What I like about crafting

Just sharing a quick, simple card today that really fits into my way of crafting and my character. Actually I love making something from combined elements that are nothing on their own.

For example - the background of this card is the the cover of a paper-pack from K&Co, which one usually doesn't use. The paper I stamped the bird on is a scrap paper, as is the butterfly and flower. Fitting them together makes a card, but on their own they are just loose elements. I think it satisfies something in me to do this.

The Bird is from Artistic Outpost which can be found here.

Another glue page and card for friend

It is raining here very heavily and has turned quite cold. We really needed this rain so it is very welcome.

I have had no radio therapy these last two days because the machine has broken down, so I start again on Monday. Inspiration seems to be missing too - which is probably just a fact of life at the moment. I still do enjoy looking at the blogs and marveling at the wonderful creative people in blogland and on card galleries!

I did make this card for a friend who I recently met online - she doesn't make cards but she is going through the same as me, only worse because a tumor she had was not discovered until much later, which makes the going really tough for her. The verse is in Dutch, as she is a Dutch lady. Translated it is a cry from the Psalmist to keep believing in seeing good times in the Land of the Living!

Another simple glue page, not too much glue on this page though! It's just therapy at the moment, happily stamping and seeing what comes out of it!

Have a very good weekend!

Hero Arts Blog challenge

This month the challenge on the Hero Arts blog is to make Holiday Cards, also using non-Christmas stamps.

So this is my card, using the Friends definition stamp, the Simple Frame and the Garden Star (twice) to create a pinky, but Christmas looking card. The poinsettia stamp which has been randomly stamped on the background is a stamp that Louise sent me a couple of years ago - it's still going strong and such a nice stamp to have in one's collection for Christmas.

My inspiration came from Franziska, Tiffany and the Penny Black Blog.

Yesterday I started Radio therapy and it went very well, now just 32 to go and today I didn't have to go. The sun is still shining here!
Have a lovely day!

Christmas Grid

Hello! Its Friday and the weather is still soft and sunny here! It is so lovely to warm the muscles in the sun and enjoy being outside still!
I thought I would share one of my Christmas grid cards - have decided to do my Christmas cards this style this year because they are quite easy to do and use up the scrap pieces of paper which we all accumulate. I have diminished my pile no end these last weeks and that gives a great feeling - no waste! That is part of being creative.

This coming Monday I start my Radio therapy sessions - non stop until 15th December. The treatments are all early in the morning which is ideal. I don't know how many of these cards I will be able to make in the mean time, but I'm going to do my best.
Have a lovely weekend!
Jacqueline

Second page Glue Book

I love making these pages! The background comes from a book I found in a little French village near us - it was in a container free of charge, so I took a couple.

I am happy to say that yesterday I took one of my biggest hurdles yet and am relieved it is behind me. I had a Scan which made it possible to calculate where the radio therapy should be applied. It is usually three places around the affected breast which is marked with a very small tatoo which looks like a pin prick. The rays will be aimed at those places, lasting one minute or so each time, everday for six weeks, excluding weekends.

The verse that God has spoken to me for 11 years now is:

Do not fear; for I am with you

Be not dismayed; for I am your God.

I will make you strong,

Yes I will help you,

Yes I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness.

Isa.41:10

I had to lay still (was not allowed to move at all) for 30-40 minutes with my arm above my head and my head had to be at an angle... I was then moved into a machine for the scan. I had my eyes closed and was praying all the time so I didn't know what was happening! But when they came in after a very long time to relieve me, my arm was completely numb, I could not feel it! I was so relieved to have done that!
I don't know about you, but how many times do you hear yourself say 'I can't do that' in the many circumstances of life?

With God we can do much more that we ever think possible, so say to yourself in your situation
'I can do all things through Him who strengthens me' Phil. 4:13
and have a good day!

Vintage Gluebook

We are still having beautiful summer temperatures in the South of France. I happened to see a gluebook this afternoon and it triggered something in me. I looked at my scrap basket and thought it was time to use some of the pieces in there and I found a very old address book and made my first page.

If the inspiration is there, it works out, if it isn't nothing seems to fit. I  want to make some more now!
Wishing you all a very good week!

The Name Game Challenge

My friend Sue is the host for this challenge, which can be found here, and I actually managed to come up with something due to the lovely inspiration I find on the Flickr Gallery of Hero Arts, daily and especially Franziska's lovely artwork. Taking one day at a time as I said in my last post can give surprises as I really thought I had had it for the time being with crafting.

This is the clue:  Simply use your monogram as the inspiration for your creation! Mine is J D G, so I used the J for jewel (added some pearls) the D for Die cut and the G for Grey as I used a gray Melissa Frances background to stamp the Simple Frame from Hero Arts on.

The Robin stamp is from Artistic Outpost, which can be found here. I am entering this into the October referral programme.

Taking one day at a time

Dear ladies, I hope you are all well and still enjoying the beautiful summer weather in your part of the world. I can still use our outdoor pool to exercise which is a huge blessing as we are well into October. We had a lovely two days in Spain and when we got back we celebrated our son Joël's engagement to Vivian, a Dutch girl he met during his recent Bible school years.
I am having physiotherapy, started yesterday and I got told that the whole of my body is tense and needs to be massaged. I need to be ready for the radio therapy next week but she told me to be gentle with my body which I think was an excellent advice as when one is stressed you tend to think that a good workout would be better!
Thank you for keeping me in your prayers - I still need them as I have another hurdle before me. You have all been such a wonderful support, Thanks again.

I am very focused at the moment on just getting well and dealing with the outworking of the Chemotherapy. That does not leave much room to be inspired and make cards, so I am going with the flow and taking one day at a time, which is a very good Biblical truth as well. I am sharing a grid card I made yesterday which is probably the best thing for me to do at the moment, use up the projects that never made it to a card by stamping them into square sizes and using them in a different way.

Me, resting on the wall in Spain.

God bless!

I have Internet again!

Now I have Internet I can at least work on my blog and share and enter into communication with the world again - you think that may sound funny - well I live in a very small village in France where it is isolated and lonely - where the culture is different and the people not necessarily creative. They are who they are! But I need more than that!

We had visitors this weekend from Holland, one of them spoke in our Church on the subject of Grace - not an easy subject for those who always feel guilty, who always think have to earn their way into God's Presence- but a price was paid on the Cross for our Eternal acceptance! I always need to hear that, again and again.

So I wrote my own little poem today:

God is with you always in good days and bad ones

You don't always have to ask - will you??

Will you heal me, will you take away the pain?

When you hurt, God hurts, when you cry, God cries

He became flesh like you - you don't have to become God like Him!

You don't have to be 'good enough' - He was good enough

And He Loves You!

 ...

Have a lovely day today! I am going to Spain for a long weekend, so see you next week!

Jacqueline x

Posting while I can

Unfortunately our Internet connection at home is troubled. Since last week I have had days when I couldn't use the Internet at all and today it is going on and off, the whole time! This is so frustrating! So I am making use of it while I can. I have SO missed visiting the blogs and the flickr gallery! I have been to the office to use the Internet there but of course I would rather be at home!

Sharing this inspiration which is shared with Franziska who I met on the Flickr Hero Arts gallery - we both inspire each other. I distressed the edges with two colors distress ink and the middle with a touch of blue. Stamped the bird (from Artistic Outpost) and then stamped different leaf stamps around it in different colors.
The gold coated elastic with two charms came on a card from Israël - I think they are perfect to decorate a card with and I am looking out where I could buy them on the Internet. If anybody could help me out here - I know they could be hand made too, but I wouldn't know where to find the flat beads..

I have to share the wonderful surprise I got in the post today from Gaby from Colorful adventures. She makes the most beautiful earrings, and other mixed media art come to that. Here is what she sent me:

I was so happy to receive these as I love the color turquoise and I love birds! Thank you Gaby.
I hope to have Internet back soon to feel connected with the world again and to visit your blogs more regularly.