WILL YOU VOTE FOR ME...???

Hi all......just a quick request
(probably one I shouldn't be asking seeing I have been such a slack blogger of late)
I am in a comp over at The Scrap Lounge and I need your vote.
Here is my LO

If you would like to vote for me you can by clicking on this link and giving my LO a vote
http://www.scraplounge.com.au/promotions/xmas2009/microsite/index.php?username=shazz

There are lots of other gorgeous LOs in the comp too so you can vote for others if you wish.
If you do vote for mine, thanks for your support.

BTW.....this little cutie is my niece, Miss B, who was not so impressed on sitting on Santa's knee a few years back so Santa just let her have his chair - it makes me giggle every time I see it.

Hope you are all staying cool in this awful hot weather.
I have been quite ill and in bed this past week but that's a story for another day.

Hope everyone is well....until next time.....be happy, stay safe but most of all.....
always look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ LIVE OUT LOUD ~*~

shazz xo

*** 15/12/2009 - I didn't win but if you voted for me, a big thanks***

WINNER

Jumped back into the land of CCs and scrapping last weekend over at The Lounge and managed to get one LO scrapped and I won that challenge for the weekend.
YAY ME !!!!

Love these photos of Mark and I....a rare thing these days as it is usually either one of us behind the camera.
Kait was the photographer and the photos were taken up at the lookout at Kirra on the long weekend last June.

Lots going on with Jake and Rach doing their second HSC English paper today; Matt still struggling with finding his place in the world; Kait (Mark and I) off to Coffs tomorrow for Kait to compete in Zone for Physie; Mark flat out trying to run 2 businesses and me trying to adjust to life with a dicky-knee and a dodgy back (long story for another day)

Hoping to scrap today after the linen cupboard is cleaned out; the stinky puppies are washed and "de-stinked"; sheets changed on beds; towels washed; and a trip to the PO.

Thanks to everyone who has re-visited my blog.
Hope everyone is well....until next time.....be happy, stay safe but most of all.....
always look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ LIVE OUT LOUD ~*~

shazz xo

STEPPING BACK INTO BLOG LAND

Hellooooooooooooooo....!!!!
Is anybody out there...???

It's been a while, I know and LOTS has happened - some good...some not so good and I won't bore you with details but thought I should start blogging again.
I do enjoy blogging.

So I have stepped up to the edge and am dipping my toes back into the water. Just a few LO shares for now but hoping to be back in the swing of things very soon.

Hoping to see some visitors - make sure you leave me a "howdy".

This is LO I did as part of my A2Z Scraplet DT commitments - no longer on the team but loved using the products. This is my niece's baby belly. Inside that belly was my first great-nephew, Eligh who was born a few days after my last post WAY back in April.


This is a quick LO I did last weekend - trying hard not to think too much about my scrapping these days and just getting in and doing it.....and this was the end result.


Another A2Z Scraplet DT LO - I actually designed the "Physical Culture" Scraplet so I was pretty chuffed about that and I think it looks great on my LO.


Yep....another A2Z Scaplet LO...Julie was so generous with the product she sent and I still have so much more to use. This was Kait singing her heart out at her Presentation night 2 years ago.


An old photo of Kait and some of pour extended family - cousins and children of cousins...it was a wonderful New Year's day get-together a few years ago and if I posted a photo of those four little girls now you would be blown away by how big they all are - Eden on the right is Mark's brother's daughter and she is over 6 feet tall and about to head off to Sydney to one of the dance schools down there and Miss Kait is a mere couple of inches off making me the shortest member of the family.


Until next time....be happy, stay safe but most of all.....
always look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ LIVE OUT LOUD ~*~

shazz xo

GOOD EVENING.....HERE IS THE NEWS......!!!!!

told you I would be back !!!!!

you might need a coffee and a bar of chocolate to get through this post !!!
** WARNING - this is a VERY image heavy post **

well i guess the biggest news since i last posted is the fact that my beautiful baby sister, Louise and her hubby, Chris became proud parents to a baby girl on Wednesday night.
Emily Jane made her appearance on April 15 at 5.55 p.m., weighing in at a respectable 3860 gms (or 8lbs 8oz in the old money) and measuring a long 51 cms.
Emily is a little sister to my gorgeous niece Bianca who is still coming to terms with the fact that the long awaited little brother is in fact a sister - LOL - and that she has been given the name of Emily.
"B" was quite happy at one point a few weeks ago to give the new baby her name and she would now be called "Chloe".
"and when you call me Aunty Shazzie, you must ask to speak to Chloe, cause that will be my name" - too cute.
sadly, Kait and I won't be able to get down to see them until the end of May so until then it will be lots of phone calls, emails and photos.

here is my beautiful baby sister (looking absolutely amazing after having just given birth), with her two precious girls.

and here is my adorable niece, Miss B being very grown up and holding her new sister all by herself.
i tell you....the end of May cannot come soon enough.

we are also waiting for news any day now, that my niece, Ash and her partner, Joel have welcomed their baby into the world.
Ash is my brother's daughter and her baby will make me a "GREAT" aunt - makes one sound positively ancient doesn't it.....????
i keep telling Ash that won't be a GREAT aunt - i will be a bloody fantastic one......ROTFL
stay tuned for that news.

so....what else has been happening....???
late last month I headed up to Woodlands of Marburg to the Stick 'n Giggle retreat.

what a setting

what a weekend

what a hoot....!!!!!

i FINALLY got to meet the GORGEOUS Miss Kym and to say that we clicked instantly is an understatement.

she was even more gorgeous in real life

(despite her choice of footwear for Saturday night's 1920s dinner)
ROTFL - she is so gonna hate me for posting THAT !!!!

it was a pleasure to meet Barb, Kym's MIL too.

it was great to finally meet Renee and her Mum, Coralie who were great "across-the-table" scrapping buddies and dinner companions on the Saturday night.

it was good to catch up with old friends too -

Tam and her beautiful Mum, Sharon (aka Bonnie and Clyde)
Tam has kindly renamed me "Betty Rubble" so I gave her a new name starting with "B" too - ROTFL

Jodi who had me in stitches and trying not to snort champers out my nose (didn't she look simply GORRRRRGEOUS.....!!!!!!)

the oh-so-elegant Miss Rondelle

the divine Miss Jay (Cuttlebug and card-making queen)

Linda and Amanda

Grace (seen here with her friend Miranda)

and finally the amazing, beautiful and hostess-with-the-mostess, Jody (and Stick 'N Giggle owner) and her equally gorgeous Mum, Karen
thanks for running a FAB-U-LOUS weekend Jody.

it was just THE best weekend and I hope that it won't be too long until I can catch up with everyone again.
(Please note that some of these photos were taken by other's at the Retreat and shared on Photobucket)

well......that concludes today's news.
stay tuned for more reports in the coming days

(i won't bore you anymore today)

until next time......
be happy, stay safe but most of all.....
always look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ LIVE OUT LOUD ~*~

shazz xo



P.S. did i happen to mention the food.....????
oh....the food !!!!!!!
here is just a small sample of the food we were served up.

Rack of lamb - so tender and juicy !!!!

Chicken Breast stuffed with ummm....something delicious !!!

MUD CAKE - YUMMMMMMMM

NEW LOOK AND SCRAPPING SHARES

hope you like the new look.
with the help of my VERY talented darling hubby and a few bottles (yes, bottles) of bubbles I have finally updated, renewed, face-lifted or whatever you call it, my blog.
i am so NOT a girly-girl, pink kinda, chicky babe but it all seemed to work last night through a haze of bubble-induced euphoria so until i get sick of it, this is it...!!!!

i have lots of news to share but will leave that until later in the weekend.
until then....here are my latest scrapping efforts for my DT position with A2Z Scraplets.

this photo was taken of Kait and I in 2003 but I just love it.
i completed this at the Stick and Giggle retreat last month - again....not too sure about all the pink but i think it suits the LO and the theme.
SCRAPLET USED: "Like Mother, Like Daughter"

a LO of my gorgeous step-mum, Erica.
lots of cutting out on the LO and i have used my trusty little typewriter for the journaling again
SCRAPLET USED: "Step Mother"

thanks for stopping by and I will have another update over the weekend
(well that's the plan, Stan)
with news and some pics from the Stick and Giggle Retreat.

have a wonderful weekend and remember.....
be happy, stay safe but most of all.....
always look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ LIVE OUT LOUD ~*~

shazz xo

here are a few LOs that i have to share.

this LO is my take on the Scrap Lounge challenge for March.
still using my typewriter for my journaling as matt seems to be monopolising my computer these days and it ain't worth the grief trying to get some time on the computer for journaling.

the next few projects are part of my DT commitment with julie at A2Z Scraplets.

this is one of the thank you cards i made for the "HEART CARDS" appeal
(which is going great guns by the way)
SCRAPLET USED: butterfly which is part of the "Butterfly Dreams" theme set available from your A 2 Z Scraplet stockist.

this is one of my most favourite photos i have ever taken of kait.
and as the title says....i will remember this moment for always. her beauty and the fact that i STILL find hard to believe, is that this beautiful angel is actually MY daughter.
something i give thanks for each and every day.
SCRAPLET USED: Butterfly frame

this LO uses the rest of the "Butterfly Dreams" theme set pieces.
this is a photo of kait taken when she was a few days old.
i inked and embossed the butterfly using glittery embossing powder.
the vellum envelope holds a letter to kait telling her that i hope she always dreams of butterflies as she grows older.
SCRAPLET USED: "Butterfly Dreams" theme set

kinda makes me sad to look at this photo and know that i will never bear children of my own again.
next step for me will be the role of grandmother
BUT
not for a few more years yet thanks kids...!!!

off to donate plasma today (my 99th donation - YAY ME !!!!!!) and housework and some more scrapping.
hmmmmm.......might even give the housework a miss to scrap some more....LOL

whatever you do, whoever you spend your day with and wherever you find yourself today, remember.....be happy, stay safe but most of all.....
always look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ LIVE OUT LOUD ~*~

shazz xo

45 + 1

that's what i am today...
45 years old and one whole day...!!!
not too sure how i came to be 45
(what has happened to the last 30 years...????)
but here i am.

i had a lovely quiet, relaxing day here at home with mark and the kids and jake's girlfriend, rach who arrived at lunchtime to help jake cook dinner for me.

i was very spoilt with a cuttlebug (YAY ME !!!!) - it will arrive sometime this week, a scrapping magazine, chocolates, a new coffee cup, a plant from matt, new kitchen scales (to replace my 23 year old ones that don't really work), gift vouchers, money and a nice bottle of wine from our neighbour and my friend, miss dell.

mark went off and reffed a soccer game in the afternoon which gave me time to take some phonecalls from dear friends - my dear friend janelle who is one of the dearest friends in my heart and from donna, one of my oldest and dearest friends, who gave me the best birthday present of all - telling me that her and her hubby might be moving back to narrabri for work - not quite back to the north coast but close enough for us to visit and catch up in person on a more regular basis - i haven't seen donna for almost 4 years.
we talked for almost 2 hours and, as it is with old friends, it was like we had only spoken a few days ago, not months ago and the years that it has been, since we last saw each other, just melted away.

this morning i started back walking up at the local hockey fields with my neighbour dell. i only managed 2 laps of the fields but will build back up to 3 or 4 laps in no time if i can get back into the routine of walking every morning like i used to. seems a bit silly driving to the hockey fields each morning to walk but my knees just won't allow me to walk up hills or on uneven surfaces.

our "HEART CARDS" appeal seems to be going along great guns. i printed up another 15 flyers to be handed out to customers at my LSS over the weekend and each day seems to bring another email wanting details of where to post cards already made.
i have a good lead from our lady mayor (who is also a friend) for a distribution point through one of the local councils in the fire area, so fingers crossed that it pans out.

will leave you with a LO i have done for the scrap lounge sketch challenge this month. i scrapped a photo of my dad....who frustrates the living bejesus out of me at times but who i love with all my heart.

until next time........
be happy, stay safe but most of all.....
always look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ LIVE OUT LOUD ~*~

shazz xo

SUNDAY SHARE

just a few LOs to share from my A2Z Scraplets DT commitments. love working with the scraplets and seeing all the very intricate designs that julie can produce.

{SCRAPLET - AUSTRALIA DAY}
i love this LO - no photos i know but i think it conveys our Australia Day activities.
it's the second time i have used this Birch PP and i love it - have spoken to other scrappers who have it in their stash and can't seem to find a way to use it.
i used my gorgeous little blue typewriter for the journaling - have done a few LOs using it and love it - lots of fun.

{SCRAPLET - SUMMER}
love the feeling i get when i look at this LO - fresh and cool and fun.
this is a photo of Kait and my cousin's girls, Kate and Sophie in the pool at Christmas time.
the girls are great mates and even though we don't get to see them very often, the girls always have a wonderful time together. on this day they swam, played Sims on the computer, swam some more and just hung out.

i have some more completed works but julie has yet to showcase them on the blog so i can't show them yet.

"HEART CARDS" has exceeded my expectations a million-fold. i can't believe the number of ladies and groups around the country that have jumped on board. some have already sent cards off to jodi while others have contacted me for more information and to say that they have cards on the way.
how amazing is this community we all belong to.
i am humbled, grateful and overwhelmed by the support this worthy cause has received.
to keep up to date on where we are with the "thank you" card phase of this appeal, you can visit the "HEART CARDS" blog that jodi has been so kind in setting up and managing
(thank you my dear friend)
i just need to find an organisation to distribute them for us and i have a few leads on where to go to find some help - so fingers crossed for me this week.

anyways....lots of things to get done today both scrapping and domestically.
hope you all have a wonderful sunday

don't forget......
be happy, stay safe but most of all.....
always look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ LIVE OUT LOUD ~*~

shazz xo

p.s. my "kids" LO (see previous post) from the cyber crop over at the lounge last weekend was a winner.
YAY ME !!!!!!

SCRAPPING SHARING

two more LOs that i scrapped for the lounge cybercrop this past weekend.

this challenge was set by naomi and we had to scrap a "non-person" LO and use the colour combo of blue/green, white and pink + use some strip journaling on the LO.
this is the view from the rear balcony of jim and joan's (the "outlaws") unit at tweed - i never get tired of looking at it.
you can check out the everyone else's LOs for this challenge here

and this is my LO for Kym's challenge - we had to use a piece of recycled clothing, ie: tags, buttons, labels etc; 3 small photos (i cut down big ones to make small ones); a large title; and journaling with the word love in it!!!
my recycled piece of clothing is the pocket off my most favourite ever pair of jeans - i literally wore those jeans till they fell off me.
again you can see the gallery entries here

hoping to get back later in the week with some more scrappy shares....so until then -
be happy, stay safe but most of all.....
remember to always to look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ LIVE OUT LOUD ~*~

shazz xo

GRAB A COFFEE....PULL UP A CHAIR

i could sit and write screens and screens of babble to catch up on what i have been doing but would anyone care to sit and read it - dunno......so point form it is.

* HEART CARDS is doing well...haven't spoken to Jodi to see if any cards have arrived yet but plenty of people seem to be making cards and lots have asked for fliers to be sent to them.
thank you everybody for your support.
and remember...it's never to late to get involved.
see here for details.

* let me introduce the newest member of our family....MISS COCO
she is a red toy poodle and despite my initial misgivings that it was "too soon" after losing Molly, she has fitted so well into our family.
even Mark seems besotted with her.
now to just get her toilet trained.

* Matt had a ball in NZ
Matt with his friends and their balloon hats.
he said that it was "the best time of his life" and he is hoping to save enough money to go back again next year for the youth camp.
one of the highlights of the trip was getting up one morning to watch the sunrise and then driving across the island all day to watch the sunset that night. i guess he was on a skinny part of NZ !!!!

* Jake was inducted as school captain a few weeks ago. i was SO proud of him and even more thrilled that my mum came along to see it all happen.
his thank you speech at the end of the ceremony had everyone talking - even the Mayor commented what a great speech it was.
i think the school community chose well when they elected him to the position - no bias here of course....LOL

* Kait has settled into high school really well. despite none of her friends going to the same school as her she has made some lovely new little friends and seems to have settled into the routines and hustle and bustle of high school life.
she hates the homework side of things - but who didn't.

* I still haven't found a job yet. had a few "thanks but sorry" letters and emails which were hard to take at first and made me feel pretty awful but i guess things are tough out there in the big wide world at the moment. something will come along - sooner rather than later i hope.

* a big congrats to my friend Ruthy on becoming a "noni" for the very first time. who wouldn't want this beautiful soul as a "noni" i ask you....???
she has already scrapped some LOs about Logan's arrival and i suspect we will see lots more as this dear little man grows up.

* i was honoured and blown away to be asked by Julie over at A 2 Z Scraplets to be a member of her DT - thanks to a recommendation from my beautiful gal-pal, Shari
Julie's Scraplets are just gorgeous and some of the designs are so intricate. i have had fun creating LOs and cards using them. here is one of the LOs i CAN share
there are more to share but i have to wait a little while until i can.

* i have taken on an admin role over at "The Lounge".
rondelle has asked me to co-ordinate the swaps and keep them on track and i am also in charge of keeping the Lounge's Blog up and running. lots of things in the pipeline so keep on checking back to see what we are up to.

* speaking of "the Lounge", there is a cyber crop up and running there this weekend.
pop on over and have a look at the challenges and the galleries too.
there are some awesome scrappers out there.
here is my take on challenge 3 - the sketch challenge
this is my mum and my aunty gail (mum is on the right). i just love these photos of the two of them together and i am thrilled with the way this LO turned out.
by the way, start to finish, this LO took me just under an hour to complete - fastest LO i have ever completed - EVER !!!!!!

* it's only 5 weeks until the Stick and Giggle retreat up at Marburg.
am i ready....???
well kinda - ATCs to complete, kits to pack, costume to get organised, class to plan.
am i excited....???
DAMN STRAIGHT I AM !!!!

I hope to be able to bring you some more happy scrapping in the next few days but until then....
be happy, stay safe but most of all.....
remember to always to look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ LIVE OUT LOUD ~*~

shazz xo

STILL KICKING

hellllllllllllllllllllloooooooooooooooooooooooo
is there anyone out there....???
i hope that you are all still out there and haven't deserted me. i really haven't felt much like blogging since we lost molly...it is a little easier but some days i am just so sad and depressed that she is gone.
silly i know cause she is at peace and out of pain but i still miss her terribly and often call her name without thinking.
anyways.....having her picture staring at me from my blog every time i checked it and hearing the song i had playing didn't help so i took a friend's advice and am going to start posting again.

i have lots of news to post about but for now i want to just post about one thing

(click to enlarge)

"HEART CARDS"
"HEART CARDS" is a project to help the families devastated by the recent bush fires in Victoria.
we are asking all scrappers, card makers and paper crafters to make 10 thank you cards that will be distributed to families affected by the bush fires. it will allow them to write a personal thank you note to anyone who has helped them.
you can read more about it --> here
and if you would like a flyer to hand out to friends or post on a noticeboard at work or school, please email me (shazz64@westnet.com.au) and i will send one to you.
this will be an ongoing project so if you can't help out this time around, maybe later in the year.

i promise i will be back with more news soon.

until then....be happy, stay safe but most of all.....remember to always to look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ LIVE OUT LOUD ~*~

shazz xo