A Minibook A Month (AMAM)

Well I am a glutton for mini books AND challenges so when Karen said she was going to do this AMAM challenge in 2011...I just had to have a go!!
We have a month to prepare and make the mini book,
This month the theme is New Beginnings and I will be doing a minibook on my best friend Carol who has had to start a new beginning last April when her husband and our friend John died on Easter Saturday 3rd April 2010.
Karen has given us mini challenges each week and 2 of the challenges were to make some flowers from diecuts altered with inks or paint and bubble wrap. I also tried to alter 2 buttons as she suggested but I really didn't have any very interesting shaped ones to do but I did attempt to do 2 !!
Here are my flowers ready to finish and decorate, I HATED the mess LOL!!
and here they are finished. Not sure if I would attempt this again as I was definitely out of my comfort zone but pleased I tried to make them !
Now I am off to do a LO for UKS Weekly challenge and then attempt the lace flowers before we get our instructions to make the minibook for Jan