Wednesday, August 8, 2012

what do you call something that's one-sided, and too big for an envelope, but smaller than a layout?

ok, sorry, that's a bit of a trick question. i actually still call it a card, no matter what size or shape it is, and whether it has photos or collage elements or... whatever. if i make it for, and give it to you on your birthday, it's a birthday card. the end. :) in any case, they are currently calling for birthday projects of all types over at corrosive challenges; whereas opus gluei challenge #136 is to celebrate the season(s) of your choice (mine being summer!) so this, ummmmm... thing... i made for my brother works for both of those, whatever you call it:

(vintage photo sleeve shared with me by my fellow thrift shop warrior, kirsty vittetoe--ta, missus!; notebook paper + stylized ocean waves from a magazine; fancy "s" from t'internet; alphas: making memories, american crafts, ki; clouds and airplane brad: amy tangerine; heart deco tape: love my tapes; ribbon: girls' paperie, ki memories; heart + arrow chips: heidi swapp (and i mean the ooooOooOoLD "hs for advantus" heidi swapp, people! still looks *good* though, dontcha think?!)  magnetic metal buckle: basic grey; font: B0bmono; adhesives: staples gluetape runner, 3m foam tape, gluedots, staples, sewing machine)

i was very inspired by laurel seabrook's awesome superhero party photo, obviously; and used almost every aspect of it, FULL ON:


and then there was the rather fab coincidence that my mother had just happened to give me a little stack of instamatic family photos, of which this one, of my not-quite-five-year-old brother, is a big favorite:


it's not technically a *GOOD* photo, i suppose. i think it must've been at the end of the roll of film, because there are some big streaky light flares down one whole side of the frame (for once, that is not my bad photo of a good photo, that's really on the print); for another my brother's eyes are shut; which is probably why my mom (who's on a big "clean out, pare down" mission) elected to discard it. i don't care, i love it! i love that he's showing us his "muscles" with such concentration; i love that you can see a little bit of wildwood, nj, c.1973 in the background; i even love the processing defects and the off-center placement that just seemed to cry out for me to embellish it! i love that when i give this to bill, my nieces will see that their daddy liked the beach as much as they do; and liked posing for silly photos as much as they do; and that despite good health and plenty of yummy nutritious food, he occasionally grew fast enough to look just a wee bit too skinny, like they sometimes do. 

it's the last couple of points that matter most to me, a fact i discovered during a discussion with my husband over whether my brother would appreciate this or not. we went back and forth a bit; and i still honestly have no idea, but i finally said, "riley and lindsay will LOVE IT, though!" to which jeff immediately agreed; and i realized that's more than enough for me.

it's a bird... it's a plane... it's ♥SUPER BILL♥!!!

ps: i was pretty excited that miss laurel singled out my round birthday party card from last week, and also the very talented folks at merry mondays had some nice things to say about my santa baby card; but you could've knocked me over with a hexagon-shaped feather when i saw this comment (towards the end of the post) from cath edvalson about my we've been hexed card at moxie fab world!!!!!!!!!! could i possibly trouble someone to bring a ladder and get me down offa this cloud now?! ok, on second thought, maybe not quiiiiiite yet...... gimme a couple more minutes, k?! :) :) :)  (thank you thank you thank you to all concerned!!!)

12 comments:

  1. I love your photo card of your little brother...and you are right, this will make Riley & Lindsay crack up. i really like the NJ beach background too.

    Congrats on all of the kudos, Miss L! You deserve it...so ahead of your time :)

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  2. Congrats!

    Love this! Super cute and the colors go with this so amazingly well!

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  3. Eer my guess? It is called an elephant!LOL!
    Your layout is superb elephant or no. All the elements work so well together and the red stitching works brilliantly with the photo.
    I've also been saving the world since 1967, I think your brother and I should compare notes!
    Thank you so much for your lovely comment on OG it makes it all worth while to receive fabulous comments like yours:-)
    Thanks so much for joining us this fortnight at Opus Gluei!
    Gini
    xx

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  4. Many many congrats on your VERY well deserved wins!!! I think your brother's card is cool ... He'll be sure to smile when he sees this ... My brother Bill has his birthday tomorrow funnily enough!

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  5. I call it GENIUS! So FABULOUS! LOVE!

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  6. Wow!!!! I think super powers must run in the family because this is one extraordinary birthday card! Clever, witty and perfectly executed! And your blog post was fun to read too! Thanks so much for joining us at The Corrosive Challenge for "They Say It's Your Birthday!" :)
    {hugs}
    Regan

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  7. WOW, WOW, WOW I absolutely love this layout!!! Great job with the challenge!

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  8. You never cease to amaze me, this is AWESOME! I LOVE the red stitching, and what an wonderful way to display your older photos. I think he is a REAL superhero, you can just tell, you know?
    Thanks for playing with us again at OG, Lauren!

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  9. Congratulations -- I just love your energy Lauren!

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  10. I call it awesome. :-)

    I love this. And I don't see how your brother couldn't love it too. It really is absolutely super.

    P.S. Congrats on all the kudos! You definitely deserve 'em!

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  11. Oh my gosh, what a lucky brother to have a sweet sister like YOU! This is adorable and I'll bet he is going to love it. One of the things I love about you, Lauren, is not only your fantastic style (and you have got it going on, I'm a real admirer of your work) but it's how you imbue your work with love and affection. It's delightful and always an element of your designs.

    Congratulations with the comment from Ms. Moxie Fab herself - WELL DESERVED!!!!

    Love that you played with us at Opus Gluei! I hope you come back for more!

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  12. I would frame it! This is awesome! I love the pose! The layout is awesome.
    You deserve the shout out, your work ROCKS!
    Thank you for sharing with us at the order of the Opus Gluei!!! Can't wait to go and see more!

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the *BEST* part of blogging is the comments, dontcha think? thanks for taking time to leave one! ~♥~