Wednesday, July 23, 2014

ep henry, coventry brickstone, harvest blend

that's our choice of pavers. because i'm sure the suspense has been killing you since last week! :) the bond will be a 45 degree herringbone pattern with a horizontal brick border. bonus points have been awarded to me for having instinctively picked the most expensive way to do this! because a herringbone pattern uses the most bricks, since you waste part of the ones that need to be trimmed along the edge; and the most labor, because the trimming gets done by hand. so given this information and the opportunity to switch to something a little less costly, have i changed my mind? ummmmm... nope. as sally so wisely said to harry, "i want what i want." even if it means we won't be doing much planting until next spring? yeah, i'm ok with that. we've had a couple of delays in the last year to various household projects in which the extra time resulted in an entirely new-- and much better-- idea that evolved during the waiting period. so i'm willing to roll the dice in hopes of a similar epiphany. plus, in the meantime, we'll be getting the result we really want. here's how it's going so far:

from a lovely green side yard...

...to a whole lotta dirt!

now is probably a good time to mention that the walkway project is actually secondary to the fact that we needed to tear up the whole side yard in order to re-grade around the basement window that's just below foundation level on this side of the house. so on the one hand, this isn't quite as frivolous as it seems. on the other hand, it's going to get considerably messier before it looks nice again. ah well. that pretty much sums up most things in life, doesn't it?

meanwhile, there are more ICADs, woohoo!

051: chinese sewn collage
this was going to be a stapled collage, but i thought some lumpy bumpy stitches and dangly threads might be even more fun. i stand by that decision!

052: mehndi rainbow
the base of this was an ad for fiesta-ware-like plates in a catalog. i thought they looked like a rainbow. so i decided to go crazy with a sharpie ...like ya do... :)

053: vintage owl collage
the owl is one of those old school, pre-rub-on-style transfers that you soak in warm water and then slide caaaaaaaaaaaarefully onto your target. this one was on a very eldery sheet that my aunt found at a garage sale. i was actually pretty sure it would disintegrate the moment water hit it, but decided to give it a try anyway. i now feel i owe the meyrcord company of carol stream, illinois, a bit of an apology, since their 40+ year old product worked better than some of the brand new fancy craft supplies i've bought recently. go figure!

ok, so, now that we're caught up, does anybody wanna come outside with me and play in the dirt pile? no? i bet nephew matthew will be up for it, excuse me whilst i phone to enquire, darlings! :) :) :)

8 comments:

  1. Oooh, a dirt yard. I look forward to progress photos!

    And if it makes you feel any better, I ALWAYS pick the most expensive option. When I saw the wood floor samples, I started with one that I THOUGHT I wanted, but then when they were out of it, my second choice was the top of the line. Of course. Good thing I plan to live here until I can't stamp any more.

    Oh, and I'm not surprised that 40+ year old product is a QUALITY product, unlike the s-crap they make today in China.

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  2. Nice cards! Good like with the landscaping. Did I detect an Eddie Izzard reference: "like ya do?" I say that myself fairly often.

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  3. Ahhh, but it's going to be beautiful because that's what you want. Hopefully you won't have too much mud after the rain tonight. I'm loving your ICAD's and have to thank you for sharing this "event" as it's been helping me to focus on something other than my back right now.

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  4. Wow, what a big (but exciting!) project! Big projects around here seem to take their time and I have learned to just go with the flow - it will get done when it gets done and in the mean time, it's a work in progress - my garden is a great example! I am certain your nephew will want to help! One summer, we ripped up not just the front lawn, but all the interlock for a similar reason. Whoever put it down didn't do it correctly and we had water pooling too close to the house. Anyhooo - my much tinier boys were in dirt heaven when a huge pile of top soil took up residence on the front lawn and stayed there for some weeks until the job was done. They loved it so much! They would dig holes so big that if they jumped in you couldn't see them! It was a very messy summer inside and out as little boys track dirt everywhere, lol!

    LOVE the owl collage! - as if it is that old! lol! Also love your sewn collage with the chinese text, love all the elements that you've put together!

    Good luck with all your yard work!

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  5. Hang on, I'll be right over...
    I ALWAYS go for the super pricey, most difficult option too! Great makes Lauren, such lovely colours and images. Have fun with all that dirt, Jo x

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  6. I love your cards, Lauren, especially the stitched one..

    Enjoy your dirt pile while it lasts!

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  7. ooooohhh......I'm sure you've posted pics of your house before but, well, my memory stinks...so I'm always repeating myself...I LOVE your sweet home! Can't wait to see the finished paver project!

    ICADs...um, LOVE the chinese collage...wow. Love them all and whew that the owl worked...he's adorable.

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  8. Love, love, love these! And it's great to see the before and now, the latest pics of how the house is coming along.

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