speaking of *BEAUTIFUL* things…

i think what impresses me most about the online crafty blogging community is the sheer generosity and kindness of folk! when you admire a cool product, someone sends you a link; when you gasp in amazement at a new technique, someone explains how it’s done; when you feel a bit gloomy or down, someone comes along with a cheerful word! it’s AMAZING, and sooooo inspiring! i mean, i'm sure *SOMEWHERE* there’s gotta be some grumpy selfish artsy types...but *I* sure have not run into them!!! as a matter of fact, yesterday was pretty much the BEST MAIL DAY EVER at my house, thanks to a couple of lovely bloggers; i received two--count ‘em two--awesome packages in the mail ! how cool is *that*?! (hint: it is very very cool indeed!)

package #1: recently i saw a card on terrie bailey’s blog that had some really beautiful, really TEENY black star gems on it. having never seen anything like them, i asked miss terrie where she got them. it turns out they are NAIL ART gems that she acquired on ebay…but…and here was the problem: the seller only ships inside the uk! terrie being one of the nicer humans on the planet, as well as a rather astonishing artist and craftswoman immediately offered me some of her own PERSONAL stash of gems. could i pay her back or trade for something, i asked?? no way, she was happy to share! the gems arrived yesterday, a whole bunch of them in all different shapes and colors in a special organizer box! but not on their own…oh no…terrie also sent along this BEAUTIFUL gift set! the gems were in their own handmade mini shopping bag (avec vellum butterfly, naturally!) deliciously scented fancy jasmine soap is ensconsed in a fancy embellished custom box, there's a really gorgeous matching card and tag--complete with one of terrie's signature hand-crocheted flowers on there! well, why don’t i shut up and just SHOW YOU:

needless to say I LOVE evey single one of my goodies and I am very grateful to--not to mention in awe of--terrie! many thanks, girlfriend!!!

package #2: a few months ago i was lucky enough to win a card challenge hosted by elizabeth wickland on her fabulous blog “my inner martha”. (dontcha looooove that name?! i chuckle every time i see it!) as a result, i received a truly awesome prize package of gems and stamps and magnets and ephemera items…all wrapped up in the most adorable hand-made paper purse you have ever seen! obviously i was thrilled…well who WOULDN’T be?! so imagine my surprise when i discover that at the end of the whole series of challenges, the amazingly generous elizabeth took the names of all the previous winners and entered them into an extra round-up drawing! and guess who won???! uh huh. LOOKIE:

do ya see that GORGEOUS card??! An howsabout those little clearstamp sets?! (elizabeth, i have looked over and over again for those “month” stamps--having seen them on someone else’s blog--and my Michael’s NEVER has ‘em!) plus there is unmounted rubber of such fabulosity that i have already looked up how to cling-mount them for ease of use with my acrylic blocks!

thank you VERY MUCH INDEED, miss elizabeth! your inner martha is spectacularly good at making people feel extra-special!

would you like some fun stuff in YOUR mailbox??!

remember you've got until midnight on Friday to leave a comment ON YESTERDAY’S POST telling me a “beautiful thing” from your day to be eligible for my beautiful things blog candy giveaway... (or as the hilarious and wonderful mrs. trashy has renamed it, the see just how clever i am giveaway!) :) it can be big or small...silly or profound…just something that made you stop and say, “WOW! That was cool!” in the same way that terrie’s and elizabeth’s kindness made me do so!

i don't think nina will mind my revealing the secret of the tiny heart...you press ALT and the 3 on your numeric keypad (thus laptops cannot perform this minor miracle) at the same time, et voila: "♥" (i'd have to count this as one of MY 3BT's for monday, btw...for some reason this little bit of hidden technology has totally enthralled me!)

operation 29: QUIET

i know what you're thinking: "this CAN'T be lauren's paper adventure page, it's only got THREE PRODUCTS ON IT!!!!!!!" yes, indeedy, even i was surprised to find myself making something so clean and minimalist...but you know...you follow the prompt...and this is where "QUIET" led me!

(top: plain white *!* cardstock from staples; buddha picture cut from an advertising postcard; heidi swapp ghost letters; unknown transparency; silver sharpie marker; staples. bottom: creative imaginations notebook paper; basic grey alphas; colorbox ink; sharpie & uniball pens)

the journaling, which is on the back, reads, "QUIET is one of those words like 'balance' and 'minimalist'...i love the IDEA of it...but it's hard to see how to apply it to *me*! i do feel quite content and absorbed at times, though, especially when i'm making something...does that count?!"

possibly the weirdest thing i've ever made

...and remember...

...it's *ME* saying this! :)

like many of my best and most original creations, the idea came to me whilst watching "namaste america" on the treadmill at the gym.

are ya ready?

ok...

but first: if you have never heard of shah rukh khan, the king of bollywood, the premier film star of popular indian cinema...*none* of this is gonna make any sense at all! so of course i will provide my usual wikipedia link...and a cool fan site link...and i will just mention that this entire project is a gift for my friend gill, who's the biggest bollywood film fan i know in real life (apart from myself) and who is perhaps mr. khan's biggest fan.

and now without further ado, i present:

yes, as a matter of fact, that does say,

"SHAH RUKH KHARDS"

and yes, that's an altoids tin. or it was. (don't worry, i cleaned it thoroughly!)

want to see inside?

yep. pretty much what it says on the the box: a bunch of cards...with shah rukh on them.

technically, we can't call 'em ATC's, because they're not the right size...but it's the same general idea. i cut photos out of magazines, mounted them onto black glossy cardstock, and trimmed each photo to 2 x 3.25" before rounding the corners. then i added dymo labels bearing diabolical con-based puns like in-KHAN-solable and eye KHAN-tact. a little ink around the edges...a few mylar stars...

et voila:

a baker's dozen of SRK mini-masterpieces...

...and a birthday gift befitting a bollywood star!!!

just my type

on page one of the manual typewriter fanciers' association* manifesto and recipe book** it says, and i quote,

"the first phrase to be typed on any newly acquired machine must and shall always be 'it was a dark and stormy night'!"

SEE???!

and since i don't want my membership cancelled and my ribbons slashed, of course i have complied!

i have been casually wanting a manual typewriter for a while. not enough to pursue one actively...or pay big bucks...but in a "one of these days i will see one at a garage sale" kind of a way. and sure enough, during a recent weekend foray i spotted this baby. i paid $15 to the daughter of the woman who was its only previous owner. as a matter of fact, i don't think she cared about the money; i think she just wanted to sell it to someone who wanted to own it, rather than re-furbish or sell it. it's a royal portable. it's not super-old, i'm guessing late 60's or early 70's. all the keys, buttons, and levers work.*** it has a carrying case. the ribbons it takes are inexpensive and easily obtained.**** best of all, it goes *DING* at the end of each line. i love it!

now all i need is a pipe, and one of those jackets with the elbow patches, and my best-selling noir novel will practically write itself, dontcha think?! :)

*i just made that up...but yeah...there probably IS one!

**i made that up too...but if you find a copy, can you send me a link?
***the letter "I" sticks a bit...and i cannot for the life of me remember how to set margins...but that's hardly the machine's fault!

****i got 'em at EBS Scantracker where you select your brand/model of typewriter & they tell you what kind of ribbon you need!

i got nuthin'

to say, that is.

this morning.

which is maybe just as well, since i have no time, either.

so why not enjoy a hot dog?

or perhaps you'd prefer a cheezburger??

either way, i hope that you have a productive and ebullient wednesday.

and think of lots to say.

(and have time in which to say it!)

xolauren :)

i am *BRILLIANTE* (...apparently...)

...at least, that's what my lovely blogging friend madonna dunn said! and since she is a rather fabulous card maker, papercrafter, and stampin' up demonstrator, i suppose she oughtta know *BRILLIANTE-ness* when she sees it; thus i thank her very kindly! :)

ok, so here are the rules and regulations regarding said award:

1) Put the logo on your blog. (check! see above.)

2) Add a link to the person who awarded you. (check again! see above, just below the other above, above.)

3) Put your right foot in. (well, that's a bit odd...but alrighty...check!)

4) Put your right foot out. (ummmmm...this just isn't sounding right to me...)

5) Put your right foot in, and you shake it all about. (ok, nope! this cannot be correct!)

oof! sorry!!! ...SOMEHOW...apparently i have gotten the directions for this web award confused with some other instructions...SO...we will have to do this on the honor system! since we all know that quite clearly EVERYONE who reads this is indisputably *BRILLIANTE* in every conceivable way, you may all chose to either:

A: accept being tagged and pass along the award yourself

or

B: do the hokey pokey*

either way darlings, i hope you have an absolutely *BRILLIANTE* tuesday...because that's what it's all about!!!

*if you are british, you may do the "hokey cokey" instead. (i would also offer a small prize to the person who can essplain why we say "pokey" and you say "cokey" and which came first!) if you are from a country that doesn't have the hokey pokey OR the hokey cokey i will just tell you that it's a bit of a silly dance that, along with the alley cat and the chicken dance, mostly gets done at really small childrens' parties (when i was a little girl, anyway) and really large drunken weddings.

updated later that same day: persuant to a comment from my lovely & hilarious friend the vicious chicken, i have been to read her current blog post, and so should you! it's (partially) inspired by this post; it involves the commedian bill bailey + the hokey pokey/cokey + the german art band kraftwerk + bumblebees, and it made me laugh uproariously, as most of vc's posts do. go. go now! i urge you!!!

2 sketches 4......CAARDVARKS!!!

that's right! your favorite sketch challenge (2 sketches 4 you) and your favorite card-making challenge (CAARDVARKS) have teamed up for our latest double-header: you have until midnight on 8-3-08 to make a lovely new card based on laura's sketch:

or kazan's sketch:


or both! of course this is the course i have chosen...because there was no way i could decide on ONLY ONE of these great sketches!


here is my kazan card:

(patterned paper: making memories, basic grey, creative imaginations, dcwv, vintage ledger paper; flowers: prima; felt border: fancy pants: rub-on sentiment: american crafts; rubber stamps: hero arts; brads: making memories, hot off the press; other: foam tape, colorbox inks)

and here is my laura card:

(photo of my nieces posing as space girls printed on kodak premium paper; patterned paper: basic grey, chatterbox, christina cole; text icon made in broderbund printshop using "3 hour tour" font; other: foam tape, colorbox inks)

text reads,"wishing you a birthday that's out of this world!"

so whip up your own fabulous creations and link them to the sketch challenge post and you will not only be included in our lovely kazan's sketch or laura's sketch gallery... (where surely wolrd-wide fame and lasting renown await you!) ...but you'll also have a shot at a fabulous prize: you'll be CAARDVARKS' guest designer for the august 20th challenge!!!

hooray!!!!!!!!!!!!