I hope your all enjoying your holidays. With this wild weather we are having here in sunny Qld, i have been able to do some scrapbooking and not feel guilty that I'm not out side working in the garden which so needs a lot of attention. But while I'm enjoying all this scrapping time, I've drawn a blank on a layout that I'm working on so i thought i would share some of work with you all...

I hope to share some more with you soon

Happy New Year to you all.

Take Care

Christmas Day 2007

I was worried that as my girls get older that Christmas wouldn't be as much fun...Well how wrong was I. This year for the first time in many years, we did not have to wake the girls instead the girls woke us up. I found the 7am wake up scream and jump on the bed by both a little hard to handle as the night before we had to wait for the girls to go to bed and that didn't happen till about 1.30am...i could wait any longer so i called it a night at 12.30am and left it up to Glenn to put the stocking in the girls rooms.... The girls we well and truly ready for presents..they had moved the coffee table out of the way, and even got the garbage bag for all the paper. So with presents unwrapped and a beautiful bacon and eggs breakfast we all decided to hit the rumpas room and give the Nintendo Wii a go....I'm sorry but i just can't bring myself to making an absolute idiot of myself and left that job up the the others...I must say i haven't laughed so much in ages... Glenn has spent more time on the game than the girls...

Tonight I had the realization of my baby girl growing up slap me in the face... Ashleigh had her year 7 Graduation. I was so proud of her, but what topped the night for me was how beautiful she was all dressed up...I know as parents we are all biast, but hey were aloud to be....

I cant wait to scrapbook these photos, and as usual i took to many....or should i say as a scrapbooker that i probably didn't take enough....

Speaking of scrapbooking i have been busy at work with mum still in hospital, but i am happy to say she should be home for Christmas. To look at her you would never know she had a stroke, and she is walking really well now....as busy as i have been i have still managed to get some scrapbooking done...my favorite at the moment is a desk calender that i have done for next year. I have 3 big birthdays in our house next year...13th - 16th - and a 40th so that will explain the photos to go with every month... I have also done a clock that i will share just as soon as i find the right verse to go on it...I'm just loving off the page work at the moment, especially this time of year.

I hope you all have a great week and for those of you who are like me and still have a little Christmas shopping to do, good luck with those crowds, finding a parking space, waiting in those long lines at the check outs....so tell me again why i aways leave things to the last minute...

Take care

After being married for 16yrs, I have just realised one thing...Don't take your husband Christmas shopping, especially when he is in his "Scrooge Mc Duck" mood. Next week i think i will head out on my own. Bring on the 1st December so i can put the tree up. My youngest Ashleigh and i have taken over that roll as Glenn and Lateisha have no interest, it's also good quality time sent with Ash and she can now reach the top of the tree for the angel, i still need a step. At just 12 i already know she will be about 6ft, she gets the height of her dad, I'm just glad neither of the girls will know how much fun it is being 5ft tall.
I have been working on some layout for classes and i hope to share them soon, but here is another Christmas card I did using the Kaiser Wooden Flourishes and Rub ons

Have a great week

Jody

My darling daughters have had better social life than we do at the moment and really both Glenn and I have been feeling like a taxi service, but I have been told that goes with the territory when your a raising two teenage girls or really just teenagers in general...

Why is it that the closer to the end of the year I get, the busier we get..... As much as i love to scrapbook I also like to dabble in a little basic card making as well..... To get me going again, I came across a couple of cards that I did for classes last year....they are so much fun once you get started.....

I will have a few more to share with you over the coming weeks, but be warned, I am a huge fan of Christmas and probably the biggest kid in the house, I had been known for going a little overboard when my girls were little, but hey that was half the fun. I cant wait to really get into the spirit of Christmas..

Have a great week.

Jody

I've really enjoyed the school holidays with the girls this past week and a bit. We have just hung out at home by the pool and spent quality time together. Mind you it has been like the local drop in centre with the girls having sleep overs every other night, but all in all its been fun as well.

As you can tell this just happens to be one of my favorite photos of the girls and I. I have used it on a couple of layouts. This photo is 12mths old now and i am trying to get the girls together for an updated photo but whenever they took good I'm in my tracky dacks or in my work clothes or vice versa.. The girls also have a habit of taking a lot of photos of themselves & their friends and by the time i get around to using the camera the batteries are flat.

I hope you enjoy the layout. I have one more to share with you that i am over the moon with, but as usual when you submit a layout they never seem to be in a hurry to get back to you. I can't wait to share it, i have gone out of my comfort zone and used bright pink and i think it looks great. I hope to share it with you soon.

Have a great week-end and lets hope it's not as hot as they say it will be.

Jody

I am happy to say that all my class work is up to date and I've been able to scrapbook just for me. Although the following page is a class it has given me great inspiration to get creative over the week-end. I find my scrapbooking is heading in a new direction and all my techniques that i have been doing over the past few months are now starting to blend together and i am just loving the effects, but funny enough is that I'm slowing getting over loads of flowers and ribbons.

They are still a big part of my work but it's nice to play with new products.

Well I'm off to get creative, so I hope you all have a great week-end.

Jody

xx

Do you ever wonder what to do with those not so perfect photos that you've taken and you really don't have the heart to put them at the back of the photo box. Well i was looking at the photos below and thought exactly that. This is what i call three typical Ozzie blokes, rugged, down to earth and what you see is what you get. This is my darling husband and my two brother-in-laws. Once again 90% of this layout was done using the Cricut Machine.

This is what i call the 30 minute quickie. I wanted to do a simple layout with little fuss. This is my girly girl Ashleigh. She just loves when i do pink pages for her.

I'm feeling very romantic this week-end. Glenn and i celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary. He gave me the most beautiful card with the most beautiful words written by him that bought tears to my eyes. I hope to do a page for him to let him know just how special he is. Even though he already knows, i know he likes it when i do layouts for the two of us.

I hope everybody is keeping well and has managed to stay clear of the dreaded flu that is going around. Glenn and i took Lateisha and her friend to the EKKA last week end and if you ask me- it is a great way to waste money, But for the girls they had a great time. Ashleigh on the other hand chose to go to a friends house instead, which if you ask me was a smart move. We felt we should spoil her a little more with the show bags to make up for her not coming. Well for us that's the EKKA done for another couple of years.

That's all for now but I hope to share more layouts with you soon.

Have a great week-end

Jody

Well i did it, i manage to keep my secret from the girls about the Cristina Aguilera concert. I must admit that it was hard and with the girls having such a busy social life they had made plans for that night. Once we had given them an ultimatum being a party or a concert, it only took them a couple of second to make their minds up... then it was "what are we going to wear".. All in all the girls had a great night and now they are saving for their next concert.. what have i created. Sarah and Ashleigh look excited but of course Teish has that yeh whatever look on her face. She is going through that "I know whats best stage" meaning that you tilt your head and don't look at the camera because of course that takes a better photo...that's right it looks great doesn't it and has left me not wanting to scrap these pictures....aaahhhh to be a teenager that knows all...

I have had some fun playing with some wooden products. Not what i would normaly do but i had fun.

I have also been playing with my Cricut machine. This layout is 90% done with the machine. it was hard not to use other flowers.

Well i hope you all have a great week.

Take Care

2 posts in a matter of days. I have got the scrapping bug big time at the moments. I managed to finish the masculine page of Glenn that I was scared of, and I also wanted to share a Wedding page that I have done.

I just wanted to share some layouts that i have done over the past few weeks. The first is of me baby-well not so little daughter Ashleigh and the second is of my husband Glenn and his brother Matthew.
I was never to sure on using large letters on a page, but i was happy with the way this layout turned out.

This is a basic layout using the Cricut machine to do most of the work. I never feel very comfortable doing masculine pages. I find it hard to work out of my comfort zone. And who said you cant use flowers and ribbons on a boys page. I still manage to find room for them. I have given myself a challenge to work on pages that i feel are way beyond me - meaning masculine. I am working on one of Glenn at the moment that is taking a little longer than i had planed. I hope to share that with you soon. Give me girl pages any day.

While i still love to Scrap, i have found a new addiction in Card making. Here are just a couple of basic cards that i did for a class.

Did anybody go to the Pink Concerts last month? or better still get photos? I was a great concert. The girls didn't want to come with me so this month i hope to surprise them with their first ever concert-Cristina Aguilera. It should be fun..I can just imagine myself being the groovy old girl in the mosh pit.....ha

Well i hope you all have a great time with the kids over the school holidays..

Busy Busy Busy

I remember a saying that my mother used to use all the time when i was a kid and it drove me nuts, but how true she was....Remember the saying "There are never enough hours in a day". You would think that after I sold my salon that i would be crazy to think that being self employed once again would be any easier than the first time. I must admit that now the girls are getting older, they are a lot less demanding of my time or should i say "It's no longer cool to hang with your parents" and the internet, telephone and ipods are much more interesting than us old folks.. I know there are never enough hours but one thing i didn't think would happen so fast and that's my baby girls growing up so fast, it's like one minute they are so dependant on you and the next they are young teenagers trying to find there own way in the world and the best you could hope for it that they dont sumble to often. I just want to hold onto them and never let go.. The best thing about them growing up at the moment is thay are starting to realise what a great friendship sisters can have and they love the camera and are willing to stand next to each other and take the most beautiful photos....

This "My Girl" layout was done using the Cricut Machine.

I hope you all had a great mothers day. I got to spend mine exactly as i wanted....and the girls even chose a gift that i really needed - a new wallet and a block of chocolate. I lasted all of 24hours which in my book is good.

I hope you all have a great week.

Scrapbook Memories-May

WOW my first layout in print. It seems like it took forever. I submitted this layout way back in September last year. For all of you who have been wanting to submit but are to shy to, go on just do it. I got knock back after knock back, but you just need to keep at it. I still get knock backs but maybe what i am submitting is just not what there looking for in the current issue they are working on... I see some of what i think are the most beautifull layouts at work and yet the owners tell me they got knocked back...

We all have our own style and as long as you are happy with the end result that's all that matters. Hey maybe i should start a magazine for us scrappers who get rejected all the time....hahaha.

Well this is my style. I hope you like it

I hope you all have a great week.

Take care

Hello everybody

I can't believe how fast these past few weeks have gone. I really didn't think it had been that long since my last post. Things have been really busy at work and by the time i get home and do all the family duties they girls have well and truly planted themselves at the computer table and i have to fight the girls all night for it and when i do get on all i get is "mum how long will you be".

Thank god for laptops. I'm really enjoying the teenage years........yer we have our ups and downs but in general the girls are a lot of fun at the moment and they still like to hang with us every now and then. As usual they have a better social life than we do.

I hope everybody had a great Easter. We spent time at home this year. We had planned a trip to Newcastle to see my sister and her family but somehow work had other plans. I did manage to get some me time at my table, which was great. I love it when i can put my head down and the ideas just keep on flowing. Isn't it funny that it only ever last for a short time before you get scrappers block again.

As you can see, i am still under the influence of Carol and Joanne with this layout. You just have to try 3D work. It's very addictive as are cards once you get a few under your belt.

"Happy Birthday"

This card was done using the Cricut Machine. (Wording and Flowers)

"Best Wishes"

I hope you all have a great week.

Yee Ha

Well i did it. It's 12mths today that i gave up smoking. I can say I do feel better for it, but I'm not to fussed on the extra weight that i gained. So I joined Bootcamp again this month, and i must say it felt great. Having a month off was a bad idea. All those promises i made to myself to go to the gym more and eat less. Lets just say that didn't happen.
This month i have made new promises to celebrate the 12mths effort. Eat the right food and work harder to work of the extra weight. I've done it before so I know I can do it. Will keep you posted.

I have been loving this rainy weather we've been having. To me its the best time to scrapbook and not feel guilty that no work is getting done outside. I have a thing for making cards at the moment, so as soon as the camera battery charges i will share them with you. I will also share the other 3D page that I manage to complete.

Have a great week

Jody

I know Feburary is a short month but is it just me or has this month just gone by so fast. It's been a busy month at work and home but I have managed to get some layouts done.

I am a fan of Coral Janson, who is the 3D Queen of scrapbooking and my sister-in-law who also does great 3D work and even though paper tole has been around forever with cardmaking, Carol just makes it look stunning when it is incorporated in Scrapbooking. Both Carol and Joanne makes it look so easy that i decided to give it a go. This was my first attempt at 3D Scrapbooking and i must say " I am Hooked". I hope you all like it. Even Glenn like this page that much that we put it in a black shodow box and it will soon have a place on a wall.

I hope to start another 3D page this week se with any luck i will have another to share soon. On to other news. If you didnt know it already, i am a huge fan of the Biggest Loser-"go BLUE team' I'm back of to bootcamp in March. I must say that I did enjoy having the month off, but its amazing how quick your fitness level drops even after you promise yourself you will go to the gym more to make up for not doing BC. I sometimes think i just exercise so i dont feel so bad about all the wrong food I eat. I am a real sweet tooth. If anybody knows a way around this please let me know.

I hope you all have a great week.

P.s I'm going to be an Aunty again....My sister is 10wks along.

February 6th 2007

Now the girls are back to school, Glenn & I are back at work. It's like holidays-what holiday's.

It wont be long and they are back before you know it.. Has anybody seen any Easter Eggs in the shops yet. Oh hold on, they will put them on the shelves the day after Valentine's Day.


We took the girls and friends to Wet 'n' Wild on Sunday. I think we saw the girls twice, sorry three times the whole day. 1-when we got there and were giving them the run down on the rules of the day. 2- lunch time and 3- when the water park closed. We all had a great time.
Sorry to say that we only applied sunscreen 3 times and still managed to get a little red. I think we were all in bed by 9pm which is early for us, and gee did it feel good to sleep in on Monday morning.
I didn't join up for Boot camp this month. I did however wake up at 6am for a moment and smile to myself because i knew that the session was about to get started and i knew what they had ahead of them that morning.
2 minutes each of sit-ups, push-ups as well as grunts and the best way to finish the session of is with a 1-klm time trial..
I plan to go back in March, but in the mean time i have an itch to get some serious scrappin done. I still plan to hit the gym. I have this addiction with Step class at the moment. I must admit i do feel a little guilty that i didn't join up this month. (Ask me how guilty at 5am on Wednesday morning....hahaha)

I did this page of Lateisha and her best friend Sarah over the holidays. I'm still getting used to the whole using black and white card but i really am starting to like it.

As you can see i still have this thing for ribbons and flowers. I got Lateisha & Sarah while they were in a silly muck around mood and gee did they play up to the camera.

I did have some good news last week. If you remember late last year i was hoping that i was going to have my first page published, and i thought it got rejected. Well I'm happy to say i got a contract and my page will appear in Scrapbook Memories 8-11.. I cant wait to see it in print...It just goes to show you should never give up trying.

Thanks for stopping by and cant wait to finish some cards I've been working on.

I hope you all have a great week.

Jody

Another year of memories ahead

I hope everybody had a wonderful Christmas and an even better New Year. Glenn had to work this New Year so the girls and i watched the fireworks on TV (wasn't Mr Newton a treat) and i scrapbooked until 2am in the morning. I haven't done that in a long time so it felt good, I'm normally in bed by 10.30pm.

Now that the girls are growing up and can amuse themselves, they are having the best holidays ever. We have been to the movies a few times, spent time as a family by the pool, got out DVD's and had pajama day's, it's been nice. We even booked Foxtell before Christmas in hope that the girls would enjoy that while on holidays, but when the guy came to install it, we had 2 drops of rain and he said it couldn't be done so now they have to wait until February. NOT HAPPY .

I'm going to miss the time with the girls when they go back to school. I'm one of those mums who really enjoy time with the kids on the holidays. I'm a bit of a work-aholic, so what time i do spend with my family is special.


Now the girls are a little older and like to pose for the camera.



Thought of the day: If your partner was to pass away- would you remember what they felt like?
I know it's not something that you want to think amount, but how often do you spend quality time with your partner. This thought came to me when i realised that both Glenn and I were spending very little time together because we were just to busy with "life". Does that make any sense? Even if we just go up to the local shop, we never leave the house without a kiss goodbye, it annoys the girls but i just hope that one day they will understand why.

I just love the photos i have used on this layout, but until now never really knew what i wanted to do with them. The photos really say alot so i want to keep it simple.

Well that's all for now, I'm off to do another layout. I have the bug at the moment, so fingers crossed.

Thanks for dropping by and i hope you all have a great week ahead.

P.S. Boot camp is a real hoot this month.