a link...but with SERIOUS disclaimers!!!

overheard in new york is a fairly hilarious website which i have been reading semi-regularly for the last few years. (the "semi" part having to do with me needing extra time rather than lacking inclination.) the premise is simple but brilliant: people send in snippets of conversation they have heard in restaurants, on the subway, or in line at the bodega. many of these are of...shall we say...a "personal" nature. some are very personal indeed. intimate, in fact. (if you can call something that was being discussed on the M5 bus in a voice loud enough to be heard three seats back "intimate"?!) which is where the aforementioned disclaimer comes in: if you are offended by R-rated language and/or a frank discussion of "adult content", this will not be a site you enjoy! trust me. (trust me!!!)

i have a fairly high tolerance for both "gross out" factor and "scenes of a sexual nature"...and even so...at least once a day i read something on OINY that makes me go "EEEEEW!"...something else that i almost literally cannot believe a person would discuss with anyone besides their doctor...and a third thing that makes me laugh so hard i am in genuine danger of death. occasionally i find that these overlap. frequently i am grateful for the absence of illustrations!

but the other day, i hit upon the holy grail: something that was both too funny not to share, and clean enough to be posted on a wholseome family-friendly blog such as my own. i hope you will enjoy it.

Raise Your Hand If You Wish You'd Been There

20-something tall black bellhop: I challenge you, right now, to a salsa dance-off.

70-year-old short Latino bellhop: Go get a radio.

--Peninsula Hotel

Overheard by: Carol

thoughtfulness, thy name is STEF!

stephanie severin, that is! those of you who post on split-coast stampers or caardvarks might well know her as smilyn' stef......i am proud to call her my friend-n-colleague! i am even prouder to display my latest acquistion of stef-based art. behold:



isn't it *beautiful*??! and guess what? that IS NOT store-bought indian-themed shimery background paper...stef MADE that!!! can you *imagine*?! yeah, me neither, but she essplains it HERE ...and being as she is a very good teacher, even i understood the instructions!

but wait, that was not ALL that was in the envelope she sent me the other day. oh no. there were STAMPS in there, too!!! really, reallllllly COOL ONES! wanna see:

stef said when she saw them in a store on her recent stamping road trip they just seemed to be crying out to come and live at my house. and you have to admit, they are *VERY* me! i mean, heck: a bird IN a heart...AND a crown??! who knew autumn leaves had started a "lauren only" line!!! wow--this niche marketing is *GREAT*, innit??! :)

thank you thank you thank you miss stephanie!!!

and now, if you'll excuse me...there's a little birdie here who needs my attention!!!!!

an unaffilliated card

it's been a while since i've posted a card that wasn't made to any particular sketch or for any particular challenge, but here's one from over the weekend. it is for our friends trish & juan who are celebrating two years of wedded bliss. they had soft pink and chocolate brown as their wedding colors. they had flowers, as well. and clearly there was a certain amount of "true love" involved. however, to the best of my knowledge, there were no owls present at either the ceremony or the reception...i guess that is what you call "artistic license"! :)

(patterned paper: basic grey & paper company; cardstock: bazzill; glitter paper: dcwv; flowers: prima; ghost hearts & chip letters: heidi swapp; rubber stamps: sassafrass lass; felt shape: fancy pants; gems: jewelcraft & mambi; rub-on swirls: making memories; rub-on letters: junkitz; other: colorbox & ranger inks, prismacolor pencils, foam tape

operation 27: SO FAR SO GOOD

we're at the official halfway point of paper adventure, and here's the prompt for this week's assignment:

What has been GOOD for you so far in 2008?

What are you doing?

What is making you happy?

What is GOOD?

well not to be a brown-nose, but actually i feel like one of the best things i've done this year is paper adventure, itself! and now that we're well past the point of no return i can confess: before this i had never made so much as ONE layout about myself...and i was not altogether sure i was going to like it! but having been entranced by elise blaha's blog for about six months when i stumbled upon the announcement of her cool new project during christmas week; it seemed like it would at least be interesting if nothing else, so i decided to give it a try. (the first assignment, before we even started was, "make a minibook"...so she pretty much HAD ME right then!!!) :)

and you know, that was such a good call! i've met soooooo many cool folks this year! i've seen some AMAZING art! i've experimented with new techniques...a new format...and different ways of communicating ideas with words or pictures or both. i've thought about stuff i doubt i would have considered under any other circumstances. (and then figured out how to write down the results!!!) occasionally i have felt stumped, or overwhelmed, or (as in the last few weeks) so far behind that i might not ever catch up. ...BUT... i have never ever felt like i wanted to quit, and i don't think there's been a week gone by--even ones where i WAS quite far behind--that i didn't think to myself, "boy i am LOVING paper adventure!"

and wouldja look at my book, halfway through??!!!

(patterned paper, alphas & magnetic snap: basic grey; tab sticker: ki; rub-ons & rubber stamp: autumn leaves; rhinestones: mambi; other: colorbox ink, foam tape, zig writer)

my journaling (which is similar in theme to what i've written above in this blogpost) is inside the folded card to which my half-way paper adventure journal photo is adhered:

not too shabby, eh? can you imagine how it's going to look six months from now when it's all finished?! but i definitely have to find bigger book rings. and soon.

ps: for those of you scoring at home, i am now--for the first time in a couple of months--officially & totally caught up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i am full of the joy of accomplishment...a feeling which will last all the way until the new assignment is posted...ummmm....ok...that's tomorrow morning, actually! (not to worry: if i *were* to ever experience the feeling of caught-up-ness for more than 24 hours i would probably OD from a lack of practice!!!) :)

operation 26: HOME SWEET

this week's paper adventure assignment...or rather, last week's paper adventure assignment ...is to tell what represents home to us. which is totally simple, in my case: my home is less of a where and more of a whom; i could live pretty much anywhere...all i really need is lovely husband jeff, on the couch next to me, watchin' the weather channel...as he is in this picture:

(patterned paper: ki & a vintage children's dictionary page; fabric paper: love elsie; chipboard & decorative tape: heidi swapp; key diecut & journalling tag: k&co; other: colorbox inks; vintage game token with bird onnit)

pigs and geese and ducks better scurry...

...got to make a card in a hurry! well, not that much of a hurry, you have untill midnight on 7-17. but hoooooooooo doagie, it's another caardvarks challenge and it's time to get down...

...down on the farm, that is!

yes, card-makers, this time the assignment is to make a card with a farm theme for a shot at the big prize! make it, photo it, and link it to the appropriate post and your lovely creations will go into the gallery with the fabulous homegrown, country-style work of the design team!

as a matter of fact, here's my card, now:

(far side cartoon by gary larson; patterned paper: carolee's creations; glossy black cardstock: ranger; ribbon: michaels; sticker: american greetings; rub-ons: american crafts, k&co)

remember, folks:

you HERD it here, first!!! :)

the world's slowest TAG-turnaround!

the lovely and amazin' terrie bailey tagged me LAST WEEK...and i am only just gettin' to it...sheesh lauren!!!

THE RULES OF THE GAME: Each player answers the questions themselves. At the end of the post the player then tags 4 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment letting them know that they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answers.

Ten years ago....

my dad had just died suddenly, in may. i am sure we must've done things that summer which didn't involve my mom, her house, her yard, fiancial paperwork, and taxes...but i have no idea what they would've been...

Five things on today's "to do list"...

oof! only *FIVE*??! ok: find a grocery store that is open on 4th of july; write my blogpost for the new CAARDVARKS challenge tomorrow; do my exercise walking outdoors (the gym is closed--arrrgh!) without getting heatstroke; goggle with amazement at these peter clark collages (sent to me by stef!); remember to tape doctor who tonight...

Snacks I enjoy...

ooh easy one: raw veggies, mung beans, celery parfait... HAHAHAHAHA! kidding!!!! ...ok, i actually do eat loads of fruit and granola bars and healthy stuff like that...but only b/c i don't want to weigh 900 pounds any time soon! however, i regularly spulrge on frozen desserts: ice cream, gelato, and so forth are a serious weakness!!!

Things I would do if I was a millionaire...

travel, travel, travel!!! oh yeah, and i would fill up my gas tank without having a heart attack!!! :(

Places I have lived...

i currently live 15 miles from the house where i grew up...which, in turn, was only about 10 miles from the house where i was born...it's a bit sad, really. except that we are talking about absolutely BEAUTIFUL suburban locations in hunterdon county new jersey and bucks county pennsylvania...so i've got NO COMPLAINTS!!!

ok, now...WHO IS TAGGED:

1. if you're reading this and FEEL LIKE being tagged: you are tagged!!!

2. if you're NOT READING THIS...you are tagged! (yeah, i know, it's gonna be hard to enforce...but i can't wait to see what the pope says...and the director of the metropolitan museum...and of course daniel craig...grrrrrrr....) :)

3. if you're wearing anything ORANGE...you are tagged!

4. if you know all the words to "I'VE GOT A GAL IN KALAMAZOO" ...you are tagged!!! (that's how they got me!)

have fun, darlings!