now that...

...was a FASSSSSSSSSSSST two weeks, wasn't it?! doesn't it seem like five minutes ago i was showing my card from scrapdragons' challenge #6? and now, already, it's time for challenge #7: you pick two!!! i will let you go to the scrapdragons' site for the details of this one, as it involves picking two (well, duh) elements out of a group of concepts, words & photos, and then using your choices in a layout...and yes, remember that scrapdragons' generally are layout challenges, if you want a shot at the prize!

so why do *i* make cards?! well, partly to just to keep my fellow jersey girls company, but partly because i love the way that just about ANY challenge...or magazine ad, or artbook, or website... can be used to inspire a card, or a layout, or baby announcements, or...well, whatever! it's "the fundamental interconnectedness of all graphic-design-type things" (as douglas adams so memorably never said) that impresses me! plus, in this case, you know, it's bound to be one of my friends' flamingoes' birthday quite soon, isn't it? ...so of course i'll be needing a card for that... :)

i chose, from the list of elements, the concept of "bling" (never far from my heart, as we know!) and the word "inspire"; this is what i came up with:

(anahata katkin clipart flamingo; creative imaginations paper; heidi swapp ghost flower & gems; making memories rub-ons; kay & co chipboard; hot off the press brads; epoxy stickers from the michaels' dollar spot; plus: acryllic paint, sharpie pens, feathers, foam tape)

i've got baggage

(no, seriously, you have no idea!)

...but also...i made this over the weekend for my friend paul's birthday:

(dcwv paper; making memories fabric letters; autumn leaves rub-ons; ki epoxy sticker; heidi swapp photo corners; earth pic & geological map of the pacific rim--used as giftwrap--are from a very old, very large, world atlas)

sadly, something i did not end up making over the weekend was an entry for the bloglandia halloween event. as sunday afternoon progressed, and i was still far, far away from having my idea come together, i realized i had to choose between using every non-work waking second of monday and tuesday to work like a crazy person...or to pull the plug and be bummed out today. ordinarily, for me, this would be a "no-brainer", so much so that i would not have even stopped long enough to formulate the question! ...but i think that "maturity thing"... (or at least that "old & tired thing", lol) ...might be kickin' in, because for the first time *EVER* i chose sanity over achievement. and yeah, waking up today, i'm sad not to have participated, but i can still go and visit all the lovely art...and there will be (i hope & trust) more opportunities to join in!

tag-o-licious

my simply elegant friend june (hey! that would be a good name for a blog!) has tagged me with one i haven't seen before...and it has some really *interesting* questions:

1. If you could have 100.00 worth of scrapbook paper or assorted embellishments, which would you choose?
embellishments, for sure, with an emphasis on basic grey rubs; fancy pants chip; love, elsie...well...everything, i guess; (lol) prima flowers...ooh...& the new marah johnson ci stuff, which is to die for!

2. If you had to choose between using only stamps or rub-ons, which would you choose?
rub-ons. i have a serious addiction. (a serious addiction!)

3. If you knew how to do both awesome cards and layouts but could only do one for a whole year...which would you do?
easy--cards--my hands down favorite! they're low-commitment, you can make lots, people like getting 'em, & you can incorporate any interest, technique or product.

4. Would you rather own a scrapbooking store or have your own scrapping room at home...(can't have both hehehe)...
ooh! a store!!! i'd be doing a lot of the same stuff i do *now* at work...and I'D be getting the money! plus i'd meet tons of crafty people, and make stuff every day, and i could write off the price of xyron cartridges on my income tax! ...niiiiiiiiiiiiiiice... :)

5. What is your CURRENT cardmaking or scrapping style?
it's the paper equivalent of multiple personality disorder! i tend to think i'm more graphic-design-ish than artistic, actually, so really i try NOT to have any one particular style; i'd rather make things which reflect the recipients' interests and their likes/dislikes. having said that, i s'pose the "default" lauren project is collage-based, incorporates some vintage items, has lots of layers, and at least a little bit of sparkly *something*!

ok darlings, as you know, i have a three-pronged policy on tagging:

1. if you're reading this and you'd LIKE to be tagged, you're tagged
2. if you're reading this and you would NOT like to be tagged, you're excused...BUT...
3. if you're NOT reading this, you're totally disqualified from play!!!

(i'm sorry, but i'm going to have to be absolutely firm on point three!) :)

3BT2

'member this?

it's the little art journally book thingie i made in july, inspired by clare grant's fantastic blog three beautiful things

well, i am rather proud to say that, unlike the other 9,000,047 times i have started journals or diaries, this time i have kept doing it for more than two weeks! in fact, me & the little 3BT book have just celebrated our three month anniversary! since said volume has gotten rather lumpy in that time (sadly, the book is not the only one of us who is fatter since july...but i digress...) instead of just replacing its ring yet again, i have elected to retire this baby and start a second volume!

since i have been really enjoying the "art journal" aspect of it, this time i have made a slightly bigger book. this one is 4" x 6". (volume one--which began life as a 7 gypsies swatch book--was 2 1/2" x 7") i used super-thick chipboard for the covers and scraps of basic grey & all my memories papers, a chipboard dragonfly (with a stamped one on top), basic grey & ki rub-ons, a stemma epoxy sticker, we-r-memorykeepers ribbon, and of course lots of lovely rhinestones! i was having so much fun that after i finished the back of the book went on to pre-decorate a few pages; the rest are blank and just cut from scraps of cardstock.

as to why this attempt at journal-keeping succeeded when all of my previous attempts did not, i'd have to say that having a specific and fairly narrow focus (in this case to merely think of three things i want to remember from each day) is--for me, at least--a very, very good idea! also, i have discovered that while i am capable of doing the 3BT part consistently, i am not equally "into" the art journalling every single day, and i've decided that's ok. some days i decorate a page, write my three, and i'm done. some days, i have more ideas so i keep decoratin'. some days i have NO ideas (or no time, or no energy) and i use one of the "pre-made" pages...or just write on a blank one and call it "good enough"!

my friend beshka said something a while ago that really stuck in my mind. she was beginning a new journal and feeling intimidated by the task, until she, and i quote "...gave myself permission to make something ugly..." and voila--the pressure was off, she started having fun, and her page reflected that. at the time, i didn't think too much about it, but a week or so later, when i was worrying over something i was about to start working on, her words came back to me, and WOW i have to say, i'm not sure why or how...but...that really works!!!

if you'd like to see another little project i cooked up recently, you could visit monkee maker's hilarious blog (what??! you don't read monkee maker? are you kidding me??! sheesh, you are missing a whoooooooole lotta fun, my friend!) anyway, today she has come out of her self-imposed blog exile (for the second time!) to write a really really nice post about some little cards i made for her. to answer a few potential questions in advance:

1. it was gonna be *one* card...except there were too many fab pix for me to narrow it down
2. i had more fun making those babies than it would be dignified to admit
3. tastykakes are heavier (& thus more expensive to mail) than i would've imagined...but well worth it!
4. i shoulda put some money on that "teatime" thing!!!

glitter: a cautionary tale

what follows is a genuine conversation which took place between lovely husband jeff and myself. in this case, the names have NOT been changed to protect the innocent, but they have been shorted into initials, to speed up the typist:

LHJ: today at work, andy asked me if we had a party last night.
ME: really? how come?
LHJ: that's what i said! i told him, "no. why?"
ME: and what did he say?
LHJ: he said i had glitter on my face!
ME: (trying hard--but unsuccessfully--not to laugh) and did you?
LHJ: YES!!! it was everywhere!
ME: sorry honey. what did you say to andy?
LHJ: (clearly embarrassed) i told him my wife makes cards and stuff.
ME: i'm sorry, babe. i do try to be neat, you know.
LHJ: i know. it's just that it gets everywhere...and it doesn't always come off...and it's so small you don't always see it...until it's on your face!
ME: (thoughtfully) i'm not sure i was using glitter last night...
LHJ: it doesn't matter! it gets everywhere!
ME: sorry, honey.
LHJ: (sighing) ...it's ok...

...awwwwwwww...poor guy! it's true though, if there has ever been any glitter anywhere in your house, it doesn't matter how much you clean, or how well you wash, there will always be remnants, i guess. personally, i like that quality...but apparently it is not a universal feeling!

next week, in part two:
glitter: a cautionary tale
(and darlings, you don't want THAT stuck to your face...just ask mariah carey!) :)

it was a dark and stormy night!

ok, not really. well, yeah, i mean it was dark, obviously. and it did rain a bit. it's still raining, actually; and it's rather gloomy outside. it's kind of gloomy inside, as well, come to think of it. here in new jersey this morning, it's the sort of day where, ideally, one would climb back into bed post-haste with a 1940's mystery novel and an enormous mug of valrhona hot chocolate like they serve at the new leaf cafe near the cloisters ...mmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

sorry, what was i saying?! ...oh right...

of course, if that's not an option, you could always take a tip from tracy and venture off to acquire your very own aristocratic title:

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Imperial Majesty Lauren the Purple of Praze-an-Beeble Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

when you arrive, you're greeted with a fancy heraldic shield, and the page says, "Lady Fortune the Absurd of Greater Internetshire presents your opportunity to receive your very own eccentric British aristocratic title." ...well, it'd be rude not to accept, wouldn't it...? although in my case, of course, what with me already being QUEEN, it's not entirely necessary...but still...an honor is an honor! (i do hope the good folks of praze-an-beeble are the friendly sort, and enjoy papercrafting, since that will be our official past-time, obviously!!! i'm still working on the national anthem...just need a good rhyme for "t'internet" to finish off the chorus...)

ooh and on the same site you can get virtual fortune cookies, too! ones with proper mystical advice that can be applied to one's own unique lifestyle, such as this:

My Fortune Cookie told me: Better start drinking now. Get a cookie from Miss Fortune

good golly, is that uncanny or what??! it's like she's known me forever!!! that is infinitely more impressive than the so-called wisdom to be found within the cookies that came with our takeaway chinese last night! mine said, "a journey of a thousand miles begins with one small step"; ok...true enough...but i think you'll find that's an aphorism, actually, and NOT A *FORTUNE*!!!!! lovely husband jeff's said, "only the wisest and the stupidest of men never change. are you either?" well, no, cookie, as it happens he's not either...but thanks for asking! (sheesh! dissed by a dessert! of all the noive!!!) still, seeing as these were the very tasty chocolate aphorism cookies from the healthy chinese place...i guess we can overlook the lameness of said pastry enclosures.

...this time... :)

what i did (...& did...& did...) over the weekend

i made adorable nephew matthew's birth announcements. lots of 'em. sixty, in fact. (can someone pleeeeeeease tell my sister and her husband they have too many friends?!! thank you.)

luckily, having done the mass-production thang a time or two (for the nieces' births; their mamas' baby- & wedding-showers; and various other occasions) i've learned a few tricks:

1. source the envelopes first (...you only have to do the opposite ONCE...oy vey...)
2. make as many cuts as possible straight ones (...which can be done on the paper trimmer...) and of course the most vital thing of all:
3. marry the nicest man who ever lived... one who *doesn't* find it odd or upsetting that his living room periodically becomes an assembly line...on which he is assistant assembler #1 and vice president in charge of hole-punching & corner-rounding!

(he's not called lovely husband jeff for nuthin', folks!!!!) :)