HAPPY 12th BIRTHDAY STEPHANIE!

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday dear Stephanie

Happy Birthday to you!

YAY your 12th birthday is finally here and officially you turn 12 at 11.35am today!
So I hope you have a great day Steps (as we call her for short) and that it is a wonderful kinda birthday day today and I know it will be.

So stay tuned with this post when I get some photos of Steps in here.

Until later ciao!

Do You Like My NEW Look?

I decided it was time to give my blog a new look and so here is what I did all afternoon cause it takes me that long....lol.
I am really happy with it as it is bright, happy and cheerful. I think it is done so leave a comment and let me know what you think please!

There's still a couple of little things I need to tweak but apart from that it's done!!!!

It's party time YAY!!!!

Well not yet but in 2 more sleeps it will be as my DD Stephanie turns 12......and would you also believe that our cat Ragamuffin shares the same birthday with Stephanie and he turns 4....lol although he is not having a sleepover with his best mates!

So Stephanie wanted her 2 best buddies to sleepover and that's ok.....take away (pizza Steps has requested) and DVD's as well and lots of party food and drink and I guess a lack of sleep as well that simply goes hand in hand when one has a birthday and a sleepover.

Ok so far here is a view of the invitations I made. Only had to do 2 ......hehehehehe.....but here is what they look like.

This of course is Laura's and the other invite which is exactly the same but just a different name is Nicoles. Not bad hey!!!!

Ok the next thing I did so far is make her birthday card although she has not seen it yet so SssssHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh for 2 more days ok!!! Here it is a preview of what card she will be getting. Not bad either hey even if I do say so myself....lol and I do!!!!

Ok so stay tuned for whatever else may just happen to pop on here in celebration of Steps 12th birthday.

Ciao for now

What have I been up to over the last couple of days you ask!!!!

Enough!!!
Plenty of creating as it is birthday season this month for lots of people I know so I have been busy making birthday cards and invitations. I have also been working on my 3rd kit which is coming along rather nicely and I can't wait until I have somewhere to sell them. I am still waiting for scrap'nchat to get underway, and like all good things it takes time.

Anyway here is a card I made for a girlfriend next door so I hope you like it!

Thank Goodness!!!!

YAY!!!! The kids are back at school! Now don't get me wrong I love the school holidays but these ones were just to close to the xmas break we seem to have just had and boy as the kids get older they get so bored. So they are all back at school and today has been a little more peaceful.

Although another 2 hours and they will all be home again................ hehehehehehe............lol

Ok so what's new.......not much although I did spend a fair bit of the weekend in bed due to migraines and they make me sick so bed was the place for me.
The new site over at "scrap'nchat" is great and buzzing with a hive of activity so that is really good and it is going strong and alot of members from DSH are heading over there.

Today I have been simply catching up although it is going to take forever to do as I have so many emails I haven't looked at but I'll get there.

I would like to work on the kit I have been working on a little today so may do so when I am finished here and then may look at doing some scrapbooking as well. I have a few cards to do too as it is my DD Stephanies birthday on Friday and she will be 12 and can't wait to get some photos and scrap them.

I can't believe she is going to be 12 gosh they sure grow up ever so quickly. Anyway will certainly post photos and LO's of her here.

Ok that's it from me for now so ciao for now!!!

I am so glad I started my own blog and I must get a groovy title/banner as well going....oh well there are more days after today and my list of to do's is growing longer and longer each day!!!!!

Due to DSH closing it's doors and I have nowhere else to host this LO which has has been nominated for Favorite Layout (Non DTM/Designer Amateurs Only) at http://www.onesourcescrapads.com/nominees.shtml

I thought I had better pop it on my blog for all to few at this moment.

So here it is and enjoy.

Credits: URBAN KIWI by Shabby Princess
and sorry I can't remember the font!

Oh and the little girl in the photo is me when I was 3 years of age!

The Time Has Come.......

For DSH to close it's doors. I was so lost yesterday when I heard the sad news as I know all of us over there were. It's true DigitalScrapbookHaven will close officially at the end of April but due to server problems the forum and gallery have already closed.

The shop is still up and running with a fantastic sale so go on over and pick up a bargain.

I would like to take this moment just to say thanks to Kazz (owner) and the mods there and all my new found mates as well for the past 6 months as it has been awesome.

Also a special thanks go out to Heather and her DH, Annette and Kate as we now have a new forum (just temporary at this stage) to keep us all sane and keep us all in contact with one another and to simply 'Scrap'n Chat' as they say so pop on over there and join in the fun it's free and we're a great bunch.

And whats more there is going to be more surprises just waiting for us over the next little while that are just going to rock so stay tuned.................... better still come on over and join in.....ohhhh grab a cuppa and a bikkie as well as it is a fun place to be.

Ok just a quick blog to show you the preview of my second kit I have been working on and is now finished. Hope you like it and please leave some feedback about it. You know I love it!!!!

Time for another blog entry!!!

Well it seems like I can only manage at this stage to get in and update my blog every Wednesday.....lol and of course each time there is much to tell and much to catch up on. Many emails and blogs to check out so I will try to get that done today as well.

We are on school holidays still but only a few more days and they will be all over and done with till Easter. The kids are of course as bored as anything. It is so hard to know what to do that just doesn't cost money and that will suit them now that 2 are teens and the others are heading that way. So yesterday I hired out 7 DVD's for them for $7 and of course that was only yesterday right well they have just about watched the lot......lol funny how you think that at least that may keep them entertained for a little bit longer than a day. We also went to a place on Friday called Living Wings and Things and that was nice. Fed rainbow lorikeets, patted the dingos, saw the wombat fast asleep with not even a batter of the eyelids when we called him several times to come play.....lol

Checked out the lizards, crocodile, frogs, you know all the usual things that are behind glass so you can't touch them. Anyway here are some pics of the day.






How is my designing going you ask??!!!

Great!! My computer came back last Thursday and since then I have been busily putting files in their right places and moving somethings around as well as trying to catch up with my emails. I had close to 200 yep I get a lot daily. Some are digi newsletters and paper scrapping newsletters, some are from friends, a little is junk as that happens, and I still haven't opened up lots and each day there are more but I'm working on it.

So I finished the kit I called English Country Garden that I lost some of and it is looooooking terr-i-fic even if I do say so myself so when I get the preview done (hopefully today) I'll pop it on here for you guys to see.
I am also working on my 3rd kit which is coming along once again fab-u-lous!!!! And I am still working out a name for that one as they seem to come as I am working on them but not sure so far I have called it sugar-n-spice but may call it Marshmallow. The colours in this kit are pinks and browns yummo!!!! and really remind me of fresh marshmallows as well as toasted so am still not sure may have to do the eeny meeny miny mo thing with it.....lol

I actually went into the new paper scrapping shop yesterday (it's been open for a few months now) to try to spur me on for some inspiration and motivation but guess what !!!!!!........everytime I saw something all I could think of was creating everything digi (when I learn how to with some of it....lol)....................so what's happening to me am I crossing over to a full digi scrapper!!!!

Cause I have also (SSSSSSSSsssssssssssssshhhhhhhhh) not paper scrapped since last year, don't tell anyone but I have done digi scrapping and this designing stuff is keeping me busy as well and I am teaching myself alot with it and learning new stuff all the time and my good friends Kate and Annette are always there with an answer when I need it. Thankyou to both of you for all you have done and for giving me the confidence I need and having faith in me as a newbie designer. We wannabe designers all need that.

So that might be it for today I think so from me to you cioa for now!

No I haven't been hiding.....lol

Well I thought it was time to pop on in here and update this old blog of mine....hehehehehe

I haven't been hiding but my own computer has been in the shop getting fixed since last Thursday and I still haven't heard from them even though they said they would try to get it sorted out that afternoon so I wait and wait some more.

Let me tell you my little story........
I was working on my 2nd kit, called English Country Garden, see I had already named it......which was just gorgez and had saved some papers to come back to them the next day. The next day I create 6 more beautifully designed papers to put with the 6 already done and everything was perfect simply perfect!!!!!!

Then it happened trying to save the papers as one does when one is finished the PC froze and I mean froze......I left it all night just to see if time would unfreeze it but no not at all so I lost 6 most beautiful papers. Thankfully I had written my colours and my other info down as I do when creating and it will not take me too long to get them up and going again when I get my baby back.

But all those hours of hard work was lost and as much as I was sadly dissappointed there was nothing I could do but turn the PC off and ring the computer shop straight away asking if the 200G internal HD that I had ordered some 2 weeks prior was finally in. nope it wasn't but they had a 160G in so I said right I'll bring my computer in now and can you just sort all that out for me asap. they said they would do it that afternoon and I am still waiting. I know they get busy and they always say at least 7-10 days so I am patiently waiting as I do best.

The kit I am working on is just adorable and it is so amazing that once you have the basic knowledge you then just extend on that learning as you go along.
12 papers are in this one and then I wish to add a few ribbons, some elements in the way of flowers etc etc and perhaps even an alpha for this one. So I can't wait to get my computer back to get stuck into doing what I lost again and adding to it.

As I already mentioned the kit does have a name
"English Country Garden"!!!!! Suits it to a T!!!!!!

Ok on to the next topic my son Lance needs an operation on his toe. Last year in school he had an accident where he was helping to set up the gym equipment.......those horse block things we all had to jump over once in our own lifetime.....lol and we all know how heavy they are as well.

So anyway this day Lance was doing just that when along came somewhere whilst he was picking up this horse block and jumped straight onto it.....with lances foot still underneath it. phone call from the school, rush up to hospital, xrayed, metal splint on it as they thought it was broken although at the time they said they couldn't see a break because of the mess in and out of his toe there was so much blood underneath the nail and the whole thing was a mess. Doctor said looks like it's broken, it's a mess and he will lose the nail but it will take ages for it too heal. A couple of days later they xrayed it again and said no breaks thank goodness.

Anyway part of the nail that was a mess fell off finally and over the xmas holidays the new started growing.....right into the flesh of his toe. So it has got so bad a month ago we took him off to the doctors as it was so messy and it had an infection in it 2 lots of antibiotics, another trip to the doctors last week and now he needs to see surgeon and so we wait as he will have to go through the public system. I hope we find something out soon as he is so limited in what he can do now and he can barely walk on it.

School holidays is once more upon us as the commonweath games are being held here in Victoria. As wonderful as they are it has disrupted the school term in a fairly big way so the teachers say and fair enough too as not only are they on holidays now for 2 weeks but once they are over they go back to school for a couple of weeks or so and then easter is upon us and they have the easter break off as well so little schooling these next few weeks and lots of holidays. then to top it all off it is just Victoria who are like this and not the rest of the country.

Anyway I think I will finish up for now and go make a cuppa. Might also ring the computer shop and just see if my computer is ready you never know I might just be lucky.....hehehehehehe......then if it is it will be head down and bottom up working and working some more and can you imagine all the emails I'll have. I get so many on a daily basis anyway I am going to have hundreds to check and and sort through.....lol

Ciao for now and until next time smile!!!!!!
(it's contagious)

Chris

First Kit finally finished!!!!

YAY!!!!

I have finally finished my first kit "Fleur-De-Lis"and have added a few buttons to this kit so just to see the progress made here is a sneak preview.

I have learnt so much along the way and want to say a special thanks to Kate and Annette for being able to bug them at all hours....lol and ask for all their help to get this far.......and don't worry girls I'm not done with you yet either.....lol now onto zipping it and getting you both to check it out and see if everything is right.....that's the next thing to do.


So there it is and thanks guys for all the great comments you left me with the previous preview of it it gave me the world of confidence to keep on with it all.

Ok well that's enough for tonight I think....... just a quick update from me.

Well mid week already and boy what a week!!!!!!!

Well here we are midweek already! I do believe the days go so quick and I don't know about anyone else but no sooner does the day start when the day is over and you look back on the day and say GOSH where did it go!!!!!

I know it has been awhile since blogs and all I got to say is it's been busy....physically to a point but mentally more so and there has been stuff happening here that I have had to sort through like good old centrelink once again with some stuff to do with this small home based business I closed on the 31st of January well about 2 weeks or so ago I realised I had not let centrelink know about it and rang them as I do from time to time as I have to and I got told I had to fill out forms etc because of it then I told the young fellow on the phone that I was not GST or BAS registered it was simply a hobby I turned into a business where no income was made yatta yatta yatta and he said ok no worries no need to fill the forms in I'll cancel them and you won't recieve them.......YEH RIGHT....2/3 days later what do I get from the postie but these forms that I was not suppose to fill out but with it came a letter saying this all needs to be done asap letting us know your income and your hubies income details.....loss and profit statements and BAS statements and all that goes with that.

Ok another phone call to Centrelink and of course a different person altogether and had to explain to them that I don't need to fill out these forms and the resons why. Well that is the understatement of the year she quite politely implied that I must fill out the forms as youmust have recieved some money in and I said nope no income and you already have all my statements that I gave to you in November last year...that didn't go down so well so then she said we need to see all your profit/loss statements and I said never had to have them as centrelink said nope no need at this stage wasn't earning anything so that was it.....after some time and trying to get through to her she said ok I'll have to get the Complex Assessment Team to look into this because you should have been doing it different all along and you haven't. It will take a few days and they will get in touch with you. I rang my accountant who let me know that what centrelink were after was not right and that they would write a letter explaning all the details etc etc.

Come the next evening I got this phone call from a lovely lady working at the centrelink office here in Bendigo telling me this girl was very wrong and that I was right in all I did and I don't have to fill in any forms and she would just take the business off my centrelink profile and that it has finished and that's it nothing more to do. I was so relieved as it had been an unnecessary stress nightmare and above all of that I had rang my accountant to tell them and of course they were annoyed and said I didn't need to do all the stuff they reckoned I did.
To top it all of the lady said the Complex Assessment Team are there for companies etc that close down with people they have employed etc. I was just a little home based business that tried to turn my hobby of scrapbooking into a business that was all no company nothing.

Anyway that has all been sorted out and I am at peace with it all so I am happy. Now don't get me wrong I am very greatful to Centrelink for all they do for us as we have the 4 kids and hubby is in Uni so without them and no income we would not survive...not that we are rolling around in riches at all but i am greatful for the money we get from them. The thing I find most difficult about having to deal with anyone there is that some of them simply get it wrong and no matter what you say they are right until they realise they made a mistake and that can be very very difficult to deal with.

So enough of that and now onto my next lot.....well got the external HDD back and it is working like a charm but guess what the internal has now fully run out I mean there is no free space left on the poor thing so I have ordered another HD and when it comes in they will simply remove the older smaller one and clone it to the bigger one and pop it back in and then hey presto I am all up and running without fear of my PC completely crashing. It is running very slow at the moment and no-one is allowed to access it 'cept me for fear of it completely crashing so once again I am on slow mode but hey whay can one do but the techs are great and will sort it out as soon as I get my new Internal HD.
So then after that I hope that's it for awhile with the PC and I can get on with life and nomajor interruptions.

Next up on the agenda I started designing my first digital kit 2 days ago and have created a few papers etc etc with some elements and I have sent that to a designer (Kate from DSH) to see what she thinks of it so far. I hope she is happy with it and that it's ok. I have been back and forth on whether or not I should design as I have been a little unsure and unclear if I am up to it as I am still learning all about it but I figure well give it a little go and take it from there even if I just send them to all me mates for awhile as freebies then it is a start and I can see whether my stuff is any good. So here is a sneak preview of what I have done anyway.

So that's the kit above and hope you like it too. Leave some comments about this I would only be too happy and ever greatful as well.

Ok ciao for now until next blog!!!!!