Separation Agreements and Australian Family Law

Society today is very different to a time when marriage was for life and the idea of a couple 'living in sin' was... well... frowned upon to say the least. Here are the statistics for today.

Statistically in a group of 10 people;

Two to three will have had either 2 or 3 defacto type relationships. One or two will have had 3 or more. FIVE will be heading for there first split!

So with this in mind it could be a very costly exercise to have the potential of 3 or more costly settlements. However if you and your (ex) partner can decide amicably then it doesn't need to be drawn out and expensive.

Here are some legal aspects to what defines 'separation'. The Family Law Act states a separated couple as;

To Grey or Not To Grey? Why Are Women Aroused By Words?

Whispering 'sweet nothings' to your darling is considered the language of those who are in love. When it comes to dating a woman, a man has to bring his 'A' game at all times or else he will be shown the door.

There are certain things in relationships that will sway a woman towards you that we are all familiar with; nice clothes, jewellery, cars and fine dining among others. But none are more powerful than the use of the right words to arouse a woman. Saying the right thing to a woman is the basis on which many romantic relationships are formed, which is usually sealed with a kiss afterwards.

What is it about words that excite women to the point of falling under its spell? Let us take a look at what we already know. The romance books industry is huge business, where authors are paid handsomely, to use words that paint images of lust, romance, passion and sex. If a man and a woman read the same romance books, their reactions are guaranteed to be different.

Why Read 'The 5 Love Languages'?

When I first read Gary Chapman's The 5 Love Languages, I was close to tears. "Why hadn't I come across this book years ago?" I thought.

For years I thought that men and women weren't meant to be together because men were from Mars and women were from Venus. I had seen too many difficult relationships so much so that I had no faith left in getting married.

I had grown up seeing very stubborn men and I always thought that all men were difficult. I am not talking about a country where men oppressed women. I grew up in a country where women had a lot of power. Having said that, I still believed that men weren't easy species to live with under the same roof. It wasn't surprising that homosexuality was on the rise.

However, when I read this book, I realised that I had seen only half the picture. It wasn't fair to point the finger solely at men.

Help To Get Over A Broken Relationship

A broken relationship is difficult to deal with. Even a simple fall out with a friend or acquaintance leaves a person feeling under the weather. When that fall out is between you and someone you have been intimate with, or had believed you were close to, your mind and body feel as if you have been run over by a bus. Your life feels as if it has been derailed.

This feeling of having been cut adrift is extremely uncomfortable, unsettling and confidence squashing. No matter how secure a person you are, when a relationship breaks down you are affected in a huge way. Your emotions and equilibrium inevitably become greatly impacted, and not in a nice way.

For some people this is unfamiliar territory. For others a broken relationship can trigger a state of déjà vu. Past experience of broken relationships does not however make ones reactions and responses any better. It can in fact simply make matters a whole lot worse.

New Phyliss Harris stamps


I love, love, love the artwork of Phyliss Harris.  Besides being a rubber stamp artist she is an illustrator for Highlights (the childrens magazine). 
I recently started carrying a line of her stamps in the shop... but I'm sure they wont last long!

The card above was one I stumbled upon while browsing FaceBook.  It was made by Stacy Sheldon and her blog is here:

Stacy's Memory Triggers

I've included a few images of just a sample of some of the stamp sets I have in stock...




August Card Class


A new month... a new card class.
My Favorite Things has new dies and new stamps every month.  The mouse card above uses both, I especially love the Sentiment Strips dies for words.  We will also be using the Copic markers and adding a little Flower Soft in the basket.


The Riley card uses Core paper which we will sand to give it a worn look.


The "gender neutral" baby card uses a new onesie die with the matching stamp set. There is even a mini clothes pin for an added touch.


Its wedding season, this one would make a great card for a wedding or anniversary.


More super cute My Favorite Things stamps and dies.

Class supplies needed:
adhesive runner, pop dots, glue pen, paper snip scissors (such as Cutterbees).

Class fee:
Cost for the class is $17.00, if you pre-pay before your class date it will hold your spot and the cost is $15.00.

Class Dates:
Tuesday, August 14th @ 1 pm. (1 spot left)
Wednesday, August 15th @ 6 pm. ( 2 spots left)
Saturday, August 18th @ 11 am.
Wednesday, August 22nd @ 6 pm. (full)
Saturday, August 25th @ 11 am.
Wednesday, August 29th @ 1 pm. (full)
Thursday, August 30th @ 6 pm. ( full )