Nice Spring day & journal card freebie

Another lovely Spring day - lots of pollen but nice temperature. Managed to get a few things done

Waiting now to get info on local chapters to see which is best for me. Looking forward to making some new friends and having some fun. Most chapters meet twice a month but activites vary from one chapter to another - going out to lunch or tea together, going to movies, card parties, other events, even cruises! Today I stopped procrastinating and went and got my hair cut. It was about mid way down my back and looking straggly. I have baby fine hair and it just lays flat unless I have a perm. I'd taken to putting it in a ponytail more often than not because I just couldn't do anything with it. Today I just walked into a salon and got it cut to just below my shoulders with simple layers at the bottom. Saturday I'm going back for a perm. I'm thinking spiral perm as that usually does best. Need something that I can just finger comb out on bad days but can put electric rollers in on special occassions. I can't manage anything that's complicated because of bad discs in my neck and fibro. Fingers crossed that Saturday goes well. Years ago I had it done once and left salon looking like Bozo the clown! But that was back in the days I wouldn't insist on the stylist fixing the problem. I just went home and washed and conditioned it. At this point in my life, I won't settle so hope the stylist does a good job or I'll have to raise a fuss.

Just journal cards today. I've been working on some brushes made from vintage documents and plan to make some papers with them to share. Maybe tomorrow. Hugs! http://www.4shared.com/zip/NcaklVhGce/SherryD_journalcards2526.html?

Touch of Spring - zip 2 freebie

Just a quick post to give you zip 2 of Touch of Spring

http://www.4shared.com/zip/h967eNEEce/ws_TouchOfSpring_2.html? Also have a couple journal cards for you:

I found some good eggplant today so my husband will be making eggplant paremesan for me on saturday! Yum! http://www.4shared.com/zip/gg4IvINsba/SherryD-Journalcards_2324.html?

On self diagnosing and freebies

As some of you know, I've been having left hip pain since January. First I self-diagnosed it as fibro and treated it accordingly, Didn't help much. February came with lots of ice and snow and everyone I know with arthritis was having pain so I figured, okay, at my age maybe this is arthritis and I treated it as such. But arthritis strength Tylenol gave no relief, nor heat or anything else I could think of. It would get a little better, then come back, and then it really got worse. Pain from lower back, through left hip, groin, knee and down into the foot! And since right shoulder was hurting too, sleep was difficult. I finally got in to my doctor on Monday. He said I have bursitis in right shoulder, left hip and left knee! Turns out heat is bad for bursitis and can make it worse. Cold is what you use and cortisone. I got to choose whether hip or knee was worse and was given an injection. My hip is feeling better now but left knee is still pretty tender and now right knee is complaining from where I've been shifting my weight. But I'm not complaining; things are improving!

Today I have a couple journal cards for you with some examples. I believe I have an unfinished Easter kit in my stash. Will be looking for that to give to you the rest of the week.

Link: http://www.4shared.com/zip/78TcZC46ba/SherryD_Journalcards_1920.html?

Journal card freebie

Would you believe - we actually had a snow flurry on Saturday and it was in 30s Sunday. Where is Spring? Still watching NCAA tournament. No more Virginia teams left and only one North Carolina team, Duke who I usually cheer for unless they are playing UNC Chapel Hill. We're headed for the Final Four, then it's back to regular TV lol. Scheduling just a little something for today because the left hip/lower back problem I've been fighting since January is much worse & I won't be spending a lot of time in PC chair. Thought at first it was a fibro flare-up and treated it accordingly. It got somewhat better, returned, improved etc. With the ice and snow of February, I decided it probably had an arthritic component since everyone I know my age and above was having problems. Did the usual stuff for that and again there were good days and bad days. For over a week now it's been so much worse with pain radiating down my leg - at first to thigh and eventually all the way to foot. Nothing makes a difference. Finally I remembered a time I had a pinched nerve and the pain was much like this. Nothing I can do on my own for that so called to make appointment with my doctor. Wouldn't you know? he's out of office until Monday. I suspect when I see him, he will put me on a course of prednisone. We will see. Meanwhile, I do have a couple journal cards for you. The first is very simple and only says "Today." You could use it for a to-do list, to make note of things at are bothering you that day, just about anything. The second card is one that asks you to think of something you should do, something you've been putting off. Could be as simple as cleaning out the freezer, or something more personal like giving up smoking. My thoughts are to use this to record that something you need to do and make some brief notes about how you plan to achieve it. We all know it does no good to say, "I need to lose weight" (for instance) and not figure out how you intend to do it. Put your plan in writing and you will feel more committed. Send a copy to a friend who is very supportive of you and you will feel even more committed to your plan because you know she will ask you how it's going.

http://www.4shared.com/zip/h6RhOSy4ba/SherryD_JournalCards_1718.html? Are you making anything with Bohemian Boudoir? I'd love to see what you've done.

Errands to run & freebies to give

It's just past midnight here and I must be getting to bed but I've got running around to do once I wake up so thought I'd best post now. Bohemian Boudoir is coming to a close soon. Today I have more elements for you.

Thought we could use some floral accents to go with the blue in the color swatch. These hydrangea accents would work with the gold too. http://www.4shared.com/zip/wdbmLn-hce/ws_BohemianBoudoir_Hydrangea.html? I also have a couple new journal cards for you. I guess you have noticed that for me, a journal card isn't just a little tag with a quote or some words like "Best Day!" For me a journal requires me to write something, to reflect. Most of the journal cards I make will prompt you to write something. Today's are certainly no exception. In fact, these are intended to make you think and use your imagination. The first, In Another Life, could be interpreted as asking you who you might have been in another life. Do you have any "memories" you can't account for? But the card could also be asking you if you could get a do-over what would that life be like? Please note that I don't intend to upset anyone by appearing to advocate the docterine of reincarnation. Not at all. But I am a person with a highly active imagination and I don't mind exploring where ever my imagination leads me. The background on that one is from a painting, which is why I left the painter's name in the corner. The other card asks you to think of someone, put that name on the butterfly and imagine what one thing you would change about that person. It might be something as simple as a haircut for your teen who is looking a little wild, or as complex as addressing a personality quirk. All up to you.

http://www.4shared.com/zip/G9xuTtWPba/SherryD_JournalCards_1314.html? If you have a suggestion for a journal card topic, please leave it in comments here on the blog. 4shared comments aren't always seen. Have a great day!

Bohemian Boudoir freebie

Quick post to give you some musical items.

Link: http://www.4shared.com/zip/7NpACXZfba/ws_BohemianBoudoir_MusicalInst.html? Many thanks for the birthday wishes and nice comments I've been receiving about this kit. Yesterday was pretty quiet. While my husband was at work I did a little prep for company I'm expecting tomorrow, and packed up about 6 more posts worth of Bohemian Boudoir. I'll try to get around to scheduling a few more later today to cover the days I'll have company. I've really enjoyed playing with this kit and thank Stacey for suggesting the color palette. These rich colors are just the thing after a long winter full of white and gray. I've enjoyed the Bohemian theme I choose too because it suggests openess to new experiences, willingness to step outside the box of what everyoe else is doing or wearing and express the self. It's made me realize that if I were to choose one word for this year I should choose DISCOVERY. I seem to be some kind of journey of self discovery or maybe re-discovery is a better explanation. It's funny how I'd always looked forward to retirement with the freedome to do whatever I wanted. then about a doxen or more years ago when I had to retire due to health issues, I found my "retirement" was nothing like I'd expected. Sure, chronic pain conditions made changes to what I was able to do and financial constraints limited some options but worst of all was the loss of purpose. We don't realize how much of ourselves, our self image, comes from roles we take on until those roles no longer exist. I warn anyone who is about to embark on retirement - planned or not - to be aware that you might experience a sense of loss, even if you hated your employment. Suddenly you may find yourself wondering who you are now, what you really want to do and that can be disturbing. My retirement was surely complicated by my mother being in final stages of lung cancer as well as my own health issues and accomodations I had to make to them. One thing and another and an overwhelming sense of loss. All this time and I just now feel I am coming around to recovering essential parts of myself. Sorry, I am meandering on but I'm feeling pretty strongly that a big change is coming and I'm finding myself less apprehensive (finally!) and more optomistic about it. That is a good thing and I just had to share. And now I must go vaccum! Hugs!

Link: http://www.4shared.com/zip/caXS4Cf9ce/SherryD_journal_cards_1112.html?

Of weather & freebies etc

Nothing new to report really. Yesterday we had temperatures up to 53 degrees which helped melt a lot of snow and ice. Today was supposed to be in 30's. I only went out as far as front porch to collect mail. My hand bracelet arrived! Love it. Still not wanting to do much although I did work in Photoshop and have a few things loaded in 4shared for you. Today, how about more journal cards?

http://www.4shared.com/zip/EZ3A6JiUce/SherryD_journal_cards_78.html? I may do some without words but since I plan to actually use these as a type of pocket journal, I like a quotation or a word that inspires or prompts me to say something.

And here is a Bohemian Boudoir freebie:

Some clothing you might see in our girl's boudoir. (You will see some of this again too.) http://www.4shared.com/zip/SJR9gY-qba/ws_BohemianBoudoir_clothing_1.html? More papers and some wall art coming this week.

It's freezing, Black History Month & Journal card freebie

It's 12 degrees here. Sun was out today, melting snow which is now more ice. But it's supposed to be in 40s tomorrow. I was trying to decide what to do for an art journal page and wavering from one idea to another when I thought maybe I'd do something about Black History month which in the US is celebrated in February. This isn't fancy, just a collage of quotations I like by Black Americans.

Maybe one day we won't need a Black History month or Hispanic History Month or Women's History Month. Maybe one day it will all be American History.

A couple more journal cards

Personal use only. Pick up here: http://www.4shared.com/zip/e4Eorm7Zba/SherryD_JournalCards_34.html?