Bear Hugs

Good morning friends! I am finally starting to notice some significant improvements in the injury from volleyball three weeks ago. For those of you who don't know, I sustained a tear to my left calf during a game. One week later, the pain and swelling were getting worse so I went up to emerg where they gave me something stronger for the pain (thank goodness!) and they also booked a venous doppler. Good news was that there were no blood clots, but the bad news was that I apparently had a Baker's cyst that ruptured which was contributing to the pain and swelling. Nice. I ended up on crutches for a several days to try to help me get around a bit. For two weeks, I could hardly walk...it was ridiculous. The swelling finally subsided about sixteen days after the initial injury and since then, I have continued to notice daily improvements. I am still walking with a bit of a limp and there is still some localized swelling around the calf muscle itself...but I no longer have a tree trunk for a lower leg! Lol...seriously, it was like one big cankle from the knee down to my toes. Oh, and the bruising?? It was NOT pretty. I still have several weeks to go for a full recovery. The back of my leg is really tight and uncomfortable still while walking, and periodically it spasms which is not much fun at all, but I am definitely on the mend! Not sure yet if I will make it back on the volleyball court this season, but I am keeping my fingers crossed! To be honest, it is the first time I've been kind of scared to set foot back on the court after an injury. This was a doozy, and I do NOT want it to happen ever again. I do have to say that I am incredibly grateful for a wonderful family who has taken such good care of me while I have been limited in my activity. My husband already does his fair share of the household duties, but during this time he has also picked up my slack without complaint. He and the kids have been so sweet and attentive, always asking if I need help with anything. My mom and my in laws have also been ready to lend a hand whenever needed. My best friend Amanda treated us to a lasagna for dinner one evening...so sweet of her. What a huge blessing my family and friends have been. I thank God for the amazing people he has put in my life. :)

Well, it's time for another weekly challenge at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamp Blog! Our hostess this week is the lovely Pam Varnell who has created a fantastic sketch for us to play along with.

I inked up one of the stamps from the "Lulu and Friends" set that was released last weekend. Cheryl Alger has done such a fantastic job with this line of stamps. Lulu is absolutely adorable and so much fun to colour up. :)  This is probably my favourite image from this set. I paired her up with some papers from MME. The fun flower and flourish were created with some MFT dies. ( The flower die was a gift from a Krafty friends..a huge THANK YOU to Kerry Johnson for the flower die!! I love it!) I also used a Martha Stewart border punch, a bit of ribbon, a flat backed pearl to centre the flower and a Viva Decor Pearl Pen to create the tiny pearls. Oh, and the edges of the papers were all sponged with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.

The image was stamped on Neenah cardstock and coloured with Copics. To create the furry texture on the bear, I laid down my ink layers in little "squiggles". I used my lightest colour (E50) to blend the layers by "pouncing" my marker over the ink. I didn't want to blend out the strokes, but I did want to soften them ever so slightly. I also totally picked the wrong blue combo for these papers. sigh. It's way too vibrant. I thought it looked ok until I saw the picture on my computer screen. And I probably should have made the bunny slippers creamy instead of white. Oh well, hindsight is always 20/20, right?? lol

Skin: E000, E00, E11, R02  Hair: E50, YR31,  E19, E35, E37, E59, E97, E99 PJ's: BG0000, BG000, B91, B97, C5, C7, YG91, BG93, BG96, G99 Slippers: C00, C1, C3, C5, B60  Bear: E50, E31, E33, E37, E59

Have you stopped by the KKS Blog to see what the other Krafty Girls have created this week? Make sure to take note of the stamp Pam used on her gorgeous card because that's the stamp one lucky participant will win this week! Just make sure to use a Kraftin' Kimmie Stamp on your project to be eligible.

The February Gimmie Kimmie Kits are still available, but only for a limited time! Make sure to order yours before they disappear.

Oh, and don't forget to check out this week's Frugal Friday sale! This week's selected 40% off stamps will be on sale until Sunday night, so make sure to order quickly!

Thanks so much for stopping by today and I hope you have a wonderful weekend. :)

Blessings,

Melanie