I’m of course an artist, but I’m also a collector of tattoo supplies and somewhat of a tattoo gun enthusiast. I’m a fan of the art and of the history of the art. Usually I don’t pay too much attention to the new stuff, but even the new stuff will be classic someday.

So I do often look at what’s coming out on TheLaShop.com. I want to make sure to stay on top of the latest technology. I find it fascinating when there’s stuff there that mirrors exactly some technology from way back in the day. As the art transforms and progresses, it also stays the same. In some ways.

I love collecting, I love the people you get to meet while collecting, the stories you get to hear from guys who’ve been doing it for way longer than I’ve even been alive. I hope that someday I get to talk, as an 80 year old, to some young gun who just started getting into tattooing. I’ll tell him, son, I’ve been tattooing for 65 years, I’ve learned a thing or two.

Then I’ll impart upon him my great wisdom, and he’ll hang on my every word. Something about that thick grey beard that gets people to listen to what you’re saying. I think it shows that you’ve spent less time worrying about physical appearance and more time thinking about life and about how best to lead your life and what you want out of it I suppose I should start growing my beard now so it can be down to my waist by then. That’ll really show how wise I am.

Just wouldn’t want to start talking about shaving advice, because then no one would listen! And that would be a shame, since I have so much wisdom to impart.

Sitting around my house are photos of my sister and I backpacking through Europe, an ex-girlfriend hugging me like we’ll be together forever…. they seem to float around, generate conversation and all of it brings back those amazing memories. So who prints, and what can you print?

In the lead up to the Southern Hemisphere’s largest photographic imaging exhibition, the Digital Life Expo in June, research from the Photo Marketing Association (PMA) found that 37 percent of households in Australia that have digital cameras did not print their photos in 2009 . In response to this, Australian photo printing company Momento, is encouraging Australians to print their photos or risk the loss and leaving it up to memory alone.

Based on data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) there are approximately 8.1 million households in Australia. Of these households, 73 percent have a digital camera. This means that there are currently an estimated 1,378,320 households in Australia that don’t print out their photos.

Research from the PMA study also found that 24 percent of households do not transfer their digital photos to computers at all, putting many households at risk of losing their photos forever.

“People don’t realise how easily you can lose your precious digital photos,” says Libby Jeffery, co-founder of Momento. “I’ve heard a sad story about an older gentleman who scanned all his family photos and saved them on one disc and threw out all the originals… then one day the disc snapped!”

“Rather than having your memories stored away on your computer or on a disc, one of the best ways to preserve your memories is actually to just print them out,” says Jeffery.

Offering a range of premium photo printing solutions including photobooks, diaries, calendars and greeting cards the Momento team appreciate how valuable photos are to everyone.

“We often have customers emailing us and telling us how important their photos are to them and how much they loved the end product. Whether it’s creating a family history book or pulling together photos from your big holiday, photobooks are a great way to keep a record of important events and times in your life,” says Libby.

The research from PMA also found that the primary reason for printing was to send or give the photos as gifts to family.

www.momento.com.au

As part of the Sunshine Coast Art Prize, Caloundra is hosting Art in the Park from 8am to 1pm, on Sunday 4 October 2009. The event in Felicity Park links the prestigious Sunshine Coast Art Prize exhibition at Caloundra Regional Gallery with the popular Bulcock Street markets with over 100 stalls.

Nourish your soul and tantalize your mind with this opportunity to combine a visit to the gallery with browsing among the original Australian art and craft displayed at Art in the Park.

The Sunshine Coast Art Prize exhibition features the 39 finalists and the winning piece Law by Maleny artist Peter Hudson. The free exhibition is open 10-4pm at 22 Omrah Ave, Caloundra.

For all the latest information about the prize visit www.scap.org.au. For great deals on accommodation visit www.caloundratourism.com.au or phone 1800 700 899 to speak to a friendly local.

In fairy tales the boy never left the girl in tears… but since we live in the real world, heartache is prevalent.

So you can get a pill for a headache, a liquid for a sore throat, a cream for an itch but you can’t buy anything to help soothe the pain that often accompanies a break up. You can’t find a good solution to why your normally gorgeous skin is sallow and time seems to pass so slowly. Break-ups are rubbish, no-one denies that. We all know there is no immediate solution, no magical potion or formula for it, but there are steps to getting back on your feet and staying there!

Certainly after a breakup there is a needy person that you are intimately acquainted with that needs your love, who will allow the ice-cream at midnight, who will watch as your carefully applied mascara runs off your face. YOU. You need love. You need to put yourself first, above the one who broke your heart, above the sadness, above the plans that now involve just you!

Your self-worth needs a little attention and it’s no good wasting available energy on “him”, even if you thought he was the one. It’s now all about you! So here are some steps to help you recover from a break up, getting back into the swing of things and having your smile reach your eyes. There’s no particular order in which these steps should be followed; remember we know it does hurt but above all else, hearts do mend!

1.Look good and feel better!
Let go of any preconceived ideas that you must look glamorous at this time. This is the part of your life that wouldn’t make it into the movie; rather it will be left on the cutting room floor with all those tear-soaked tissues! Be prepared to realise that you’re still here and while there’s no need for you to look like royalty, the process of getting out of your comfy tracky dacks and into a cute outfit will help!

Result: Crying is cathartic and even though you feel hollow, there may very well be a purpose for your “hollowness”…. Don’t wallow. Look good – you’ll feel better.

2. Throw his stuff in a box and send it back to “him”
There is nothing constructive about having that photo of you two in happier times or still wearing the necklace he bought you for your last anniversary. So go through your house and de-man your life. Be strong and decisive, and chuck it in a box (do not burn any of it!!) and then send it off with your best friend or ditch it at your parent’s house (why not? – all your old junk is there!)

Result: You will feel “free” immediately, and you will have removed the triggers that set the tears flowing. Also it creates more room in your house for new presents (given or bought) that you can attach happier thoughts to!

3. Call your girlfriends (Do not call “him”).
Get out your mobile phone (stay away from Facebook- don’t stress out about changing your status, it’s nobody’s business but yours!) and call your girlfriends. Issue an emergency invitation to go to your favourite cafe. Allow your closest friends to talk it out, get their advice, and remember we have all been on both sides of the heartbreak fence!

Result: You get to see how strong your friends are and you will inevitably be filled with some delicious meal by taking one of the first steps to recovery and facing the public by getting out of the house with good friends.

4. Eat chocolate, Drink wine
It is proven: chocolate stimulates our brain in the same way that some intimacies do. Wine helps your body relax! So have them, share them with friends, go and visit stores that sell fantastic wine and hunt out new brands of chocolate. Become a connoisseur; not only will your libido and skin thank you, but enjoyed in moderation it will also help your state of mind!

Result: You will be happy (in the brain areas) and flushed (in the cheeks!) so you will look happy, which is one step closer to feeling happy.

5. Say “Yes” to every invitation
When you break up, you notice just how many things you had been passing up or had not been offered as you were so time poor. Now you have an abundance of available time to fill, say yes to the invite for dinner with friends you never see; say yes to meet up for coffee with the person you see once every month; say yes to going to your parents for dinner. Basically step outside your comfort zone and enjoy what happens.

Result: Saying yes will bring more offers with more opportunities. Opportunity leads to wonderful things… you never know what is out there in life. There may be more things to make you happy that you had no idea about… yet! Say yes now!

Amanda Cole is a “relationship connoisseur” and is also the author of I hate Cinderella. www.ihatecinderella.com, her second novel You are my Future will be available for purchase next year.

The results were just too good to keep to herself. So Jules decided to self publish the book to celebrate the beautiful life of her mum and share her family’s collection of simple, no-fuss Australian recipes. Recipes that anyone can learn to cook and that everyone will love to eat.

“This book is dedicated to mums everywhere.” Jules writes, “It is a chance to celebrate the mums in your life – always treasure the time you have together.”

‘And the love is free – mum a life with recipes’ is the perfect resource for beginner cooks. From simple roast chook to pavlova, each recipe is brought to life with individual stories and page licking photography. This collection of real Australian recipes makes a lovely gift for friends and family overseas

‘Stonesoup’ is a weekly digest of chatty stories and delicious recipes, seasoned with a little science to help you become a better home cook. Jules has degrees in both food science and winemaking and is a chocolate biscuit designer for Arnotts. She grew up on a sheep farm but now lives in Sydney. When she’s not cooking or writing about food she can be found indulging her passion for running, travel, long boozy lunches and red shoes. This is her first book and she really hopes it won’t be her last.

The book is available for $29.95 (free postage anywhere in Australia) though the author’s blog www.thestonesoup.com.

Easy roast veg
serves 4 – 6

Mum would always take the time to peel her veg but I prefer to just give everything a good scrub and cook skins and all. Less prep time with the added bonus of more nutrients.

4T olive oil
4 – 6 medium potatoes, such as desiree scrubbed and halved
1/2 jap or butternut pumpkin (squash), deseeded and cut into chunks
2 red onions, peeled and halved crosswise
3 sprigs thyme, leaves picked, optional

Preheat oven to 200C (400F). Place a roasting pan large enough to hold the veg in a single layer and pop it in the oven to heat up while you’re prepping your veg. Place half the oil in the hot tray then top with the veg and thyme, if using. Drizzle over remaining oil and season well with salt and pepper. Roast, stirring occasionally for about an hour, or until the veg are cooked through and golden.