Hi there.....Just a quick post to let you know that we had a great Christmas. Hope you all did too.

Cindy and Charli spent the night here Christmas Eve and Mum was here as well. Charli woke us all up at 6:06am so we opened our presents. I did very well in the present department I must admit.
At about 9ish we went to the street party that is held each christmas day by the residents of our street. It is a opportunity to catch up and see how everyone has made it through the year. Unfortunately one of our neighbours lost their 20 year old son in about October so it was not a happy time for them this Christmas.

Then we came home and had croissants for breakfast and a bit of a lazy sitting about with a glass of champagne or 2.

We packed a picnic lunch and headed over to Tusmore Park. It is a very large pretty park and has a wading pool in it. Charli put her bathers on and spent quite a bit of time in the pool while we had our lunch and a little more Champagne. It was absolutely beautiful there, the weather was perfect and just sitting in the sun with a nice drink, none of us wanted to leave but we were expecting visitors at Cindy's place at 2:30. Cindy sent them an sms and said we would not be there until 3:30 so we eventually had to move.

We spent the rest of the day until about 10:30pm at Cindy's place with friends and more food and drinks. A very pleasant and enjoyable day.

Mum and I have spent the last 3 days making and album to hold the photos I took at her 80th birthday party. I bought the directions from Kathy Orta on the internet and we started from scratch. It has taken us the full 3 days to make the album and it is still not finished. I think Mum is pretty happy with her's though and she plans on finishing it off during the heat wave that is due to hit Whyalla about Sunday for 3 or 4 days.

Mum flew home this afternoon and I have spent the night loading Photoshop CS6 onto my computer. It was my Christmas present from Cindy. So over the next week or so I will have a good look around it and see what is different than the previous version that I have been using.

Here are a few more photos from Mum's party
This one is Mum with her children

And this one is Mum with her grandchildren and great grandchildren

Any way I'm off to bed now.
Thanks for dropping by
Till next time
Cheers
Julie

So much has happened since my last post. I will have a go at catching you up with what has been happening in my part of the world.

We have been taking Charli to piano lessons on a Monday afternoon so that she can catch up to a class she will be joining when the new school year starts. She starts school in the new year and we will be picking her up from school each Tuesday and taking her to her piano lessons. At this stage she is still very interested in playing so while the interest is there we will keep taking her.

I had lunch with a scrapbooking friend one day. I had not seen her face to face for sometime so it was good to catch up with her.

We spent 5 days in Whyalla with Mum. She turns 80 on Christmas Eve but we gave her a party on the 15th December at my sisters house in Whyalla. All of her family made it except one grand-daughter and her 3 children so it was a great catch up time for all of us. There were also quite a few of mum's life-long friends there so I think there would have been between 60 - 80 people there. We all helped out and with the 7 of us all doing a bit there was not too much to do for one person although Traci would have had to do a lot more than the rest of us as it was held at her place.
The important thing is that Mum loved it and had a great time.

One of my sisters and her family gave Mum a ticket to see Jersey Boys and a airfare from Adelaide to Whyalla. As we were coming back on the Sunday she came back with us. My sister and family also gave me a ticket to see Jersey Boys for my birthday so in Sunday evening Mum and I went to the Festival Theatre and watched the show. It was great and Mum was absolutely wrapped. She spent the day with us on Monday and most of Tuesday, flying home at 4pm Tuesday.

On the Monday while she was here I had Laser Surgery on my eyes to correct my long vision. I still have to have glasses for reading but my long distance vision is perfect. I was a bit tentative about having the surgery done but in the end it worked out well. I have had no pain and my vision is excellent.

While we were in Whyalla I had a call from the doctor who had taken a biopsy of a growth on my nose to say that it was a carcinoma and that I would need to see a plastic surgeon about getting it removed. I go and see the surgeon on the 29th January so have got my fingers crossed that it has not gone too deep.

We went to Sue Heinrich's Christmas breakup that she had for her dance students on Tuesday night. We had a great night. The people who go to Sue's lessons are very nice and it is always a pleasant time when we all catch up.

We had Charli for half the day on Thursday. It is school holidays so there is no kindy for her. Cindy usually works half a day on Wednesdays but she worked a full day Wednesday and half a day on Thursday so we only had her until 2pm.

Yesterday I got all the photos from Mum's party printed. I got 2 sets, one for me and one for Mum. I also bought some instructions off the internet for making an "Occasions Folio". I went to Camelot and bought all of the required materials to make 2 of them. Mum is coming to spend Christmas with us and staying until the following Friday so I thought it would be a good project for both of us to make the Album and put the photos from the party in it while she is here.

Today I have made a batch of Laundry powder and a batch of Miracle Spray. I have started making my own because I want to try to avoid as many chemicals as I can and it feel like I am doing something good for the environment. I have been using the Laundry powder for about 6 months and really like it. This is the first batch of miracle Spray I have made. It is used for cleaning just about everything so I will see how it goes.

A few photos from the party

This one is of my cousin, my brother-in-law, me and Cindy

Me and Cindy

Another Brother-In-Law (well ex really) and Ray

The birthday girl blowing out the candles

One of my sisters decorated the cake. It was the first one she had ever done and she did a great job.

Well this has been a very long post.
Thanks for getting to the bottom
Till next time
Cheers
Julie

Christmas has arrived at our place.

I spent the day yesterday putting up the Christmas Tree

It took me an hour to get to this stage

Then four hours after that I had this

and with the lights turned on

Every year I say I am going to buy a new christmas tree that is easier to erect but once again I didn't

Last Sunday we went to the Uraidla Hot Rod Show. I am not really into cars but they had the Lincolns playing there and I really like this band so I was happy to go along and have a few dances.

A couple of the cars in a nice shady spot

The beautiful surrounds. What a great place to hold something like this. It was held at the Uraidla Oval. The cars were on the oval and spotted throughout the surrounding shady area.

Some of the guitars that Dave Gartland had on display. He makes these guitars. Fantastic workmanship

Well I got my christmas cards posted out today so I am on track with my Christmas tasks.

Till next time
Thanks for dropping by
Cheers
Julie

Just a quick post today to share some photos of layouts etc that I have done this week.

I have just come home from seeing about having laser surgery on my eyes to correct my long vision. I will still have to have glasses for reading. All I have to do now is decide whether I want to go ahead with it or not. Need to give this some serious thought for a day or so.

This layout was inspired by a sketch on Aussie Scrap Source. Just loved all the pennants.

This art journalling page is the next page in the Art of Wild Abandonment on-line course I am doing. It does not show it very well but there is a clear plastic pocket in the bottom right that hold leaves with word written on them. It is stitched shut

The layout above is the next class at Camelot. It shows how to use a grid in a layout.

That's it for today.
Thanks for dropping by
Till next time
Cheers
Julie

It is Saturday night and we are at home!!!! Cindy is away for the night and we have Charli.
We took her to Semaphore and had fish and chips on the beach for tea then she went for a swim. She is a real girl and does not like to walk on the sand, the smell of the sea or swim in sea water so we thought our visit would be a short one. Wrong...she ate her tea, walked over the sand to the water and got in the water to play around then walked back over the sand. It was past 9 by the time we got home, had her showered and in bed. The poor little thing was so tired she could not stay awake for a bedtime story.

I have got some more photos to share with you tonight.

These first 4 were taken at "The Killing Fields". I do not understand how one person can kill another person but to see killings of this magnitude turns ones stomach. Not only were they killing human beings but they were fellow country men. The signs tell the story of what happened here. There are none of the original buildings left standing.

This view is of Phnom Penh from the boat. Phnom Penh was completely deserted during the Pol Pot reign. He gave the resident 2 hours to pack their belongings and get out of the city.

These next photos were taken in Chou Duc.

Another ride in a Tuktuk. Slightly different style to the previous one we had been on and not as comfortable.

Everyone over their rides scooters. The most people we saw on one scooter riding down the road was 5. It was an education to see what they managed to carry on these small bikes. Not only are they their personal transport but they use them as delivery truck and transporters to get their good to market. We saw them with crates of chickens, piglets and all sorts of things piled so high you had to wonder how they stayed there. Walking across the road was an experience. There are no gaps so you just step off the footpath and walk at a steady pace across the road and all the traffic goes around you. It takes a step of faith the first few times you have to do it but if you don't you would stay on the wrong side of the road all day.

A nice tidy little area on the river bank.

The tuktuk procession on the right taking us for a tour of the town. Typical shops/residences on the left. This is a quiet village hence the lack of traffic

This is a fish farm. The family also live on this floating building. They grow Basa fish and if you had visited here you would never eat basa again, just like I won't.

The fish in the pens. Disgusting.

Some of the floating houses along the river bank. I was fascinated by the number of TV antennae. They were everywhere.

Well that is it for tonight
Thanks for dropping by
Till next time
Cheers
Julie

I have completed another Art Journal page for the on-line course I am doing with Christy Tomlinson/Junelle Jacobson. It is called The Art Of Wild Abandonment and I am really enjoying it.

The background is done with Pan Pastilles with a bit of stamping, the vases are pan pastilles as a base with rub-ons, glitter and acrylic paint used with punchonella. The flowers petal are acrylic paints painted onto baking paper then cut into required shapes and stuck in place with mod podge. The leaves are paper and the flower centres are Texture Paste coloured with acrylic paint. Detailing with black and white pen.

I really like the bright colours and the texture that is achieved with the petals.

Now I have some more photos to share of our Cambodia/Vietnam holiday. All of these photos were taken in Phnom Penh.

Ray & I in our Tuktuk's about to be taken on a ride around the town on our way to the Royal Palace

Typical street traders

The entrance to the Royal Palace

The Dance Hall at the Royal Palace. We did not get to do any dancing here.

The restaurant where we had lunch. Very pretty.

In the afternoon we went to see the Killing Fields, I will share the photos from there next post.

That's it for today
Thanks for dropping by
Till next time
Cheers
Julie

Hi...It has been about three weeks since my last post and just like everyone else I wonder where the time has gone. When did life get so busy that it all seems like a big blur.

We have been to Whyalla for 5 days at the beginning of November to visit Mum and celebrate my youngest sisters 50th birthday.

Rushed back to Adelaide on Sunday (4th November) morning for Ray to DJ at the Adelaide Rock and Roll Clubs Muster on Sunday afternoon, it is part of their annual Rock and Roll Festival which goes for 10 days. The following Tuesday we went to the Club Night and on the Wednesday night we went to the British to see the Greg Hart show, "Me and my Guise", Ray DJ'd here as well. What a great show, Greg is very good at what he does, so is Ray.

On Friday of that week Cindy and I joined a couple of my sisters for a weekend get-together and catch up. We had a fantastic time. Came home about lunchtime on Sunday in time to attend the final event for the Rock and Roll Festival which is a day at Sunnybrea with 9 bands, dance floors and lots of friends. I could not have asked for a better weekend.

This week we spent some time at Cindy's new house on Monday fitting a dog door and returning her "stuff" that she had stored in our shed while she was trying to sell her house. Tuesday of course we spent the day with Charli. I am always astounded at how good she is. A joy to have around. Wednesday Ray went out for the day with his mates doing "car" stuff so I had the day to myself. Cant remember what I did with the time but it soon went.

Each year I make a calendar for my Mum which shows all the birthdays. I order it through Snapfish. I spent all day and night on Thursday compiling the calendar ready to be printed. I give one of the calendars to each of my siblings for christmas, it has become a christmas tradition now and several of my sisters get extra ones for their children. I had to order 18 this year.

Friday I spent the day going through all the photos I took in Cambodia and Vietnam on our recent holiday. I have picked out 117 to have printed and have ordered the prints. Several people have asked to see photos from the holiday so Brian has asked that we each choose 100 of our photos and we will put them together for a "slide" show one night and anyone who is interested in seeing them can come and have a look.

Here are a few of my photos, I will share them in small amounts over the next few weeks.

This photo is at Ta Prohm Temple (Siem Reap Cambodia)

These next photos are of our cabin on the Jahan. We spent 7 nights on this boat cruising through Cambodia and Vietnam. Very relaxing. Each day we had 2 excursions to see how the locals live and exist. Some of it was very good and some of it was quite confronting.

Some of the "better" housing in Cambodia. We stopped at this village to see their silversmithing skills.
I bought a nice silver bracelet.

At Wat Hanchey. Where the 300 odd steps were that I showed in a previous post. This is part of the village/monastery that is at the top of the stairs.

A monument at Wat Hanchey

Ray and I with the Mekong River in the background looking out from Wat Hanchey

Well that is it for today
Normally I would be at Camelot this afternoon teaching a scrapbooking class but all of my ladies are busy today so I am going to use the time to do some Art Journalling and some scrapbooking as I will be home alone tonight as well because Ray is DJ'ing at a birthday party.

I am looking forward to having some nice quiet creative time.

Till next time
Thanks for dropping by
Cheers
Julie

It has been a busy week. Cindy moved house so we have spent a bit of time helping her.
Ray did a DJ job at Kapunda on Saturday night and I went into the city and caught up with my sister and her partner and a couple of their friends who were in town to see The Jersey Boys.
Not much else to tell you about today so will sign off with the promise of doing a more informative post with pictures in the not too distant future.

Thanks for dropping by
Till next time
Cheers
Julie

While I am at it here is a layout I did yesterday.

Cheers
Julie

Just a quick post to share what I have created during the "Art of Wild Abandonment" course with Christy Tomlinson/Junelle (can't remember her last name)

When I looked at the first video for this course and saw that it was about sketching I thought I have waisted my money on this one. I can't sketch to save my life. But I stuck with it and watched a few more of the video's and when I realised sketching does not have to be life-like I figured I would give it a go.

The first exercise was to sketch some owls. Here is my version. I did it on some loose paper and have coloured it with watercolours. As you can see when I pasted it into my Sketch book I did not get it very smooth but I am not too bothered about that.

They are supposed to be whimsical creatures, just as well, I have never seen owls that look like this.

Anyway, I am happy with them I think they are cute.

Next up...Cupcakes

Thanks for dropping by
Till next time
Cheers
Julie