It's a 2 fer' 1!

It's your lucky day! I made 2 cards to showcase today, using some fun papers and an awesome new stamp!

I was finally able to get my hot little hands on a Agapanthus Cluster stamp by Stampendous. I've had it for a few weeks now and this is the FIRST chance I've had to ink her up, gasp!!!! I've been dying to make a card with her, so today, instead of one, you get two!

The first card uses two designer papers, by Doodlebug (the black) and by Basic Grey (the pink). The Doodlebug paper is matted with Very Vanilla cardstock and then sewn with a basic zig zag stitch using my sewing machine. The pink designer was laid vertically down the front of the card and then sewn in place as well.

I stamped the Agapanthus Cluster stamp in Versafine Black Onyx ink (love this stuff) on Very Vanilla cardstock. The image is double matted first with Rose Red cardstock and then with Basic Black. Each flower in the image is sporting a clear crystal center for some bling! I thought the image still needed a little somethin'-somethin' so I used my paper piercing kit to make a few holes around the corners. The whole panel is attached the the front of the card with dimensional tape.

The second card using the Agapanthus Cluster stamp is a little simpler than the first, and doesn't have any 'bling' on it, but I love it just the same. The black and Rose Red is so awesome together. The only difference here is that I laid the vertical panel right down the center (Rose Red cardstock) and adhered the flower image right on top of it. A small sentiment was added using the tag punch (I'm not sure of the real name of this punch!).....

This is a great color combination that I'm going to have to keep using. It's so bold, yet sophisticated at the same time!

It's time for me to sign off so I can go shower. Here's a quick update on Muriel.....yesterday was a tough day for everyone involved. Muriel is waking up from her sedation but still has her breathing tube in so she became quite agitated with it in and being awake at the same time. She lapsed often from consciousness to unconsciousness. She was obviously very uncomfortable. The problem as of yesterday was that her kidneys were not functioning correctly. They added a second diuretic (she was just on Lasix alone, now they added a second med) to her pump to help her body flush the fluid from her body. They told my FIL last night that if this concoction didn't work through the night, they would need to do what they call "mini dialysis" and put her on a machine to do the job this morning.

I talked to my FIL a few minutes ago and he some good news! It appears that the two diuretic drugs seemed to have worked well, and the chance that they'll have to do the mini dialysis today is slim. This morning, they've been running tests on Muriel to see if she can breathe on her own. They unplug the respirator for a little bit and see how she handles it. If she starts to have trouble, they will quickly hook her back up again. They do not remove the breathing tube until they are sure she is ready to breath on her own. I was planning on going to see her, but since it sounds like it will be a rough day, I think I'll stay home. Give it one more day.

Again, thank you for all your prayers and good wishes. What an amazing web of "friends" I've made via this silly blog called Heartfelt Greetings! It truely is amazing.

Hugs to you all,

Amy