DCM Special for PostPals

Make a Child Smile

This week the DCM dare went as follows:

All I want you to do is make a card with sick children in mind.
It's best to avoid ‘Get Well’ cards and just aim to make something that is cheery and will bring a smile to a sick child’s face.

Now I can hear you saying….so, what make this such a ‘special’ dare?

Well, it’s special because this week we are very proud to be linking up with Post Pals, an organisation that was set up to create smiles for children who suffer from life threatening and long term illnesses.

As part of the dare, and the most important part at that, I would like you to actually post your card to one of the children listed on the Post Pals web site.

Anyone who knows me, knows I'm not a sentimental type, but reading the stories of the children on the website really got to me. I was hoping to make a card for each of the children featured, and if I get time this week, I will complete the job. Anyway, here are three to be going on with.

The Flower Fairy came from a freebie calendar from a craft mag, stamp is 'Stampin Up'. Sketch Kathy's Waffle Sketch File No 9.
The Boys Rule card is all papers and stickers from the Doodly Doo Boy kit by SEI. Sketch by Inspirational Card Sketches No. 20
The Charlie card uses some of the Doodly Doo papers and some digital elements by Ellie Lash from the 'On the Move' freebie, which I printed and cut out.

I'll get these posted off to the kids on Wednesday.

Shopping!

I went into town today to meet my friend and her sister. We met at our local independent department store where they were having a SALE!!! I was looking for some summer shoes and a pair of trousers. We had lunch first and then a look at the clothes. I nearly got a Gerry Weber suit, but the trousers didn't fit, however I managed to get a pair of light weight grey trousers for work and then moved over to the shoe section. I ended up buying two pairs as I just loved these shoes, they are so comfortable and look a bit like tap shoes.

These shoes were just so elegant and perfect for work, turns out my friend already has a pair of these! Good taste, we agreed - hee hee. I got the two pairs of shoes for £62, so feeling quite pleased with myself as they are good quality shoes.
I had a quick look at the handbag section. The main bags were 30% off, which doesn't go far with Radley bags, but in the bargain section I spied this lovely summery Radley for £50!!! I couldn't believe it. I also have £25 from my work as a reward for working there for 10 years and can reclaim it by producing a receipt, so I have decided that they owe me half a handbag. I am so thrilled with this bargain.

Show and Tell - Children Crossing

Hello, I haven't done a Show and Tell for a while, but I thought I'd show you this sign that I saw when I was on holiday (vacation) in Italy. It amused me to see that the sign which I assume is telling us to take care because there might be children around shows a man in a trilby hat holding the hand of a little girl, wouldn't happen here would it?

Bon Voyage Card

I made this card for my son who was going off on holiday last weekend. I didn't post it at the time because I was in the middle of the holiday photos. I used some fabric I bought in the US and hadn't found a use for, but as they are off to the states it was appropriate.

Bubbly Scrumptious - Joy Fold Card

I made this card for a friend's 50th birthday. It uses the Bubbly Funk May Kit and the Joy Fold card project by Kathy Black which is on the Bubbly Scrumptious Blog. It was quite easy to make but looks like it is much more difficult, just my kind of card lol!
I love these papers and still have lots left, just thinking of the right project to use them again.

Bubbly Scrumptious - Cupcake Challenge

The theme for the June Challenge on the Bubbly Scrumptious Blog is 'Cupcakes'. I was sorting out some old craft mags and found this cupcake paper in a copy of Crafts Beautiful. I adapted another Kathy's Waffle Sketch (there should be five circles in a row) to fit the A6 card. The handmade pink paper has been in my stash for a couple of years and the pink 'sprinkles' beads even longer! I had a flash of inspiration when I remembered about the Puffy Velvet fabric pen I bought at the NEC, at the time I intended to use it to create snow, but it didn't work out for the project I was doing. It does make great whipped cream though!

Last Holiday Pics - Poolside

Sadly our holiday was drawing to a close, we enjoyed all the visits we made, but also enjoyed relaxing by the pool, particularly towards the end of the week.

It wasn't particularly busy, so we had our choice of sun loungers, in the sun or the shade.

The pool was unheated, so I took the 'get it over with' approach and jumped straight in, once you had been swimming about a bit it was fine.

I'm not a great on technique but I do love to swim.

Brian, on the other hand, is not quite so at home in water and although he also went in the pool, he didn't stay in long! He was very happy reading his paper.


He also tried to get a photograph of one of the little geckos or lizards that were running around, this was as close as it got.

A last view from outside the hotel restaurant, this Tuscan farm features on many of the calendars of Tuscany, it is certainly a beautiful place.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing the photographs from our holiday in Tuscany, I certainly enjoyed sharing them with you.

Friday 12th - San Antimo and Bagno Vignoni

On Friday, our last day, we went to San Antimo where there is a small community of Augustin monks.

The church was very beautiful and peaceful in it's pastoral setting.

These were the first cows we had seen all week!

The inside of the church was quite simple.

There was no stained glass, so the light was amazing as it shone through.

After San Antimo we moved on to Bagno Vignoni, a spa, where our guide suggested that we could bathe. You are not allowed to go into this pool and there were many steps down to the little bit of pool you could go in, so we decided not to bother and went for a nice lunch instead! It turned out the woman who owned the restaurant was English and gave us some good recommendations.

As you can see I have aquired a new man!!! This is David our tour guide.

More stunning geraniums, I just love them.

We interrupt this holiday for the DCM Dare!

This week I, (Lythan) want you to commiserate with me as I miss my daughter, off all weekend on a school trip. So the theme is

Miss you

Make a card that shares your love with someone - it could be missing you, thinking of you, across the miles - just let you imagination take flight, as the wonderful design team have! I look forward to whiling away my lonely hours by visiting your blogs!


I knew I wouldn't use a card that said 'Miss You', so decided to go for 'Thinking of you'. I felt like making a digi-hybrid card, although I think it probably took me longer than if I'd just hit my stash pile!

Digi Kit is the 'For Melissa' collaboration by the Scrapbookgraphics DT and the stitching came from the Kit TGIF (Thank Gosh I'm Female) by Pixelgeek Designs for Scraporchard. The ribbon is real all the rest are digi elements printed and cut out, font is CK Ali's handwriting.

I think I must have 'fish brains' today, I also want to acknowledge the sketch I used for the card, it is sketch 11 from Kathy's Waffle Sketch File.

Thursday 11th - San Quirico d'Orcia

"The Val d'Orcia is an exceptional reflection of the way the landscape was re-written in pre-renaissance times to reflect the ideals of good governance and to create an aesthetically pleasing picture celebrated by painters from the Siennese School, the Val D'Orcia has come to be seen as icon of landscape thinking."

On Thursday there were no organised excursions, so we wandered into San Quirico d'Orcia, the little village close to our hotel.

This house has it's own cherry tree.

Love these geraniums, in this little lane.

As we walked along the city walls, there were hundreds of swallows swirling around in the sky.

I was very taken with this tower house and more so when I saw that it was available as a holiday let. We bought some bread, cheese, olives and a bottle of wine and took them back to our terrace at our room, then later we went to the pool.

I'm showered and ready to go for dinner.

Brian is still sitting about in his swimming trunks!

Wednesday 10th - Florence

This was our first sighting of Florence when we got out of the coach by the River Arno. In 1966 this river flooded, many people were killed and many art works destroyed.
We met with the local guide who took us to Santa Croce, this church holds the monumental tombs of the great and the good of Florence, including Michelangelo (above) and Gallileo. It was not possible to get photographs of the outside as they use the Piazza there for concerts and were building seating.
We moved on to the Piazza della Signoria where the Fountain of Neptune and a copy of Michelangelo's David are located. The original David was moved inside in the 16th Century.
Here is David, we didn't get to see the original as there wasn't enough time to visit the museums.

Typical street in Florence.

This is the Cathedral Santa Maira del Fiore, the Duomo of Florence, it is vast and seems to go on forever.


The golden doors to the Baptistry are particularly stunning with very detailed scenes from the life of John the Baptist.

Campanile di Giotto - the Giotto Bell Tower

The Roman Gate

A member of our group recommended that we try the icecream at Grom it was well worth it. Brian had Chocolate Fondant and I had Raspberry sorbet and Lemon Sorbet.

We then went down to the Ponte Vecchio, which you can see behind me.

Brian on the Ponte Vecchio.

View from the other side of the Ponte Vecchio.

We met up at the coach again and were taken up to the gardens above Florence where there is another version of Michelangelo's David.

Both sides!!!

This is the fabulous view over Florence.

And here we are, just to prove we have been there!