is More is Paper Piecing.
Not something I do very often. In fact I think I`ve only tried it once before and couldn`t be bothered with all the fiddling and faffing. Having said that, the results are fabulous when it`s done properly. I really must make more effort!!!
So I bit the bullet and came up with this,

I was actually looking for blue snippets when I came across these papers. They are all from Papermania Silent Night Christmas collection but I think they`ve made a quite presentable shirt.
Maybe more Primark than Saville Row but hey!... I`m cheap.
I rather enjoyed it in the end. The hardest part was making sure I got the knot of the tie at a different angle to the main thing.
I`ve added some tiny gems for the collar studs and cuff link and jobs a good `un.
No sentiment because it`s going in the St Lukes box.

A quick word about Ruby before I go. Her chemo was delayed this week for two days because her bloods were low but by wednesday it was all systems go and now she`s home for two weeks before any more treatment.No word on her scan yet so we won`t know how the radiotherapy went for a while.
Here is a piccy of Ruby sitting in the fire engine after being " rescued" when the the car siezed up.

Look at that grin. Just like her mother...show her a fireman and she`s in her element lol.

Thanks for popping in...Lynne xxx

A whoo hoo, a Ruby update...oh and a card.

Good afternoon all. I hope I find you well. It`s a bit breezy here today but at least no rain as yet, fingers crossed.

I`ll start with my whoo hoo.
About a month ago I recieved an e mail from Heather at Papercraft Inspirations Magazine asking if I`d like one of my cards to be included in the 100th edition. Well ofcourse I had to think about it...for about a nano second and it is now on the shelves. Co- incidently Tara and Jenny my fellow DT members from St Lukes are also on the same page. How spooky is that?
I`ve been wandering about with a massive grin on my face for a month now, this is so cool...I`ve been published..yayyy!

Right, time to calm down now.
Ruby had to go to St James (Jimmy`s) hospital on tuesday as this is where they will be having her radiotherapy.
Tuesdays visit was to show her all the machinery and what it does so she wouldn`t be too scared when the process begins. She also had to have a mould made for a mask to protect her from the radiotherapy. The play co ordinator met her there and they turned the whole business into a game for her and she loved it apart from the actual laying down bit for the mask. Not a problem at all, they expected to have to sedate her and they did, everything went well and Ruby wasn`t fazed in the least.
The radiotherapy treatment starts next tuesday and she has to have treatment every day, monday to friday for three weeks. She is also having a different course of chemotherapy for the next 34 weeks. We are all still very positive but I think we`re still prepared for her to be a bit more poorly this time. Ruby still amazes us how well she has taken all the prodding and poking, treatments. surgeries, both major and minor and even the upheavel of being away from home. She is certainly one very strong spirited little girl.
I`ve added a couple of pics so you can see the toll it`s taken on her.

The first one is from Alans and Rachels wedding last september.

 This one was taken in my living room 5 days after her major operation to remove the tumour and a kidney.
You can see how her hair has thinned and just how much weight she has lost but she just doesn`t let anything bother her. I know theres a long way to go yet but I`m sure with her spirit she`ll come through this even stronger than she is.

Phew, well if you`re still with me I`d better show you my card.

 This is a style I`ve used lots of times before and probably will again. Very simple but I like it.
One thing I`ve found over the past few months is the amount of white card snippets I have accumalated. I tend to used a full A4 sheet to print a tiny sentiment or image so I`ve quite alot of nearly full sheets in the box.
This whole card is made from snippets so I`m entering it the playground over on Pixies crafty snippets. I missed last week and had hoped to have a selection for this week but it wasn`t to be.
I made the card by making a panel slightly smaller than the base card and running it through the cuttlebug with a swiss dots EF.
The image is from Flourishes Orchids set coloured with markers and cut out with a nestie labels 4 die.
The sentiment is from the same set and I`ve added a ribbon and bow.

I`d like to take this chance to welcome my new followers, Sparklygirl Tina,Kathy, Crafty Stamper and Alleta.
Thank you for choosing my littleblog to follow.

Well I don`t know about you but I`m worn out now after all that.
Thanks for popping in...Lynne xxx

A Ruby update & an Easter Bonnet

Good Evening All!
Ruby should be recovering from her surgery right now but unfortunately things didn`t go according to plan. When Ruby was admitted yesterday she had some blood tests done and her red blood count was very low. They decided to keep an eye on her overnight and see how things went but, as it was still low this morning it was thought to be too risky and she was being sent home. Mum & dad had all the bags packed ready for off when Ruby, who has had a bit of a runny nose for a couple of days decided to run a high temperature. She was readmitted to an isolation room where she is to stay for a couple of days until the antibiotics kick in and then she will be sent home until another date can be scheduled for her op.
I really feel for her Mum and dad. Cheryl was in a bit of a state yesterday and now has to go through it all again next week. I woke up at 3 o`clock this morning and couldn`t get back to sleep properly and have had stomach ache all day but Ruby seems oblivious to it, which I suppose is a good thing.
Anyway, watch this space, as they say and I`ll let you know as soon as anything happens. In the meantime here are some pics of the Easter Bonnet I decorated for her.

This is how it started out.
Bonnet and decorations from Poundland (where else)
Aqua Ribbon from stash.

And this how it finished up.

Posing with the Easter Bunny.

And a very unflattering photo of Ruby wearing it just before she set off for hospital. Looking very springlike in her winter coat and squinting at the camera flash.
I can assure you she is much prettier than this really, put it down to terrible photography.


Daughter Angie is having her head shaved this saturday. Her Grand dad is doing the honors and I`ve promised to do any tidying up thats needed ( of the head). She`s not going completely bald but it will be a close shave lol. Photo`s will be posted.









Thanks for popping in...Lynne xxx