Cheryl Algie "Independent Stampin' Up! ® Demonstrator" : Workshops November 2013

Hello everyone !!!
You may be wondering why I have been absent from my blog since setting it up in September. September 7 th 2013 will be remembered by me and my family as the worst day of our lives . It was the day I discovered my much loved son , Leon , deceased in his bed . Needless to say it has been a very hard road and quite a struggle to return to work and life with any sort of normality because life for me will never be the same again.I returned to work with a heavy heart in early November and began to hold the workshops I had postponed . Stampin Up has been a big factor in getting me through this difficult time . Receiving sympathy cards from a lot of my friends and fellow stampers has been wonderful . You certainly do find out who and what is important in your life at a time like this.
I wanted to share with you some of the cards we made at the workshops . It was such fun !! Here are some photos of some of the projects we did .

The girls having fun at last Sunday 's full day Christmas workshop which was held at y home on the back patio !!

The girls with their prizes here is my dear friend Nola winning a Simply Sent pack

Tammy chose a piercing pack

These two are sisters !! Can you tell ? Jeanette on the left won a Simply Scored Diagonal Plate and Dawn chose the cookie stamps and cutters !! Looking forward to trying some cookies Dawn and no I didn't forget to order the handle for you but the order hasn't arrived yet !!

Gayle chose the Petite Curly Label punch for her prize

This one we didn't make I love the gold embossing on Very Vanilla - stunning

This one is lovely also and we did make this . White embossing on Coastal Cabana - this on used a lot od different stamp sets Bordering backgrounds for the embossed border at the top , the line were done using Merry Little Christmas , Gently Falling for the leaves and of course Ornament Keepsakes. Do you like it ?

This next one I cased from LindaBauwin here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZXTOqYdf6Y&feature=youtu.be and we made this at Gayle's workshop - my first since losing Leon. I was touched by Karen who arrived with a posy of flowers for me - she didn't say anything , she didn't need to . If you are reading this Karen I thought it was such a sweet gesture and one that I will remember forever

Next is a sympathy card I made for a dear friend who had lost her Aunty - quite a simple card using the double embossing technique

This one was for Nola who is so sweet and kind to me that I wanted to make a card to say thankyou - a pity it loaded sideways huh !!

Tania was a prize winner at my half day Christmas workshop and she chose to take home the Petite Curly label punch

Karen chose a stamp set that matches the punch above

Marg chose a pack of cardstock

Pam won a stamp set

Nola loves SU so much she attended two half days and has won an embossing folder and a SU 25 th anniversary key ring. She wanted my grandaughter , Aaliyah ( her dad was Leon ) in the picture . Isn't she sweet ?

Bree came all the way from Bendigo and took home a stamp set

I love the colours in these , so simple but so effective

This is the starburst card we made at Lynette's workshop where 12 ladies were present - a big day . Nola came with me to help out . How lucky am I to have a friend her as my friend ?