I don't have any Christmas Supplies! Make Christmas Cards using what you have.

 Christmas Stamps and Dies are beautiful and we want them all, right? I know I do. 

When you are just starting out as a crafter, you have limited space or limited cash, it is hard to justify spending money on a stamp set you only use 'once a year'.  Also, many of the specifically Christmas stamp sets, only make one thing or one way. We want supplies that can pull double duty. 

If you don't have any Christmas stamps or dies, you can still make beautiful Christmas Cards.  If you want to invest in something for Christmas I would choose a simple sentiment such as Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Joy to the World.  Something like that. Let's dive in.  

These two cards were made with not one Christmas item! 

The And Sentiments from Catherine Pooler has these three words in it. 
So good, right. I just did some simple ink blending and splattered some 
shimmer spray on the back ground. All of these supplies can be used for other occasions, but when put together, they make a beautiful Christmas Card. Admittedly, I probably wouldn't want to mass produce this card. 

I used a green re-inker in a spray bottle and some gold pigment powder
to spray through a mandala stencil for this background. An alphabet stamp or die set, 
means you can make the Christmas sentiment whatever you want it to be. 
Using the traditional Christmas Colours transforms your everyday crafty stash into Christmas Perfection. 

A simple and elegant embossing folder just needs a lovely gold ink blending over it. 
The lovely "Joy" word from 'And Sentiments'. 

Triangle stamp and a star.  Slap a Christmas sentiment on there and you're good to go. 

One of these cards uses Christmas themed pattern paper, but the other one is just Green cardstock. 
I stamped stars and other patterns to add some interest. But there wasn't a Christmas stamp in sight! 

If you invest in one or two Christmas greetings, the possibilities become almost endless. Check out the first batch of Christmas cards I made with some washi tape and only one Christmas Sentiment. 

The circles look like ornaments on the tree, right?

Circle stamps and a Christmas sentiment. Too easy! 

I used some stars out of a birthday stamp set, for this card. 
It is a bit rough and ready, but cute, right. 

This card is just beautiful. The photo doesn't do it justice. This card is so shiny! 
As Lauren Bassen says, "you got a leaf, make a wreath".
A simple Christmas sentiment, turns these leaf die cuts into a stunning Christmas Card. 
I just love those sequins too. 

There you have it.  9 Christmas Cards that you can make with no Christmas supplies, or just a simple Christmas sentiment. The first year I decided to make Christmas cards, the only Christmas stamp I owned was a "Merry Christmas".  That's it.  I have slowly accumulated more Christmas stamps, one stamp set a year - only if it's on sale! 

My DIY Prayer Retreat- Part 2

 Last time, I told you about my DIY Prayer Retreat. 

It was so good. I also promised to share with you a few of the insights I had during my retreat. 

1. I love listening to Praise and Worship Music. Why don't I listen to it more?!  Therefore, I will listen to my Christian Music playlists when I craft and during my quiet time - maybe not everyday, but so much more than before. 

2. Memorising Scripture really changes my mindset and it helps me to focus on God's love. Therefore, I am going to start using my scripture memorisation app again. Why did I stop? If you want to learn more about this app, click here. 

3. I need to give myself more opportunities to both be still and move.  Not at the same time.  LOL. I also need to do some mindful breathing from time to time, because breathing is important and focusing on my breath is like a little reset button. I always wanted one of those. 

I hope you have found these posts about Prayer Retreats helpful and you can use them to design your own. Of course, it would be wonderful to go to a retreat that is designed and lead by someone else, but we have to be practical about these things. Sometimes in some seasons of our life (often when it's most important to take time to retreat) a weekend away is not feasible. You can do it yourself.  I did. 

Until next time

My DIY Prayer Retreat- Reflection

 I had such grand plans for my school holidays in June. I was going to spend time with various friends, learn how to play lawn bowls, watch netflix, go on a wellness retreat, start a new exercise regime, make lots of cards, declutter my wardrobe and study, do my taxes, cook freezer meals for the new school term and read a novel. OMGGM.  Grand plans! 

When I caught a bad cold three weeks before my holiday and was still feeling awful a week before the holidays, my plans changed! 

The first week, was spent in bed, mostly.  I slept during the day! I watched netflix.  That's about it.  I did manage to go to the specialist. 

Then, the BFF asked me to house/cat sit for her and I had a brilliant idea. There was no way I could do all the things. Staying at the BFF's, on my own, was a good opportunity to have a DIY Prayer Retreat. I had seen some blog posts about DIY retreats. I was seriously excited as I prepared and it did not disappoint. The best article I read was this one from Arabah Joy. I recommend reading it and thinking using the ideas from there to plan your own retreat. 

You could also check out this Pinteret board with some of the articles and quotes that I used during my retreat. 

You might be wondering what I planned for the retreat... 

The Plan

 8:30 am Worship and Reflection - listen to worship music- craft

 9:00 am Quiet worship music, read psalms and call to worship. Then journalling setting up an intention. 

10:00 am Reading Bible Study/ Devotional

10:30 am Reflection and Journaling- 

11:00 am Gratitude Journalling- crafting

12 noon Lunch

12:30 pm Confession and Continued reading 

1:00 pm Journalling

1:30pm Praying for others- make cards (?)

2:00pm Music and Reflection Journalling.

This is how it actually turned out. 

9 am (I started late, but that's okay): worship music, prayer asking God to guide me and journalling

11am Gratitude Journalling- Read praise and worship Psalms (played worship music during this time too).

12 noon Lunch

12:30pm Reading Articles about grace, body image, diet and nutrition and note taking about these. 

1:00pm Journalling- prayer

1:30pm Writing a list of people I wanted to pray for and prayer.

2:00pm Reflective Journalling- planning for future reading, small steps for the future (next retreat, daily to do's in light of reading and prayer). 

Will I do it again? 

Absolutely. 

Also, I came to a few conclusions while I was 'retreating' and I will tell you more about that next time. 

If you get the opportunity, a few hours or even just one, being still in God's presence and digging deep into His word is so worth it. Do it! Whenever you can. 

Until Next Time, God Bless You. 

Gratitude Journal Entries and TIps

 Last week I mentioned that I am using a gratitude journal this year. I also promised that I would share some snippets from it.  If you are thinking about starting a gratitude journal, there really aren't any rules, but I'm going to share some tips for getting started and sticking with it. 

Tip #1 - Date every entry.  

Even if you don't write in it everyday, it's good to know when you felt grateful for what.  It makes reflection more meaningful. 

Tip #2 - Dot Points are Delightful    

It's okay if you can't write paragraphs about everything that happened that day.  You don't even have to write in full sentences. Dot points and single words are just fine.  

Tip #3- It's okay to repeat an item. 

If you include something on your gratitude list every single day, that's totally okay.  

Tip #4 - No Such Thing as Too Big or Too Small

You can be grateful for new shoes, the 5 minute sleep in, a parent, a friend or world peace.  It's about appreciating what you have. Sometimes we have to FIND something to appreciate, so if you find it, just write it down. 

Tip #5 - Be Creative

If you like to draw or colour, then do it in your gratitude journal.  No pressure to make it perfect, because it's all about you enjoying the process of sitting down and thinking positively about your day and indeed your life. I like to use stickers in mine - stars, smiley's, quotes and icons.  It's fun.  I also use emoji's from time to time. 

Tip #6 - Use Prompts

I get mine from Pinterest, but you can get yours anywhere you like. Some of these have 30 days worth of prompts or a month at a time.  I don't follow these ones in order.  I pick out ones that speak to me. Some examples?

Write three that you are grateful for: 

• people 

• products 

• memories 

• skills 

• items you can't live without 

• services (e.g. hair dresser, trash collection, post office) 

•  places 

• technology 

Now a peek at some of the things I have been grateful for this year... in no particular order...

1. Clean sheets- there is something wonderful about falling into a bed with clean sheets. 
2. Air Conditioning
3. Ice packs and Heat packs
4. My medical team (I listed all the names and what they do, but I'm not including that here).
5. Medication
6. Shelly (my cat)
7. My Mum
8. The BFF (and several others in my life)
9. The microwave
10. Crafting Videos on You Tube- I learn from them and they have a calming effect on me when I can't actually craft. 

Next time: I will share some more cards with you that I have made. :) 

Thanks for visiting! I appreciate you. 

One Stampset = 9 cards and counting!

 Recently, I NEEDED to buy some new craft supplies. When I saw this mini stamp set, I just HAD to click "buy it now", besides this got me over the minimum to access Free Shipping!  So, I was saving money, really.  

After it arrived, I made this card and went to put away the stamp set.  

Then, I thought, I spent $5 on this stamp set.  I should be able to make more than one type of card with it.  Surely.  I mean, it has a solid circle stamp in it.  That is like THE most versatile stamp around.  I got thinking and came up with more cards.  I started simply, by just stepping up this first card I made.  I used my cloud stencil.  So lucky, I'd just bought a brand new (to me) grassy border stencil from My Favorite Things. Yay! 

I'd made two, fairly similar, cards that could be sent out for almost any occasion.  I had a circle stamp.  I decided some repeat stamping a circle with rainbow colours could go a long way.  Any big bold greeting would look great with this rainbow of circles. 

Then, that 'face' spoke to me and almost without thinking, I made this card! 

I ended up, drawing the smiley face,
because the face in the set was much smaller
and I thought it should be bigger. 

Then, two baby cards (one for a girl, one for a boy). 

I was on a roll. Surely, I could make another birthday card with this set.  Surely, I didn't have to limit myself to just using the circle.  Surely, the rays on the sun could be used to make something!  I pulled out my "Spa" ink colours from Catherine Pooler (these are more muted colours) and stamped out my very own patterned paper, which I used to make a Masculine (gender neutral) birthday card. I also played around with some other designs, but this was the best one. 

I'd made a card for practically every occasion, and I decided to go back to using the sun stamp as intended.  I tore some copy paper to mask off some ink blended 'mountains'. The sun stamp needed to be masked too, so I used the same torn paper and flipped it over. I added some blue ink around the top of the card, leaving some white around the sun, so it looked like it was glowing. This scene could work for practically any sentiment.  I tried out so many different sentiments on this card and they all could have worked.  I thought about something with "today", "tomorrow", or time moving on, like "today is your birthday". It could even work for a Graduation card, with something like "adventure awaits" or "you could move mountains".  I settled on this lovely sentiment about a "path of light" in this "dark time" to make this a sentiment card.  

Later, I was looking at the birthday card I'd made and thought... "I wonder if I could make a Christmas Card?" So, I tried it. I didn't execute it very well, but you get the idea.  

If you don't want to spend too much cash on specifically designed Christmas stamps.  You can certainly rock what you got to make some Christmas cards.  I actually bought this stamp set, because I have a large sentiment die that says "sunshine" and I thought this stamp set would go brilliantly with it.  I haven't even pulled out the die yet and I have already made 9 cards, for almost any occasion!

There are several other small stamp sets in my stash and I really need to try this with them as well.  I need to work out how I can use them and how many cards I can make with each of them! 

School Holidays are nearly done.  So much to do! 

See you next time! 

A Great You Tube Channel

From time to time, I like to share something "Great" with you.  Something worthy of A Great Title.  

Today, I'm sharing with you, Amy's Wares.  

Photo Credit: these are thumbnails I copied from Amy's Website. 
These cards are just beautiful and I can't take credit for any of them! 

Amy is a lovely lady who makes some great cards.  She loves to use stencils (mostly from A Colorful Life Designs- ACLD) to create backgrounds, focal points and even sentiments on her cards.  She also likes to pre-stamp sentiments and store them in a big binder.  These seem to make her card making process quite quick. We all need to make a card in a hurry from time to time, so seeing how she does it helps me so much.  

I learned about Amy from a Facebook group I belong to (called Prokraftination) when Amy shared one of her 5 cards in 10 minutes videos.  It was around Christmas and I'm always looking for simple Christmas card designs so I clicked her link!  I checked out the video and I was hooked.  It also helps that Amy shares my love of Catherine Pooler Inks!  When I first saw how versatile stencils can be and the lower price point, I have been slowly growing my stencil collection.  I love using stencils to make backgrounds for cards, so a crafter who uses at least one stencil in almost every card, is a crafter I want to follow.  

The 5 cards in 10 minutes videos are nice and short and show some lovely clean and simple designs.  While I can't purchase from ACLD right now... that's a story for another day... I am making myself a long wishlist of products that I want to purchase from them.  I'm also looking at the products in my own stash and thinking about how I can use them to create simple cards.  It's so good to find another crafter who inspires you! :) 

Today you got three "Greats"- 

Amy's Wares - a great You Tube Channel- short videos that show simple techniques for quick and easy cardmaking! :) 

A Colorful Life Designs- a great small business that has a variety of innovative and versatile craft products. 

Prokraftination- a great facebook group where anyone can share their craft projects, link to their blog/ instagram/ You Tube videos and other social media accounts.  The owner of the group, Koren Wiskman, also shares special offers, giveaways and prizes with group members.  I love Koren and I have included her in a blog post before. The members of this facebook group are so encouraging too. 

Now that makes 4 'Greats'.  You are so lucky! I hope you are feeling inspired! I know I am. 

Until next time, Happy Crafting! 

How to know you need a new hairstyle and other tips for January.

 Cleaning up and clearing out always happens this time of year.  While tidying up in the craft room, I found this list scrawled in a notebook.  I'm pretty sure I wrote this while I was waiting for a train or a bus. 

You know you need a new hairstyle when...

1. Your Mum says "I like how you've done your hair today!"
2. Your Nana tells you that your hairstyle makes you look "very smart".
3. You can't see anything because your hair is in your eyes.
4. Your mates are calling you Rapunzel.
5. People compare your hair to that of any bloke famous for being in a band! 

I'm guessing if you experience 1 and 2 you probably aren't experiencing 3, but it's possible.  Meanwhile this was a good reminder to book in a hair cut before school goes back! Eek. 

What else do I want to get done this month? 

• Clean out my wardrobe, 
• Tidy up my bedroom, 
• Declutter and Donate DVD's and other items I am not using anymore. 
• Get some workouts planned out and ready to go.
• Exercise.
• Get all those medical check ups and check ins done- you know the dentist, the optometrist, the chemist and the vet. 

Wish me luck! 

October- what happened to the last 6 months?

 Hi Everyone, 

It's been 6 months since my last 'confession'.  Hahaha. 

So much has happened that I am not sure where to start. 

Medication: we tried the reduction in medication - that was disastrous - the exercise streak died and after losing a little bit of weight I gained it all back!! At my most recent visit to the doctor, he decided that we should go back to the far more effective dosage.  Reducing my workload next year is also part of the plan for getting myself back on track. 

Work: is busy and stressful and excellent and wonderful all at once.  It's amazing how some things in our lives can be the source of so much joy and so much angst at the same time. 

Exercise: I'm still doing my best.  I don't go a whole week without exercising.  My best is less than it used to be, right now. I'm also participating in One Foot Forward this month, so you will hear more about that soon. 

Family: my sister had a cancer scare and needed surgery.  She has recovered well.  Two weeks of living in her house, caring for the children and helping out so she could recover, was an exhausting experience. It felt good to be able to help.  I often feel sad at how little I can do from so far away. My nephew who moved in earlier in the year, is still here.  He is nearly ready to get his driver's license and is keen to get out on the road by himself.  He is up to a third course at the TAFE and planning to attend TAFE next year as well.  He has friends and plenty to do.  It's good to have his help - as long as he takes his medication! 

Cards and Craft: I am continuing to craft.  I love making cards and sending them to friends.  I love stamping the most, I think.  I have really enjoyed sharing my craft with other crafters this year.  The minister of my church likes to make cards and we have so much fun shopping together and crafting together.  She is so easy to talk to and has good ideas.  It's so nice to share something like that. 

Friends: I continue to be amazed at the number of people who still want me to be in their lives.  Not just the number of them, but the calibre  of them.  These people are amazing, wonderful, intelligent souls and they enjoy spending time with me! I'm so lucky to have such lovely people in my life.  

I'm in pain and typing this much so far, has made me extra tired.  I truly dislike my new health status- I have gone very far down the hill.  

That's that then... more soon... maybe. 

 

Did you know?

 A list of things you might/might not already know about me.... 

I'm a primary school teacher who works in a high school.  I have a Bachelor of Education (Primary) and I used to say "I wouldn't teach high school for a million dollars."  I have learned that making such broad statements is less about commitment and more about a lack of understanding life.  

I love teaching high school students. 

My nephew - number 2 - is moving in with us next week.  He is moving so he can do a TAFE course that is offered close to here.  The same course is not offered in the remote mining town where he lives.  He's 17.  I'm excited for him and the opportunities he will have while he is here.  I think it will be good to have him around.  It will be nice to get to know him away from his brothers and sisters.  

I have a lot of stuff.  Too much stuff. 

I'm working on getting rid of stuff.  Lots of stuff. 

I have another blog.  It's about teaching.  I haven't posted on it for more than a year.  You see, AGT people, you are not quite as neglected as you thought you were.  

I have a chronic pain condition which could be called a few different things.  The doctors have settled on 'chronic pain'.  Technically this is a symptom, not a medical condition, but it is what it is.  What you call it, doesn't actually change it.  I take medication and a diet and an exercise program, none of which make sense to anyone else but me.  

I'm overweight.  

I have made long-term, effective life style changes in the past and I am working on making more.  

I am smart.  

I live with my mother.  I do this by choice and have plenty of money.  I could live alone if I wanted to, but I don't. 

I like to make cards.  I like to play with ink and water and paint and see what happens.  

Telling other people that they are awesome, special, amazing and more than enough... is my specialty. 

My cat is a member of my family and I regularly talk about her as if she is a room mate and not a pet.  

My mum has worked full time for as long as I can remember and this makes me proud of her. 

There is an ever growing list of things I don't need.  

The list of things I do need, has a tick beside every single item.  

Being grateful is one of the most important steps towards happiness, in my opinion.

I've been thinking about ditching this blog and starting a new one that is about card making.  Just about card making.  Then again, I only just 'got back'.  

I have ADHD.  

Could you tell? 

I'm hungry. 

Bye. 

2020 Goals Quarterly Check-in

Time to check in on the goals I made back in January.

I will LEARN something new every week : I have learned so much already this year.  I learned new systems, new rules, student names, and my new school.  I reckon I could list at least 20 things I have learned this year and we are only 15 or so weeks into the year.  Does that mean I can go for two weeks without learning anything... wouldn't that be good?!  Anyway, this one gets a tick so far.  

I will IMPROVE my Excel Spreadsheet Skills: I am finding it a bit overwhelming having to learn the best ways to use Microsoft Teams, WebEx and One Note.  Excel has been on the back burner.  I have some good people around me who can help, though.  I have already learned how to use Excel to calculate the Mean and Median of a data set.  Good thing too, considering I had to teach my class how to do it! 

I will AVOID making old mistakes; I'm not really sure what this goal was actually about.  It could be a bunch of things.  You know what, this could be a whole blog post all of its own.  I've made lots and lots of mistakes all of which I want to avoid.  

I will MAKE TIME FOR exercising at least 4 times a week:  Hahahaha!  I am generally managing three times a week.  I am planning to exercise everyday while I'm on my Easter break.  Hopefully, that will help me transition to 4 times a week when school goes back (whatever that looks like).  

I will ORGANISE my Work and Personal Spaces: I started out brilliantly on this one.  My filing system was easy to keep up with and my craft room was staying tidy.  Even my bedroom has stayed tidy (because it's organised).  Marie Kondo really made a difference at my house.  

I will EMBRACE the CHANGE.  I had NO IDEA what I was saying when I chose this goal.  I thought that starting a new job at a new school, and teaching a subject I have never taught before would be all the change I could handle.  Then, the pandemic came to Australia.  Everything has changed.  I really miss hugs.   

I will BE my BEST self!  I'm doing the best that I can.  That's all I have to say about that. 

Join us next time.  No promises, because, who really knows what the future holds.  I certainly don't. 

Stay home! 

A List of Things I Don't Need!

During the school holidays, I did a lot of Decluttering and Tidying Up. The break between school terms is an opportunity for me to press the reset button.  Cleaning up, getting rid of the mess, organising what I'm going to keep and fixing things that didn't work is so nice.  The last week of my holidays was busy.  I managed to tidy my bedroom (after my Mum painted it) and I can't wait to finish the process of refreshing my bedroom.  That will probably be a job for the next holidays.  The study/office and my school resources got a much needed sort out too.  Leaving a school after 11 years meant that I had lots of stuff to bring home.  While I'd already got rid of lots of stuff and gave some things to colleagues at my school, I still needed to go through quite a bit.

In doing all this I realised that there are some things I will not need to buy for a long time.  Lots of people seem to think these things are also great gift ideas for me.  The thing is, I now have so many of these things that if I'm given more, I will probably have to re-gift them.  I can't possibly use all these things, let alone store all of them.  In no particular order, here goes...

My list of things I DON'T need! (2020 edition)

Post-it Notes/ Sticky Notes  

Actual Footage of me with my post-it notes

Please, stop buying me sticky notes.  Especially the bright coloured, novelty, sparkly, filled with pictures, in weird shapes and not even sticky, post-it notes.  I love them for the cute factor.  I do.  They are just too cute to use and I have so many that I can't possibly use them.  

Staplers and Staples.  

While I was tidying my desk and sorting through all the school stationery, I found not one, not two, but three staplers!  Why do I need so many staplers?  The answer to that question is simple... I don't!  Of course when you have three staplers you also need 5000 staples.  I found four unopened boxes of staples.  That's right, you heard me.  UNOPENED!  I also had the contents of two opened boxes of staples strewn through my desk drawers.  WHY? 

Pencils and Pens.  

I know that this one doesn't seem to track.  Don't all teachers use a lifetime supply of pens and pencils each school year? Don't all teachers always NEED pencils and pens?  While this is somewhat true, I have lots and lots of pens and pencils.  My father had lots of pens and pencils that were in unopened boxes.  Yes, you heard me, UNOPENED.  I often receive pens and pencils as gifts. THANKS!  The truth is, I don't need another pen with a fluffy end and a cat crystal springing off the end of it.  I don't need pens with glitter in them, (we are not talking about my craft pens, I need those).  I have plenty, thanks.  

Highlighters!! 

I must have a thing of highlighters.  I know I bought a bunch of them one year for students to use in my classroom.  I still have many of these pens and I have many more.  I used to buy a set of highlighter pens every year.  I used to lose them, often and now they have all been found!   I reckon I have at least 40 highlighters.   This isn't counting the tiny ones with lids that have cat ears.  

Cute Little Notebooks.  

This is another one of those things that people buy me and I used to buy for myself.  I don't anymore. The number of notebooks I found during my tidying up process was ridiculous.  There are a bunch of them, in all shapes and sizes.  Most of them have only one or two pages used from them or they haven't even been opened.  Yes, you heard me, UNOPENED! Please stop buying me cute (or even ugly) notebooks. 

Pencil Sharpeners and Erasers.  

These two items seem to be the most elusive in my desk drawer, until recently, when I emptied out all my stationery supplies and went through the whole mountain.  I found no fewer than  8 pencil sharpeners and 7 erasers.  Three of the erasers still had the plastic wrapped around them.  That means they haven't even been used.  Yes, you heard me, they were UNOPENED! Seriously?

Therefore, #RockWhatUGot, is going to apply to much more than my crafting supplies this year.  I'm going to add to this list as the year progresses, so stay tuned for more items I DON'T need.  What is something you don't need more of because you have too much? It doesn't have to be stationery.  Let me know in the comments. 

Rockin' it! 

2020 - Let's Do This

This Year, in 2020:

I will LEARN something new every week.

I will IMPROVE my Excel Spreadsheet Skills.

I will AVOID making old mistakes.

I will MAKE TIME FOR exercising at least 4 times a week.

I will ORGANISE my Work and Personal Spaces.

I will EMBRACE the CHANGE.

I will BE my BEST self!

Everyone is making and breaking New Year's Resolutions right now.  I hope you are setting some SMART goals and working towards reaching them.  We can do this!  Let's not make resolutions.  Let's make some goals, share them, and celebrate when we reach them.  Share your most important goal for 2020 in the comments.

#2019 #awesome

Let's look at what happened here at AGT (and in my world), this year!

Crafting
We began the year with a Scrap/ Pattern Paper Challenge and created some great cards in the process. I tried out some ink dragging with embossing folders and stamping on cork.  Making this magnetic frame was really helpful (thanks Simon Hurley) for holding my most used dies.  In April and May, I took some craft supplies on vacation and had lots of fun making cards with my nieces.  This year, I invested in some card classes, background stamps, an electric die cutting machine, texture pastes and perfect pearls.  As far as craft is concerned, 2019 was one of trying lots of new things.  Check out some of my favourite cards of 2019.

This is only a few of the cards I made this year! Wow, I've been busy. 

Travel
You got some postcards from me this year.  My first road trip in a long time, took me to Biloela (a small mining town west of Rockhampton in Queensland, Australia).  My sister moved her tribe to "Bilo" in January 2019, so in April, my Mum and I headed there for a visit. We celebrated my sister's 40th birthday and my niece's 5th birthday.  It was hot. If you want to read about how I handled the long drive with my chronic illness, click here.

In August, my Mum and I took a whirlwind tour of our nation's capital, Canberra.  Now I can tick Canberra off my list of Australian state capitals that I want to visit.  It was busy and exhausting and oh, so much FUN!  Check out my postcards here.

Other Stuff
This year, I also shared some Apps, websites and Youtube channels, that I have found useful as well as some other favourite things including some flashbacks to posts from previous years. Professionally, 2019 was amazing.  I enjoyed teaching new subjects and spent more time working with different students.  I got a new job at a new school, which meant packing up 10 years worth of teaching resources and bringing them home.  I still have piles of books, posters and stationery littering my craft studio/ home office.  I enjoyed helping out at Sunday School at church too.

I lived out the word "Pause" and I truly feel this has helped me reach goals and make changes to my life style for the better and forever.  I am looking and feeling better.  I can't wait to see what 2020 brings. :D  I will be spending New Year's Eve with my family and having an early night.  

This year was good, this year was fun!  
Tomorrow is another one!  (apologies to Dr Seuss)

How was your 2019? What are your plans for New Year's Eve? 

May you all have a happy and safe New Year! 

Top 10 Gifts for your Crafty Friend - a Guide for the Non-Crafter

Do you have a friend or family member who loves to make cards or do craft?
Do you have trouble buying gifts for them?
Does the craft store overwhelm you?
Look no further.... this list of great gifts can all be purchased at your local hardware store, discount variety shop, or department store.

My sister recently took my nieces and nephews shopping at Kmart and the Reject Shop (like Dollar Tree).  Their goal was for each of them to buy me a gift.  They wanted to be helpful and I received several things that they thought I could use in my craft room.  Some items were huge winners!  A few were not so useful.  This got me thinking.  It must be so hard for non-crafters to buy the right gifts for their crafty loved ones.  Us crafters have high standards when it comes to our supplies, right?  We know what things you can buy for cheap and what needs to be quality.  So, this list is crafter approved.  You can buy most of these items for less than $20 and you are almost guaranteed to put a grin on your crafty friend's face!

1. Adhesive: 

While many crafters have a favourite glue and a bunch of different glues depending on the different purpose.  Cheap adhesive can be very frustrating for a good crafter.  So, don't buy cheap adhesive or try to guess at what works.  Go to your local hardware store,  I go to Bunnings, and get the largest roll of double sided foam tape you can find.  These can range in price from $10 to $100. I have used the $10 tape and the $100 tape. The $10 tape works well enough.  If you are paying much less than that, don't bother, it will only frustrate the crafter.   You can also find liquid adhesive at the local hardware store, Elmer's glue all and Boyle's craft glue are both good quality. Mod Podge is another quality brand that any crafter would be happy to receive! Glue Dots are also a great addition to any craft room (especially the repositionable kind).

2. Clean Erasers

I am always looking for my eraser and I need a clean one! Some good quality, white erasers would be a great gift for the crafter in your life. 

3. Post-it tape

Full back sicky notes, post-it tape, and even low-tack painters tape are all great supplies for the craft room.  Painter's tape can be purchased at your local discount store or hardware store.  Sticky notes and post-it tape can be purchased at most department stores, or office/ stationery stores. These are consumable and no crafter can have too much of it.  They will always be able to use it! These repositionable sheets of paper can be used for masking off areas on a project, holding things in place temporarily and making templates.  

4. Fine tip pens in various colours

I have a set of these, however I wouldn't say no to another one.  In fact, one really great fine tip pen would be so appreciated! Unless you think your crafty mate has too many pens... although I don't think that is possible! 

5. Postage Stamps

It might sound crazy.  Okay, it sounds crazy.  I make loads of cards.  There are literally heaps of cards in my craft room. Why don't I send them out more, you ask?  There are several reasons for this, however the main one is that I can never find enough postage stamps.  It costs more money to post cards and I would rather spend my money on stamps, inks and tools.  A book of postage stamps can be purchased for as little as $5 or if you want to go really crazy, buy $20 or $30 worth of stamps and make it possible for me to send my artwork instead of piling it up in my craft space. That's how I see it anyway. 

6. Sequins, Gems and Stickers

You can find the cutest embellishments at the discount store (dollar tree/ reject shop/ bargain centre) if you know what to look for.  You would be surprised at how many of these things us crafters go through.  You might think a bag of sequins is not a useful gift, but we will go crazy over them.  You will be the new favourite.  I promise! 

7. A self-healing cutting mat/ Oven liner/ Silicone Mat

Again, these can be purchased for around $10 and while I have lots of these, I could use another one!  I wouldn't be able to justify the purchase using my own money.  Remember, I want to spend my money on stamps, inks and card stock.  Oven liners are a non-stick mat that can be used as a craft mat for ink blending or other crafts that work best on a slick surface.  They can protect a work surface from messy crafts such as paint, ink or even glue.  Silicone Mats are usually used for welding, but they can be used for mirror stamping, as a water colouring surface, and a protective surface for heat embossing, gluing and using alcohol inks.  

8. Magnetic Sheets

I have found magnetic sheets for about $2 each.  These are perfect for holding dies in place in the die cutting machine or storage of your metal tools.  You could even use some magnetic sheets to make this awesome Craft room accessory! 

That's that then.  Plenty of options for the non-crafter to purchase for a crafting friend.  Now get shopping! ;)

Great Reasons to Exercise Regularly at Home

We all know that physical activity is important to being healthy. We all know that a balanced diet, exercise and certain lifestyle choices contribute to good health.  The truth is, I have always struggled to include exercise in my daily routine because I don't love it.  I like it even less since my medical condition set in and I have chronic pain.  I wake up with pain, I go about my day in pain and I go to bed in pain.  I have pain all the time. Sometimes, I find it hard to get out of bed, shower, get dressed or even eat.  You can imagine that when these things are so difficult, physical activity of any kind is practically impossible.  

The thing is, too much inactivity can cause me more pain because my muscles get stiff.  The same goes for too much exercise.  If I exercise beyond my limits, I get too sore to move and then I get stiff again. Exercise, for people like me, is a balancing act.  I have to remind myself that it's worth it and it's important.  So, let's get to it. 

1.  It's good for your health!  Even if it doesn't feel like it.
2.  Fun! You can make it fun. Use TV show workouts, like this one from Pinterest, or dance workouts like this one from Cocolime Fitness (specially designed for beginners and people with chronic illness). You can walk, run, play a team sport or swim.  Find something fun that you will enjoy and make it part of the weekly routine as well as your home work outs. 
3. It doesn't have to be hell to have an impact!  In fact, you will see better and more lasting results if you complete a low impact 10 minute workout everyday, instead of a one hour workout three times a week.  
4. It's a great stress reliever.  Exercise releases endorphins (they are happy hormones) and forces you to take some time out from work, adulting and all the stuff. 
5. Stretching is dessert for your body.  We often spend time sitting at desks or on couches for long periods and we need to stretch our muscles.  Every exercise routine should include at least some stretching. If you are doing it right, it should feel good. 
6. It can be free.  You don't have to spend anything to get some movement into your daily routine.  There are several YouTube channels that step you through simple workouts.  You can improvise an exercise mat with a few towels or use a chair to help you balance. Small canned foods can be used as weights.  Alternatively, a walk around the block is totally free.  You don't need a treadmill or big bulky equipment.  Small dumbells, yoga mats, foam rollers, resistance bands and exercise balls are reasonably priced if you know where to shop, so you can build up your equipment as you go. 
7.  You can do it anytime.  As I mentioned earlier, YouTube means that you can attend various exercise classes at home anytime it suits you. In fact, Cocolime Fitness is the main reason I have been able to maintain an exercise regime over the past year. When I get home from work, I can turn on a video and get my exercise with little fuss.  If I feel like exercising in the morning, I don't waste time travelling to the gym or the pool.  
8.  You can wear whatever you want! You don't have to look cute! I started exercising in my oldest pair of track pants or shorts and t-shirt.  Now I have some clothes that are a little more practical and look a bit cuter.  I love that it doesn't matter how I look when I exercise in my studio at home.  It's just me and my cat.  
9. Nobody is watching!  Woohoo. It doesn't matter if I mess up.  I can stick my bum in the air, modify the moves, even 'fart' if I need to, all without worrying what anybody thinks. This makes it so much easier to focus on the business of holding in my abs or breathing.  

There you go people.  Exercise is important and I'm so glad I can do it at home.  Okay, time to get off the couch and do something good for myself.  

Until we meet again! 

World Teachers' Day Australia!

Today is the day that Australia celebrates World Teachers' Day!  

I slept in to celebrate.  I hope you celebrated by loving all the teachers in your life!  Be sure to tell them they are awesome! 

As I'm officially having a quiet day, I decided to simply show you other people's brilliance.  

Hey, we're honest. 

Armed and Dangerous

Only the Best Teachers

Emotional Labour isn't counted in the EB agreement.

It's hard to believe when they are licking the desk, but I'm sure it's true. 

Progress is the best goal. 

For the Teachers... I don't know what job you have. 

Good advice for anyone.

Love Your Teachers.... Tell us about your favourite teacher in the comments. 

Nap time!