Saturday, May 31, 2008

we interrupt...

...your regularly scheduled paper adventure...
...in order to show you...
...a very silly card!
(it's for my friend paul, who is an amazing painter, and who is moving into a new workspace.)

ready??!

ok:

(patterned paper: american crafts, dcwv rockstar, (haven't used that in a bit...it still looks gooooood tho, dunnit?!) scenic route, love elsie fabric paper (the self-stickiness of which, it must be said, is unreliable...but still one of my fave patterns!) bam pop, & a bit of a chinese newspaper; journaling card: making memories (something else in that fancy plaque shape which june and i love!); rub-on letters: autumn leaves; other: foam tape, colorbox inks)


and here's the inside...which i have to show you, because it's part of the joke.

(plus it's got another of those FAB hambly owl rub-ons, which frankly i could just post all on its own, for the heck of it!)



YAaaaAAAaaaAAAayyy for silly cards!!!

YaaAaaAaay for lovely friends with things to celebrate!!!

yaaaaaaaaaaAaaaAAAAAAAAAAAY for saturday!!!

Friday, May 30, 2008

operation 18: FIVE SENSES

seeing as how it is national "catch up on paper adventure" week, i am...ummmmm, well...trying to catch up on my paper adventure pages! :)

operation 18 sounded easy...but for some reason...for me...it was not. i don't know WHY it was not. possibly where i went wrong was in trying to make it into my IDEAL things to see, hear, smell, taste and touch. or maybe it was the decision to capture them using only words? (i am SO not the writer i would like to be!!!) all i know is: i struggled with it, and i am still not 100% happy...but i have decided to print it, post it and move on to the next thing!

i do like the design of my page, which i made digitally. and of course, obviously, i love the things i picked to represent my ideals. and i think it's always good to try something a little different...and push yourself a little bit further...even if you don't quite achieve what you set out to do.

(software: broderbund printshop; fonts: nip and tuck, BObmono)



at least, that's my story...and i'm stickin' to it!


happy friday, darlings!

hope you had a wonderful week!

Thursday, May 29, 2008

operation 21: TRUST

yes, yes, again i have sadly allowed paper adventure to languish for several weeks. you know how it is: deadlines get priority...and then other people's stuff...and then your own personal things. i've been following along, though, and i pretty much know what i want to do for each assignment. it's just a question of having time to sit down and do 'em! i'm waaaaay the heck out of order again, as well. but i've given up apologizing on that score; afterall, we're artistes, not accountants, isn't that right, darlings?!

here is my page on "TRUST". before scrolling down, you might like to take a deep breath and prepare yourself mentally...it's pretty deep (lol):

(cardstock from staples; dymo labeller; colorbox ink; brenda walton ampersand sticker; masking tape)

text reads, "you can trust me with your money, your secrets & your life...but...you cannot trust me with your brownies. (sorry) (they were good!)

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

just in case...

...you thought i was now assuaging all my "gratuitous cuteness" needs with adorable kittens, here is proof i am still totally maintaining my priorities, thank you very much:


helllllllllllllllllllllllooooooo, daniel!

would YOU likes a cheezburger??! ;)

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

two more "less laureny" lauren cards

making cards over the weekend-- (first the baby ones from my last post, and now these) --cards in which i am going for a style that is more to the recipient's taste than my own--it occurred to me that i have some really, REALLY strong card-making habits of which i was not entirely aware. for example, i like inked/outlined/distressed edges. i like them a lot. in fact, i think i may have become *slightly* addicted to them. because it turns out, when i make cards with very clean lines...say, perhaps, four in a row...i start to feel pangs. i think the next item i make will have to be really really grungy...with lots of layers...and distressed fonts...and a wholllllllllllle lot of completely extraneous rhinestones. yeahhhhhhhhhhh.

but in the meantime, here is an anniversary card that i don't entirely dislike:

(patterned paper: urban lily, crafty secrets, scenic route; chipboard: fancy pants; rub-ons: basic grey; other: foam tape, sharpie markers, jewelcraft gems)

and here's a birthday card that's somewhat cool (i LOVE those american crafts butterflies!):

(cardstock: bazzill; lace cardstock: creative imaginations; butterfly patterned paper: american crafts; florals: prima, junkitz, heidi swapp; flower sequin: queen & co; brad: making memories)

the latter is for my aunt, whose favorite color is......wait for it......white! every year i try to make a mostly white birthday card with clean lines and simple shapes, and every year i fail, totally. (well DUH, cause i'm *me*!) ...but this year...i think i got pretty close. at least, i hope my aunt will think so!

...now where did i put those rhinestones...?! :)

Sunday, May 25, 2008

...but only because the baby's a gemini...

i don't make a ton of cards "on commission" so to speak... (well, seriously, have you SEEN my cards?! yeah. exactly!) ...but my friend trish asked if i would make a baby card for her boss, who is having a daughter next month. i made this one:

(cardstock: bazzill, ranger; patterned paper: design originals, heidi grace, 7 gypsies, 3 bugs in a rug; dimensional embellishments: paper studio; flower: prima; brad: doodlebug; ribbon: michaels)

...and i KIND OF like it...but it didn't really quite turn out as i had hoped. so then i had another go, in a completely different direction:

(patterned cardstock: wild asparagus; unpatterned cardstock: bazzill...but it's got basic grey swirly white rub-ons...that you totally cannot see AT ALL in this picture; iridescent cardstock from an old greeting card; dimensional embellishment: sandylion; brass charm...which is not nearly as darkly tarnished as it looks...sigh; ribbon: michaels)

...and i kind of like it, as well. although neither card is exactly to my liking, i should point out that both are easily 1.7 times nicer than they appear in the photos...which for some reason are HORRENDOUSLY lit...even though i was under the impression that i was in adequate sunlight whilst taking them. perhaps i made a mistake in photoshop and instead of clicking "auto levels" i hit "diabolical levels"??! but i don't have time this morning to pursue what my friend tracy calls "the uber-scan" so you will just have to trust me that they're just a bit cooler than this!

happy memorial day weekend, american darlings!
(and an equally happy regular weekend to all other darlings!)

Friday, May 23, 2008

thank yooOOOoooOOooO!

if you read miss june's blog, simply elegant papercrafts... (i'm assuming you DO, obviously, what with being discerning folks of sophisticated taste!) ...you'll have already seen the card i made to thank her for my cool surprise package last week! but now you'll get to see it again! HOORAY! :)

in her honor... (miss june is quite famous for using her scraps in such a timely & thorough fashion that some of us have been moved to wonder WHERE the scraps she uses come from, exactly??!) ...i tried to compose something *entirely* of scraps and leftovers. and i failed. ...but...i had a good go of it and used up quite a few "leftover" bits in ways i would not have done, if she had not inspired me with her good example! in fact, i don't think i've ever managed to use as many bits and bobs together...but i'm really happy with the way it turned out, and i will definitely be employing this strategy again in the future!

so thank you AGAIN, june!!!

(kraft cardstock: jam paper; patterned paper: creative imaginations, rhonna farrer, plus vintage ledger & a bit of bengali newspaper; flowers: prima; chipboard scroll: fancy pants (covered w/newspaper, cut out, & coated with papier glass finish to seal); felt fusion: queen & co; rub-ons: hambly, american crafts, autumn leaves, making memories; ghost heart: heidi swapp (covered in diamond glaze and encrusted with a LOT of crystal glitter); jewels: mambi; inks: color box; pen: zig)

Thursday, May 22, 2008

**MORE** tags?!

uh huh.
but this is the last set, honest!


SEPTEMBER:

again, i don't think i've ever made ANYTHING with a "back-to-school" theme...but this super-cute richard scarry illustration (from a book that was already missing half its pages...and the rest were hangin' by a thread, honest!!!) was too adorable to resist pairing with some of that fun notebook papery cardstock from CI!

(illustration from an old children's book; vintage tickets, crayon pin & millinery apple; patterned paper: creative imaginations; ribbons: basic grey, michaels; flowers: heidi swapp, prima)


OCTOBER:
halloween. cute illustrations. 'nuff said! :)

(illustrations from 2 vintage children's books; glossy black cardstock: ranger; ribbon: michaels; flowers: heidi swapp, oriental trading co; brads: bazzill, hot off the press; letter stickers: american crafts)


NOVEMBER:

a total cheat, and i admit it. this was going to be october...using the rationale that diwali is generally in october...and the tag is indian...and therefore "octoberish". (don't think about that too hard, ok?!) ...but then i made the halloween tag. ...sooooooo...diwali CAN occasionally land in november... (like hannukah & easter, it doesn't have a specific date based in the modern calendar) ...so ummmm....VOILA??!

(bengali newspaper & photo from a magazine; mehndi stencil; cancelled postage stamps; patterned paper: basic grey, dcwv; clipart butterfly: anahata katkin; flowers: unknown; inks: colorbox)


DECEMBER:

given my obsession with i can has cheezburger, i have started to see the rather silly kitten pics in old christmas publications (like "ideals" whence this one comes) in a whole new light. so...cute cat...funny saying...love elsie stuff i bought AFTER xmas (& thus didn't get to use yet) and i was like a pig in...well, ok...let's just say i was pretty happy!!!


(patterned paper, border sticker, cardstock tab, chipboard button: love elsie; black patterned paper: making memories; santa sticker: 7 gypsies; flower: prima; ribbons: michaels, making memories; other: foam tape, colorbox inks)

so now, your mission...should you choose to accept it...is:

MAKE A TAG!!!

don't worry about being too "themey"...or not "themey" enough! don't worry if you're australian and your months--or ours here in the northern hemisphere--are "upside down", seasonally! don't worry if the thing that makes july cool for you is that you and your nana make xmas cards then!!! make your tag, your way, and submit it to the 'varks by midnight on june 3!!!

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

the tags of summer!

part two in the continuing series of "lauren making WAAAAAY too many tags for the current caardvarks challenge"


MAY:
(which might be my favorite...not that i have a favorite...but if i did, this might be it!)
i was completely stumped for may...and on the verge of going a generic "spring flowers" type o'thing...when this line from shakespeare popped into my head as i was falling asleep friday night! (which is why there is a pad of postie notes & a pencil next to my bed!)


(vintage timecard; patterned paper: crafty secrets; clipart: anahata katkin; alphabet rub-ons: making memories, autumn leaves, american crafts, ki; flower sequins: queen & co; paper flowers: doodlebug; stick-on pearls: kaiser; other: colorbox inks, foam tape)


JUNE:
lovely husband jeff and i had this song stuck in our heads for the whole rest of the weekend...but it was worth it, dontcha think??!


(glossy white cardstock: ranger; fabric paper: love elsie; patterned paper & flower brads: making memories; music brads: hot off the press; alphabet rub-ons: making memories, ki)


JULY:

oddly enough, this was the very first tag i made! i don't think i've made ANYTHING forth-of-july related EVER, in my entire life (ok...maybe in grade school...circa 1972...) but for some reason this sheet music and the picture from the book were both *really* appealing to me!


(vintage sheet music; illustration from an old book; cardstock: bazzill; cardstock stickers: doodlebug; border & reinforcement stickers: ki; rub-on letters: gin-x; star brads: making memories; other: misc riboon & tulle, jewelcraft gems, foam tape)


AUGUST:

there is nothing specific about this that says "august"...any more than my june tag is exclusively related to the month of june...but i figured july was LITERAL enough to carry the whole summer! if you decide to "play tag" with us...don't get too bogged down in making a tag that screams the name of your month..."inspired by" is definitely close enough!


(vintage illustration and dictionary entry from old books; cardstock: crate paper; bamboo paper: the paper company; car sticker: creative imaginations; palm tree stamp: unknown; other: raffia, colorbox inks, foam tape)

tomorrow we finish off with september thru december...boy...that year just FLEW by...didn't it??!

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

...but "TAG-varks" just sounds wrong...

hooray, it's may 20th, and you know what THAT means:
caardvarks challenge time!!!


this time is a leeeeeeeetle bit different...
...we're making *TAGS*!

here's what you do:
pick a month and make a tag that sums up something about that month for you.


if you need inspiration, check out the design team's work in the gallery! there's gooooood stuff over there, i tell ya! we were meant to pick a few months each...but some of us got a bit carried away! i had only planned to make 4 or 5, but these babies are addictive and once i started i just could not stop until i had an entire set of 12!

of course by "set" i don't mean that my tags go together or even have much in common. i went really simple for some and REALLLLLLLLY convoluted for others. whatever popped into my head i just went with and had a ball!

since there are so many, i'e decided to break them up into a couple of posts in order to save you from eternal scrolling down...and me from eternal product-listing!

let's start at the beginning then, shall we?


JANUARY
...and i've gone with a general "cold-n-wintery" theme...

(picture of mt. fuji from a travel book; silver cardstock: unknown; rub-on: basic grey; metal snowflake: making memories; snowflake gems & wired ribbon: michaels; other: foam tape, staples)



FEBRUARY
...a valentine...in the traditional brown & gold color scheme!

(patterned paper: dcwv, k&co, hot off the press; diecut letters: colorbok; chipboard owl: tattered angels; distressed metal heart: unknown; other: staples, ribbon scrap, colorbox ink)


MARCH:

saint patrick's day!

(i seriously considered a "father ted" tag...but was stumped by a lack of usable images!)


(leprechaun and clover illustrations from an old book; patterned paper: reminisce; ribbon: making memories, michaels; month sticker: ki; green glossy cardstock & sequin shamrock: unknown; other: foam tape, colorbox ink)


APRIL

"april in paris"...and not just because that eiffel tower playing card has been calling to me for MONTHS...though that *did* play a small part, i s'pose...

(page from a french textbook; vintage playing card; cardstock: bazzill; patterned paper: frances meyer, vintage ledger paper; cardstock tab & border sticker & reinfocement: ki; vellum cloud stickers: sticko; brads: creative imaginations, making memories; ribbon: making memories + vintage lace; other: foam tape, colorbox ink, dymo label)

Sunday, May 18, 2008

technically speaking, this is NOT A CAT!


...even though it does come from my (yes, *still*) favorite website, I CAN HAZ CHEEZBURGER!

this, on the other hand, is what is known in veterinary parlance as, "a fair cop":

...but seriously...

THERMOSTAT CAT??!

"PUT ON A SWETTER!!!!!!!"

...c'mon, be fair: it had to be done!!! :)

Friday, May 16, 2008

they say a picture is worth a thousand words

but for THIS picture, i only need *three* words:

dudes, you're busted!

...HOWEVER...

one cannot blame tipsy and sockrates for wanting to get their hands--are they called hands on a monkey? or...paws...or.....what??--well whatever you call the brownie-scoopers on a monkey, you cannot blame tipsy and sockrates for wanting to get theirs on these!

because these are not ordinary brownies, darlings. noper. these aren't even ordinary "made-from-scratch" brownies. these are "made-from-scratch-using-the-best-dark-chocolate-i've-ever-had" brownies! my friend deborah...who knows i how love really reeeeeeeeeally dark chocolate which isn't too sweet...sent me this, direct from switzerland:

the one on the right? yeah. it's 99% cacao. which, frankly, was too dark, even for me. actually, the 85% (a percentage i have enjoyed in other brands) was not quite sweet enough. in this case, the bar that was 70% was PERFECT. (which is why it is not in the pic. it did not last long enough to be photographed!) but you don't just throw away chocolate that is this rich, this flavorful, and this amazing. so lovely husband jeff and myself--fervent non-bakers that we are--were moved to make brownies.

i'd love to tell you more about this, but every minute i spend at my computer is a minute the brownies are un-guarded.

could somebody please fax me a glass of milk?!

Thursday, May 15, 2008

possibly only the postmaster general & myself...

...are excited--in a GOOD WAY--about the new 42-cent first class stamps. i know what you're thinking. you're thinking, "have you gone MAD, lauren? do you really want to PAY MORE to mail your gas bill??!" ok, see, it's not the 42-cent part that i'm happy about. it's WHO'S ON (one of) the new stamps. uh-huh. it's FRANK!!!!!!!!!!:



there's a bigger, closer-up pic in this associated press article

i bought two sheets, so far. i'm puttin' them on cards. i'm puttin' them on bills. i may even put 'em on those pre-paid envelopes the bank sends me for making deposits. because, yeah, they're THAT COOL!

on second thought, even the postmaster general might not be quite as excited about this as i am!!! :)

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

oooooooh! for me?!

the other day i came home from work and guess what is waiting for me? a package! and not just an *ordinary* package, it was a surprise package, sent to me for absolutely NO REASON from my lovely friend june. (do you read june's blog? it's called simply elegant
paper crafts
and on it she posts her paper crafts...which are, appropriately enough, both simple and elegant! cool, no?!)

so what was inside the package?? have a look:



it turns out that in addition to making simply elegant PAPER crafts, june also makes simply elegant yarn crafts too! june knitted these specially for me...she calls them "dish rags"...but there's nooooooo way i'm letting them anywhere near my dirty dishes, so i'm callin' 'em trivets!!! oh yeah, and you mght have noticed i got a rather gorgeous handmade card, too, which contains a very nice note.

thank you, miss june, you totally made my monday!!!!!!

Monday, May 12, 2008

little birdie's thank you song

dontcha just love it when you make a fairly cool card...and you have leftover bits...and then you use the bits to make ANOTHER fairly cool card?! yeah, me too! :) it happened last week when i made the carmen miranda card. i had tons of scraps, including this rather fab compound flower that didn't quite fit on the first card. i made the sweet little patterned paper bird* by tracing a frances meyer chipboard one and a fancy pants felt wing...and the next thing i knew, that little dude was flying off to england, singing my thanks to that very lovely bestower of tasty blog candy...missus trashalou**!!!

(green cardstock: unknown; patterned paper: hambly, sei, my mind's eye, plus vintage sheet music sprayed with a bit of pink glimmer mist; florals: junkitz, heidi swapp, prima; epoxy stickers: michael's dollar spot, sue dreamer; felt accents: fancy pants, queen & co; rub-on letters: scenic route; other: foam tape, colorbox inks, zigwriter...oh yeah...after i scanned it, i decided what this card--and in fact ALL PAPER GOODS, EVERYWHERE, imo--needed glitter; so i adorned the border of the block that says "thank you" with a nice thick coat of clear stickles!)



*just in case you thought my bird obsession was finally over...naaaaah...i think these babies are gonna be around for the forseeable future!!!

**she's received it now, so i am not messin' up the surprise!

Saturday, May 10, 2008

every once in a while...

...i make a card...
...that turns out BETTER than the picture in my head!
(it's not that i have a firm image of exactly what it ought to look like...it's more like a "vibe"...and i'll know it when i see it)

and this is one o' those times!

(patterned paper: prima; plain chipboard--that's been painted pink and glazed with a slightly shimmery topcoat: fancy pants; "princess" chipboard and stickers: sandylion as licensed by disney; stick-on pearls: kaiser; vinyl letters (inside): lil davis; other: stickles, colorbox ink, foam tape)


so much so...that i *almost* wish i could keep it!

oddly enough, it uses almost all pre-made stuff, un-altered, un-customized, straight from the package. when i saw these "princess" stickers and chipboard shapes a couple of months ago at a craft store, i totally fell in love with them, and knew they would make a very cool "enchanted fairy tale" type of birthday card for niece madeline. i stumbled into this prima paper last week and was not thinking about this project when i bought it. (which essplains why i only bought ONE SHEET...duh!) the longest portion of the card-making process was waiting for the paint to dry.

yep...every once in a while, i start thinkin', "hey! i might just get the hang of this card-makin' thang, someday!"

go, me! :)

Friday, May 9, 2008

all right, all right, i'll stop with the cats!


...soon...


...wellllllllll......soonish...


...ok, eventually...


...probably...


(yes, i am still obsessed with i can has cheezburger ...you gotta problem with that??!)

Thursday, May 8, 2008

totally pointless

(but in a *GOOD* way!)


the other day at work i found this cool pic of frank sinatra in a trade mag. i was dying to make something out of it...i didn't know what, exactly. i tore it out and put it in my bag to take home, but it just wouldn't let me be! "make me into something!" it seemed to call from across the room, inside my totebag, in a slightly muffled way, "make me into something...NOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!"


so i did.


of course, being at work, i didn't have much in the way of supplies, and i had zero in the way of free time.


but i did anyway.


(when the mojo is that strong, darlings, only a fool resists!) :)


i cut the photo out from the background...i glued it onto a white notebook divider thingie i found...i drew clouds with a pen...i colored in with a highlighter and a marker and a silver leafing pen that came from...you know, i have NO IDEA where that came from...when the paper got gunky from over blending, i laminated the whole thing onto another piece of divider with packing tape...cut it into a circle...and wrote around the edges with a sharpie pen.


after it was done, i decided it was a page for my newest volume of 3BT. (whose cover isn't decorated yet...when it is, i'll show ya!) when i got home, i journalled on the back and added the rhinestone star.


i spent like ten minutes on this, tops.
it *looks* like i spent ten minutes on it, tops.
and yet...i loooooove it!


the point of my story is this:
go make something!
make something without thinking too hard.
make something that no one else will "get" or like.
maybe even something no one else will ever see.


make something pointless!!!

(it's really, REALLLLLLY fun!)

Monday, May 5, 2008

feelin' *HOT*HOT*HOT* !!!

getting in just under the wire to wish you a happy cinco de mayo, senors y senoritas!


the new caardvarks challenge is


so why not submit your steamiest card creation for a chance at a smmmokin' prize??! there's already plenty of inspiring design team goodness in the gallery ...why not samba on over and check it out?


in the meantime, here is my card:


(pic & description of carmen miranda from a 1936 "etude" music magazine; patterned paper: hambly, autumn leaves, vintage sheet music; cardstock: bazzill; flowers: prima, doodlebug, heidi swapp; epoxy stickers: michael's dollar spot; other: color box inks, zig writer)


ok, ok, technically the late great carmen miranda, was brazilian, rather than mexican; though apparently she was actually born in portugal. did you know that in 1945 she was the highest paid woman in the united states? yepper, according to IRS records she earned over $200,000! (geez, i love wikipedia, don't you? how did we survive all those years without their useful nuggets of info on every conceivable subject?!)

Sunday, May 4, 2008

lazy girl's travel journal

...OR ...
how to come home from vacation with a minibook that's practically finished...and practically *FREE*!

the completed article...not too shabby!

ok, i’m assuming that, like me, on at least one recent vacation you’ve taken along a very cool, very fancy, blank journal with the intent of filling it in whilst on your trip. my question is this: did you COME HOME with the same very cool, very fancy, very blank journal??! yeah, me too. so this time i had a plan: my idea was that by taking a trip-specific book…one on which i’d already spent a bit of time and effort...i'd fare better. and ya know what? i was right!


ready to roll...now where's that compass gone??


part one: BEFORE YOU GO

time: less than an hour

supplies: 2 pieces 4.5 x 9" heavy chipboard; 9 sheets 8.5 x 11” kraft cardstock; 2 business sized envelopes; 1 large book ring

process: i made a simple template in broderbund print shop, with a page for each day of our trip, and one for each prospective activity/sight/feature we planned to visit. i left a few blank pages for doodles, extra stories or unplanned events. i cut chipboard to cover-size but did not decorate it, hoping to collect interesting stuff on the trip. i added a few business sized envelopes in which to collect receipts and other little pieces of paper that might otherwise be lost or damaged, punched a hole in the top left hand corner of each piece and i was all set!

one page template...not too plain...not too fancy

do you notice anything about the size and shape of this particular minibook? i’ll give you a hint: what’s 4 x 8” and ubiquitous on vacation? YEPPER: brochures!!! they’re in the airport, the hotel, the chamber of commerce, and we collect them like crazy everywhere we go. then we come home and put them all in a box, whilst struggling to make enough artistic pages about our vacation to fill a minibook. so it occurred to me: wouldn’t it be EASIER to do this the other way around?? let’s make the brochures the backbone of the project, and fill in around them with journaling and photos! and why limit ourselves to just brochures? we collect tons of cool memorabilia on vacation: postcards, ticket stubs, take-out menus, bookmarks, business cards, labels, receipts, tags…the list goes on and on. and if we like it enough to collect it, why not include it in our project? (if this seems a little too loosey-goosey to be a “real” scrapbook… remember, when this is done, you’ll have EVERYTHING from your trip all together, along with a record of your adventures and your immediate reactions to them. you can still make those artistic pages! in fact, it’ll be a bit easier, won’t it?! )


(essential travel tool kit, fits in an 8 x 5" plastic case: hole punch, mni dymo labeler & tape, selection of pens (including one that works well on slick surfaces), date stamp, ink pad, dry adhesive, glue stick)


part two: ON THE ROAD

time: about 15 minutes per night

supplies: items collected during the day; travel tool kit

process: i spent a few minutes each evening briefly noting what we did during the day. sometimes i used full sentences, others just simple lists. i didn’t worry about filling in all the details of each adventure, i saved that for the “activity” pages. i punched holes in the brochures and other memorabilia from the day’s activities and placed them in the book, using the dymo labeler to add amusing comments. i wrote out postcards from our favorite sights and added those in. a few nights, when i had extra time and energy, i filled in the activity pages while they were fresh in my mind; but i found that in the cases where i didn't, my notes…and a few days’ perspective…were enough to get them done on the plane, or after we got home.


the book, midway through...not finished...but starting to look preeeeeeeeeeetty cool!

part three: BACK AT HOME

time: 1 evening

supplies: photo paper; larger ephemera collected during trip (newspaper pages, real estate booklets, maps); diamond glaze; chipboard frame embellishment; letter stickers;cardinal picture from an old book; flower photos from the trip; picture of biltmore house from a brochure; inks

process: i decided early on that while i wanted to include *some* photos…i definitely did not want them to be the focus of the project, so i was extremely selective. to maximize the cool shape of the book, i chose to only use pics which could be attractively cropped into a ‘panoramic” shape (roughly 4 x 8” with a thin white border around them). i printed out our favorites, punched holes, and used them as additional pages. i used classified ads from the asheville citizen-times on my chipboard cover and adorned the front and back with pieces of the local maps we got free at AAA. i brushed on a coat of diamond glaze for extra strength and protection. a few inked edges and a little collage action later, and MY BOOK IS FINISHED!


by far the longest part of the process was waiting for the glaze to dry!!!

truly this is the quickest mini-book i've ever made...it’s definitely the most satisfying...and i would estimate that the entire project used maybe $5 worth of supplies! jeff enjoyed searching each of our destinations for interesting “stuff” we could add, and often found better items than i did! (i imagine kids would enjoy helping with this part of the process, also!) watching the book fill up with cool stuff was more than enough motivation for me to sit down and work on it each night, and there was so little “finishing” needed that i was excited to get it done. i can definitely see a collection of these amassing, to document our future travels!

everything you could POSSIBLY want to save from a vacation...and then some!

Saturday, May 3, 2008

unfortunately, our friend's name is sebastian

we saw this sign above a commercial construction site whilst we were in asheville, and i thought it would make an excellent birthday greeting for the man who served as lovely husband jeff's best man at our wedding, many, many moons ago:


(glossy red cardstock: unknown; rub-on alphas: making memories, scrapworks, gin-x; eyelets: making memories; ghost arrow: heidi swapp; ink: colorbox)

yeah, i was right! :)

Friday, May 2, 2008

mrs trashy is TOO KIND!!!

recently my dear blogging friend trashalou* celebrated her 100th post with some blog candy... she had a random drawing...and i won the grand prize!
HOORAY!!!

and what a prize it was!

wanna see?

awww...g'waaaaaaaaaan**...you KNOW you wanna see!
(and you KNOW i'm gonna show you even if you don't...so there!)


niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice, innit? look at those totally amazing MOO CARDS! and there's chocolate, as well!

eventually i opened the prezzies.

(i started with the chocolate, obviously, but then i neatly closed the packet up again to give the impression that i have SOME restraint!) (be a sport an pretend you believe it, ok?!)

there's a really REALLY cool miniature fountain pen with an adorable knitted-pattern cat on it...and pretty purple ribbons...and wooden stars...and little candies...and a lipgloss that not only LOOKS fab...it tastes almost as good as that chocolate!!! (almost!)

but the piece de resistance*** is THIS:


a BEEEEEEEEEEEEEAUTIFUL, one-of-a-kind, custom, hand-painted, trashalou masterpiece!!!

but wait...there's more...see, it's not just an ORDINARY box...it's a treasure box...with three tiers of shelves for my love letters and secret trinkets!!!

which leaves me with only two things to say:

thing one: thank you, thank you, thank you, missus trashy! you are too cool, too kind, and waaaaaaaay too talented!!!

and

thing two: can somebody pleeeeease send me some love letters and secret trinkets?? :)




*her blog is called TrashCan and it'r t'riffic...you should read it!

**does anyone else love father ted as much as i do?? mrs. doyle is my favorite character. the best father ted/mrs. doyle exchange EVER... in my opinion...is the one i have (hopefully) embedded at the very bottom of this post...g'wan and watch it...it's got cocaine in it!

***that's french for "piece of resistance"! (no seriously! i swear! SEE??!)



Thursday, May 1, 2008

i can has cheezburger?

my friend and colleague joshua told me about this website. before i visited it, i was more amused by how amused HE WAS (which is to say hopelessly paralysed with laughter) than by the actual jokes he related. but now i have clicked...and read...and been hopelessly paralysed with laughter myself. so all i can say by way of apology is:


josh...i gets it...
now *i* can has cheezeburger??!