museumy goodness

what can i say about the king tut exhibit that hasn't already been said by everyone who's been lucky enough to see it?

...not a single thing...

afterall, i've only got the same superlatives as everybody else--feel free to pick one--it turns out they're all absolutely correct! breathtaking? uh-huh. magnificent? oh sure. sumptuous? lavish? marvelous? yepper...and then some! all i can tell you is, if you think you might be into it, and it's possible/affordable/convenient for you to get to the franklin institute in the next six weeks (it closes 9-30-07)...

GO!!!

be ready for a crowd. we had advance reservations for 10am last friday (six months into the run) and it was packed. not to a push-and-shove "times square on new year's eve" level, but definitely crowded. we waited in a bit of a line to get in, and then to really get close to most of the items we had to stand patiently behind some other folks until it was our turn. it's beautifully set up, though, so that the descriptions are printed on several sides of the display cases--and up nice and high--so we could use each delay to read them and be ready to really look for the salient details.

and what details they are! the artistry and workmanship of the exhibits would have to impress anyone from any era of human history. the ingredients alone are beautiful: calcite (when did we stop calling it "alabaster"? ...just wondering...), carnelian, crystal, ebony, obsidian, copper, faience, lapis lazuli! stone and gems carved into the the most intricate of shapes, metal engraved with complicated hieroglyphs, wood inlaid with miniscule pieces of ivory and gold to form gorgeously elaborate patterns. you're overwhelmed by the skill and dedication that went into the creation of these fabulous pieces of art...and then you realize every last bit of it was made with hand tools! and it's survived, intact, buried in the desert, for 3,000 years. of course the only appropriate response is awe, and awestruck we were!

here are a few of my particularly favorite objects, as depicted on my tutankhamun souvenir cards (b/c me + paper things = joy, as well we know!) they have photos on the front and descriptions on the back:

so basically i just have one question left: do you think that gold headressy thing is too formal for daywear? (naaaaaaahhhhhh--on me, it works!) :)

i'm rockin'...oh yeah!!!

my fellow jersey girl and all-round good egg laura chose *MOI* as one of her rockin' girl bloggers! thanks, babe--yer check is in the mail! ;) (btw, laura & another awesome jersey girl, gabi, are scrapdragons, and if you don't know i what mean, you should click the link!)

i was actually mega-lucky enough to have been tagged once before (thanks, danni!) but i combined my choices into another post & they slightly got lost in the shuffle, so it's cool for them to be getting a whole post to themselves!

i've met SO MANY fantabulous girlies in the last couple of months thru caardvarks and here, that there it's not humanly possible to narrow it down to only five! because you are ALL rockin' girl bloggers!!!!! so i decided to step outside the scrapiverse and pick five other cool crafty types i don't know personally, but whom i dig on a regular basis:

anahata joy katkin a collage and mixed media artist. there's art you want to look at, and there's some you want to own...i would like to climb into anahata's work. absolutely luminously glorious!

threadbared ok, if you think *I* have a weird sense of humor...well, yeah, fair enough...but these gals......! basically, they collect vintage sewing & knitting patterns, and then they make up funny little stories to go with the (often hilariously inappropriate) pictures.

yarnstorm (don't worry, you don't have to be a knitter to like it!) two friends, who live 3,000 miles apart, started a blog to keep each other apprised of their knitting lives...and i guess it just sort of mushroomed into...well...this! if you're smart & crafty & interested in stuff...you'll like it.

art tea life the crafts here range from collage to jewelry to...well, she makes a little of everything, really...but the reason to read is just sheer unadulterated charm...by the BUCKETFUL!

pam garrison more from the collage/mixed media tip. a place where on a daily basis, i think, "oh my gosh--i wish *I* had made that!!!"

it's that time again!

CAARDVARKS' challenge time, that is! yepper, the new one's up and the minimalists among us can prepare to rejoice! this time it's as easy as 1-2-3; which means you get to use: 1 embellishment, 2 patterned papers, 3 flowers...and that's IT! the exact nature of prizes have not yet been revealed, but i do know our sponsor is the angel company, and i've heard the word "rubber" mentioned... :)

now, you may have noticed, i'm not really a "less is more" kind of gal! (lol) i'm actually a "more is more...and even more is even better" kind of gal. (i don't believe "maximalist" is a real word, nevertheless, it sums me up pretty well!) so for me this truly was a challenge! but once i got rolling, i really enjoyed the way the strict limitations meant having to carefully consider each added item; and how that helped me be super-selective to ensure all my choices really pull their weight, in a design sense.

before i show my cards, i have a funny (unless you're me) little story for ya: it seems i misread the challenge email (DUH) and instead of 1 embellie and 2 patterned papers, i used 1 patterned paper and 2 embellishments! on four cards. yeah. because even when i am an idiot, i am a scrupulously over-achieving idiot. (niiiice!) :) fortunately, two of them were "on the line" of almost looking very nearly sort of somewhat right, and the lovely jenyfur let me post them anyway! (thanks, jen & sorry!) here they are:

see, this one has an epoxy brad and some heidi swapp decorative tape as embellishments, but the tape kinda *functions* like patterned paper...so it slides by...almost fair and square!

this baby only has one patterned paper...but i used kraft cardstock rather than white...so...well, it's got a strong contrast, anyway! the giant gold bee is obviously the primary embellishement...and, i mean, the ribbon is SO SHEER it practically doesn't exist at all...!! :) ok, ok--it totally *IS* cheating, but i'm glad they used it--b/c i really liked this card! (i don't think you can necessarily tell by my mediocre scan, but the circles are punched thru the front of the card & there's is a strip of matching patterned paper inside, onto which the regulation 3 flowers are glued.)

however, all in all, this is QUITE embarrassing, and i'm soooo grateful that my fellow caardvarks are every bit as kind as they are talented, or i would feel even sillier than i do now!

tut-ward bound!

this morning we are off to ancient egypt, via center city philadelphia! we'll be staying here, dining on delicious regional italian cuisine here, picking up a goodie or two here; but of course the point of the trip, the star of the show, the treat of all museumy treats......is this guy right here!!! expect a full report--avec photos with any luck--on sunday night or monday!

ciao, darlings!!!!

HEY! i'm a micro-challenge!!!

woohoo--it's DA BIGTIME!!! (lol)

no, but seriously, CAARDVARKS is using the "junk bowl challenge" tutorial thingie i posted a week or so ago as a 24-hour super-fast mini challenge...there's a cool prize from club scrap and everything! plus our bety and guest designer jolene johnston have not only shown the gorgeous cards they made, but their own little "junk bowls" too! how fun is that?!

if you've got a minute--and a little pile of leftover scrap stuff somewhere--head on over there and check it out!

...here be dragons...

i hadn't actually intended to make any proper layouts for my little california travel book, but my fellow jersey girls laura & gabi have a super-cool, brand spankin' new challenge website and you know, we jersey girls stick together!!! so i just HAD to make something for the innaugural challenge: all mixed up.

the way it works is, the *SCRAPDRAGONS* have given us three inspirational photos, from each of which we are to take something--an element, a vibe, whatever--and incorporate those things into our own layout. then just leave 'em a comment that tells what bits inspired you, plus a link to your LO, and voila! you've got a chance at fabulous prizes, fame, glory, and a date with daniel craig! (ok, i'm not sure they actually promised that last one...i might've got very slightly carried away just then!)

here's mine:

i was inspired by the funky arrow and the square-n-round letters of the first picture; the horizontal stripes and general color scheme of the second; and the paper placement and cut-out elements from the third.

so guys--what time will daniel be arriving??! :)

...and the DITHERING phase begins...

THANK YOU

so much to laura, gabi, june & tracy for the invaluable wisdom! you guys are the greatest & i really REALLY appreciate your taking the time to help me with this!

(definitely one of my "3BT"s for the day!)

i now feel like i've left the "i'm so confused my head is going to explode" phase. which is a relief! :) i read a BUNCH more last night & this morning, including: a slew of manufacturers' pages, a few message boards, some tutorials, a LOT of ebay listings and

...the diecutter master list thread on 2peas that tracy sent...

which is BY FAR the most thorough & comprehensive listing i found in one place online, and which (mysteriously) didn't pop up during any of the aforesaid googling! (ta v much, tracy!!!)

i think i've pretty much narrowed it down to either an original sizzix or a cuttlebug. and it seems like using a 40% off coupon at michaels (i happen to have one for next week) will get me to around the same price as getting one on ebay (when you factor in shipping). i had thought there'd be LOTS of inexpensive older machines available from people who were upgrading to newer systems, but it turns out...not so much...ppl who have an original sizzix seem to hang on to it. which kinda gives me confidence about that machine, actually.

so now i only have to decide if i need a diecutter at all, and if i'll use it enough, and stuff like that. and me being me, this could take some time!!! :) my plan at the moment is to forget all about it until sunday (when my coupon begins; also when we return from our tut-based expedition!) and then see what my gut reaction is at that point.

in the meantime if anyone else has advice, comments, or strong feelings (positive or negative) towards either of my prospective choices, i will welcome & value your input!

...sizzix?... ...cuttlebug?... ...sizzix?... ...cuttlebug?... ...sizzix?... ...cuttlebug?...

(...yeah, this could take a while...)