It's been three years since my spine surgery and I'm so thankful for the journey God has taken me on.  While I'm by no means "cured" I am overwhelmingly grateful for the improvement and function that I do have since surgery...and of course I wanted to document my thankfulness, so I created this scrapbook page.

The photo I used was just a random photo my husband took around the time of my "back-aversary" (as it's known in my home LOL).  It's not my favorite photo of myself, but it's real life.  

For the background I used a piece of white cardstock and some old book pages.  I took some watercolors and randomly painted the book pages and then I die-cut them with one of my new favorite dies, the NEW Scallop Doilies die, which is part of the NEW Bloom & Grow product release for Lifestyle Crafts.

I also added some Washi tape to my layout...the turquoise striped one I used was from Target.  I used the Weave boarder die to add some character to the tape by ripping off a strip of it, sticking it directly onto the die, and then running it through my die cut machine. -And in case you have a different die-cutter, it's good to know that these dies work in most the popular brands of die cut machines....can I get an amen! :)

The tape peeled easily off of the die, thankfully! I then played around with layering it with other pieces of Washi tape.  

And eventually I decided I wanted it like this...

I then took a piece of packaging tape and applied it to the die to remove the small bits of tape that were left on the die.

I also added a bit more to the corner...

While I had all my die-cutting stuff out I wanted to use the NEW Bouquet die so I made a card with some Studio Calico papers.

Don't you just love those dies!  It comes with two dies for all those flowers:

It was really fun to add a bit of zentangle doodles to the cut out parts of the larger flowers...and of course I did a quick doodle on the other flowers as well.

Get 20% off your Lifestyle Crafts products when you enter coupon code "ERIN" at checkout!

Have a "blooming" good week! 

sponsor: Lifestyle Crafts

With my back issues we own A LOT of pillows!  Just before my surgery I picked up a couple of travel size pillows from Target and unfortunately Target doesn't carry the pillowcases for that size...so I ended up making my own.  

I used a kitchen towel (probably from Target too) and just sewed it up & added velcro at one end so I could get it in (and out) & keep it in when I take it with me in the car.  A simple project completed.  -Makes me happy!

My craft stuff is beckoning me...and I just can't stay away.  :D  It was a little tricky to figure out how & where to work on things since I can't sit for very long.  I ended up standing at the breakfast bar to work on a few cards...and here's one of them.  -Sorry it's a bit blurry of a photo!

I made this card for one of my BFFs, Lori.  She was so sweet to come over & take me out to lunch when I was home-bound & not able to drive. 

All the paper & rub-ons are by Sassafras Lass and I used my Silhouette to create the "thanks" (the font is CK Darling) and the little curly-Q above the ribbon.  I made the curly-Q by scanning a sheet of the Sassafras Lass paper that had that design as part of it & then cleaned it up & had my Silhouette cut it out.

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And an update on me...I'm feeling pretty well.  I still have a lot of restrictions on what I can & can't do & I have to take it easy & rest a lot for the next month or so.  I did have to grieve a bit over the active life I had and that was hard...but lifestyle adjustments are hard for everyone I think.  -And even though I have to be spine conscious & not over-do things for the rest of my life, I'm VERY thankful for the relief this surgery is bringing me....and in reality things could be a whole lot worse.

Thank you all!  It's so nice to get so many emails from people I've never met in real life...it truly touched my heart!

I'm home & doing very well.  I don't use my walker around the house any more & I'm able to sit here at my computer for small doses....which makes me think I'll never catch up on all the email that's stacked up LOL.  My pain is under control and I feel stronger every day.  -I'm just praising God for this whole journey and for His healing hand.  As soon as I'm able to I plan on making a album about my experience & how the Lord has blessed me & made me stronger spiritually through it.

Hi everyone, sorry I haven't been updating my blog as often as I usually do.  I've been getting ready to have lumbar spinal surgery next week.  Yep, you read that right.  I'm actually looking forward to it though.  The good news is that a lot of my pain will be relieved when I wake up from surgery & my nerve damage will hopefully start to heal so that the problems I'm having will slowly go away & I will be able to regain my leg strength and mobility.  If all goes well I should be able to drive & get around fairly well with in two weeks or so which I can't wait for!! 

-BTW, thank you everyone that has sent my emails wondering about why I was MIA...I'm touched by your concern!!  Feel free to email me any time about Yudu screen printing, scrapbooking, or just to chat!  I sometimes get a bit lonely, so it's nice to talk with all of you.  :D