Blog Candy again

This time the candy is offered by Jude at Crafts International to celebrate her daughters birthdays. Wonderful goodies on offer and a great blog to read for inspiration

http://crafts-international.blogspot.com/2009/06/birthday-blog-candy.html

Blog Candy

http://www.craftie-charlie.co.uk/blog/

This is a new blog to me but now Ive found it I will definately be back. There is also a shop full of lovely things most of which I want
The blog candy is a choice of goodies from one of 2 ranges from My mind' s eye at Craftie Charlie. All I will say is making a choice is not going to be easy as they are both really lovely.

Card Sketch

This one is using a card sketch from
http://cardsketchaday.blogspot.com/

I like card sketches as they give me ideas but allow me to use things I already have rather than sending me shopping

Challenge Card

I decided to kick start my cards by looking for challenges and found this
http://charismacardz.blogspot.com/ The colour combo challenge #22 is Pink and Brown
so this is my effort

Blog Candy

Well hows this for a good start to my renewed blogging plan. I tootled off to my friend Claire's (http://clairecraft.blogspot.com/) blog to see what was happening and found this .....
http://keepsakesbymelissa.blogspot.com/2009/06/blog-candy-anyone-big-giveaway.html

Talk about the most generous blog candy ever!!! I have to admit I didnt know this blog but having had a look at the cards and ideas on there Im now a follower and will be popping in all the time to see and get inspiration.

Doesnt time fly

Wow no posts since March!!

So a quick update on me. Ive now kind of completed the course. Its more a rest of life thing than 90 days but that's fine. Ive learnt a lot and Ive enjoyed learning. Its quite amazing how your thoughts can affect your emotions and actions. Im not in anyway saying ME is 'in the mind' its not BUT I felt as though I had reached a point where my fears and ideas where possibly holding me back and Im glad to say this course has taught me that in a lot of ways they were.
Since starting the course I have had symptoms of course I have they werent just going to disappear were they? But in most cases Ive been able to work out why Ive got the symptoms and realised that they were not necessarily ME reactions but reactions to what Id been doing. For example not long ago I was exhausted, I couldnt think straight, my legs felt like lead, I hurt all over and was in my previous experience heading for a major ME relapse. Instead I used some of the tools from the course and told myself all my symptoms werent actually the ME they were because I had been really busy. Id walked more than I have for years, Id been up early and to bed late with no rests in between, Id been staying at my brothers and had to climb stairs which normally I dont have to do so everything had a reason. By allowing myself to see the reasons behind the symptoms I didnt panic about a relapse. I allowed myself to rest and the relapse didnt happen. That to me is a huge sign of the course working.

So things are all positive but now I need to get other things in my life back. I desperately need to lose some weight. Its affecting my health now and I dont want to recover from ME only to make myself ill in another way because of my weight.
I want to get back into cardmaking and crafting. I have a scrapbook kit I got for my birthday and havent opened apart from to look at things and feel my mind go blank. I went to the embroiderers guild cream tea yesterday and came out thinking I really should dig out some of those UFO's (unfinished objects) I have and try to get them finished.
I want to get my blog going again but I need to actually make things first to blog about so I will start with reading blogs and looking for inspiration !!

A New Me

Or that's the plan.
As I might have mentioned occasionally I have ME and I'm sick of having ME so when I heard about a cure I thought why not. Well there were a lot of reasons why not ranging from not believing they could cure what the nhs call an incurable illness, to the costs involved. Anyway I went to a talk about the treatment and it made a lot of sense so I'm now doing the 90 day program from the Optimum Health clinic (http://www.theoptimumhealthclinic.com/)

I did a weekend course that explained everything and now I'm on a self learning part. I'm finding it hard work but I'm enjoying the results.

Its very hard to explain whats going on but basically its based on the fact that after long term illness the brain and body get into a kind of routine. If you have pain then the brain starts thinking oh no I had this before and it went on and on and it took ages to go away and then I had a relapse etc etc after all that the body says OMG I feel cr*p and you have a relapse. Obviously that's very simplified but the idea is to break the chain. Its using treatments from various therapies like the lightening process and eft to break the habits and allow the brain to relax and the body to heal.
It also involves a lot of recognising thoughts and emotions which I find quite hard. You know I feel ok I don't feel sad or angry or ecstatic I just feel normal.....is that ok to feel normal, calm happyish or does that mean I'm not in touch with my feelings?? Its hard!
I have to say I never the eft (http://www.emofree.com/) would work but again for some strange reason it does. Ok I feel like an idiot sitting there tapping various places but it does help.

One of the other things I was told is to basically stop dieting, stop counting points or calories. Just for the 90 days involved in the intense course to allow myself to concentrate on learning the techniques I need to cure myself. That made me panic (using the 'stops' from the lightening process helped) but thinking about it I guess they're right. I'm more intrigued about how using these tools will allow my body to reach and maintain its natural weight but hey Ive nothing to lose right?
Again it does make sense. When you feel hunger are you actually hungry as in tummy rumbling hungry or are you emotionally hungry or is it the shaking sweating over done it need sugar hunger. They are all different but recognising the difference and working out what I need at that particular time is going to be interesting.

The course suggests that you do a lot of yoga, relaxation, meditation kind of work to allow yourself to know how you feel which is something Ive tried and found it helped but for some reason never continued with. It also says that everyday you should do something that brings you joy and makes you happy. Isn't that a nice thought?

Anyway enough rambling for now. Hopefully as time goes by I will be able to read back posts from now and from before now and see how things have changed.

Mothers Day Card

My Mum doesn't like Mothers day, she always says its commercialised and that I shouldn't get her anything. Of course I don't listen but I thought that making a card using freebies might make her smile.

Marie Curie Cards

I bought the stamps from Do crafts for the Marie Curie Charity and when I saw them I was full of ideas of how I would use them. Of course when I tried all the ideas they just didn't look right. Anyway I went back another day and tried again and made these. I'm hoping to make some more if I have time but after my mojo has been on holiday (I'm not sure if its returned or just popping in) I have other cards to make too.

Todays Plays

I was asked by my Mum to make a 80th birthday card and a get well card, one in pink and one in blue. Thing is I cant remember which was which and as Ive already phoned this morning to check I'm hoping she will be ok with them both being pink lol

The bird cards are made using the free calender from Card Making and Papercraft(last year), the wood pecker will be going to my Dad for his birthday. As Ive mentioned my parents moved house at the beginning of the month and just before they moved Dad mentioned he wanted to stay where he was because after 30+ years in the house they'd got a woodpecker in the garden and he didnt have 30+ years left for one to move into the new garden. Sadly its the wrong woodpecker but the thoughts there lol

A gap again

I know I say I will keep up with the blogging and then disappear for weeks on end but there is always good reason honest lol.
This time my parents moved house, not only that but they managed to pick the most snowy/icy/cold days possible! It was chaos lol. i do not recommend moving from a big victorian semi to a bungalow without really starting packing until theres a week to go...
Anyway Im exhausted but slowly recovering so hopefully will actually make a card some time soon

Cards again

Today's cards are really for my Mum and Dad. Last week Mum asked me for a sympathy card for Monday so did that first.

She also asked me to make a new home card so that when they move they can leave it for the next owners so I did that

I then thought that I really should make a new home card for my parents as well. Ive been putting it off until it was all organised and going through but I'm not sure when that will be. They have a moving date of 3rd February but up to yesterday the buyers hadn't signed the forms even though they are sending people round to measure and design a new kitchen!

Good Play day today

Well this is very unusual but Ive actually made ANOTHER card!!

This was made using the free stamps that came with Cardmaking and Papercraft issue 62.
Definitely a first for me though I bought the magazine this morning to look at over coffee and made a card this afternoon suing the free gift.

Todays Plays

On the card forum there was a challenge to make 2 cards from 1 image. Heres my attempt

Last Cards from last year

On the cardmaking forum we have a monthly competition which I try to enter as it gives me inspiration. Now december is obviously a quiet month because everyone is rather busy with christmas but I was thrilled to bits to find my card had been voted into a winning place for the first time in a year. I was even more amazed and leaping up and down when I realised I actually had all 3 entered cards placed and was 2nd, 3rd, and 4th!!!!!

Happy New Year

Yeah I know its a bit late and all that but hey I'm finally back!!
So an update on me....

Christmas was really good and very exhausting. In fact its taken me until now to recover but hopefully finally I'm re-joining the world and feeling good :-)

Ive been back to weight watchers and put on 5lb over Christmas. This week lost .5lb which I'm a little grumpy about as I really followed the plan and was very good but at least its a loss not a gain.

I am planning to make cards today if I ever get away from the computer, feeling all enthusiastic and want to play so fingers crossed my brain wont give up on me.

Life could get interesting over the next few weeks as my parents might well be moving at the beginning of February. They've had their house on the market for over a year but haven't been able to do much packing and sorting because if it didn't sell they needed the stuff but if it did sell they have loads to get rid of as they downsize into a bungalow. When I say downsize I mean a bungalow large enough for 2 cars, camper van, 6 motorbike (vintage) Dads workshop including lathe, Dads clock workshop with loads of clocks and stuff. Mum gets to keep her beading and embroidery in the house though lol.
Anyway they've suddenly got a sold sign and are trying to pack,sort,throw out, tidy and all that so I'm going to be spending a lot of time helping. Due to the ME I cant do a lot of lifting and packing but I can bring things to my flat to store and make brews on moving day etc etc

I think that's about it for now but look out I might actually put some cards up soon!!