of course EVERYONE thinks...

...that their nieces and nephew are the cutest, the sweetest and the most adorable. but *somebody* has to be right, and i think it might be me! :)

regard:

exhibit a: matthew with his mom (unfortunately none of us realized his bib was still on--underneath he is wearing the coolest santa suit you've ever seen!)

exhibit b: lindsay playing with her new doll, bridget (if you ask the other nieces the name of a new doll they will think long & hard about an answer; lindsay, on the other hand, will immediately supply you with said colleague's name, complete family history, likes and dislikes!)

exhibit c: riley styling dora the explorer's hair (do they also make a "boots goes to the barbershop" toy??!)

exhibit d: madeline, bouncing (it's a long story!)

exhibit e: all three girls facing more or less the same direction at the same time (the holy grail of niecely photography!)

exhibit f: a very grainy, very dark photo that i couldn't bear to toss out!

ladies and gentlemen of the jury,
i rest my case!!!

my dreams are always strange & convoluted

(go figure!!!) :)

in the one i was having just before i woke up this morning, i was driving south on 287 just where it joins 202 near somerville, new jersey...

junction of routes 287 & 202, bridewater, nj; locus of the action

...when suddenly the dream shifted and without explanation i was, instead, in a concrete stairwell, along with my aunt judie (known in our family as "AJ") and halle berry...who for some reason was trying to kill aj*...who was trying to order a martini.**

academy award winner halle berry, in happier times

being a loyal and devoted niece, i did my best to stay between halle and aj, so that no harm could befall the latter. halle and i would run up the stairs to where aj was and somehow, behind me, aj would manage to get downstairs. halle and i would run back downstairs, only to notice that aj was above us, peering over the railing and helpfully shouting over and over, "run carefully! run carefully!" to me. at some point it occurred to me that this didn't really make sense... (surely we should occasionally be catching up to, or at least passing in front of, said relative?) ...and i experienced what is, for me, a familiar dream phenomenon--that of my conscious and unconscious mind having a discussion about the plausibility of the action; like two moviegoers in a multi-plex:

conscious mind: how is she doing that?!
unconscious mind: she's crawling straight up the wall, like a spider
conscious mind: no way! aj can crawl up walls like a spider??!!!
unconscious mind: not really, but this is a dream
conscious mind: oh yeah, good point
unconscious mind: which also explains why she is lime green
conscious mind: oof--you're right! i hadn't noticed that until now!

the color lime green could not be reached for comment

as is generally the case, once my critical thinking skills kicked in, it wasn't long before i awoke. not only am i clueless as to the deep symbolic meaning of the dream, i still have no idea where the car went, how i got into the stairwell, or what halle's beef with aj was. all i can say is...if at any time today, in the course of running your saturday errands, you happen to find yourself in a stairwell with a starlet...*don't* order a martini! ...just in case...

*this was abundantly clear even though halle did not, at any time in the dream, brandish a weapon. thus i can only assume she had a video i-pod loaded with "catwoman" tucked in a pocket. yeah. that'd do it.

**a drink i have never known aj to drink and certainly will do my best to prevent her from consuming in future.

some lovely cards i DID NOT make!

i got a fantastic variety of lovely photo cards this year (i hasten to say that all of these were *received* well before the holiday...it was i who ran out of time for posting them):

nieces riley and lindsay looking beautiful...as usual!

niece madeline sharing the spotlight with young matthew

for the first time this year

i was honored to receive 007's festive greeting from m'lovely pal monkee maker* (you can read his official holiday address here)

the vicious chicken* would like to assure us that no brussel sprouts were harmed during the making of this FABULOUS card...although fairly immediately afterward, they did become a tasty sidedish! :)

(and of course i've already shown you the ingenious steph's masterpiece, here!)

speaking of cards

there is still time (until midnight, 12/31) to make one which includes rickrack for the current CAARDVARKS challenge! i have been impressed by how many lovely cards were submitted...even in the thick of holiday preparations! clearly the rest of the cardmaking world is a bit more organized than i am**!

if you don't happen to like that challenge (or if, like tracy, you have already set bold new records of gorgeousness in the field!) there will be a new one starting...appropriately enough...on new year's day! it'll be a sketch challenge featuring a brand new, EXCLUSIVE cardmap from the amazin' becky fleck!

it has been a while since i have been truly obnoxious*** but having completed two cards that i am very, very pleased with, i cannot resist doing the "annoyingly coy sneak peak" thang! because, yes, i AM that mature!!!

*these ladies, having already conquered the worlds of knitting, photography and blogging, have now turned their hands to card-making. if there is ever a world shortage of talent or cleverness, we should look no further than bristol, england for the cure!

**in my case, in december, this is admittedly even easier than usual!

***in this particular way, at least! :)

a really *FUN* waste of 15 minutes!

because i know how hard it is to come up with new and different ways
to goof off, online...and i'm here to help! :)

i stumbled upon this website a few months ago, laughed uproariously, bookmarked it, and then forgot all about it until i decided to clean m'favorites folder out last night. it's called Says-It.com and boasts loads of neat little programs in which you can make your own customized versions of signage, cartoons and documents. it's totally free...but they will also *sell* you a t-shirt or mousepad sporting your creation,
should you need one!

you can make official seals:

concert tickets:

and a whole bunch of other stuff!
no need to thank me, it's all part of the sacred mission here at
the divine church of the good blog name!

can i get an "AMEN"??! :)

wishing you...

a day that's

MERRY

and

BRIGHT

full of nice things

to

EAT

and

DRINK

and maybe even

a

PRESENT

or two!

may you be surrounded by

FAMILY

and
FRIENDS

but still manage to find

a little time alone to just

HANG OUT

and enjoy

a wonderful

stress-free

love-filled

happy

happy

happy

christmas!

love,

tipsy

(ps: the american lass & her lovely husband also

send their warmest holiday wishes to you and yours!)

the sound you DON'T hear...

...is that of me

NOT vigorously typing

a hilarious and timely blogpost

listing my top ten (or twelve...or however many i finally settled on...)

picks for christmas music!

for that matter, it is ALSO

that of me

NOT vigorously typing anything at all!*

which is fairly impressive, really, when you think about it!

...afterall...

how many people can MULTITASK

sloth??!

(yes indeedy...when it comes to sloth...i'm goooooooood!)

but it turns out, i do have a couple of christmas cards i never got around to posting, and since you have a bit of free time now (what with there being no hilariously timely blogpost to read anywhere in this vicinity) why not have a little lookie at those?!

(*except, technically, right now, when as a matter of fact, i AM vigorously typing

the list of things of which i am not vigorously typing about! ...but... by the time you READ this, i will be back to not vigorously typing--or perhaps by then i will be vigorously NOT typing--anything! ...phew!...i'm sure glad we cleared that up...)

lookout, santa!

gliding through the night sky,

scattering handfuls of twinkling stars before her

to light the way,

she is perched majestically

atop an enchanted snowmobile,

drawn by glittering mystical moths,

(strong ones!)

yes, it's

*****the butterfly fairy*****

fluttering her magical way

around the world

to bestow the joy and whimsy

of the holiday season

upon all those

who have not yet *quite* gotten into the spirit

(even though they are by now

indisputably

cuttin' it a bit fine

spirit-wise)

so if you have been

A VERY GOOD GIRL

(or indeed, boy; since of course the butterfly fairy scrupulously observes all federal, state & local eeoc regulations regarding gender discrimination)

she *might* just bring you

THIS:

(if, however, you've been naughty like me, you could run to michael's, (where almost all the xmas stuff is 40% off or better) snag a pre-lit pink feather tree, wired bead garland, and feather-n-glitter butterflies on clearance, to make your own. of course, that's not particularly poetic...but there ya go...)

the 12 days of christmas...specials

i dunno about you, but i *LOVE* holiday-themed entertainment. i love christmas music, christmas movies, and the animated christmas shows from when we were kids. i even love the "special episodes" that regular tv programs have...including programs that probably shouldn't have them...like bones! (because christmas & forensic anthropology go together like...well, like two things that really, REALLY don't go together at all...o'course, having said that, i loved the repeat which aired last week AND this year's holiday episode from two weeks ago.)

so i thought it would be fun to make a top ten list of my faves. but then, of course, i couldn't quite narrow it down to ten, so i added a couple extras.

before i begin, let's address something that is bound to come up: no, it's a wonderful life is not on my list. nor is a christmas story. the reason? i don't really care for either of those. i realize it is practically HERESY to say so! i know they are the two most popular christmas movies of all time, and i respect that. i'm not saying they aren't high quality, well-made films. i just don't particularly like 'em. whilst i'm embarking on holiday confessions i might as well also tell you straight out: i *hate* eggnog. (there, i've said it.) yes, as a matter of fact, i AM weird. thank you for pointing that out! (anyone to whom that thought is only now occurring for the first time, i implore you: seek help!)

but here now the list, in no particular order:

sherlock holmes: the blue carbuncle
from the first series of jeremy brett's tenure, complete with the original watson, david burke. it sticks almost perfectly faithfully to the conan-doyle story...which doesn't *entirely* make sense if you think about it too hard...but to me it's the ultimate christmas-themed mystery.

comfort and joy

the magnificent bill paterson is a scottish dj who gets dumped by the love of his life a week before christmas. so of course then...as often happens in these situations...he becomes embroiled in a turf war between rival ice cream vendors! bill forsyth, writer/director of gregory's girl and local hero is absolutely on form here, and yet somehow, nobody knows about this film. pity.

rudolph the red-nosed reindeer

the first--and arguably best--of the great rankin/bass stop-motion animation classics. rudolph and i are precisely the same age, having both made our xmas debuts in 1964. (of course there was considerable "pre-production work" involved for each of us!)

a charlie brown christmas

you know it and you love it...or not...but either way, there is nothing i can add except, "merry christmas, charlie brown!!!"

muppet family christmas

imdb says this is from 1989, and i believe them, but i have no memory of ever having seen it aired (before or since) except for one december afternoon, sick in bed, about ten years ago, when it was on cable. it's got all your favorite "muppet-show" muppets, plus the characters from sesame street, and cameo appearances by fraggles, muppet babies, and jim henson. they sing, they dance, they tell jokes (wocka-wocka-wocka!) if you like muppets, you'll enjoy it; if you don't like muppets, i doubt this will convert you.

white christmas

this was my father's all-time favorite film. and being as he was not really a "film guy", that fact totally stands out in my mind. when i was little, he'd scan the tv guide eagerly starting in late november to see when it would be on. even after the advent of vhs, he still did this. he never wanted or needed to own the movie. he preferred to watch it when it was on television, even if that meant sitting through commercials. of course i was an adult before i really "got" the story. it's the typical 1940's/50's style musical, really, with the advantages of being in glorious technicolor, having an amazing all-star cast, and sporting a score by irving berlin.

scrooge aka a christmas carol

this is the 1951 version with alastair sim. of course there are LOTS of versions of this, many are excellent in one way or another, a few are truly appalling (there was a tv adaptation in the 80's, at the height of susan-lucci-mania of which i am still having flashbacks. yikes!) but to my mind, this one is probably the best. for me, it just works, perfectly, in all respects.

how the grinch stole christmas

some versions of the vhs and dvd have a "making of" special which is truly wonderful. i mean, think about it: chuck jones had the extraordinary vision to choose a children's book which takes *maybe* 10 minutes to read aloud at the very most, and by virtue of adding songs and stretching the action, manages to fill 26 minutes without harming or even "messing with" dr. seuss' original material. genius.

scrooged

even before he met wes anderson, bill murray could take a film, and by sheer force of his own comedic will, make it good. granted, this baby feels just a teensy bit dated...and it co-stars bobcat goldthwaite for pete's sake!...and yet, i love it anyway, every time.

doctor who: the unquiet dead

since the re-consitution of doctor who there have been *several* wonderful christmas episodes, but this is my favorite. it's set in cardiff, in 1869, with simon callow as charles dickens ,and an appropriately spooky, ghost-filled plot. what else do you need??! (hint: nothing!)

blackadder's christmas carol

in this version, rowan atkinson is a victorian incarnation of blackadder who's friendly, unselfish, caring, giving, and kind. thank goodness the spirit of christmasses past & future (as embodied by robbie coltrane) arrives to fix all that!

bernard and the genie
this little gem was written by richard curtis--of love, actually fame (a decent xmas movie as well!)--for british tv in the 1990's. it's basically a modern-day version of aladdin, with alan cumming as the hapless lamp owner and lenny henry as the genie. it is, to my mind, everything a christmas movie ought to be if it possibly can: a little bit silly (ok, quite a bit silly), a little bit sweet, fairly family friendly, and absolutely charming. if i was going to pick one favorite off this list...this'd probably be it.

so what do you like to watch around the holidays?! (tracy, being a trendsetter, has already posted her list over t'weekend!) c'mon...i know there's something to which you know all the words, sing all the songs, and just generally feel "it wouldn't be christmas (or hannukah, or kwanzaa or yule) without............"! SPILL! !!

the postman...

...always rings twice. usually he is looking for lana turner or jessica lange...but on saturday he was bringing this...

...from my amazing & lovely trout-lovin', card-makin', long-lost sister, stephanie! believe me, the photo does NOT do it justice! not only is it lovlier looking than in the picture...it's lovely feeling, too! the pale bits of the circle pattern are reverse-embossed...and the inside has textured words...and a fantastic stamped sentiment...and glittery writing!

so just another reminder, especially at this time of the year, when we all have too much to do, and not enough time in which to get it done...handmade cards??!

SOOOOOOOO WORTH IT!!!!!

(thanks, girlfriend! xolb)

the best shopping trip of the year!

last night we partook of my favorite christmas tradition. it's something LHJ and i started doing 5 or 6 years ago, and it's become more and more fun to me each year: we pick a night in december, head over to k-mart, fill a cart with toys, and leave 'em there......in the toys for tots bin.

take it from me, this is the most fun you can have with a credit card!!!

the first year we noticed the collection station at k-mart (i believe all their stores have one, but plenty of other places do as well) was while toy shopping for jeff's nephews and niece. "let's get an extra present," we said. then i think the following year we decided we each wanted to pick something out. one year we happened to hit k-mart on their super-pre-xmas toy sale night...and we started setting a dollar limit...which has crept a little higher as we've gone along. some years, depending on what the kids in our lives wanted for christmas, we've wound up at k-mart shopping only for the charity. i can tell ya, you get some funny looks as you leave the store, grinning, with a long receipt and an empty cart...but in a good way!

if you're interested, a complete list of collection sites, by state, can be found here. toys for tots, a non-profit organization run by the u.s. marines and marine corps reserves, accepts new-in-the-package unwrapped toys for children of all ages. you can also donate your time or money, in person or online. for details consult their official website.

christmas cards and smoked trout

(dcwv patterned paper, the ubiquitous bits of old xmas card, paper source puffy felt flowers, making memories brads, scrapworks fabric tab, dmc embroidery floss)

i know what you're thinking. you're thinking, "hey lauren, the name of this post is christmas cards and smoked trout; where's the trout and what connection does it have to the cards we see above?"

to which the answers are: "in my lunch" ...and... "none" respectively. i only mention the trout because at the supermarket the other day i happened to notice that in addition to packages of smoked salmon there were also packets of (less common in the suburbs but even tastier, imo) filleted smoked trout. if you were to buy some and carefully pull off the skin, (ok i just lost a bunch of people right there didn't i? uh huh. sorry!) break the fish into chunks, and add mayonaise, a little onion, and maybe (if you were feeling quite fancy) a bit of fresh cilantro, you would wind up with something which could make a whole wheat bagel--were it capable of expression--grin like an idiot. something smokey, and creamy and fishy....and in lovely husband jeff's opinion...completely disgusting.

and that my friends, is what diversity is all about! to which i say HOORAY! HOORAY for diversity! HOORAY, even, for seriously different, if not diametrically opposed opinions! diversity is great. it's what provides society with one guy who sees the glass as half empty, another who sees it as half full, and a third who sees a vast untapped market for bottled water! i say "HOORAY" because the very reasons and impulses that make us react in such different ways mean that we are thinking in different...and potentially complementary ways...which is something the world needs!

but i digress...which is so unlike me! :)

anyway, the point of the fishy treat is that it will (hopefully) act as high protein brain fuel whilst i am in full-on, warp-speed, all-hands-on-deck christmasizin' mode for the next few days. in the meantime, if i usually visit your blog: i'll be back soon...honest! if i owe you an email: it's coming...really! and if you have a sleigh and eight tiny reindeer:

hey buddy! i could use a little HELP here!!!

xolauren

mas tarjetas de navidad

yes indeedy, seeing as how the christmas-card-revealing process has been going on now for 1427 consecutive blog posts, i have run out of clever ways to introduce yet more of said creations. so this morning i borrowed a cup of spanish to complete the task. tienes gusto? gracias!

(yet more bits cut from old xmas cards; dcwv patterned paper; creative imaginations, doodlebug & autumn leaves rub-ons, jewelcraft gems, foam tape, stickles)

having been lucky enough to enjoy a couple of warmish (high 40's low 50's) nice-ish (not precisely sunny, but not *unremittingly* overcast) days here in new jersey, the ice and assorted sky-based frozen crap which has been plaguing the midwest seems to have finally arrived. hooray. if you are someplace where this is occurring, please be especially careful when driving, walking, or in any other way interacting with said disgustingness! which is not to say that the rest of you should go about doing cartwheels in traffic or driving backwards at speeds upwards of 150 miles per hour, executing dukes-of-hazzard-style 360 degree turns beneath underpasses...

...though of course if you *DO*...be sure to take photos and send me a link! ;)

the last two christmas cards...

...but then...i'm not showing them in order! :)

(k&co and dcwv patterned paper; making memories & doodlebug cardstock stickers; provocraft and k&co rub-ons; queen & co brads; plus: pom-pom, foam tape, glitter glue; the fact of the last two cards being a cat AND some sweet little birds did not strike me until i came to scan the cards in question. not only is it a nice--if unintentional--visual joke...it's an apt metaphor for ME and xmas at this point in time. hint: in this scenario, i am the birds!)

the joy and the rapture of completing these babies lasted right up until last night, when, having done 90% of the writing and the labelling...i realized...i still need a few more. which will need to be made from scratch. it's a good thing i don't have the time or energy to panic, because between that and the fact that i took stock of the gifts i have already aquired...vis a vis the amount needed...in conjunction with the fact that christmas is two weeks from YESTERDAY...and yes, i am still fightin' my frickin' back at every turn...

well, let's just say A LOT of people will be getting money or giftcards this year...some of which may not arrive until early january (is it too late to convert to eastern orthodox??!) and/or be presented in [GASP!] store-bought cards.

but as cathy zielske so brilliantly said:

sometimes "good enough" is good enough

right on, sister! if i had the time, i'd embroider that on a cushion!

the funniest thing my mother has ever said

exhibit a: the coveted york peppermint patty

this goes back a few years. in fact, i think it must go back about ten years, since my father died in 1998...and i am pretty sure he was corporeal* at the time this conversation took place.

the scene: a comfortable suburban home, just past the dinner hour. a woman sits in the kitchen, reading a newspaper and enjoying a "snack-sized" candy bar; her husband ambles in and immediately spots the chocolate.

dad (excitedly): we have peppermint patties??!

mom (apologetically): this is the last one.

dad (a bit deflated): oh.

the next night exactly the same scenario occurs, but with slightly different dialog.

dad (suspiciously): is that a peppermint patty?

mom (innocently) (though clearly busted, she's unwilling to admit it): yes.

dad: but yesterday you said you were eating the last one!

mom: well, yeah......but i'm not eating them in order.

this is one of those stories which has taken on a legendary status in our family. as funny as it was at the time...to me...it continues to become a little more hilarious every time i think about it. oh and before you ask, "why didn't she just share the candy with him?" let me say this: "i have no idea!" many years ago i placed my parents' relationship, along with a few other topics, (such as particle physics and the appeal of professional wrestling) into a mental file folder labelled "stuff i am NEVER going to understand and thus can stop worrying about right now" ...and there it has remained from that day to this...

*the possibility that he was already deceased at this time implies a distressing lack of confectionary in the afterlife...in which case...i'm not goin'!

rickrack!!!

hooray!

it's time for the super-surprise "last-one-of-2007" caardvarks' challenge! this one runs from now until midnight december 31st and is sponsored by queen kat designs. the prize is one of their super-yummy acryllic stamp kits, which...trust me...you sooooo want! all you have to do is make a card that features rickrack. how cool is that?! (hint: it's pretty cool!)

here's my card:

(cutout ornaments from an old xmas card, rickrack, (well, duh, it's the rickrack challenge!) dcwv patterned paper, my mind's eye alphas, jewelcraft gems, seed beads, foam tape)


of course there's more loveliness to be found in the rickrack gallery, where the queen kat design team's cards are joined by the caardvarks design team's cards...and hopefully soon to be completely surrounded by YOUR cards!

hooray!

since i have SOOOOO much free time...

(HA!!!!!!!)

...i decided to spend some of it playing around with digital scrapbooking elements! it turns out, all these years that i have made labels and things using broderbund printshop, basically i was already "doing digital"! who knew?? ok, obviously there's tons more to it than just layering pre-made elements; for example there at at least 9,000,000 photoshop techniques i would like to figure out (i need to learn to use photoshop more effectively in general, i know i am barely scratching the surface of that baby!) ...but... i confess that i found it rather exciting to discover how easily you could at least get *started* in this realm. oh and much to my surprise, there are tons of big-designer-name free 2peas digikits to be had...gratis! i grabbed me up some rhonna farrer goodies and made a little label for my xmas cards:

now all i have to do is finish making said cards! i *think* at last count i was up to 45 or 46...i'm firmly in single digits, anyway. the goal for this weekend is to get the last few done, print the labels, and maybe even start writing out the cards. of course none of this will happen until i get offline & start workin'!!! so you know what i'm gonna say now, right?? uh huh:

au revoir, mes amies!

(well i can't say ciao every day...i'm a multi-cultural international babe on the internets ya know!)

seventh heaven*

well, it is not without a certain sadness that i type the last post of CardMapsWeek. i will miss waking up each morning knowing i have a cool card to show, and an even cooler becky fleck sketch to unveil. and then i get to surf around to everyone's blogs and see what amazing creations they have made using the previous day's sketch.

but not to worry, i have a feeling we will be seeing ms. becky in the caardvarks' vicinity again before toooooo very much time has passed... that's just a feeling mind you. it's not like i know about something which i can't tell yet but i'm alluding mysteriously to it just to be obnoxious. because you know i would never do anything like that!!! (place diabolical laughter here)

and now... (place trumpetty fanfare noise here) ...the sketch for day seven:

and now...my card! (place rapturous applause here):

(dcwv patterned paper, creative imaginations scalloppy paper, sandylion stickers & sticky gems, making memories credit card tag, you can't see it on the scan, but i used a silvery sakura glitter pen to outline around the edges of the tree paper and around the scallops, so that there is a very soft shimmer of sparkle there...you know...so as not to distract from the very LOUD sparkle of the 30+ round & snowflake shaped rhinestones!!!)

even though we've concluded with the sketch challenges, you might like to check for a bit of news on the caardvarks' site over the weekend. you know...just in case there is something interesting to be revealed? oh yeah, and who can say if there won't even be another little challengey type event posting on monday, as well??

happy weekend, darlings!

*see, i told you that today i would be back to makin' with the excellent numerically punny titles! ...you did believe me...right?!

six

...just six...

today i am skipping over the title* in order to get right to the cool sketch:

and here is my card of which i am moderately proud...but in a humble sort of way, o'course:

(dcwv patterned paper, doodlebug cardstock, faux stitching & paper frill, making memories brads & plastic sticker, paper source puffy felt flowers, dmc embroidery floss)

of course by now you will have realized that the sketch is from becky fleck's new set of december CardMaps, and that design team have also made lovely cards which follow the same basic design, and that by checking out the comments sections of this week's caardvarks' posts you can follow links to see additional awesome cards from talented folks around the world. woohoo. so i think my work here is done.

ciao, darlings!

*this is not because i couldn't think of anything cool that revolved around the number six. nooooooo sirree bob! by golly when it comes to six-based puns i was SPOILT for choice,i tell ya. oh yes indeedy, i could have wowed you with any number of sixly hilariousnesses. i merely chose not to**

**just to be clear: by "chose not to" i mean, of course, "i could not think of anything immediately and couldn't be bothered to keep trying". yes, i am lame. but honest. (eventually.) also, children, pets and old people love me. (well, some of them do.) anyhow, just you wait until tomorrow!*** hoooooooooo doagie i will have some good titleage for ya then, by golly!

***probably.

ladies and gentlemen: the jackson five!

who, oddly enough, have not made any cool cards for day five of CardMaps Week. go figure. on the other hand, to the best of my knowledge, none of the caardvarks can moonwalk, so suppose that's fair enough. but now let us leave the precociously funky lads from gary, indiana, and instead feast our eyes on today's sketch:

and now shall we gaze upon the card i made for this challenge?

(basic grey rub-ons & patterned papers, sei velvet paper, k&co & sandylion stickers, colorbox ink)

oh and the other day when i said that becky fleck's fantastic website was devoted to cards instead of layouts for the month of december? turns out...i was only half right. in fact, the brand new CardMaps set is in addition to the regularly scheduled PageMaps. plus there are sketches made especially for half-sized pages, tags, round pages, & minibooks. so basically, it's a place well worth checking out whether you are a beginner or seasoned papercrafter.

which means that next time, jackson five, you have no excuse for not participating!

CardMaps Week: DAY FOUR!*

(*some days i am rockin' the snappy titles...other days...not so much)

(clearly, this was an "other" day)

:)

but snappily titled or not, in fact today *is* day four of CAARDVARKS' CardMaps week and we do happen to have yet another lovely sketch by becky fleck to inspire and amaze you!

(yet another lovely sketch by becky fleck to inspire and amaze you!)

once again the design team have whipped up some cardish goodness. here is mine:

(basic grey & daisy d's patterned paper, ki chipboard, best creation foil sticker, colorbox inks, misc. ribbon)

if you need more, check the comments on the caardvarks' posts to find links to more cards from the same sketches we've been using, or you could head over to PageMaps for more sketches!

(the PageMaps logo; in fact this didn't really need a caption, but as a matter of fact lori does look particularly cute in her reading glasses!)

in other news, i stumbled on some very disturbing photographs yesterday, and feel that as a responsible blogger i must point them out to you in order that you may take steps to avoid the horror i experienced. first, the esteemed and generally lovely monkee maker went mad yesterday and posted this. (not to worry the rspcka* are on the case!) then VC apparently decided to be a little more vicious and a little less chicken...and linked us to this.

just for the record, the snorting and sputtering noises i was making whilst i viewed these abominations were that of indignation and outrage, and absolutely not the sounds of helpless & paralysing hysterical laughter. honest.

(*royal society for the prevention of cruelty to knitted animals) (ps: hi lori! xoxo) :)