Query

Is there anything specific you would like to see me post?  Videos, tutorials, step by steps?  Showcase of recent projects?

New card designs! Yay!

YAY!

I've been hard at work, coming up with a few new designs.  I've got a few more I'm still working on but they aren't quite ready yet.

I'm going to lead off with a card I've been working on for a few weeks.  I just couldn't seem to get past some block I had with the design, until I realised that it was the colour scheme I'd chosen.  As I'd just got some new card stock in, I went through it and found the perfect one.  From there, the rest just seemed to flow out.  I hope you like it.  It's rather a special one.

You see, a friend is trying to send her son to a specialised camp for autistic children, and it's a bit expensive, so she's asking for help.  Her Send Sam to Autism Camp at Go Fund Me is slowly inching up, but not quickly enough.  This is a summer camp and she needs the money soon.  People, I cannot stress the necessity of something like this.  Her son needs this.  She needs this.  Let's help her as much as we can.  If you never buy another card from me, please buy this one.  If you don't want to, then please give her a donation.

Here's the card.  It's simple, but I love it.  I might make a few changes to it over time, and you'll be the first ones to know if I do.

The image comes from Robert Jackson , and I am absolutely in love with his digi stamps.  You have no idea how difficult it can be to find non-stereotyped non-white characters, and he is fantastic.  One day I'm going to own all of his work.

Just a small edge of a doily, with a natural string accent.  Made on high quality 250gsm whit card, with American Crafts card matting.  You can find it in my Etsy Store , or on my Zibbet store . I'm really hoping we can raise a few pounds for Megan and Sam.


Moving on, I have another design that is going to go under the same heading, since it was inspired by this card.  Much smaller, notelet size, appx 3.5x4 inches.

You can find these lovely little cards on my Zibbet store, and on Etsy .  I hope you'll give them a look.  These come in a set of four, and will ship in their own little box, with handmade envelopes to fit them.

Well, I think that's enough for now!  I have another card, but I'll save that for it's own post in a few days.  I want this entry to stand on its own.

Have a great day, and make something, will you?

WE'RE OPEN!!!

Well, this is it!  I've agonised and had inferiority complexes and worried and panicked, but in the end, we're open!  Check the shop out for me, buy something if you can, and check back soon because I have a special card I'm almost done with that I'm going to be adding this week and I really want you to see it, and buy it.

Little Blue Penguin Crafts

Crabs! Cupcakes! Crabs with cupcakes!

I promised a card blog post, so here you go.  One of the cards I've been working on.  I'd post some of the others but the pictures were crap.  My hands are too shakey today to take pics, I guess.

This is one I made for my daughter, and for the Twisted Thursday Challenge at Outlawz, which is a challenge community for crafting, and I'm liking the community there so far.  If you craft, particularly paper crafting, check it out.

Digi stamp for this card is by Jessica Weible.  She has some gorgeous images.
I don't remember where I got the sentiment from, so if it's yours, let me know in a comment and I will add the credit right away.
I used Dovecraft inks for the background, put on with a sponge.
I quite like this card.  I may offer a similar design in my shop.

Well, it's been awhile, hasn't it?

That's a thing.

I've been dealing with a lot pain.  And stress.  I've quit smoking!  Somewhere around 22 years of smoking.  I'm not sure.  I've switched to vaping, so I still have a nicotine fix.  But no more tar, no more chemicals.  My body is going through hell, and according to my doctor, it will for another month or two, and may get worse for awhile.  My FMS is aggravating the whole thing.  My system is dumping chemicals and tar build up, and it's GROSS.  O_O  My doctor cautioned me against giving in and taking up smoking again, and let me tell you, after going through two months of this hell, this disgusting stomach wrenching hell (my OCD makes me want to puke when I cough up stuff because THAT IS STILL IN MY BODY), I will never smoke again.  There is no chance of it.  Sure, I still have the occasional mild urge to have a fag, but it passes.  It's not serious.  I don't even know how long it's been now.  Like I said though, somewhere around two months.  Yeah, I'm proud of myself.

Also, holy shit, how was I ever able to afford spending 2-300£ a month on fags?  My mind is stunned.

Moving on.

I updated my first post to reflect some changes in my life.  I'm 37 in less than two weeks.  NINE DAYS!  I'm excited, hell yeah.

I craft!  Well, I always have, but I'm taking it seriously now.  I crochet, when I feel like it.  It's hard to do it for long these days.  It hurts my hands more than almost anything else.  I love it though, and do the most of it in the Autumn and Winter, making wintery things.  My yarn stash is huge.  I'm sort of addicted to yarn.

I've taken up sewing again.  It's been a very long time.  20ish years!  But my daughter has had her own little one for a couple of years and I want her to progress and I really want to start doing it again, so I purchased a gorgeous Husqvarna, and I'm messing with it a bit before I start doing anything seriously.

Cards!  OMG the cards.  I've enjoyed sending cards and postcards to friends for many years; then I started making some for holidays to send.  Now I'm going to be opening my own online shop to sell them.  I really hope you'll stop by when I finally do.  I'm feeling a little inadequate.  But I am also confident that I'm pretty good, and I'll only get better.  Buy my cards.  I want to buy a die cutting machine :D

I know a lot of my friends are crafty.  I want to link your blogs!  Leave a message and a link for me, oh my friends, and I will do this for you!

So, welcome welcome!  Next post I'm going to share some cards I've made for friends and family.

Hey, hi, how's it going?

It's been a few days.  I've been dealing with pain.  That kind of thing makes me want to write about it, but sometimes I'm just in too much pain or too tired to deal with it.  I'm not going to apologise.  It's not something I can help, really.

A dear friend of mine, Michael, said to me that I should expand a post I made on G+ ages ago.  It's one of my few public posts.  It's dear to me, but even so it doesn't communicate quite what I want to say.  It rambles.  Well, it's a lot like me then.  So I'm working on it.

I just wanted to say, in the meantime:  Hi!

I seem to be getting some page views.  That's cool.  I wouldn't be posting here if I didn't want them.  I like comments.  I'm going to respond to you, because I appreciate that you take the time to chill with me, and then to speak up.

Really, even if you just say 'hi'.

Hi!  (Again)

Tiny fist shake of laziness

Did not want to go the gym this morning for water aerobics but I did; I went solely because I know I need to keep going, and I knew I would feel better.  And I did, I do, feel better.  

And I can always tell when my workouts are really taking effect because I get ravenous after.  Before my surgery about four months ago, I would walk into town centre (just five minutes from my gym) a couple of times a month and get something to eat, and a coffee.  Today was the first time since then that I've felt well enough, after, to do that.  But I've really only been going to the gym regularly again for the past month.  Yeah, it's taken me that long to really recover from the surgery, and also the additions of medications, and changes to medications. 

Had a gorgeous bacon egg and cheese butty, and a large coffee.  I even risked missing a delivery I have scheduled for today to do this.  I felt good, and I didn't want to go home yet.  It's a beautiful sunny day; typically for Northern England, bright and sunny this time of year means absofuckinglutely freezing, but I'd brought my big puffy coat, gloves, and hat just so I wouldn't be cold.  The place I go has the best food, and I've been going there for about six years now, and it's nice to go somewhere where they know me well.  To the point where I've been told by several of the staff that I don't have to remind them I don't have chocolate on my cappuccino because they do remember.  

So anyway.

Water aerobics was fantastic.  I still don't feel that horrific pain that I used to feel from regular aerobics.  Booked again for next week, but the week after that I'll have to skip as I'll be visiting my brother, his partner, and their lovely daughter.  It feels great to be getting my gym routine back, and to be active again, as much as I can be.  It's taking a lot of getting used to, adjusting everything for the fibro, but I'm finding it's worth it.  I'll take a hassle and change over the pain I'm used to experiencing.  

But I am home now, and resting for a bit in bed.  I think I'll play a bit of Borderlands 2, and make some coffee.  CL4P-TP, gimme a high five, ninja bro! 

Have a picture of my wall.  Just because. 

Wait, what?

I'm not really sure what I want to turn this into.  I'm sort of bad at things like blogging.  And anything that requires a continual obligation.  Or a memory, really.

I've already forgotten what I intended to be the point of this post.

It's okay, I'll come up with another one eventually.  Or I'll wander so far off topic that it won't matter.

It's most likely to be the second option.

Well.  Here I am though.  I'm 36.

I'm a mother of two.  My son is 16 and my daughter is 14.  Most posts will contain stuff about them.  If you don't like hearing about my kids, you should just go now.  I've pretty much raised them on my own.  

I suffer from chronic pain.  I have arthritis in my hands, and fibromyalgia.  If you think FM isn't a real disorder, kindly fuck off.  I lived in pain, every moment of my life, since I was 14.  It will only get worse.  It will never get better.  I have OCD.  Persistent panic attacks.  Social Anxiety.  I have had two breakdowns that left me with some neurological damage.  I don't leave the house very often.

I'm without religion.  I'm atheist.  All dieties included.

I'm sort of addicted to music.  And by sort of, I mean wholly and absolutely.  I cannot live without music.  There is no life without music.  I prefer Early Music.  I listen to a lot of game-oriented music and OSTs.

I'm a gamer.  I've been a gamer since the Atari.  I'll be a gamer until I die.  I've always preferred RPGs, but these days RPGs are so fucking easy.  It's ridiculous.  There's no challenge anymore.  So now I play a lot of FPSs.  At least it's a challenge.  Currently playing Halo 4 Spartan Ops, since they're still releasing new eps, AND THEY FINALLY HAVE GRIFBALL UP OMFG YESSSSSSSSS; also playing Borderlands 2.  I need to play the Hammerlock dlc but where my mac version be at, Gearbox?

I'm a history nerd.  A sci fi nerd.  A voracious reader.  I love social media.

I would rather stab you than go without coffee.

I'm also updating this post, as of 5 June 2013.  I turn 37 in 9 days.  I love being my age.  I have no problem admitting it.  I would never be any other age than what I am.  Because I lived those years.  I struggled and fought.  I loved them.  I still love them, because I am alive, and I have a place to live and food to eat.  I won't disregard them or degrade them by saying I have less of them.

I craft!  Congratulations if you've made it this far!  I really hope you have because now this blog is turning into my craft blog! I'll make a new post going on about that though.

Welcome!

Hi.  How's it going?