What's Goin' On.....

...at our place?  Lots as always, but here are just a couple of highlights.

The long awaited new camper trailer has finally been introduced to it's new home!!  Yay.  DH made a quick trip down to the South East corner a couple of weeks ago to take delivery and drag it home.  Since then, he has been like a boy with a new lego set... lol.  I must say though, that I was not forgotten in the specifications.  I'm almost embarrassed to admit that it has a hot shower, toilet, solar power.... and air conditioning!  :)  Not exactly 'roughing it' huh?  lol

So far, we have all had a turn of sleeping in it in the back yard.  :)  Her maiden voyage is scheduled for next weekend, weather permitting.  Actually, even if the weather isn't fabulous, I'm sure DH will be determined to take off!

Last week, the annual Awards Night was also held at the High School, where miss Maddison was awarded with 2 awards for Academic Excellence in both English and Business, and an Award for Academic Excellent in a range of subjects.  Basically, that means top of the class in English and Business and A's in everything else.  Sorry for indulging in a little shameless bragging... but I just have to!!  :)  So proud.

Here is a very tired miss and her awards, following Relay For Life last night... she is certainly not firing on all cylinders this afternoon!

Maddison is now working part time at the newsagency, which is helping her save for her own laptop.... or guitar... or Taylor Swift concert tickets... or whatever it is now! lol  I'm sure most of it is going to clothes at the moment.

Other goings on include school dances, gymnastics, boxing classes, powerbar classes, dates with the treadmill, high school enrolment meetings (eeek... another one in high school!), drop offs and pick ups here, there and everywhere, haircuts, Orthodontic/shopping visits to Mackay..... and so on and so on!  It really is never ending isn't it?  :)

And I've been scrapping up a storm too... although I can't show anything just yet.

Oh, and just because I couldn't resist..

Don't ya just love Saturday mornings?

Can't watch cartoons without the Bob the Builder Helmet, Ben 10 Omnitrix and Boxer Shorts!! lol

Happy Sunday afternoon... or what's left of it.  I promised myself a little hammock time today... so its now or never!!

Thanks for stopping by.  I'll be back real soon!

Jules
x

Christmas .... in October?

Hello Lovelies!

Great to be back.  I've been busy in my little nook, creating like mad.  Unfortunately I've only got one to show for today though... :(

This week's colour palette over at The Colour Room is a beautifully fresh, crisp colour combination, that is a totally untraditional Christmas inspiration!!  I just love it!  It reminds me of the white, chilly Christmas season in the northern hemisphere......  quite a blurry memory for me now!  lol

This palette is featured in the Scandinavian Magazine Inzpira Magazine (www.inzpira.se) which was released this week. It is a gorgeous Magazine and contains some serious eyecandy along with recipes and oodles of other yummy stuff!!!!! It is in Swedish, so if you are a bit challenged in the multi-lingual as I am, you will still enjoy the inspiration!  :))

{6am}

... and some detail:

This photo was taken last Christmas at my parents home in Brisbane.  The kids woke and all piled into bed with us for a cuddle before sneaking a peak at all the offerings under the tree!  I love this photo, only I wish I didn't have to get out of bed to take it!  Maybe this year, I'll think to use the self-timer.... :)

Here is the palette and the sketch (totally optional, as is the Christmas theme):

A real marriage of Prima, Hambly and Kaiser in this page.... oh, and TA Glimmermist of course!  More of those yummy Prima mistables that I warned you you would see again.  :)   And how stunning are the new Crystal Palace flower sprays, also from Prima?  Totally yum!

I am loving creating lots of water-marked blending with my glimmermists lately.  I just spray a fair amount of water down first, then a couple of glimmer colours and just let them all blend together and dry, creating some really awesome effects.  When it was almost dry, I just dripped a few spots of blue mist and watered down gesso.

Heaps going on on the family front.... as usual!!  lol.  Will be back on the weekend for a bit of a family update.

Thanks for stopping by.  Hope today finds you all happy and doing something you love.

Hugs,

Jules
x

What Happened to October?.....

OMGoodness!  This month has totally gotten away from me!  I'm struggling to get back into the groove after all my visitors and my pledge to take better care of myself continues... and strengthens.  It is taking a bit of a chunk out of my day though I must admit....  but I feel so fantastic, so it is definitely worth every guilt free minute I spend on me and my health.  :)

Thank you so much for all of the amazingly positive and supportive comments too.  I totally appreciate every one of them.  It is so good to see so many are on the same, or similar journey... or will be soon enough!  ;)  Well done to all of you, and please feel free to pop in and update me on your progress.

OK... back to creative news.

You now have 11 days to get your mojo going and upload your entry in the Boxx Sketch Challenge for this month!  ... and it is AMAZING!!  The gorgeous and uber talented Michelle Fowler gratiously took up the offer to be our Guest Sketch Artist for this month and put together one of her trademark STUNNING sketches for us.  Brace yourselves....

... and the treats keep coming with Michelle's inspiration layout, based on her sketch:

... and then there's Kim Ewins!  {sigh}

As our Featured Member over at the Boxx this month, Kim also got to be the first to

have a go at Michelle's sketch and provide us with even more inspiration!

I love that Kim has flipped the sketch and adapted it to suit her style and the purpose of her layout!

Well done girls and thanks so much for the yummy prompts.

Before I go... just thought I'd share something cute.  One of those everyday moments that make you smile.  I just needed to record it so I don't forget ....

Lachy -  "When are we going to the shops mum?"

Mum -  "As soon as I finish fixing my hair darlin"

Lachy -  "Why.... is it broken?"

hehee.... and yep, it did look pretty broken at the time!  

I hope something makes you smile today.

See you soon,

Jules

x

Hello!!

Remember me?  lol

I know I've been horribly negligent of my lovely blogging friends... and my blog for that matter.  In my defence, both sets of grandparents have visited in the last 4 weeks, in addition to some lovely friends.  I have waved goiodbye to the last of them this morning.  So we have essentially been busy catching up, spending time together (catering for and accommodating 8 and 10 instead of 6!!), settling back into the school routine and some 'new sports' that the girls have taken on... and basically just concentrating on family for a bit.

I did manage to squeeze this one in, in between visitors though...

{through my eyes}

 .... for the latest Colour Room palette:

I never have a problem putting orange and blue together  (some of you may already know that!  hehe)... but the magenta kinda threw me at first.  The idea was to use a small amount of it I think.

I just LOVE all the Prima Mistables atm... expect to see more of them!  :)

Sadly, my Canon had a little unexpected sabatical too!  I don't know why, but I just haven't touched it for a couple of weeks... and missed soooo many family opportunities. : ( 

Hoping it wasn't holding too much of a grudge, I let it out for a play yesterday.  So, in pictorial form, here are some of the things we've been up to:

A bit of water play....

A bit of togetherness...



A bit of this...

(yes, imagine her delight when she saw her name on them!)

A bit of that... 

(Claire now spends more time on her hands than on her feet!  lol)

 And a LOT of this...

I won't bang on about it too much, but I have lost 10kg in 5 weeks!!

I love feeling fitter and more motivated.
I love that I want to do more.
I love that the kids are seeing a healthier me.
I love that fitness is back in my everyday again ..... for good.

Hope you have all been well.

Bye for now,

Jules
x

Household Rhythm...

This is our TV.

Great TV.  We really like it.  It's just perfect for our spacious open planned living area/kitchen.  Only problem is, it has looked like this for the last 3 days!

Our troublesome Telstra T-Box (which I don't recommend) has finally stopped talking to the remote altogether.  Without a functioning paired remote, you can't watch anything at all... until the new remote arrives that is!  We are not the only ones to have suffered this fate.  It is a known problem with this lemon ... (ahem)... system.

The funniest and most unexpected thing has happened though.  Our afternoons have been much more peaceful.  Our night time ritual has been so much smoother and better organised.  Our dinner time has been so much more 'connected'.  Instead of raising our voices to be heard over the top of each other, and the television, and then turning the television up even more, to hear it properly.... we are speaking in civilised tones and really listening, in the absence of any other distractions.  The kids are playing together more and looking for things to do, instead of just being passively entertained.  Don't get me wrong, passive entertainment most definitely has it's place, just in the right balance.

So, thank you Telstra, for being so predictably unreliable.  And I really mean this without sarcasm... oddly enough.  We have definite plans to make this a reglar thing now.  Instead of having the television mumbling away in the background for no apparent reason, it will stay off until we want or need to watch something.

That's the plan anyway.  :)

Jules
x

Time to Share... !

Hello lovely bloggers!

Yep, still here!  Funny how life can pick you up and whisk you off on a tangent from time to time.  Last weekend of the School hols here, which involved a visit from my folks, visits from far away friends, lots of catching up, lots of cleaning and re-organising rooms (I can now see the floor in my boys room!) lol.

Oh... and lots and lots of time spent focussing on my health and fitness.  Taking a little extra time to really plan and organise meals for maximum health benefit.  No leaving things until the last minute and making do with less than perfect food choices!  I'm sure we all do that every now and then.... :)  And then there is the exercise!  All I can say is that the 12WBT has restored my love of really feeling good.  A feeling that can only be borne from almost getting spat off the treadmill because you genuinely couldn't put one more foot in front of the other.  ;) ... or from doing so many squats in a session that your subsequent jelly legs mean even the most mundane of tasks, such as visiting the little girls room, poses a whole world of threatening scenarios.  Enough said! hehee.

To say that I have embraced a new direction is quite understated.  I feel motivated and energised.  I love it!!

The good thing is I can see some spare time on the immediate horizon.  Woohoo.  I've got some ideas that I can't wait to put on paper.  For now though, how about I share the October Kraft It Up challenge that went up today?  This month you need to create a layout using ONE of the following styles....
* Monochromatic

* Minimalist

* Vintage/Romantic/Shabby Chic

Remember your creation must be based on Kraft or Kraft PP.

I opted for the Monochromatic style.  I find it quite difficult to resist the temptation to add another pop of contrasting colour with your embellies, however if you complement this style with a photo containing a contrasting colour, it is so worth it.  It serves to really accentuate your photo.

{walk with me}

I have used some of that yummy Tim Holtz resist Kraft, lots of ink, glimmermist and glimmerglam to help with the monochromatic theme and, again,  I have used the frame from the Sweet Serenity digi kit by Lydell Quinn and Emma Stafrace, just recoloured.  So versatile.

The theme is so broad this month, that I'm sure it will cater to all styles. :)

Oh, and can you believe I have no family photos to share??!! Can't believe I haven't whipped that camera out for almost 2 weeks.... well, aside from this yesterday. I just couldn't resist. What holiday is complete without playdates and sugar?

OK, I think it's time to go and mess up my clean scrap space!!

Cheers for now,

Jules
x

A Walk on the Dark Side....

Hello lovely bloggers,

Sorry I've been a bit MIA lately, I've just been really busy with 'life'... lol.  What, with school hols, my mum and dad visiting (and the obligatory spring clean that goes along with that!!) .... not to mention the new 'fighting fit' focus since starting the Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Challenge (I've lost 4.7kg in a week and a half!!)... all creativity has taken a little bit of a back seat unfortunately!  Dont' worry, plenty of new ideas are bubbling away in those deep, dark recesses.  :)

I did however, manage to squeeze this little guy in for the new Colour Room palette this week.  A little dark and moody for me I know, but the 'b' side of this Kaiser paper just spoke to me.... hehehe!  I was really inspired by how the one red chair in the inspo pic this week really dominates the room too, so I used this technique to draw the eye to my photo, which would have otherwise been a bit lost in the chaos!  I'm also hoping that this old pic of my little guy napping lightens the mood a little too.  :))

{pause}

Ok, back to my visitors... more are due to arrive any minute for lunch!!

Promise to be back soon to do some visiting.  I'm starting to suffer from withdrawals... :))

Cheers,

Jules
x

Yesterday.....

This little guy.....

turned 3.

When asked what he wanted for his birthday, his response?

"I just want cake!"

So......

What could possibly be better than a Ben 10 Cupcake Tower?

A sparkling Ben 10 Cupcake Tower of course!!!  :))

Yep, said Master 3 is a bit Ben 10 mad, so what do you do when you live is a town completely underqualified in the 'Ben 10 Suppliers' category..... (and you've left it too late to shop online for supplies) ??

1.  Download a couple of iconic images and make little toothpick flags out of them!  :)

2.  Cook some yummy cup cakes.

3.  Add a smidgen of black and green food colouring.

4.  Light those sparklers.

.... and we're Goin' Hero!!  :)

Happy Birthday little man!

Love,

Mum

xxx

New Leaf...

OK.... so spring has sprung and it represents a new leaf for me.

A few weeks ago, I signed up for this:

... and today is Day One!!

A full three months of winter have been terrible to us.  We have been hit with one flu bug after another, coughed, sniffed and groaned our way through the season, unable (or unwilling) to get out and get active..... and it shows!!!  I've hated every minute of it.  Enough.  That 'winter coat' just has to go!!  :)

My first (of many) early morning workouts are done and I feel FANTASTIC!  I coughed a lot, almost vomited, muscles burned and whinged.... but when all is said and done, I was quite surprised by how much residual fitness is still there.  They say muscle has memory.  All I can say, is that I hope mine isn't suffering from long term memory loss!  lol

I'm determined to give it everything and not get distracted.  I'm motivated.  I'm excited.

Happy Monday Everyone!!!

Jules
x

My First Ever Digi!!

And my second share for today!  :)

I only got PS for the very first time a few weeks ago and really haven't played much with it at all, aside from a couple of little photo editing tricks.   When my awesomely talented buddies over at The Colour Room, Lydell Quinn and Emma Stafrace, offered all the DT girls a free digital kit.... well, what more incentive did I need??  These chickies are so talented and they make this digi stuff look so easy, when it sooo isn't!!  What a way to celebrate Palette # 75!!  Wow.... great achievement girls!

I won't tell you how long it took me to produce this... way too long!...  but I really enjoyed playing with it.  I know it looks a little 'amateurish' and I have plenty to learn still, but I think it passes as reasonable for a first attempt  :)

{rest}

Here's a little look at the kit:

Isn't is just amazing?!!  There is also a little giveaway on The Colour Room home page too if you want to have a little lookie.  There is a .jpeg and a .png file for you to copy for free!!

As much as I enjoyed playing with something new though, I think glue/paper/scissors will always be my addiction of choice.  :)   ... so of course I did a hybrid too.  I actually did this one first, before going back for a play with the digi version.

{take flight}

As you can tell from the inspo pic that was teamed with the palette this week, I was really taken with the opulence of the gold, so this really influenced my hybrid page.

So much so, that I added some tangled gold metalic thread....

 ... and some gold embossing powder...

 ... and a spritz of Walnut Gold Glimmermist on the Pink Paislee Mistables pp.  LOVE. THIS. PAPER!! :)

So, that's it for this week.  If you have never done a Colour Room palette before (and even if you have), then this week is definitely the one to do!!

I'm thinkin' it might be create night tonight.... i can feel some inspiration coming on!  lol

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend. 

Jules
x