A gift from a friend.....

is sure to put a smile on my face. I want to share with you a gorgeous atc and charm that arrived as an early B'day (my b'day is Tuesday) present from Sherry. I love her little charms they are so sweet. Thank you Sherry I love it.


Speaking of thanking people I want to say a huge "THANK YOU" to everyone who has given me support and well wishes for Georgina and my family. I do not take it for granted and it means the world to me that people care about what my family is going through. Thank you dearly.

I have been adding some new things to my etsy shop and thought I'd share a new necklace I've added for sale. Love the effects the alcohol inks give these pendants and I love the rub-ons too. I've never thought of adding them before and they look so cute.






Today I have just been editing some photos and boring stuff really, my lounge looks as if a bomb has hit it because miss Lucy mae loves to bring half of her bedroom into it lol but I let her on the weekends. Back to tidying up tomorrow along with pre-kinder again for Lucy. I'm hoping tomorrow isn't too cold as I really need to get out in the yard. Tuesday we have a babysitter for the day and Martin and I are spending my birthday in town and going for a nice long lunch. I am turning 35.How do I feel about that? not too bad actually I thought I'd feel old etc but I am feeling ok with aging (by years not looks lol) but ask me the same question when I'm turning 40 and the answer will be different ;)

Take care
Belinda xxx

Metallic dreams is on .......

Etsy, at last.

Ok can you believe that I signed up for Etsy back in August 2008 and it has taken me almost a year to actually start putting anything in it lol oh well better late than never. I have made up a few mixed media art kits on Etsy. These kits are so versitile and can be used for almost any craft and jam packed with colour and texture yummy. I am in the middle of taking stacks of pictures of things to sell that have been sitting in my cupboard waiting patiently. I had fun designing my etsy banner, I was surprised how easy it was and how quick and easy to set it all up was. The mixed media kits are a clue into my secret new project ;) still getting organised with it. Big news soon.

Here's a copy pictures of some kits in my shop,



Today I have Georgina home sick with a cold and her and Lucy are sitting here playing polly pockets and being quiet (for a change lol). Lucy started pre-kinder last Monday and will go every Monday for the rest of the year. She was one of only a couple kids who could write her own name, lucky we gave her an easy one. I can't remember Georgina being able to unless we wrote it down for her to copy. Very clever is my Lulu. She loved "school" and asked Tuesday if she was going back. I hope she's this keen when she goes all day long next year.

We had a wonderful time here yesterday with my brother's little girl who turned 1 this week. It was only my 3rd time to see her and her mum dropped her here for a couple hours for us all to share in her birthday. My brother is hoping it can become a regular thing. It is so sad to see someone love their child so much and not be able to see her. It is a very long story that I wont getr into here but I wish my brother and his little girl all the best. She is a gorgeous little girl.

We watched "Marley and me" the other night on dvd and I was a big sook and cried my eyes out, watching this poor old dog die broke my heart as we know our dear Chloe dog hasn't got long. She is 13 in October. We need to take her back to the vet to put her on Arthritis medication as she is very reluctant to come out of her kennel and walk up our back steps now it is just so cold. We'd love to let her inside permanently but we have to little girls who can't be left alone with her as she is getting tempermental and has already bitten Georgina's hand (not bad just a warning).
So sad, my poor beautiful girl but she just keeps plodding along.

wow that's a bit of a mixed post, I'm getting back to work on y secret now ;)
Back soon
Take care
Belinda xxx

change is good

so much has been going on in my life lately that I feel like my head is spinning. I have made myself sit back and take stock of what I really want to do with my life. Most of my work history has been in the hospitality field and it never satisfied me at all. I decided to study Disability services as I worked in the kitchen of a nursing home and wanted to work where I could help others, half way through the course I fell pregnant with Lucy and never completed the course due to the work experience I was doing was to dangerous for me as I was 8 months pregnant by then and some clients were a bit aggressive. Now because of Georgina I don't think I could pursue a career in this field. So for a while I just stayed home enjoyed my crafts and looked after my girls, life was good but I kept thinking that Lucy starts school next year and I can't go back to hospitality so I decided to study by correspondence Interior design. That brings me to now. I wanted to do interior design because I love colour and texture and I love putting things together and designing things. I thought this would be perfect and even though I seem to be good at it I am not loving the graphic & technical design side of things. I have left the studying alone for a while thinking I will get used to it but it is such a huge financial outlay that if I continue and then stop the course later on I will lose out.
I kept thinking that if I quit this course I would feel like a failier so I have forced myself to come up with a plan that will see me doing that I love and keep me busy at the same time.
I have set myself up to start something that I am going to loooove doing and I am hoping it takes off and others will love it to, but for now it is going to remain a secret until I finalise a few things. I am really excited about my future right now and feeling lost and confused has pushed me into dealing with things and it's great. At the moment I haven't officially quit my course but I will be and you know what? This is the first time in my life I have failed to do something and I am proud of myself for making the decision. Another thing I have done finally is set up my etsy shop and I am in the process of photographing some things to load up my shop.

Today I have cleaned out my supplies and re-organised everything. It's a great feeling opening my cupboard and seeing everything has a place and finding things I thought I'd lost is good too ;)

ok I am going now I have heaps to do on my secret project, back soon with some etsy shares.

Take care
Belinda xxx

Splints...

are horrible yeh ok I said it, I do not like them and well my daughter she is just good at hiding that she hates them too.



I do know that they are to help Georgina and she will be wearing them for a long time to come. Yesterday she wore them to school for the first time and I couldn't believe the stares she got not from the kids but from the parents. Georgina is very aware of what she looks like and the staring was upsetting her. When we took her into the classroom to speak to her teacher all the little kids surrounded her and just stared while we talked. Georgina was very uncomfortable and her poor little face was so red. My heart could have broken into two. I understand the curiosity of the kids but the parents who stare and whisper about her could make me scream. I would much prefer people to ask what/why/how? type questions instead of making my little girl upset. I am very worried that she is going to withdraw and not be the fun loving, confident girl she is. Georgina came home from school and wants to wear trousers (her school has skirts and trousers) to cover up the splints, there goes my heart again. We had purchased some trousers for her but she hadn't wanted to wear them until now. I took them up and they do cover the splints but she want be allowed to wear them when summer comes around so I hope she can overcome the fear or shame of them.
This photo was taken after we got them home, before other peoples opinions and reactions made her hate them. Because you can't walk on the splints alone you need to wear shoes over them, this meant the shoes needed to almost 3 sizes to big for her too big for her so they add to the funny look.


When I think of the future all I see is my beautiful teenage daughter trying to fit in and be like all the other girls but still wearing splints and having botox and plaster 2-3 times a year and surgery too. My head is spinning and it is so hard to not treat her any different or show her we get upset too.
Look at this girl so beautiful (i am bias lol) and happy, I give the world for her and hope that she can get the strength she needs to overcome how she feels right now.


Georgina's little friend had to leave school early from school yesterday and in our car on the way to school (we car pool) Georgie turned around and said "I always have to leave school or miss school to go to the doctors, it's not fair" well I had no idea she felt like this she loves school and she has had lots of dr appointments and will have many more to come. it's very hard to get all her visits after school hours. Just another thing she doesn't talk about and just bottles up. I really need to sit her down and make her talk to me, she is a stubborn child which is not good.

ok this wasn't supposed to be such a downer post but I don't feel well I have a cold and think it may be going to my chest as I rattle when I couch. It's my asthma making it worse.

I'm going now as I have a little four year who's walking on her toes to be like Georgie and have plasters and ride in the wheel chair. Seriously Lucy cracks me up if it wasn't so funny I could cry at her innocent comments.

Take care
Belinda xxx

Blog award

Edited to note- ok silly me anyone who's read this already will realise I never added the blog picture lol anyway it's here now
I received a blog award from Sharmaine Please find the time to visit Sharmaine"s blog her scrapbooking and mixed media art is really beautiful as are her 4 gorgeous girls.


The Love My Friends Award is given to those blogger's who aspire, inspire and share the most beautiful of human attributes: art, wisdom and friendship
Deliver this award to eight blogger's who must choose eight more. ok 8 blogs -
1.) Inga @ cotton picker
2.) Sherry @ Sherry's simple blog
3.) Cindy @ Plant's list
4.) Dot @ Dot's life and art
5.) Jacky @ Art4moi
6.) Margaret @ Mop heads unite
7.)Elizabeth @ Elizabeth creates
8.) Mel @ One crafty mumma

I need to do another post because I want to journal Georgina's progress and share her splints with you and all the emotions and frustrations these have brought us already. Until then

Take care
Belinda xxx

scrapbook overload

Hi Well I finally got together some photo's of all the pages I completed the other day, all very different and some with old photo's too.
(If you click on these pictures they should enlarge)







For the last two days I have been de-cluttering and cleaning my dining room and kitchen and I have removed 2 garbage bags of rubbish, unbelievable how much unwanted junk we collect. Martin and I have decided to sell our home and buy a bigger place. But we will need to do some updates and put in a new bathroom, carpet etc and our garden needs well doing lol. We have a load of work ahead of us and we are giving ourselves until Christmas and then we will look for a new home buy and then sell as we don't want to be forced into buying so someone can move in here first. We have a long list of things our new home should have and extra's we want. The house hunting will be fun but the cleaning and work wont be ;) We have been in this home for 13 years, we bought the place just built and sitting on a mound of dirt. I think it would be fun to take some updated photo's and I will share.

Take care
Belinda xxx

p.s I was lucky enough to recieve a new blog award, will share with you shortly.

My 1st Q tea kit

I have subscribed to Qtea kits , a mixed media kit full of interesting bits and pieces. If you are not a fan of the usually run of the mill scrapbooking supplies this is the kit for you. My first kit arrived and I made up a page straight away, I can't wait to see whats next. Check out the site here

Here is the kit for July, horse theme.


and here is my first page, but there is enough stuff left to do more which is always good:)





We went to a gearing up expo yesterday it was all about opportunities and help for people with disabilities. We thought it would be good to show Georgina that there are children way worse off than she is, and yes she was glad she is not as bad but looked a little confused. We were given information and forms to fill out to join the Tasmanian register for people with cerebral palsy which does research into possible causes of it. We have been told that there has been some improvement so far with her legs but she now has weekness in her hips caused not from cerebral palsy but from the way she walks. Georgina will her casts off next week and on Friday she gets her splints. She asked how long she had to wear them for and having to tell her again and again that she will be wearing them for a long long time is still heart braking but I think it is slowly sinking in for her. I do know she is sick of the plasters and can't wait for them to be off, me too. I can't tell you how many toes she has trodden on.

Take care
Belinda xxx

A little finger knitting...

can go a long way ;)
For a while now I have been collecting all sorts of balls of wool and really textured threads. I use them for doll making, scrapbooking and all sorts of other things. I wanted to make something that used up a lot of them together for two reasons 1) the textures and colours together are gorgeous and 2) because well I just have too many and need to use them up. I thought I might try knitting something but I tell you I am hopeless and always will be lol. I am left handed and could never find anyone to teach me so I tryed finger knitting some. I loved how they turned out and decided to plait many threads together to make thicker cords and them when I had enough I got my sewing machine and started sewing them down onto felt. So now I have the beginings of a great fluffy rug. It is quite a fast and fun project to do and it feels great under your feet, now I only need anout 6 more of these panels to finish off a decent size rug and then I will back it will something a little heavier. If I don't brake too many needles in my machine (I have broken 2 already) I should have it completed pretty quickly. I really need to stop starting new projects, I am getting side tracked from study but it's loads of fun.



I am also in the middle of editing 9 scrapbook pages I completed over the last couple days, I'm on a roll and can't stop, it's nice to have new photos to have fun with.

Must go now I have a couple friends and their little girls coming up for the day, should be fun a house full of squeeling girls.

Take care
Belinda xxx