A new style

I'm learning a new art ... not a craft but an art. Last Sunday I took the decision to shave my head as my hair was falling out everywhere. Hubby and I had already been to a local shop selling bandanas so Saturday I wore my new brown one.

Our friends came for dinner and although I still had hair it would not style (presumably because it was dying) and I did not want hair all over the place when cooking. It stayed in place but felt a little uncomfortable with hair underneath.

You can see tufts by my ears 

Sunday was not a pleasant experience, I was surprised to find I have a few head bumps and that my hair is quite soft when very short. I think these hairs will also fall out as I already have bald patches.

The bandanas are hats with folds of material already stitched so you just pull them on, very easy. I also bought this teal one which I wore yesterday to my second session of chemotherapy.

It has a flower on the side which you can't see
I wasn't looking my best 

The art is tying a scarf around my head, the hardest bit is tying the knot at the back as I have limited feeling in my hands and struggle to tell where the fabric is but so far so good I think.

Justine gave me this lovely scarf

Pleased with how this looked

I needed my glasses today

I'm busy stitching another card for scouts but I'll share that another time. I'm just about to start a new project. I bought some fabric and thread with a Christmas voucher from Dusty and bought some coasters on Amazon.

This year at Needlecraft Haven we are doing last year's 2019 Mystery SAL from Stitching the Night Away. It's 12 squares which I'll be making into twelve coasters.

Fabric marked up with my threads

My Mum has just come back from a short holiday and found a bookmark with my name spelt correctly, some things I can see especially as my DNA Ancestty results showed I was 92% English hee hee!

Everyone has been so kind with supporting our Dry January fundraising, Clare and Philippa Drop the Gin, and I have received so many humbling and comforting messages, thank you.

Gifted Gorgeousness - January

My first Gifted Gorgeousness of 2020 begins with a lovely gift from my Mum, in fact I now have three .... a heart shaped cushion with super soft filling.

Mum found out about these from Quitky Quilters at Redditch Hospital, I could only find Norfolk Quilters online but I'm sure these beautiful cushions are everywhere. 

They are absolutely perfect for breast cancer care, the shape gives support for any surgery.  I've slept with the heart 'dip' under my arm for the last two and a half weeks, such comfort from just keeping my arm off my scar. 

Here's the link to the 'How to make' page of Norfolk Quilters.

My comfy heart cushion

I was surprised and delighted the other day to receive a surprise parcel from Justine. She has sent me some of her charts she no longer needs in her stash, they are all lovely and I am keen to start on some. Thank you so much Justine.

My gorgeous charts from Justine

I received another parcel today, from a wine friend in Leicester. She also does craftwork and was looking for inspiration for a new project. I suggested wine glass holders for at wine tastings ..... she has crocheted one each for myself and Hubby, thank you so much Laura, you are very kind.

My wine laynard

His and hers hands free 

Gifted Gorgeousness is hosted by the lovely Jo at Serendipitous Stitching. On the 15th of each month we share any of our crafts that have used or been made from any item gifted to us, any stash enhancers gifted to us and/or anything we have gifted to others.

The biggest gift to me this month has been the generosity of my family and friends in the support they are giving me and Philippa in our Dry January - Drop the Gin fundraising for Cancer Research and my hospital's Breast Care Unit.

We have avoided alcoholic drinks (did you notice the 'dry' wine glasses) and will be staying dry until the end of January. It would be lovely to be able to raise our target for each cause.

Thank you to everyone who has donated - this focus has really helped me on some tough days 😍

Clare and Philippa - Drop the Gin 

Fully Finished - January

Fully Finished Gallery SAL is hosted by Rachel, Ten Hour Stitcher, you can join in here.

I had great plans to have made up a couple of other items but it's not to be. However having said I'd like to join in Fully Finished this year I had to post something, apologies if you saw this in my early blog posts.

This is my Orts Ornie, filled with 2019 orts. So far it is my only finish if 2020 but fingers crossed there will be more.

I have enjoyed looking at everyone else's work, there's a lot of comfort in visiting blogland.

Lizzie Kate - Let the People Choose

As I'll have a fair bit of sofa time, for the first part of 2020 at least, I thought I make more use of the wonders of blogland starting with joining in Jo's Let the People Choose.

Jo of Serendipitous Stitching is such a lovely lady hosting many blog activities for us all to join in with, I'm also hoping to do Gifted Gorgeousness every month and take part again in her Blog Hops which are always such fun .... thank you Jo x

Jo invites fellow bloggers to vote which monthly theme will be Let the People Choose and January's choice is Lizzie Kate. I really like her designs, her sayings and quotes often fit exactly my thoughts. I have stitched a few Lizzie Kate designs for special occasions and did use her design for a Round Robin a few years ago but I'll save that for another time 😉

A very special gift for our daughter's graduation 

A wedding gift for friends

A special gift 

I have stitched quite a few Lizzie Kate small designs but just now I can't find them. I began this post this morning but was taken ill from my chemo treatment and had to go to hospital. I'm home now, all is fine, it seems to be a reaction to one of the medications but I'm too washed out to find more photos.

Thanks again Jo for another bit of fun in blogland, hopefully my next 'Let the People Choose' will be less eventful.

My 2019 orts ornie

I saved my orts in a beautiful bonbon jar my mother-in-law bought me many years ago. We were on holiday in Wales when I spotted it in a charity shop, I just love cut glass.

My 2019 orts

I love seeing the threads from particular projects, at the bottom was a collection of pink from our daughter's birthday gift and all the white is from my church tree ornaments.

I found a lovely design in the Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornaments 2019 magazine. It was by Patricia Ann Designs but I changed the central wording from 2019 to Noel.

I stitch an ornament each year for my orts, it's hard to tell how much stuffing it will make and the ornaments always look bump which I quite like as I know what's inside.

My 2019 orts ornie

My 2020 collection has already started, I'm working on my two Temperature Quilts, it's a long way round the edges!

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Thank you to everyone for their kind messages and support following from my last post. So far Philippa and I have been enjoying our Dry January trying a couple gin and prosecco alternatives.

Yesterday was another hospital appointment in preparation for the start of my chemo treatment on Monday. We are amazed and humbled by everyone's donations .... it certainly helps to know something good is happening from this awful situation, thank you.

Clare and Philippa - Drop the Gin

2020 starts with a Challenge

If you read my last blog post you will know that life for me turned upside down early December when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. The weeks up to Christmas were daily visits to either our local hospital or Coventry for numerous scans and tests, hard for anyone but with my severe needle phobia each visit was quite traumatic.

Just after Christmas I had three lymph nodes removed and yesterday I had a titanium clip inserted in the tumour. I now face 6 months of chemotherapy followed by a second operation to remove the lump which should by then be tiny.

Nick has been amazing, it hit us both out of the blue, our holiday to Copenhagen had to be cancelled and some of our Christmas plans altered. It's a blessing we are both retired and can work together through this.

2020 will be a tough year for us, and always up for a challenge Philippa and I have decided to do Dry January. It will give me a purpose and a focus away from treatments and needles.

We have set up a Virgin Money donation page 'Clare and Philippa - Drop the Gin' and will be splitting any monies given between George Eliot Breast Care Unit and Cancer Research.

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Team/ClareandPhilippadropthegin

Starting at midnight with just the New Year toast we plan to stay alcohol free until midnight January 31st .... we have Nosecco ready for today's New Year lunch and plan to try some of the non-alcoholic gins that are now available.

Wishing you a very Happy New Year 

- here's hoping it progresses as planned for us all.

Making memories at Christmas

We had two Christmases this year, a family one on the 22nd and another on Christmas Day. Our daughter, who lives in Wales, came home for the weekend before Christmas to celebrate Hubby's birthday and to have Christmas.

Hubby's birthday was a lovely day, we (Hubby, me, our sons, our daughter and her boyfriend) visited our family church to see all the trees - they were amazing.

Hubby, me, our son and daughter

In the afternoon we (not our son) went to watch Wasps v Harlequins rugby with a firework spectacular after the game. It was a little cold, bit wet but superb fun.

Hubby and I 

Hubby, me, our daughter and her boyfriend 

Sunday 22nd we had our Christmas, opening pressies, walking to the club for lunchtime drinks, Turkey dinner with all the trimmings, Cludeo crackers and party games at night. It was a super day.

It felt a little to still have Christmas Day coming,  a second time for festive fun. There was eight of us here for Christmas dinner; my mum and stepdad, Hubby's mum, his sister, her son, our son and of course us (chief cook and bottle washer).

Thank you to my stitchy friends for your beautiful gifts, it's very kind of you all.

Thank you Rob & Kathy

Thank you Niki and Sue

Thank you Deb

Thank you Barb

Thank you Julie

Thank you Julie

Thank you Brenda

Thank you Christine 

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Sadly I have some news that I didn't want to share before Christmas; on 6th December I was diagnosed with  breast cancer. December was a very tough month with so many blood tests, scans and injections. I have a severe needle phobia which has made each hospital visit quite traumatic, the week before Christmas I had appointments every day. 

Yesterday I had an operation to remove 3 lymph nodes (I had to go to Coventry first for a radioactive injection, then Nuneaton hospital for the operation). The incision was below my left armpit, it's glued so no stitches to remove and isn't painful, just sore. 

The plan is to now start chemo for 8 treatments (I am struggling with the fact that the lump is still there), I have had a new short hair cut ready for when my hair starts to fall. There will be many tests and scans and needles along the way to make sure the chemo is working, after which they will remove the footprint- lumpectomy. That will all take about 6 months. I need to have a titanium clip inserted first, that's my New Year's Eve treat ! 

As always things come at once and we have Nick's mum living here alternatively with staying at his sisters. Her partner was taken ill in October and passed away (cancer) in November. She is struggling with it all, hard any age but she is 83. She cannot stay in their bungalow as it's in a small village with one shop, no bus and she no longer drives. In the future she will buy a bigger house with Nick's sister but at the moment it's hard as I cannot have her here all the time with my appointments, operations and chemo treatment. 

The memories we made over Christmas time are so special, we had some lovely times which helped me forget about hospitals and needles, if only for a few days. 

My diagnosis is why I could not post up for Jo's Advent Blog Hop, I have visited some of the blogs (I hope to visit them all) and I'm hoping to join in with Jo's Gifted Gorgeousness and Hops in 2020

Wishing you all a Happy New Year 🥂