ABC Primer Lampshade

I love this project. I did this one as a store display for Graphic 45 ABC Primer paper range and was very pleasantly surprised at how well it turned out. Kaz mounted it on a dress form bust in the shop and it just looks awesome. I'm off to find a couple of smaller ones to do for the boys lamps in their room.

9/11 ten years on ......

Sometimes it feels like a hundred years ago and others like yesterday since 9/11. The world as we knew it changed that day, my world changed forever. No more chances to "catch up" with my cousin Andrew James Knox. The distance between Echuca and Adelaide ensured we didn't get many opportunities to spend time together but the Knox side of the clan were often in our thoughts and always in our hearts. The rare times we did get to spend time with Aunty Marion, Uncle Tom and the boys were treasured by our family, our love transcended mere miles. I have lost many special people over my lifetime to illness and accident and it is always hard, but you do get to move on after a while and life returns to some degree of normality .
With Andrew's death we get to relive it over and over again, sometimes I think I will scream if I have to watch that tower collapse again.
This year with the opening of the official memorial ten years on maybe we can begin to move on, but we will never forget.I visited Ground Zero in 2008, it was difficult but helped me to some degree to see the site for myself and to say goodbye.
I am so proud of  cousin Stuart, Andrew's twin brother. As the family spokesman he has conducted himself with dignity and been so strong protecting his parents from having to face the media year after year.
Stuart was invited to the ceremony  in New York to take part in the reading of the names at Ground Zero and has sent us back photos of Andrews name on the memorial pool wall.
RIP Andrew James Knox we love you.

Andrew Knox's family will never forget September 11and urges more support

Inspired by Candy

Wow we had the best weekend with Candy and John Rosenberg. Kaz and I headed for Melbourne Friday after working Thursday night with 2 hrs sleep. We arrived at the domestic terminal about 20 mins before their Sydney flight was due into receive a call from Sherry telling us the flight had been delayed and they would be arriving around 6.30pm about 3 hrs late. Not wanting to hang around the airport we headed to Scrappers Delight in Gladstone Park and crashed their crop. We stayed 3 hours and had a great time chatting with Sharon and the girls. Got back to the airport and had some dinner at PJ O'Briens then spent the next couple of hours running from gate to gate watching every plane from Sydney unload.They finally landed at 8.25 absolutely buggered and were put in a car for another 3 hours in the dark having no idea what they were in for or where they were going. We arrived back around midnight and were up and ready for class by 9 on Saturday.
Candy held two workshops and they were awesome, they were fun full of great techniques and fabulous products. Assisting with the workshops gave me the inspiration for this cute baby album.

I used Simple Stories Baby Steps, Basically Bare album, Ranger Distress ink - Mustard seed, May Arts ribbons, Sassafras Lass acrylic butterflies.
Thanks Candy for the inspiration

and the journey ends Bathurst to Oberon and home

We headed to Oberon and decided to visit the Jenolin caves before checking in to the motel - BIG mistake - the Veterans Hockey game had followed us to Oberon so we had to stay in the pub. The road to the caves was treacherous with multiple 15k hairpin turns and was very narrow. 

We had a great evening in the pub, good company and a good feed and headed to bed - comfy bed, shared bathroom - shared with 25 pine planters who were using the girls bathroom as well. The Juke box roared til midnight and the boys got up for work at 5am. We were up at 6am and packed, grabbed a coffee at the bakery next door planning to get to Gundagai for the night.
The frost was incredible made Hill End's look tiny, it extended to about 20 k's out of Goulburn, entire hills and paddocks even the tops of gum trees.

By Goulburn Chas had convinced me that we would "push" on to home, the thought of my own bed and shower were too good to resisit. After a quick stop to buy some decent CD's and a couple of treasures for Kaz we hit the road for the long trip home.

We needed a break from the highway so detoured through Gunning and discovered the National Holden wall of fame at Baily's Garage.

 We watched the sun set over Rutherglen and Yarrawonga, the evening light was stunning on the buildings in Rutherglens main street.

After a very long day in the car it was wonderful to hear the GPS say You have reached your destination and even better to sleep in my own bed again.