Playing with my BFF

Hi friends!  My friend, Linda came down for 6 days and we played with some alcohol inks (and even a couple of the new pearl alcohol inks). and we did some distress blending.  And I got to play with some new stamps that Lin gave me for my birthday!

Before I show some of the cards I put together I wanted to give everyone an update on my daughter Dina who is once again battling lymphoma for the second time, however it is a different kind.

She completed 5 of the 6 treatments, each one required hospital stays of 4 - 6 days.

When she went in for her final treatment they discovered her platelets were extremely low and the doctor would not give her the chemo.  They did give her blood and then sent her home.  Two days later they brought her back in and her platelets were even lower, this time they gave her a unit of platelets and admitted her into the hospital and when they tested her the following morning, they had gone down again.  The doctor was very concerned that there was something going on and didn't want to give her artificial platelets, she wanted her body to make them.  It was possible that they would need to do a bone marrow extraction to see what was going on...she cried in the office when those words were spoken.  It is quite painful and she had that done back in 2011 and was NOT looking forward to doing it again.  They sent her home again.  She was back in the hospital yesterday, Thursday, to have blood drawn and her platelets were UP and almost to the normal number!  So she is good to go for her final chemo treatment.  She checked in today, Friday, when they called and said they have a bed for her!  We cried tears of joy when she gave me the news about her platelets improving.  This is a grueling treatment with 5 different drugs given one at a time for 20 hours each.  She will also have another lumbar puncture to be sure none of the Burkitt cancer cells got into her spine and up into her brain.  She has to wait a month before having a PET scan to see if they got it all, keep praying friends that she is all clear and that she doesn't get this again!  Phew, once in a lifetime is enough, but twice?  That is too many times!

 Here is her family, about two weeks after starting treatment wearing TEAM Dina sweatshirts,

And then the chemo starts working and the hair falls out...

And wearing a cute hat that a friend knitted for her.

Okay, now for the cards

 We used alcohol inks on a piece of Ranger Foil Tape Sheets (has adhesive on the back), then I ran it through a cuttlebug embossing folder.  I used an MFT Peek-a-boo stitched window frame.

 This card and the next were made applying the alcohol inks, then "lifting" with the alcohol lift ink.

I used the leaves from PTI Meadow Greens.

This card I used PTI Lace Bouquet and was happy with how it turned out.  The bird die was a gift from Bonnie for my birthday!

This last card was left over from the sympathy card above and thought I would use it for a masculine birthday card.

Stay tuned for more, we really inspired each other and it has been so long since we both have had the time to spend all day playing.  I have had other people on my mind, worrying and praying takes time friends and it kind of zaps the mojo right out of you!  But I think the prayers have been heard, we will know for sure in May!  thank you for hanging in there with me and reading through this post and most of all thank you for the prayers!

Heart Hugs, friends!