From Hospital to Hotel; Card Projects To Preserve My Sanity

I'm getting ready to have gastric bypass surgery on Wednesday.  There's been a lot of running around going to different doctors, having bloodwork, doing pre op etc.  I've sat down several times to make cards but I just haven't been happy with what I've come up with.  I've been on a special pre op diet for the last 3 weeks.  4 Optifast shakes a day.  Nothing to eat except celery, cucumber, green pepper, broccoli and lettuce.  Clear liquids and broth are ok to have but NOTHING else.  I've been soooooo hungry at times that I've wanted to chew my own arm off.   OK not really but you get the point.  So I've been going around in circles.  I try to distract myself from my hunger by making cards.  While trying to make cards I'm distracted by feelings of hunger, thoughts of surgery etc. 

So I finally did get a single new card made.  I'm still not happy with my photography skills though.  I never think the pictures look as pretty as the real cards do.  (Note to self:  must correct this after surgery, maybe take a few lessons from a real photographer.)  Thank goodness I had already started some cards that were for other people and for orders from my Etsy shop and I did manage to finish those up and get them on their way.  What I finally decided to do was put together a kit that I could take to the hotel for after surgery.  We're going to need to stay in a hotel for several days afterwards (they want me close to the hospital) and I've been told that I might just be feeling a lot better than I'm expecting.  Well I can't stand to just be idle and sit in a hotel room with nothing to do.  So I've been busy cutting, scoring, punching and assembling everything I can think of that will fit in a carry box for me to take with me.  I probably have enough stuff to keep me busy for a month even though I'll only be there for 4 or 5 days.  LOL.

These were all just scraps from my stash that I cut down in size and punched.  This way I don't need to carry a bunch of heavy punches with me.  This is just a small sample of the amount that I made up.  The stack has got to be about 3 inches thick! 

I've decided to make some bookmarks for my Etsy shop.  I've cut the book marks ahead of time and all I'll have to do is dress them up with patterned paper and embellishments and maybe use some of those punched borders from above.  There were actually 24 different colours of paper and 4 bookmarks for each colour.  96 Bookmarks that I'll have made up.  A bit excessive I must say.  LOL

I will also make up some gift card holders.  Again I've cut them and scored them, and rounded the corners ahead of time.  I have the patterned paper cut to size and will just to glue them together and decorate them with whatever goodies I find in the box.  I'll be sure to post some pics when I get them put all together.  If nothing else I did manage to make a huge dent in my scrap pile.  I still have one more box to go through.  This has definitely taught me that I need to start a new routine of dealing with scraps instead of letting them pile up. 

Wish me luck with the surgery.  I don't mind admitting that I'm a little scared and nervous but I know that I need to do this. There are so many things that I want to be able to do again.  Things that I haven't been able to in a long time.  Check back on my blog later and hopefully you'll be seeing "less" of me as the weight starts to come off.  I'll be sure to post pics of my progress. 

My 'coming out' card

I've been making cards for a while now and for the most part I can see that I'm getting better.  When I look back to the some of the early cards that I made and the reaction of the recipients it makes me wonder if they were acting as the Mother who gets that first hand made gift from school.  It looks dorky and lopsided but the sheer joy on the kid's face when they give it you makes you gush about how beautiful it is.  I always tell people that I appreciate constructive critism.  Hey it's the only way to get better right?  Practise, practise, practise and sometimes you have to go outside of your comfort zone.  I've seen cards on people's blogs, websites, Pinterest etc that have dimension to them.  You know they're not just flat cards, they have bits and pieces that stick out here and there and definitely have a more interesting and appealing look to them.  I've shied away from doing those types of cards because I kept thinking 'what do I do for an envelope?' 

My sister asked me the other day if I could make a card for her for a wedding that she's attending in September.  She didn't want anything specific and said she would just leave it up to me.  The only thing she wondered if I could incorporate into the card were some accordian type pages so that the bride could maybe slip in a few photographs.  I had made a card like that for my daughter's 21st birthday so that she could have a little memory/keepsake of her celebration in Nashville for the event.   I decided that this was going to be my opportunity to try making a dimensional card.  After all it wouldn't be mailed, my sister would be hand delivering it and I could easily make up a little box for it.  So I guess you could say that I was 'coming out' of the one dimension that I've been stuck in.  LOL

My sister emails me yesterday and says "Oh I found out that the girls dresses are red and the bride really likes butterflies.  Does that help with any ideas for the card?"

So back to the drawing board I go because the card I made is wedgewood blue and has flowers and a bird on it.  But I thought it turned out really well so I'm posting it.  So I'm asking for honest opinions.  Leave a comment telling me what you think and if there's anything missing or whatnot.  I'd love for any of you to sign up as a follower...I could use the support.  All that means is that when I post new cards/projects on here, you'll be alerted that there's new stuff to check out. 

Thanks, I appreciate it. 
Marianne