Tulip Festival

On Wednesday, 26th September we went to the Tulip Festival in Silvan. We all went as a family along with Micayla and Bailey's Oma and Opa. Actually they took us so thank you for a great day out. The kids had a ball. Micayla went dressed in her dutch costume and she had people wanting to take photos of her. There was so much beautiful colour as you can see in the photos below. It was childrens' day and they had Paul Jamieson singing on stage. Face painting, animals, and lots and lots of other kids stuff. There were 'escaped' gnomes hidden around the tulip farm and you had to find them all. Once they were all found, the kids got some lollies for doing it. I don't know who had more fun searching. Adrian or Micayla???


It was too late at this stage to tell Bailey he couldn't pick the flowers. Bailey is mesmerised looking at all the baby animals in the fence shot.


Micayla had her photo taken with other people that worked there, including the fairy, who told stories to the children in the gorgeous fairy garden. The dot you can see on Micayla forehead is fairy dust.

Allison Ellis Design Team

That roll is still rolling. I have had an awesome day. First the magazine publication acceptance and now this.

I had a call from Allison Ellis herself today. I have been accepted on the Allison Ellis Design Team. It is absolutely awesome to have achieved a position on a wholesalers design team. Can't wait to get my first pack of the new Christmas range, which will be available at Paperific. Some of their Christmas range has purple and silver, which is just gorgeous. Check it out here

This is just a sample, it still has to have the silver, bronze and gold included.

Been punching the air, doing cartwheels, you name it, I'm doing it.

I won and I'm getting published

I received an email last night telling me I'd won the very first challenge on the new journalling challenge blog. Check it out here.

This is the layout. It is the same one that was featured on the multi photo blog.


Also I have just had another layout accepted by For Keeps Magazine, issue No. 62. Whoo Hoo, Yay!!! I'm on a roll. Let's hope I keep rolling.

Footy Tipping Party

On Saturday, 22nd we had our Footy Tipping Party. Thanks to Darren for organising the whole event. Every year we choose our tips for the whole season before the season starts, and on Prelim final day we have a big party with a spit roast and alcohol all provided for in the cost of entering the competition. This year we provided the venue. Darren sets up the big screen and he counts down everyones tips for the whole season (Brownlow style) until we have a winner.

We had a jumping castle for the kids, and yes, what drunken adult would not get on it too. Even me in a mini skirt and I kept falling over and wedging myself between the wall and the floor of the castle. Had to be helped out as I was stuck. Thanks Scott for rescuing me.


First things first. Fill the esky with the beer!!!! Don't you just love the size of our esky. Thanks again Scott for providing that and also for the spit.


Can you believe it. Just had to catch Adrian doing the dishes on camera.


Congratulations to Darren's Dad, Rob for coming first. Don't remember who got 2nd and 3rd, but well done Emma for being such a bad tipster and getting your money back.

We didn't get many photos cause we were just so busy dancing and drinking. The party started around 12.30pm and went until about 1.30am. The kids were all tucked up inside watching DVD's and Bailey was put to bed, while we kept on partying outside. I danced so much in my high heeled boots that my legs feel like I've done a workout in the gym. The mini bike even came out at one stage and we were riding that around in circles in the garage. As cold as the night got, ice ended up down peoples clothing, lots of glasses got broken (even my fav red wine glasses, the only 2 I had left, have to go buy more now) and I even broke my favourite bling ring. :( So you can see the night got pretty messy, but we had loads and loads of fun.

We did come inside for a little bit and the camera happened to be handy. These are a couple of the 'tame' photos I'll share with you. I say no more!!!!



From left to right is me, Emma, Sharelle and Kath. We became friends when our kids were in the same prep class at Hillsmeade P.S. last year. We were being called 'The Hillsmeade Girls" but that's not what we call ourselves LOL.

There was next to no alcohol left by the end of the night. Usually there is always wine left over, but someone was sent down the street to buy more wine for the girls. Just goes to show 'The Hillsmeade Girls' don't mind throwing back a few. Tania also put in a good work out on the Fruity Lexia. Way to go Tan!!!!

Scott and Tania stayed the night and I did a terrible job of making pancakes for breakfast for them all. I had the shakes and everytime I flipped a pancake, it slopped everywhere. Luckily Adrian made the bacon and eggs. After doing some cleaning I spent the rest of the day on the couch. And to think I was planning on getting on the cross trainer???? Darren and Mel came around later to pick up their car and laptop etc., after spending the day at the Royal Melbourne Show. I just cringed at the thought of getting off the couch let alone the show!

More to Share

This was done for a multi photo sketch challenge on the Scrapbooking Memories forum. It's when Micayla wore her new beautiful dress to Joe and Zoe's Engagement. The lettering is covered with felt and material.



This is the double layout I did for the Masters. It's called 'When two souls come together and so begins the circle of life"



I did this one for Julie Dudley. We did a photo swap on the Artypants forum. The one she did for me is on an earlier post of Bailey with Mum and Dad's puppy Ellie.

Pretty In Pink Layouts

These are the 4 layouts I did using the August Pretty In Pink kit from ArtyPants. I started them back in August but it's taken me this long to finish them because of other commitments and then to photograph them and upload them.

I'm on the Multi Photo Layout Blog

Just hopped over to check out a blog and found my layout on the Multi Photo Layout blog. It's called I'mThankful and it was a journalling challenge for another blog. You can check it out here, just scroll down a little way to find it.

Cranbourne Botanical Gardens

Micayla is studying 'Mini Beasts' (insects) in school. They went on an excursion to the Cranbourne Botanical Gardens to go hunting for them. They had a guide who was very informative about the different bugs you'll find in the garden etc. The kids were given bug catchers to have a go at catching some for themselves. Micayla found a cockroach, eeeeewwww!!!

The blue thing Micayla is looking through shows you what an insect's vision looks like. Man I'd hate to have their eyesight. I thought mine was bad, needing an extra pair of glasses over my glasses (when working on fine work of course) but they see multi images all at once. Like having a pair of glasses with lenses made from honeycomb. What the.....????They were also given nets to scoop up the water to see how many bugs are living in the lake. They emptied the nets into a dish of water to see what would be swimming around. They found mosquito larvae, little wormy thingies, all sorts of bugs.

After lunch we had a look around the gardens. There were some beautiful gardens and I got some great pics. Here is one of Micayla posing for one. Getting used to me doing this she is. Not complaining too much yet. Give her time though!!


These are some of Micayla's friends. They were the group of kids I had to look after for the day. In case you haven't already figured it out, I decided to torture myself and go along to help out, LOL, but seriously it was fun and I'd never been to these gardens before. Micayla really loved having me there and it was great spending the day with her and her friends. The two boys are Kyle and Jordan and Emma is on the end. Emma was also in her prep class, she lives around the corner from us and they play after school together a lot, while I have coffee with her mum. They also do Gymnastics together.

This is at the end of the day before her class got back on the bus. Micayla round them all up for a group photo. A budding photographer, organised them very well.

Time to Share

I can now reveal the layouts I did for the ArtyPants Design Team for the September kit - available now. Check it out here.

Go Holden. This photo was taken at the Fox's on the Holden couch thingy.



Rookie - These photos were taken when Adrian took the kids to Tasman Motorsports while I was away on a girls weekend. They got to meet Jason Richards and Greg Murphy.



Sprained Foot. Bailey sprained his foot jumping off the back of the couch when he was flapping his wings pretending to be a bird.


Baby Steam Engine

More Scrapping News

Keep an eye out for Scrapbook Creations issue number 49 coming out in the next couple of months. My mini book that I originally made for the Scrapbooking Memories Masters competition is being featured as a step by step how to project. I'm so excited. That means now I've been published in all 3 magazines. Well I will be once issue 49 is released. Can't wait to see it in print.

Also,

Each month we upload our favourite photos on the ArtyPants forum. I think I may have explained this once before. Well for August I got drawn out again to take part in the photo swap with Julie, One of the Design Team members. Julie is quick off the mark and has already completed the layout with my photos. I've yet to do hers for her. Will get to it very soon I promise Julie. Anyway this is what she did for me and I absolutely LOVE IT.

Jodie has also finished the layout from last month of Micayla. There is a picture on her blog. Click here to view the layout.

Joe and Zoe's Engagement

These are the photos I promised I'd share that were taken at Joe and Zoe's Engagement last Saturday night. They still need editing so excuse the rawness of them.