Fe-Fe's World Of Craft, Creations and Kids.

This blog was started mainly for my crafting, however I also find myself writing about my family life too and in particular about my son Josh. Josh is just Josh to us and we're used to his quirky behaviour. As I don't want to have to mention Josh's autism every time I post about him, I thought I'd mention it here. Hopefully you will bear this in mind as you read and it may give you a little insight into the wonderful world of the autisic child in a very gentle way!

Tuesday, 9 December 2008

Chipboard Baby Album

I am feeling so tired today. I feel asleep this afternoon, luckily Maxy puppy woke me up by jumping on me when the alarm went off on my phone to tell me it was time to go get the kids from school. What a good puppy. I'm still feeling sleepy now though and I'm just hoping I'm not coming down with Peej's Flu bug and I'm tired because my body is trying to fight it off. Fingers crossed eh?!

Just over a week ago a friend of mine asked me if I could make a gift for a friend of hers that had just had a baby. Because she needed to send it to America I suggested making a baby album.

I can't show the front page as I used the birth announcement which has a photo and the families details on it so it wouldn't be right. However I can show you the rest.

These are the first two pages. All the papers I've used are by Dovecraft and I decoupaged some of the characters to give it some depth and interest. I just love these little elephants.

On this one the silicone glue I used started to show through the paper so I used a flower on the bed cover and another small star on the balloon to cover it up. Shhhh don't tell anyone!

These papers are so fun to work with and I have to say even though it took days to make I really enjoyed making this.

These little hippos are so girly. They remind me of Fantasia.

This little lamb with the duck is just so cute.

These are the "Fairy girl" pages

The last two pages I did as Christmas pages and thought I'd leave two spaces for photos.

On the back I made a vellum envelope and a tag with a ribbon so that my friend could write a little message to send with it.

It's the first time I've really made something like this. I have done a mini album for my mum before but I had photos to work with. It's much more difficult just leaving a space and hoping that a photo will fit in it. I am really pleased with the result though and my friend loved it too which is always good!

I apologize for the photos not being very good, I had to take them in a rush and the lighting was less that ideal but hopefully you can see enough to get the idea.

11 comments:

Leanne said...: This is absolutely gorgeous!!
I hope you are feeling better soon hun.
Leanne
xx; 9 December 2008 at 22:01
peata said...: cute mini book - love the animals.
making mini albums
mini album blog; 9 December 2008 at 22:01
pescbrico said...: this is very beautiful!! I just recevied your card today and Audrey will get hers as soon as she come back from the daycare and I'm sure she will be trilled!!! It's so nice of you! Thanks a lot!!

Have a wonderful day and I hope you will not be sick... let get rest so you fight the bug without getting it!; 10 December 2008 at 19:17
ScrapMomOf2 said...: Oh Fiona, I hope you're feeling alright and NOT getting sick! This album is so precious! Oh my goodness, it's just so sweet! You did an amazing job! Whoever is receiving this is so lucky! What a treasure!; 11 December 2008 at 15:24
Pink Blossom Creations said...: Hi Fe
Hope your not getting the bug!
love the album you have done great there

caroline x; 11 December 2008 at 16:17
Bee's Zen Garden said...: Cute baby album. I hope you feel better and are not coming down with something! ((hugs and hot chocolate ;-))); 12 December 2008 at 03:13
Deanne said...: thats gorgeous fe, love it xx; 12 December 2008 at 10:22
Dawn said...: Fe this is gorgeous - it's just as sweet as can be!; 14 December 2008 at 19:28
Dee said...: This is brilliant, I'm sure it will be treasured.

Love Mum X; 16 December 2008 at 22:42
Anonymous said...: As with all your work....absolutely gorgeous! Just another reason I miss England...although I finished (sort of..close enough) my scrapbook, I haven't been making any cards. Hope all is well. Hope you fended off the flu! ~A; 18 December 2008 at 13:02
Lainy's Little Blog said...: Beautiful album.; 20 December 2008 at 23:47

Ode to Special Mums

Ode to Special Moms(by Erma Bombeck)

Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social pressures and a couple by habit. This year, nearly 100,000 women will become mothers of handicapped children. Did you ever wonder how mothers of handicapped children are chosen?

Somehow I visualize God hovering over Earth selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he instructs his angels to make notes in a giant ledger.
"Armstrong, Beth, son, patron saint, Matthew.
Forrest, Marjorie, daughter, patron saint, Cecilia.
"Rudledge, Carrie, twins, patron saint, give her Gerard. He's used to profanity."
Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles, "Give her a handicapped child."

The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy."

"Exactly," says God. "Could I give a handicapped child to a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel."

"But has she patience?" asks the angel.

"I don't want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she'll handle it.
"I watched her today. She has that feeling of self and independence that is so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has his own world. She has to make it live in her world, and that's not going to be easy."

"But, Lord, I don't think she even believes in you."

God smiles. "No matter. I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just enough selfishness."

The angel gasps, "Selfishness? Is that a virtue?"

God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she'll never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a 'spoken word.' She will never consider a 'step' ordinary. When her child says 'Momma' for the first time, she will be present at a miracle and know it! When she describes a tree or a sunset to her child, she will see it as few people ever see my creations."I will permit her to see clearly the things I see...ignorance, cruelty, prejudice...and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life, because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side."

"And what about her patron saint?" asks the angel, pen poised midair.

God smiles. "A mirror will suffice."

"Welcome to Holland"

"Welcome to Holland" By Emily Perl Kingsley

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away...because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss. But...if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.