one of the best books...

...i have read recently is russell the sheep. however, with no disrespect to rob scotton's excellent story and charming illustrations, the thing i liked MOST about it was...

...the company!

yes indeedy, if you are looking for three girls to form an appreciative audience, you cannot possibly do better than nieces (from l to r) madeline, lindsay, and riley elizabeth!!!

if you are wondering: "geez, was it a good idea for elderly aunt lauren and her charmingly disintegrating vertebrae to sit cross-legged on the floor for the length of time it takes to read even a fairly short stoybook?" the answer is, "ummmmm...NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" fortunately LHJ had the foresight to bring along a hydraulic winch and some chocolate biscuits and eventually the poor sad old dear was restored to a standing position where she remained, chastened and rebuked, for the rest of the afternoon. :)

operation 25: PLAY

when it comes to paper adventure, i've pretty much tried to follow whatever my first instinct is...even when that leads me in a different direction than i think is actually intended by the prompt. case in point: i'm pretty sure "PLAY" is meant to be taken as a game or recreation. but--possibly because i've just had to send my beloved i-pod in for servicing and endure 2.5 excrutiating music-free days--i immediately thought, "play MUSIC" ...and specifically, "play music on I-POD"!!!!!!!!!!!

so that's the page i made...and i *REALLY* love it! :)

(images downloaded from t'internet; felt letters: american crafts; around the block mini label maker; colorbox inks)

you may have noticed that i've been pushing to get caught up on paper adventure...having twigged to this week being the halfway point of our year-long odyssey, it suddenly seemed important to me to get current, in order to enjoy the milestone of that. i'm just about there, too! i need to make one more page today... (for which i've got "the plan" in my head) ...and VOILA! o'course the downside is that *now* the thing on which i am hugely behind is blog-visitin' and emails. so if i owe you either...or in terrie's case BOTH...i apologize and will work on that this week, i promise!

in the meantime,

happy sunday, darlings!!!

(why dontcha go out and PLAY?!)

operation 20: THREE WORDS

hooray! i've done another paper adventure page! i am halfway to caught up!!! here are the directions for this one, from elise:

"This week: Tell yourself about yourself in just three words."

at first i thought this would be impossible. and then, i suddenly remembered something lovely husband jeff said to me years and years and years ago... (so many years, in fact, that he was then still known as "lovely BOYFRIEND jeff"!) ...when i had said something that particularly amazed and amused him. for better or for worse--and it depends on the day, really--but, "you're too much" does pretty well sum me up!

whilst looking for a different photo from around that time (the early 1980's) i stumbled upon this one (from 1966) of a not-quite-2-year-old me, in my grandfather's office. it doesn't REALLY go with the quote. but jeff insists that when i am sitting at my computer, trying to think of what to write next, i still get this exact same expression on my face.

does this mean i've used *a thousand and three* words??!

(patterned paper, border stickers, numeral & brackets: creative imaginations; fabric paper: love elsie; ghost clock & plastic letters: heidi swapp; glitter stickers: k&co; rhinestone star: mambi photocorner: scrapworks; heart pin: joann essentials; fonts: ck typewriter, bobmono; other: foam tape, colorbox ink, jewelcraft gems)

text reads: "Lauren," he said admiringly, "YOU'RE TOO MUCH!!!" ...and they lived happily ever after...

operation 24: WATER

unlike yesterday, HERE is a paper adventure page i really *do* like!

(kodak ultima photo paper; lil davis labels; sharpie pen; flattened pellegrino cap; foam tape)

text reads, "sheepish confession #471: i don't enjoy water as a beverage...in fact...i would ideally drink nothing but diet soda. the compromise: *pellegrino*...it's water...but with flavor (and more importantly) FIZZ!!!"

again, when i heard the prompt, ("water") i knew just how i wanted to approach it. because as much as i know i should drink loads of water...and more importantly NOT drink loads of diet soda...i really just do not like water all that much. you can make it super-cold, put it in a crystal glass, and add as many perfectly symmetrical lemon slices as you want...but it's still water...and i'm still not that impressed!

the idea of photo-ing the bottles of pellegrino in my fridge (which amused LHJ no end, i can tell you!) came almost immediately. i've been wanting for quite some time to use elise blaha's technique of journaling in little label stickers, and this seemed like the perfect occasion to try it. jeff smooshed a bottle cap for me & i attached it with some foam tape for a little dimension...and that's another page completed!

can i get a "wahey"?! :)

operation 19: EXTRA SPECIAL

here is what elise blaha had to say about this particular paper adventure assignment:

"I am in love with details. The little things that make big things extra special. Like pretty packaging. And putting takeout food onto plate before eating it. What is extra special to you these days? What are the little details you are enjoying? Or would like to enjoy?"

i immediately knew i wanted my page to be about wrapping presents. because i LOVE wrapping presents and decorating them! i always have. and having three nieces at "christmas-and-birthdays-are-magic" ages has totally intensified this particular urge; thus my gift packages have gotten fancier since the girls have been around.

so this should've been the EASIEST PAGE EVER right??! i had my theme...i had pictures...i had cute product...and yet, somehow, i just could not make it gel. so i did the best i could and decided to admit defeat. it's a page that doesn't look like i wanted it to look...but it does at least *say* what i wanted to say...and that's ok with me.

(patterned cardstock: making memories; journaling chip rhonna farrer; felt ribbon: k&co; other: sharpie pen, colorbox ink)

text reads: "if gift-wrapping ever makes it into the olympics...i'm pretty sure i'll have a shot at the gold!"

if you're enjoying a beverage this morning...

...put it down before you continue. trust me. you cannot drink and read *this* at the same time.

are you ready??

ok, g'head and scroll down!

told ya!!! :)

if you're planning to use the ladder at all today...make sure the cats are INSIDE! you know...just in case THEY read
i can has cheezburger, too!

by popular* demand: grunge flowers tutorial

well...i say "tutorial" ...but that seems to imply:

a. that i know what i'm doing
and
b. that i can convey it clearly to you

neither of which is particularly true. on the other hand,
"a bunch of random facts about those weird little distressed flowers i've been making lately...WITH PICTURES!" just seemed like such a bad title!!! :) so let's go with "tutorial", ok?

step one: getting started

supplies i used: circle punches, paper scraps, various inks, a few stamps, foam tape, jewel brads, gluestick. of course, like most crafty things, you can make these in LOTS of ways...i will tell you what i *did*...rather than what you SHOULD do!

step two: the flower centers

does it seem a bit backwards to do the insides first?! well, i s'pose it does...but since we are going to "wing it" with our flower shapes...and since i never have ANY idea how big to make the outsides to fit my circle punch sizes...i generally do the centers first.

in this case, i punched them and then stamped on them using pale green ink on the chinese characters stamp, followed by black ink on the birds. i wadded them up...unwadded...wadded again...and unwadded till they were nice & wrinkly! i inked the interior wrinkles with the green chalk ink; inked the edges randomly with black, and called it a day.

step three: petals!

i generally make these mid-project to fit in a specific space, so at this point i calculate the area i want the flowers to fit in & arrange the circles there to get an idea of the sizes needed. then i take each circle off, place it on a scrap of patterned paper & draw the flower shape around the circle lightly in pencil. the essential point, though, is: NEAT & EVEN are absolutely NOT what you're going for...try to be messy and off-center!!!

step four: cut it out

obviously, the next thing to do is make your shapeless blobs into vaguely flower-shaped blobs. cut out around outlines, trying *not* to be NEAT & SMOOTH!!! be fast. be jerky. try to leave some "flat spots". (if you are habitually tidy...like me...this is the hardest part! a moving vehicle on a bumpy road is a good place to practice!) (though YOU should probably not be the one driving said vehicle!) :)

step five: additional layers

i suspect this step is pretty self-explanatory: but if you'd like your flowers to be particularly dimensional you can make either a second set of petals OR a second set of centers. this time i went with petals, so basically i just duplicated the previous step...

...and they came out looking a bit like you see above! then i crumpled the petals a bit and inked the edges.

step six: assemblage

i attach the centers with glue, or staples, or brads, or...duct tape...? again, being in GRUNGE mode, i try to place them a bit off-kilter. once all the flowers are assembled, i arrange them on a card... (or whatever) ...and decide if some of them need to be raised up on foam tape. then all that is left is to attach the flowers... (in this case those brads are NOT just decorative!) ...and wait for the universal acclaim which is sure to be forthcoming! :)

to see how some of these particular flowers look in their natural habitat, scroll down to paper adventure operation 22!

*well, june and stef asked!

operation 22: FAVORITES

ok, i could easily do two or three paragraphs on why i'm so far behind on paper adventure... (yes, yes, AGAIN) ...but hey...i am ALWAYS behind on something. and apparently june is just going to be paper adventure's turn to be *the* thing! that is life my friends: you get overwhelmed by something...you catch up...and then whilst you're catching up on THAT thing...you find that something else has been neglected. ...well, that is MY life, anyway... but i finished another assignment over the weekend, woohoo! :)

for operation 22, we were meant to list our current faves. i decided to go with my favorite papercrafting products & techniques, mostly because i just really wanted to make a freeform page using fun stuff i love right now. so i did.

see?

(patterned paper: basic grey, making memories, chinese newspaper, vintage sheet music, old ledger pages; journaling card & gem brads: making memories; tab sticker: ki; rub-ons: hambly; stamps: k&co, queen&co, autumn leaves, inkadinkadoo; other: colorbox inks, zig writer pen, mambi gem)

do you think i can make a page every single day this week and be caught up before july begins?! yeah, me neither. but i will at least get a few more done...verrrrrrrrry SOON!

giftwrap strategem

OR: how to make a birthday card and gift certificate look slightly more impressive...whilst at the same time disguising the fact that you've made said card *waaaay* too big to fit into an envelope...all with the clever use of some clear cellophane and a LABEL!

behold:

nice cup of tea and a sit down

"royal birthday edition"

contents:

• Teabags (as enjoyed by Elizabeth II)


• Chocolate Biscuits (almost certainly HRH's favorite)


• Fancy Schmancy Birthday Card (suitable for royalty)


• Hello Magazine (featuring the Queen's grandson)


• Borders Giftcard (not particularly British or regal...but still quite useful!)


• Warm Birthday Wishes (much like those directed toward members of the aristocracy)

(sigh. i *LOVE* broderbund printshop!!!)

ps: i'm assuming everyone knows about the website, nice cup of tea and a sit down...you DO know about the website, nice cup of tea and a sit down, right??!

in the pink!

hello and a very happy second-to-longest-day-of-the-year to all those of us in the northern hemisphere*! isn't it great that we have lots and lots of hours of daylight in which to make cards? since that's the case, why shouldn't we make cards for the new CAARDVARKS challenge and get a shot at a rather fab prize? seeing as our sponsor this time is pink persimmon clear stamps, i bet you can guess what the assignment is, can't you?! that's correct: make a card with a persimmon on it!!!

hahaha! sorry. kidding. of course the challenge is to make a card that is PINK! it can be any theme, any size, any shape, and any shade...or shades...but PINK it must be! and linked up it must be to the pink challenge post by midnight, july 2nd.

this was a tough one for me, since, as you probably know, pink is a color in which i RARELY, if ever work.

hahaha! sorry. kidding again! pretty much everybody including stevie wonder knows that i looooooooooooove pink, and in fact, it's basically my default color scheme: pale pink, hot pink, salmon, fuschia, flamingo, cerise, cyclamen...and every shade in between... show up OFTEN on laureny cards!

why look, here's one now:

(patterned paper: sandylion, making memories, cardstock: basic grey; stickers + velvet flower brads: creative imaginations; bracket stickers: kelly pannacci; felt trims: k & co (is it just me or are these HARD to adhere?!) flowers: petaloo;

and here's ANOTHER one:

(patterned paper: urban lily, making memories; black glossy cardstock: ranger industries; alphas: creating keepsakes, heidi swapp, k&co, prima, provocraft, pressed petals; sequins & brads: queen&co; flower sticker: creative imaginations)

so now it's time for you to get out the supplies and get IN THE PINK!!! :)

*conversely, may i wish a very happy second-to-shortest-day-of-the-year to all those of you in the southern hemisphere; what with it getting dark so early, there's no reason not to stay indoors and make cards, right?! ;)

cool stuff that happened this week

1. my friend and colleague joshua found a local restaurant with FABULOUS take-away falafel!

2. my i-pod came back from the i-pod pokey (aka best buy repair service) in just THREE DAYS! (which still turns out to be approximately 2.5 days *more* than i can live comfortably without an i-pod...yikes...)

3. we bought a reasonably priced (under $200) external hard-drive on which to back up our digital photos. it has a terabyte of storage. (that's 1000 gigabytes!!!)

4. two peas is having quite a decent sale. including LOTS of stamps. you know, if you like that sorta thing...

5. i had NO CAVITIES at the dentist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6. i received a CANDYGRAM in the mail! ...blog candy, that is...from the lovely june! (for winning june's blogiversary giveaway?) see?

yes, indeedy...all things considered, it's been a rather nice week...and it's only THURSDAY!!! :)

checklist...

...for the perfect party...

as illustrated by the photos from niece madeline's fourth birthday last month

(photos which aunt lauren, with typical efficiency, has only just finished editing!)

tiara (got it!)

back-up tiara (just in case!)

cool tunes (uh-huh)
(mommy & maddie are dancing--and singing along to--jimmy buffet's "cheeseburger in paradise" in this picture)

princess balloons...including ARIELLE!!! (good to go!)

cousins and friends (yepper!)

a few grown-ups... (well, somebody's gotta clean up!)

licensed mechanic on stand-by (in case of emergency)

cake with princess decorations...including ARIELLE!!! (oh yeah!)

clear understanding that ARIELLE is mine! (can't be too careful!)

adorable small brother (...whatever...)

PRESENTS!!!!!!!!!!! ('nuff said)

plenty of bubbles...for everyone! (excellent!)

hilarious running-around-outside games that adults cannot entirely understand (poor silly elderly dears!)

the element of surprise!!! (priceless)

NO humorous cats here, that's for sure!!!

...of course...i do not remember anyone (including me) issuing a ban on silly squirrels...

(loopholes: gotta love 'em!)

this particular photo from i can has cheezburger, sums up the feeling i have when i gaze upon lovely husband jeff. yepper, even after 22.5 years of marriage. because he is just THAT CUTE!!!

happy tuesday, darlings!

manly happy returns!

it's CAARDVARKS' micro time! it's CAARDVARKS' micro time! are you ready for a 24-hour micro challenge??!

of course you are!!!

ok, so what's the most common type of card we need throughout the year? (this is based on my own, completely un-scientific analysis, but be a sport and play along ok?) the most common type of card we need throughout the year is the birthday card! and what's the hardest kind of birthday card to make? (again, you may or may not agree...but humor me!) the hardest kind of birthday card to make is the GUY birthday card!!! and *WHY* are guy birthday cards the hardest??! wellll...for that one i don't really have a confident universal answer...but in my case, i suspect it has a something to do with an over-reliance on flowers and bling in my default card-makin' paradigm.

...or maybe i just know the wrong kind of guys...??! :)

in any case, to participate in the challenge--and increase your guy-card arsenal by one (or more)--make a manly birthday card by midnight, june 17th, and link it to the micro-post!

oh yeah, didja wanna see MY card for this challenge? here you go:

(fish pic from national geographic; black glossy cardstock: ranger; white matte cardstock: staples; patterned paper: junkitz; happy birthday diecut: bazzill; font: moderne; other: foam tape, zig writer)

on the outside of the card one clownfish asks: "Are you Nemo?"

to which the other replies: "No! I thought YOU were Nemo!"

the inside of the card reads: "Happy Birthday from both of us!"

can i be frank?

we got home last night later than expected from visiting my in-laws in maryland (happy father's day!) and instead of finishing today's blog post, returning emails, and visiting other people's blogs, i decided the most efficient use of my time was to sprawl on the couch with lovely husband jeff, eat chinese food*, and watch friday night's taped episode of doctor who**...which just MIGHT be my all-time favorite!

hey: a girl's gotta keep her priorities straight, kwim?!

sadly, it means i don't have anything FAB ready to show you today. but no worries--i can always CHEAT! :) here's a 3BT page from last week i really like: it's the postcard from my friend paul's studio opening***, a picture of francis albert from a post office brochure, the backing of a sheet of sinatra stamps, the label off a pellegrino lemonade, and some fish stickers, obviously.

HAPPY SUNDAY, DARLINGS!!!

*finally i got A PROPER FORTUNE: "you will travel to many places"! wahey! ok, no tall dark strangers or mysterious parrots...but still... :)

**as well as providing the best explanation of agatha christie's mysterious ten-day disappearance in 1926 that i have ever heard: i bet all those christie scholars feel PRETTY SILLY now!

***the painting, which i rotated, is actually a snowy forrest scene; but those deep blue-green shadows looked quite "oceany" to me somehow...i know, i know, it all sounds SO unlikely...just go with me, ok?! :)

isn't this an awesome card?!

sadly, i did not make it. happily, i am now its proud owner! it was given to me by one of the world's dearer darlings, my lovely friend and fellow caardvark, stephanie. stef is one of those people who just seems to *SENSE* when someone needs a kind word, or a little encouragement, or a good laugh. and then she sets out to provide it for ya. yeah, she's got the friendship gene. in spades!

she happened to know i LOVED this card when she posted it, and i was fascinated by technique. and the next thing i know, the card arrives in my mailbox to inspire and delight me anew.

thanks, stef! you're the greatest!

ps: there is a great explanation of how to make this card *here* on stephanie's blog, ingenious inkling, where you will also find loads more great ideas, great cards, and great inspiration! check it out!

di another day!

sorry. i saw the opportunity for a hideously bad james bond pun, and i could NOT resist. :) because, you see, i have done another di hickman card sketch. hooray!

here's the sketch:

cool, no?!

and here is my card, which is admittedly a pretty loosey goosey interpretation:

(patterned paper: sei, bam pop, dcwv, basic grey, paper pizzaz, doodlebug, daisy d's, notebook paper, chinese text, vintage ledger; chipboard tag: k & co; alpha stickers & epoxies; stamps: rhonna farrer; leaves: paper source; gems: mambi; other: zig writer, colorbox inks, foam tape, ribbon scrap, stickles)

yepper, it's birds again! :) (bam pop ones, this time) ..and more grunging... plus loads of those funky flowers i enjoy making lately...not to mention a bit of love elsie goodness... (always pleasing) ...et voila: a card for my friend liz, who will celebrate her very last "last day of school" next week. yes indeedy, after 25 years teaching high school level english and chinese, she is retiring. can you imagine *25* years of daily contact with teenagers en masse???! frankly, i don't think *I* would last 25 minutes...but i am grateful that people like liz will take on such an important job and do it so very well.

you know what they say: if you can read this, THANK A TEACHER!!!

thanks, liz! and thanks to all you other teachers out there!!!!!!!

smashing orangey bit

mmmmmmmmm...jaffa cakes!!!!!!!!! oh sorry...i didn't realize you were there!

hiya! :)

here's a new card, it's based on kazan's second design at 2 sketches 4 you!

(black glossy cardstock: ranger; glitter cardstock: dcwv (traced around a fancy pants chipboard frame); patterned paper: urban lily, basic grey, making memories; flowers: prima; gems: mambi; rub-ons: k&co; chipboard: heidi swapp; eyelets: making memories)

i don't make a lot of things in this color scheme, but i had a little bit piece of urban lily paper...and a scrap of basic grey...and those leftover sparkly rub-ons...not to mention my new dcwv glitter stack... (a whole tablet of GLITTER CARDSTOCK in lots of colors!!! how *me* is that?!) and the next thing you know, i had a birthday card! plus, the sister-in-law who will receive it quite likes peach and yellow, i b'lieve. check another birthday card off my to-do list! HOORAY!

a bit sketchy

i've done another sketch challenge card! this one uses di hickman's post from last wednesday. it's a FABULOUS sketch--see?

i decided to rotate it, which worked. ...BUT... i accidentally messed up the proportions, which unfortunately, didn't work so well--see?

(patterned paper: doodlebug, scrapbook wizard, dcwv, junkitz; glossy white cardstock: ranger; sparkly glitter-encrusted pink cardstock: doodlebug; sequins: queen & co, doodlebug; brads: queen & co, cloud 9 design; other: zig writer, colorbox ink, foam tape)

the result is a card i very nearly almost really like. there are things about it that i LOVE: i've been longing to use my doodlebug sparkly pink glitter paper...and it is DIVINE as scallops, imo! the cupcake with the sequinned "sprinkles" (stuck on with brads b/c YOU CANNOT GLUE STUFF to d-bug sparkly paper!) came out really well, and that little strip of green dividing the two bits of pink is a very nice accent! if the pink plaid paper comprised 1/3 of the width (as in the sketch) i would love the WHOLE THING. (sorry, di hickman--purely a case of operator error there!)

...BUT... and here is the point of me telling you all this...which to me is a semi-important point:

i am posting it anyway, and i am sending it anyway! i put work and thought into it, not to mention time and supplies. it is not perfect. so what! with the exception of daniel craig and dark chocolate what *IS* perfect??! i am always pleased when i can figure out WHY i have succeeded or failed...which, in this case, i have...and that lesson (the rule of thirds ROCKS--check!!!) is now "on board"! i am planning to make stuff for a *LOT* more years, and i am hoping to keep learning how to do it-- better, faster & even more fun --for all of those years. in the meantime, sometimes i wind up with a project i love...and sometimes i wind up with a project that taught me stuff. in my opinion, both of these are really, REALLY good outcomes!!!

bottom line: if you put time and love into making a HANDMADE CARD for someone, it is **automatically** BEAUTIFUL!!!

(here endeth the first rant!)

xolauren

pretty much every monday of my entire life...

...has felt like this:

of course, once i get up, get going, and drink a bunch of coffee i am fine. then i go to work, which is a bit like this:

but don't worry...i haz a plan:

hope your monday isn't *TOO* awful!!!

ps: 'member a couple of weeks ago when i said i was gonna stop posting photos from i can has cheezburger? yeah. i lied. sorry. no excuse. had to be done!

duuuuuuuuuuude!

it's nearly father's day, and thus time to make a card for jeff's dad. i wanted to use the phrase "world's best dad", but otherwise had no particular idea in mind. luckily, our newest caardvark, laura davis, and her friend kazan clark, have started a new sketch challenge site called "2 sketches 4 you" (dontcha LOVE the name?!) and thus my inspirational problem was solved, by using laura's terrific first sketch to make this:

(globe pic from an old book; patterned paper: american crafts, love elsie; glossy black cardstock: ranger; rub-on letters: making memories, ki; cardstock stickers: love elsie; other: foam tape, ek success corner rounder & small circle punch, decorative scissors, colorbox ink)

of course, laura isn't the ONLY new caardvark, tanis giesbrecht joined us recently, she is an amazing all-round crafter, awesome card-maker and FAB stamp designer for queen kat designs! her blog, paper princess at play is well worth checking out.

then there is natalie dever, a verrrrrry cool blogger, scrapper and stamper who is on LOADS of fab dt's (including the completely awesome di hickman challenge) on top of making the most luciously delicious cards you have ever seen! her blog is called dougnat diaries. i think you will like it! :)

2-for-1 card special! ACT NOW!!! :)

yes folks i don't just have one super-cute bird-based card today...i have TWO...at *no* extra charge! c'mon in and check 'em out! you will not find this deal in stores! woohoo!!!!!! :)

(sorry, i got a little carried away by the fervent commercial pitchmen plying their wares on my tv...they are reminding me why i tend to NOT put the telly on during the day, actually!)

but seriously darlings, i have made two cute birdie cards...but they are for a very specific purpose:

miss june's fabulous blog candy contest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yes, june's blog, "simply elegant paper crafts" celebrated an entire year of simple elegance on june first--the first of many such happy, creative, productive, fabulous such years, i hope! to celebrate, june is having a cool challenge with a rather FAB giveaway! being the slow-moving creature i am, i have only just finished my cards before the deadline... (which is midnight tomorrow, june 7th) ...but if you are super-fast, you do still have a littlte time to participate, and you can find all of the details here!

there are actually two different challenges in which you can participate, but since they are BOTH so cool, i couldn't pick only one!

the first challenge involves making a gatefold card. i LOVE gatefold cards! in fact, i love them enough that it's a complete mystery that i hardly ever make 'em! this seemed like a really good time to change that! so i did.

here's the outside:

(patterned paper: basic grey, creative imaginations, karen foster, design originals, making memories sei; brads: doodlebug, sei; gems: mambi; circle punches ek success; inks: colorbox; other: foam tape, zigwriter)

here's the outside again...but you can see a bit of the inside:

(once again i have used my favorite frances meyer chipboard bird as a template (see below!) and cut "wings" from some basic grey paisley paper; the flowers are freehanded around various punched circles and then cut out as messily as possible, crumpled, straigtened, crumpled more, inked all over, and mounted on foam tape for dimension)

and here's a closeup of the inside:

(i plan to put a greeting of some description onto the little plaquet, probably using making memories felt alphabet letters...the card will a "cheer up" one for my s-i-l...i just haven't decided what to write yet!)

for the second challenge, since miss june is sooooooo SCRAP-tastic, and can make half a dozen gorgeous cards using only half a sheet of patterned paper and a handful of pipecleaners... (ok, i am exaggerating SLIGHTLY--but *only* slightly--she's amazin' i tell ya!!!) ...we are challenged to use the scraps from a previous card to make ANOTHER card...but...it cannot be *identical* to the first!

here's my "scrap" card...as you can see, i used the scraps from the first card (because they were all still sitting on my worktable!) :

(obviously, this is a "congratulations card" (the inside says "graduate") for a young friend of mine who has just completed high school. i've used scraps from the card above, but made my flowers a little less distressed. additional products: making memories journaling card & star brads, american crafts rub-on alphas)

and finally, here is a photo of the two cards TOGETHER...showing that they are similar...but not THE SAME!

thank you, june, for a fabulous year of inspiration, fun, friendship, and fantastic cards!!! many happy returns of your blogiversary!!!

ps to all those who'd like to know whence comes my favorite little birdie accent...here he is, a piece frances meyer naked chipboard that i have had for ages (you can see his little tail has been bent more than once!):

i know a lot of people would just COVER him with patterned paper and plonk him on a card and be DONE...but he is such an appealing shape (& i am sooooo not a person who can *draw* cute little birds on demand!) that i have basically turned him into a multi-use template that i trace onto either patterned cardstock or paper that is reinforced with index stock.

generally i hold a few pieces of scrap together at a time so that i have either choices OR extra birds for next time. sometimes i ink them, or outline them, or stitch on them...sometimes they get feathers or gems as accents...sometimes i cut out wings from cardstock...or use heart-shaped accents as wings and tails...i don't think i've ever made EXACTLY the same bird twice...and i haven't run out of variations yet!