Thanks Steph...

I simply had to share what Steph did to me! She's so clever!! Love love love these! Thanks so much for taking to time to have a play around!

I love the colour wash she's used in this one...



and love the colours here as well... but aren't those brushes to die for. I'm drooling away!!


I really might need to look at putting my full version of photoshop back on the computer and learn some more tricks!!


Thanks again... you made my day!

One more sleep...

Yep... one more sleep, and one more day of work and then I'm on holidays! I am soooo looking forward to this break. We have no plans... Kel is booked into VacCare, so he can go there and play with his friends, or hang out with me, whichever he wants - he and I can play it by ear!

I was so tired tonight and 'was' going to bed at 8:00... but then got myself all inspired to try this "take a photo of yourself using the mirror thing" that Steph does and whalla... 2 hours later and I'm still awake! I know... I'm a hopeless case!

So... 80 photos later and not one was any good... would help if I actually cleaned the mirror next time I think! But... I was starting the get the hang of it... just need to get the camera to focus!

So this is the before pic... out of focus, wonky with a dirty smudged mirror!!

But my PSE came to rescue and salvaged it and I created this...

I mean there's not a hell of a lot you can do with a pic with me in it... especially when I'm the photographer! But it was fun... I like it... that's all that matters hey!!

OK... I am going to be now... take care of you!!

Some layouts for the heck of it...

Did some layouts today just for the heck of it... I 'should' be doing the last recipe swap pages, but really don't want to do anything I 'had' to do this weekend iykwim. {Ladies in the swap reading... sorrryyyy, I'll get it done soon, promise!!}


They're simple, but that's what I'm liking at the moment... swings and roundabouts they say! The Dragon Roar one is based on a sketch by Becky Fleck, who makes it all too easy... especially when your brain went for a walk like mine has today!!

October Sneaks...

Angels sneek peek time @ LC's... so I'll put mine here as well!! You'll be able to see the full unveiling come 1st October @ LC's in the Angels Gallery!! Very different styles for me this time... had to work with some products that were certainly not 'me', but as usual - loved the challenge!!
This months work was again in keeping with the For Keeps Everyday Moments comp.



Been having some fun with the new overlays and frames I got from ScrapGirls on Friday night... I love them!! Sometimes you just have to go out and pay for the good stuff, although being digital the expense is really quite negligible!!

Still having a ball working on Lynn's DT. She gives us a lot of freedom, is always supportive and listens to our suggestions... couple more months and I will have been an Angel for a year! Has most definatley been a most rewarding experience for me!!

Today...

Has been wonderful! I've done nothing I planned to do and it's still been an awesome day. Maybe spring is in the air, there's just this 'change' in our household and it's fresh and new and oh so wanted!
Today Darren loaded and unloaded 64 sq mtrs of concrete pavers all on his lonesome... then proceeded to start paving, and in now weeding. He's only stopped for breakfast and lunch when I told him to come and eat!
Meanwhile.. I, still in shock from all this... have done the dishes, done about 6 of the 10 loads of washing that needed doing, FOLDED said washing, mopped the floors and scrubbed some walls, stripped the beds and re-made them, moved the lounge around, brushed away the cobwebs and tidied up. Are we legends or are we legends!?!
And I have St John's Wort to thank for it... Darren took himself of his medication as it really wasn't doing much, he's too sensitive to it to be any use and we've had a few rough weeks again... even before he stopped taking them. So after a few weeks to make sure there was no residue of the other stuff in his system I took the ball by the horns and came home with a natural therapy... which is WORKING!! He's happy... he's not stressed... I don't get that 'pained' look... it's heaven! I thought he would react well to it... when he had his psoriasis outbreak years ago the aromatherapy blend I made for him worked where all the "conventional" treatments failed... he's just one of those people!!
I hope it keeps working... it should do... but for now, we both enjoy our family again as it used to be!!

Until next time... take care of you... mwah!

My sweet boy...

left me this on my desk for when I get home.


He thought we had red roses in bloom but they were our geraniums {I love geraniums, roses and gerberas so he's still on a winner!} Love him to bits for thinking of me!!

Just thought I'd share.... take care of you!

and another EDM Layout...

Now this I'm really happy with. I am loving the Everyday Moments comp and am so glad I decided to join in... I say that all the time don't I... oh well!!

This one is the 3rd one for the Celebrations Theme... using Sassafras Lass products. Although I forgot to incorporate the stitched border stamps... again!! But that's ok...
Anyway... this is "Celebrate... The Love". A hug between Kel and Darren. Their bond is something that should be celebrated... not every kid gets to have what they have. This is a fave photo of mine and many will have already seen it... but it well deserves to be in this album.

No 90 Degrees...

This was today's challenge I set... there were to be no 90 degree angles on the page {apart from the photo corners etc}, everything had to be whacked on crooked! Turned out harder than I thought... I struggled!! So here is my sad attempt... LOL!! But there's no 90 degree angles anywhere there!!

Been a Busy Bee...

Yep... Cyber Crop Weekend again @ LC's, so flat out as usual!! Lots of scrapping happening by our gorgeous members... not much from me though... yet!! ROFL!!

Vicki did a Make and Take last night with some Tags... I'm not a very good 'tag maker' so joined in... got the kit and all. It was such fun!! Soooo... these are my cool tags. The tadpole one is my favourite - it didn't turn out looking like such a tadpole in the end!!


Here's the Step by Step Challenge... pretty much 4 photos and a Mega Monogram that had to be over 5 inches tall! Got many groans but everyone stepped up to the plate and did awesome work!
Love seeing what the girls come up with... go have a see in the Challenges Gallery. There's also some awesome Yellow, Orange and Black LO's happening, which were the colours chosen for the colour challenge.

I think we have one more to fit in this year... and then a break over the christmas season - the next one will be a doozy with 5 challenges AND a make and take... looking forward to it!
What else... not much else... will add more later no doubt...

In the meantime - take care of you!!

Why...

is it that one person... a total stranger at that... can totally screw up your whole day for you!! I 'met' this person today who was honestly the most insane acting person I have ever met... you know the ones where you can SEE it in their eyes... like how does this person function I'd love to know! I hope to never see said person again, but may have to... if so I'll be removing myself from the situation. Not mentioning names... it's too small a world for that... my general circle of friends and acquaintances can rest assured it's not you!! ROFL!!
I can't get this person out of my head... they've honestly frightened the wits out of me... although a wee vent here and there is helping relieve the load!! Even Darren is wired... well more than usual if that's possible!
Looking forward to starting a new day... all fresh... without their face in it!!

LOL... so I'm fickle!!

I did love the new look I had... except for it being so skinny... we all know I'm not a skinny girl!! ROFL... so anyway... have come back to my happy green until I work out how to get it to work... it was linked to another code site where all the code was, so I've copied that and will play when I'm un-cross-eyed from reading all the html coding!!

New look...

OK... it's different. We'll see how I like it! Have kept my green html coding though... I like that one, but this one is pretty cool... like the tag look, just don't like how narrow it is on my computer - how's it look on yours? There should be a link down the bottom as to where it came from!

Kim changed her's and it's nice and wide and looks great, so got bored as one does, followed her links... then some other links and found this template!

More LO's...

Nothing quite like a crop day to get my mojo flowing! Finished some more layouts today and am scrapped out now!

This one is Shay, my nephew... apparently this is a smile... me thinks he's confused!!

And here is another of Lily... she is confused here!! LOL, something about my sisters kids it seems!! She's such a cutey though...



Was a good day... got the new ladder... cleaned out 1/2 the guttering. Darren and Kellan both did a great job... I supervised and swept! We got rained on and had to stop though... but the power stayed on so we've fixed the problem... phew!!
So here's my boys up the ladder... so proud of Kellan actually wanting to help instead of being told to help...
So not ready for work tomorrow... wish I could work some days from home, it's one of those jobs where I could as it's fully computer based, and the system is already set up for remote input. Oh well... dream on!

Anyways... that's it for me... will leave you with some pics of my sweet little baby... take care of you...

A Helping Hand Fundraiser...

Today was great fun!! Scrapping all day with my buddies... couldn't ask for better! Alli organised the best day... all went smoothly and much scrapping and talking was done! And lots of eating... so bad!!

I got a few LO's done... ok well 2 and a half but I've now finished the other half and another whole 1!!

This one is Kel with all his cousins... the 3 littlies are my sister's ferals {who were delightful on the day} and the girl at the back is Darren's brothers girl... she's certainly growing up now! But it was great to have all the kids in our life together in one pic...


This one is another from my youth... having a tanty!! I've lifted this paper placement of this LO design from some-one... I'm thinking most likely Nic Wright as I'm loving her work. I'd put it into my sketch book for 'one day' but not noted who's it was, will have to wade through the mags again to find out!



This one I did when I got home... 30 mins and done! Such a simple design but I am loving it. Can you believe I got these papers and chipboard stickers from Spotlight of all places... isn't it funky as! Fiskars have bought out a range and I quite like! And look... I finally used Paisleys successfully!!



And this is another entry for the For Keeps Everyday Moments Comp... very girly for me. Have also realised I don't do a lot of mauve colours! But it's a "celebrate spring" LO so the papers suit... and when the sponsor for the month is Sassafrass Lass you have to do what you can! So not my best from the entries so far... but I still like it's 'sweetness'!!

I met Crissy today who I first met via LC's and has since moved here to WA and is a guest DT for the next 3 months with Bee's site!! Small world this one we live in! She's gorgeous and I hope to catch up many more times! So this is Crissy and I on our first IRL meeting!

OK... I can't believe I'm still awake! I got a little revved up and grrrr-i-fied when we lost power tonight... but only to the power sockets, not the lights. I am non too impressed as it's hubby's fault... he's not cleaned out the gutters and one side of the house has no eaves... so the heavy rain has just backwashed and thrown on the circuit breaker... I'm so mad at him, he's a lucky boy that he's asleep!
But have calmed down some-what... and tomorrow will be taking him to Bunnings and buy a new ladder so he can get them done, all with a smile on my face pretending it's an exciting event! So anyway's... the adrenaline rush from that is over now... and my eyes are closing!!

Take care of you...

150 things...

Copy and paste the list and bold what you have done....Just bold the things you have accomplished in your life:

1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with wild dolphins
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
8. Said "I love you" and meant it
9. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights15.
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an expert
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Eaten fugu (pufferfish)
89. Had a one-night stand
90. Gone to Thailand
91. Bought a house
92. Been in a combat zone
93. Buried one/both of your parents
94. Been on a cruise ship
95. Spoken more than one language fluently
96. Performed in Rocky Horror Picture Show
97. Raised children
98. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery1
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111.Riden a bike
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one important author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life

51/150… said I was boring!!

Double Tagged...

I've been tagged by Crissy and Lisa both!! How exciting... but these ones involve thinking, hmmm... new concept for a workday evening!

1. Which famous person would you most like to learn that you are descended from?
Audrey Hepburn... to have even a drop of her style and grace would be heavenly!

2. Which famous person would you hate to learn that you are descended from?
Hey... Hitler certainly wins hands down... who else to be different... Saddam Hussein would have to be up there... or perhaps Osama bin Laden.

3. If you could be ancestor to any living famous person, who would it be and why?
Living... {Still PML over Crissy's answer}... I'm going to go along the same lines... Kathy Richards-Hilton {Paris' mum}. Slap some sense into that girl I would!!

4. If you could go back in time and meet any known ancestor(s) of yours, who would it be?
My grandmother Sandercock... I knew her, but as a selfish teenager didn't appreciate her worth... I'd like to go back and have a good old chat, and since my other grandma lived next door I could go have some gorgeous rain-water tea and scones with her!!

5. Tag five others.
I tag Lea, Lee, Vicki & Ann... I'm being a rebel and only doing four because the Scrappi Dais gang have been well and truely tagged!!

Spring...

I took some pics yesterday of the weeds in the front yard... some are so beautiful! I love spring when everything comes into flower!! So while waiting for Darren to finish his cancer stick before hopping in the car to go to the in-laws for afternoon tea I decided to play with the macro settings and try force my camera to do what I wanted... unfortunately not being an SLR and all... it often wins the fight, but we are learning to understand one another!!

This one is my favourite. I love these little purple flowers... they go to sleep in the early evening so I only get the chance to see them on the weekends... and yes... they're onion weed I think... but who cares, they look pretty!!

Yesterday was good... Darren appreciated the card and breakfast. I think he realised he almost got nothing though! Kel had a great time and that's what counts! Was a good family day... hopefully next Sunday we can go 'out' somewhere and chill out together!

A card for Darren...

Those who know me know that my ever loving, devoted {clueless, forgetful...} darling husband has totally forgotten the whole concept that I'm a mum on Mother's day... for 2 years in a row. He's not forgotten mothers day... just the concept that the bearer of his only child is also a mother! My whole plan was to ignore it all this year and do the same back...
Well I can't do it. I've just caved and made a card for Kellan to give to him. I can't let the poor kid down... it's about the children, not just the dad's and Kel will be so upset if I don't play the game. So the Daz man has a card that doubles as a mini LO/Frame thing for his desk... and Kel and I will make him breakfast. He's already getting himself a present anyway... some new part for his computer when I get paid... this man is spoilt rotten I tell ya!!

Here's the card... I can put it up as he has no idea I even ramble away on a blog... he's just starting to grasp the whole msn concept!! Builds computers... plays online games... has a hi-tech mind... and is clueless!! Oh well... I do love the bugger... and we all know I'm insane!!


Can you believe this is my 4th entry for one day... I must be bored to tears or something!!

A present...

Kel made me a necklace today... from the beautiful gifts given by the ocean to us! Simply had to take a photo to prosperity sake... not to mention insurance value!

OK... so it wasn't pearls... but hey, he's only 9. Perhaps when he's 29 I might have a slim hope in hell! Love that he made it for me though... having a 'sweet boy' day today!!

Latest just because LO...

I've been working on this LO today... has taken all day, but I've done a bit and then wandered off... come back to do more, wandered off again... was a nice day taking my time! Anyway this is Kel playing the clown to make Lily laugh because she was upset.... it was another of those proud mum moments you get from time to time. Kel may be a typical 'boy' at the best of times... but with his cousins he's always had this tender, caring & protective nature. Love my boy!!

The papers here are from the Frou-Frou Range by Fancy Pants... love these papers. Mind you - I love almost everything lately!!

This last week or so...

has been very rough for Julie, a very close friend of mine and Darren's. Her on again off again partner of 4 years took his own life on the 20th August... which has affected all of us in different ways. We {as in myself and Darren} weren't close to him as we've only met him a few times, she moved away years ago so social gatherings have been few to say the least! But... he suited her. He was strong enough to cope with her determined personality... and we knew him well enough to be shocked by it, but are grieving more for her loss than ours.
She's been staying with his family which I was glad to hear... and even though we wanted her here with us so we knew she'd be safe, we realised to be with and grieve with his family was far more important, for her as well as them.
She's gone home this morning... but stayed with us last night. She's so all over the place and I felt so useless... this is one thing I couldn't advise on... couldn't fix for her... can't make better for her... I have no life experiences to help her through this. But she relaxed a little... had a little bit of quiet time before fronting the storm again when she gets back to their home town. So we've helped in a small way. Letting her go is always so hard even under normal happy circumstances... but knowing what she has to face over the next few weeks and months it was even harder this time.
Andy... I hope you are at peace... for her sake as well as yours.