On The Mend

Thanks to everyone for your well-wishes. I think I am turning the corner and will soon be on the mend. I'm now only on two sets of antibiotics and starting to feel a little normal.

I just wanted to jump on my blog and tell you about my gorgeous four year old, Chris. I haven't made a big deal about being sick, as that is not the message we want to send to our kids, but they do know I'm not well.

Today, I managed to hang out three loads of washing, but haven't had the energy to bring it in yet. I was having a rest and thought suddenly, I can't hear the boys!! I stepped outside and Christopher has the slide pushed under the clothes line, has swivelled the line down to its lowest and is taking all the clothes off the line for me!!! What a champ! I love this little boy - he is so sweet and thoughtful.

He sees me standing there looking at him and says, ever so sweetly, "Don't worry Mummy, I'm nearly finished. You need your rest." I could have cried! How beautiful is this little boy!!

xx S.

Friday - Yay!

Not much going on here, other than I am really sick. I'm on three sets of antibiotics and have felt better.

Tottled off to the Craft Fair in Brisbane yesterday. It was nice to see so many friendly faces and lovely people. I didn't buy much, but am happy with the items I bought. All three of my children came with me and were very good. We went to the Museum after, then to Southbank for a 'Slurpy'. I had to fill in time while my car was being serviced.

Because I LOVE Rhonna Farrer's Superstar collection SO much, I had to scrap the scraps from my other layout. I love this photo of Nick and Chris, taken the day after Nick had a nasty accident and cut his face. It was because of Christopher and they were rough-housing, hence the title.

The colours seem really dull here... the layout is fairly bright IRL. (Scroll down to see the other layout, using these papers, in an older post.)

The other news I have is (to cheer myself up) I have finally got my nose pierced. I've wanted to since the very early Nineties and am really happy with it. Here is a dodgy photo.... because I've noticed all the piercing photos on the net are dodgy - lol!!

I hope to be back on board properly very soon. Until then, take care and have a great weekend.
xx S.

Quiet Weekend

This is the first real quiet weekend we've had for a while and I really needed it. The kids are helping John downstairs and I am quietly completing our tax returns (which I enjoy, believe it or not). Just thought I'd drop into my blog and say hi.

I've been playing with PSE brushes and trying to work out how to create exactly what I'm after. These two photos have been enhanced using various brushes found on the net...

Amelia had been playing in the dress-up drawer at her Grandma's - best dress-up drawer I've ever seen!!! The drawer is the size of TWO LARGE suitcases!!! I could fit all three of my kids inside it and still be able to close it!! The kids bury themselves in all sorts of dress-ups.

This day, their Aunty Kathleen was there and she helped Amelia with a little make-up.
xx S.

One of Those Lists

Just for a bit of fun, I've copied this list from Amanda's blog, highlighting the things I've done...

1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with 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 Lights
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 surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds (45.5 kilograms)
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111.Ridden 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 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

I'm surprised how many I have done! I won't officially tag anyone, but would love to see Alicia & Vonnie's response!
xx S.

Scrap Survivor Layout

Scrap Survivor is going well. There are double eliminations each week and we both survived the first! (Well, we didn't even have to vote, as three people didn't submit layouts!)

Here is this week's normal challenge - "Bling, arrow, ribbon - no sewing". The immunity challenge isn't announced until tomorrow.

I've been meaning to scrap this lovely photo for ages....

TFL
xx S.

Love These Products

A quick post to show a layout I've just created with Autumn Leaves' Superstar Collection by Rhonna Farrer. These products are so much fun.

Thanks for all the messages and emails. I'll be fine, thanks for checking.
xx S.

On a Roll

I'm on a bit of a scrapping roll! My Mojo is back and I am catching up on a few unfinished layouts, plus using up some older stash.

I have just scrapped FOURTEEN layouts in FIVE days!!! I can't believe how quickly they've come and I am really happy with most of them.

I've created a few 'personal' ones, that I won't share and some are for projects, so I can't share them, but here is one for a squizz. Surprise, surprise.... It's Alicia & I!!


I had a very sad day yesterday and may be quiet for a bit. I'll see you all soon.
xx S.

Elsie Designing for KI!!!

I am so excited to find out that Elsie Flannigan has been working with KI Memories to design a new range!!!! I can't WAIT to get my hands on it!!!

I am SO looking forward to seeing what she has come up with!

xx S.

Scrap Survivor

I'm playing a game of Scrap Survivor on a US based forum and it has been lots of fun so far! We have 34 ladies playing over nine or ten weeks. There are weekly challenges as well as immunity challenges and each week people get 'voted' off. I am sharing all this fun with my favourite 'new American' (Alicia) - lol.

I thought I'd share my first week's layouts which were SO much fun to do!

The first is from a sketch (very hard), using products from one company only and the second is the immunity challenge (about ME, using no patterned paper and at least 10 flowers) - another layout for my Book of Me!


Thanks for stopping by. I love to hear from everyone, so feel free to comment!
xx S.

Next Week's Memory Trends in Vegas

Memory Trends is on again and scrapbookers from all over are heading to Las Vegas to have a peek. I've been searching the web for sneak peeks and my absolute favourite picture so far is from cherryArte. I really love where cherryArte has been heading lately.

How is this for a gorgeous display....

I've been scrapping a bit this week, but can't share anything with you yet. I've decided scrapbooking makes me feel happy, so I am not going to sacrifice it (as much as I have been) to other non-important things. Obviously my family and household come first, though.

So, off the computer for me.... and back to my layout!!
xx S.

PS. There are some fabulous Christmas papers coming out at MT, too. I really love the Doodly-Doo Holiday from SEI - keep your eye out for it!

Thanks Scrapapple

I have now officially resigned from the Scrapapple DT. Thanks to Kelly & Dawn at Scrapapple and thanks to the ladies I shared my DT spot with. It has been a fun six months and I wish you all well.

Congrats to Julie Love and Rachelle Minett, who have now joined the Scrapapple Design Team. What a shame I've missed working with you both, but we'll cross paths again soon, no doubt!

So here are my last two layouts for Scrapapple, which I hadn't shared on my blog yet. Both are using the newest Chatterbox Inc papers. I LOVE the huge flower chipboard from Fancy Pants in the second layout.

Thanks for checking out my blog.
xx S.

Ho Hum Days

Blah.... I've been so down lately and finding everything a struggle. Let's hope this feeling lifts soon, as I have so many things I need to do but have been unable to accomplish.

I 'chatted' to Alicia yesterday for ages (maybe 45-60 minutes, not sure how long exactly). It has really cheered me up catching up with her. She is about to move into their new apartment and receive their belongings from Australia and new furniture from Ikea - how exciting!! I hope it all goes well, Leish.

I've managed a few layouts of late. This one is for Scrapbook City using their new October Inspirations Kit. It is VERY bright and cheerful, isn't it?

My Mind's Eye have been working hard and have brought out a stack of gorgeous new kits. This one is part of the Bohemia range.

That's it from me at the moment. I am happy to add, though, that the kids are all well and we are looking forward to going back to the school routine next week.

xx S.