… finding songs in iTunes that you loved when you were young

… having an iPod which plays all your favourite oldies

… hearing one of your Most Favourite ‘old’ songs and finding a Huge SMILE crossing your face!

(Gosh! I LOVE David Essex!! )

This week, I have sent out a couple more gorgeous Gate Fold Birthday Cards …

The sweet Girl with Basket card was one of the first cards I made in my Gate Fold Card journey and it went to a dear friend celebrating her birthday, yesterday.

Tomorrow is the birthday of one of the Balance Gymnastics Crew.  As I have been updating the website and interviewing the coaches I have found out birthdays and their favourite things in life.  I made this card to incorporate the Balance Gym colours with a little birthday indulgence.  The frosting is made of Dazzling Diamonds and there is a little Rhinestone Jewel on top of each cupcake.

Happy Birthday, Ladies!

I spent most of last week creating a fabulous project I found on Chiaki Haverstick’s website ~ Top Note Card Box with matching Quilted Cards.

Initially, my plan was to use the project for my next Stampin’ Kids Workshop as Mother’s Day Gifts.  However, we just won’t have enough time to create all the gorgeous cards!    But, I did use the idea as a jumping off point for a variation on the project for the girls.

I really enJOYed the creative process of this project.  The quilted look of the cards is lots of fun and I liked the opportunity to have the same base card with different embellishments.  Most of all I really enJOYed making the box!  This is the first time I’ve made a box using a window sheet in the lid.  Fantastic!  Of course, the finished product looks amazing because the Lap of Luxury Designer Series Paper and Pretty in Pink Satin Ribbon are just stunning!

Thanks, Chiaki!

I had a FABULOUS workshop with the girls, yesterday!  The house was ready and organised early – for the first time ever I had a couple of hours spare to relax and do other chores before the workshop.

We had a full group, 8 girls, which included 2 brand new girlfriends who were new to Me and to stamping and creating.  We also had a girlfriend join us who knew the ropes as her mother used to be an SU! Demonstrator … she had been to a couple of workshops a year or two ago.

Kels did an awesome job of sharing the projects with her table ~ those Girlfriends who are pretty experienced and mostly know what they are doing.  The other girls worked with me … I was blown away ~ as always ~ by what they achieved!

Because we had 3 projects to make, the girls had to put their goodies onto the coffee table as they were created.  There was a Gathering of Easter Goodies in my living room!  How cool was that?!  This room has a couple of couches for the mums to sit on while waiting for us and Lovely Sheryl and Lovely Jodie were in good company. 

The girls made the tall Easter Bunny box, the smaller White Bunny Box for chocolate eggs, and a Flap Card.  My new girls, Penny and Rose were picked up by Penny’s Dad … they had to call back to collect something the girls had left behind and Sean told me that they’d been out Easter Egg shopping to fill the boxes!  Isn’t that fabulous?!

I slept very poorly because there were just so many Stampin’ Ideas rushing through my thoughts!  Obviously, too much stimulation and too many eggs for peaceful sleep. 

Thanks for a fabulous workshop, Girls!

Last night, we participated in Earth Hour for the first time.  I’d been out and about during the day and my favourite coffee place ~ Green Sage Cafe ~ had a sign out reminding us of Earth Hour.  That was my second reminder.  My PartyLite Consultant, Jackie, sent out a text reminding us that it was Earth Hour Day and if we needed to stock up on candles that she would be available at a local venue.

So, with lots of enthusiasm from Kels, we set up our candles around the house and turned off all the lights … and the movie David and I were watching.  As we moved, cautiously, through the house the scented candles were just divine!  Josh wasn’t sure about why we were doing it but joined in with the fun.  David even braved having a shower in the dark!

What I liked the most about the hour was the sitting together and talking and laughing.  It’s as if when the world is dark, we take the time to be together, without distraction.

Earth Hour was an initiative begun in Sydney in 2007 ~ WWF-Australia with advertising agency Leo Burnett and Fairfax Media ~ aimed at making a statement about climate change and encouraging Australians to take action.

In 2007, more than 2 million people and 2 000 businesses participated in turning off their lights.

In 2010, 128 countries were involved in turning off their lights, including 1500 landmarks such as the Sphinx and the Pyramids.

WOW!

I enJOYed participating in something bigger than just us.  But, I really enJOYed the family time, most of all.

I have been blessed with so many wonderful happenings, this week …

~ At personal training, I had such success with my weights that I am going up a ‘weight’!  Woo Hoo!  (I LOVE doing weight training, especially bench press!!)

~  My NEW Oracle Card Deck arrived: “Gods and Titans” by Stacey DeMarco.

~  Angel Latte was Such a JOY!  We ‘latte’d’ and talked and a couple of us had breakfast, at the Green Sage Cafe, with LOTS of Oracle Card Readings.  We explored my new card deck, “Gods and Titans”; visited with a little-used-so-far Oracle Card Deck, “Magdalene Oracle” by Toni Carmine Salerno; and shared group readings using Doreen Virtue’s “Magical Messages from the Fairies” card deck.  I LOVE the messages which come through and how the card I chose for another Angel Friend was always perfect for me, too.

~  Girlfriend time!  I LOVE driving to Angel Latte with Lovely Jenny, talking ‘girl’ things and ‘friend’ things and ‘family’ things … and, of course, All Things Stamped!    I LOVE my Angel Latte Friends!  What GORGEOUS Women!!  They are so giving of their time and energy and really interested in each other and what’s been happening in each other’s lives since last we met.  What a JOY!

~  Angel Week!  I decided that this week could be called an “Angel Week” as I had the Latte morning and a reading and new cards …   There really has been so much magic drifting around my world.  I have a bunch of Angel Friends booked in for Weekly Oracle Card Readings in April, and Angel Lunch, and my Mini Angel Course.  YAY!

~  We had successful Parent/Teacher Interviews although they were exhausting!  But, the most important part is that the kids are doing what they are supposed to be doing, at this stage of Year 7 and Year 12.  What a Blessing!

~  I am Grateful for Take Away Food!  Thank Goodness we have several ‘fast food’ options in our local vicinity because having someone else ‘prepare’ dinner is such a God-send when I am really tired.

~ I am Grateful for my New Friend for whom I did a Past Life Reading and with whom I will be seeing Brian Weiss.  Sharing my JOY ~ Awesome!

~  I am Grateful for my lovely lunch with Friend Sylda … a perfect way to ‘get grounded’ after my reading and a most enJOYable way to spend time catching up with a dear friend.  Thank You, Sylda!

~  I’ve made a fabulous stampin’ project by Chiaki Haverstick and my cupboard is adorned with stunning cards and a coordinating box.  I can’t wait to make them up in some other colour combos! 

~ I am Grateful for all the girls who have booked into my Stampin’ Kids Workshop.  We are going to have So Much Fun!

~  And, I am Grateful for clothes airers, washing machines, clothes dryers, vacuum cleaners … all of which have had a workout, this week.  Thank goodness we have machines in our lives which allow us to spend less time doing chores and more time doing enJOYable tasks.  Thank You!

David and I had a Date Night, last weekend.

I was thinking about what it is that makes Date Night so wonderful and, apart from the obvious time spent together (and alone!), a few other things stand out …

… We’ve been inspired to go to the cinema to see movies ~ this is So Unusual for us!  We did get to the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Star Trek movies as they came out.  But our movie adventures have been very rare.

… We’re inspired by food.  Of course, Jamie Oliver is Very High in our awareness and we often find ourselves ‘talking Jamie’ when organising the kitchen and planning menus.  I am also a fan of Vietnamese Soup so we’ve been on a pilgrimmage to find Pho Soup.  As a result, a movie is often followed by a Vietnamese Restaurant.

… Caramel Sundaes from Macdonalds.  This is our little ‘wicked treat’ when we need to get away from the house and the kids for a ‘naughty indulgence’.  We pop on down to our local Macdonalds Restaurant, buy the Sundaes, and sit in the carpark, overlooking the Kitchen shop, eating and talking.

Saturday afternoon, we went to the movies to see The King’s Speech, had dinner at Indochine Vietnamese Restaurant, bought Sundaes and took them to a local lookout to watch the full moon rise.  In and around those events, we talked – about everything and anything – without interuption!  Ahh, JOY.

I think that may be the 3rd or 4th date night, this year, including our anniversary celebration.  It’s really important to take the time to go out with David, and for David to go out with Me, because our world is so full with work, kids, and personal commitments that sometimes sharing a bed is not enough.  We do tend to become a little estranged when we haven’t had quality time together.  We tend to find ourselves in bed, each on our own side; I’m asleep first because I am usually in bed well before David, and I get up first.  We sit across the craft table from each other while I stamp and David has breakfast, without talking much (actually, I talk and David kind of listens ).  Days pass and we have kind of lost contact with each other.

Then comes Date Night.  And, all is well again, in the world of David and Michelle.

JOY Is … definitely Date Night!

I’ve jumped on the excitement of making Quilted Cards.  Becky Roberts has made some cute ones, which inspired my creations, and Chiaki Haverstick had some quilted top note Christmas Bags which I loved.

I began with one card for a girlfriend who is about to become a GrandMother again.  I decided that it needed ‘tweaking’ and made this card, afterwards.  It uses the yellows and whites from the Sunny Days Designer Series Paper pack with a little Pear Pizzazz for depth.  Mum had been requesting “Congratulations” cards so I was able to incorporate that sentiment.

I got a little more adventurous with the next card and included the blossom from the Cottage Garden stamp set with a pearl.  Super Gorgeous!  I am getting closer to the colours and presentation I really Love.

And, the last one I made, in this batch of cards, used the more vibrant colours of patterned designs from the Sunny Days pack.  I was able to punch the 1 1/4″ centre circle to include 2 little flowers from the patterned paper.  They were embellished with Basic Rhinestone Jewels – very Me!

I’ve really enJOYed making these quilted cards.

Thanks for the Inspiration, Ladies!

In the jungle, the mighty fuschia and pineapple sage jungle, the Minibeasts reign supreme.

I was out fighting back the incredible growth in the herb garden, yesterday, when I saw this cute little minibeast.  I confess to being unsure as to whether it was a grasshopper or stick insect, but David said it was a praying mantis.

I checked out Scott Alexander King’s Animal Dreaming book to see what message this unusual creature brings:

“Praying Mantis Dreaming initiates the traditionally ‘yin’ influenced act of quietening the mind so that the tension of the inner self may be reduced – opening oneself to prophecy.”

I was thinking about the message for me, from Praying Mantis Dreaming, and decided it was about stillness.  I am busy, busy, busy, in my head and actions.  My ‘bounciness’ was observed by Agnes in my tarot reading on the weekend.  Agnes also mentioned that I was needing to focus on nurturing Me more … I take that as another ‘yin’ message.

As I turned around to return the hose to the front of the house, I noticed this busy spider who had a web in the fuschia that I was bustling past.  There are LOTS of spiders and webs in our garden, at the moment, but this was the biggest one I’ve seen.  I really enJOY connecting with the creatures just outside my door.

Even though I know quite a bit about Spider, I checked out Scott’s book, Animal Dreaming, again:

“Spider is the weaver of visions whose Dreaming helps us to remember that we are the creators of our own lives and that we alone choose the directions we take within it.”

Very timely confirmation.  I have been very focused on living the life which suits Me, over the last week or so.  I am challenged by stating what ‘suits me’ … not doing things for other people when I really don’t want to but feeling guilty about saying ‘no’.  More annoying than that is that I am annoyed by it! LOL.

So, I am taking the messages from these fabulous minibeasts and this week will be practising Self Nurture and Setting Clear Directions for my life.

And … I am going to trim back some of the pineapple sage & fuschia jungle!

I have the ability to be a Major Procrastinator.  It’s a role at which I am masterful.  And, it’s really annoying.

But, I’ve just read Mark in Spain’s blog post about getting back to writing and he was inspired by Me.  LOL.  I think that’s a bit funny given I actually wrote to him about my procrastination.  But, procrastinators love company so we are both inspired by similar things.

I was going to write more, this week.  But, I literally ran out of words.  Unheard of, in my reality.  However, the ‘high’ I was on earlier in the week finally reduced to a manageable level and I realised how tired I was and didn’t write.  This is not a satisfactory way to approach my writing commitment.

Today, that changes.

Mark has decided to write, just a little, each day … I want to finish my story from the NaNoWriMo Challenge.  I am making that a Priority.  In and around all the other priorities I have.

Just to distract myself a little, already, I am going to make up the Stampin’ Kids Workshop Project for May … I want to display it at next weekend’s session. 

Procrastination is alive and well in my world.