Clean and simple?

Ready for the weekend??!! Goodness knows I am. As my department winds down there just isn't a whole lot for the employees to do and even less for the manager, moi. I think trying to stay busy is more tiring than actually having something to do...

After work Kev and I are getting ready for tomorrow's community garage sale. Yep, we're hauling out all of our crap, er... treasures and offering them up to the lucky public. Who wouldn't like to have a little piece of me in their home? Before I get into today's creation, I just have to ask, Why in the heck would you schedule a community garage sale at 7AM??!! 7am junk is just as good as 9am junk. If i have to get up at the crack of dawn to get something, I probably don't really need it. Yes, Kev and I do go to the Black Friday sales. Got a laptop last year. For that, I'll get out of bed.

On to the creative part... I recently got this set from the most recent Papertrey Ink release. I loved from the moment I saw the previews and I knew it had to come home with me.

I stamped the flower on Aqua Mist cardstock and shaded it lightly with a Copic marker. I bought the dp off of some lady on Etsy whose name I can't recall. I really like it, so thanks nameless paper lady!

Alright, off to catch a few hours of sleep before setting up the sale. Wish me luck!
Enjoy!
Lara

Clear dollar stamps guest designer call

Good morning!! having a happy Thursday? I sure am, I'm in the process of cleaning out the old files and desks of ex-employees. Yesterday I found some reports from 2004. I was a little sad that they had celebrated their 5 year anniversary in the department and no one noticed. Grin...

So, have you heard that Clear Dollar Stamps is looking for some guest designers??? I think their stamps are adorable and I knew I had to throw my hat in the ring. The challenge for the month was to make a card using this sketch as a template.

Here's what I came up with...

My interpretation of the stripes is a little abstract. There is a panel of designer paper, ribbon, designer paper then a scalloped edge to make the 4 vertical elements. I then stamped this border and sentiment from Verve stamps with Old Olive and Baja Breeze ink. The card still needed a little "something" and the swirls absolutely fit the bill. A few rhinestones and there you have it.

Feel free to check out the details at the Clear Dollar Stamps blog! I have my fingers crossed!

Enjoy!

Lara

Royal Kat Wednesday!

Well here it is, Wednesday again and that means another Royal Kat Wednesday blog hop!! You should be joining me from Victoria's blog!

This week's challenge was to make a summery box. Well, I have a confession to make... I forgot what day it was AGAIN. This morning I realized that I hadn't finished my project and I didn't have an extra day to do it! Eeekkk!!!



For my box, I didn't make one I altered a tin I had collecting dust in my stash. I covered it with SU Razzleberry Lemonade Designer paper and added some felt flowers. Since plenty of people are born in the summer, I decided to make this a happy birthday box. The stamp I used is from the Elegant Sayings set which is currently on sale 20% off in the Queen Kat store!

Alright, enough rambling, head on over to Anessa and see what sorts of awesomeness she has in store today!!!

Enjoy!
Lara

Starving Artistamps Give away!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I adore Starving Artistamps. Well, they are having a huge give away this week before they head off to a few trade shows. They are giving away 2 BRAND NEW sets to the lucky winner! All you have to do is spread the love and let other people know about the candy and then let them know how you did it. All the deets are on their blogeroni.

Tempted? I sure am! I just received their Classic Decor set and made this super cute card.

So many adorable images in the set... I already love the new sets and would love to win them and keep a little $ in the pocket. I know you'll love them too, so go spread the word!!

Enjoy!
Lara

Things that are for "other people"

Have you ever looked at something and thought, "I would love to have/do that, but that's not for me, that's for other people." A little sad when you think about it, but really, we all have said something similar at one time or another. For me, something I never thought I'd have was landscaping. Yes, tress, grass, plants and things that create photosynthesis. I can look at a plant and it starts to wither. Put it in my house or yard and it has a week to live, two at the most.

We really wanted to make a nice yard when we moved into this house. At the old house we killed everything. Then we hired someone to put in some plants to give us more curb appeal when we listed it for sale. I barely managed to keep them alive until closing. I turned over the keys to the new owners and everything turned brown and died... This time we were determined to make it nice.

We moved in to freshly laid sod and a few bushes. We were doing ok UNTIL the great drought... Everything died, everything except the weeds in the back yard. Why can't we have a hybrid weed/grass? Kev and I gave up on the yard. We knew that we'd have to call in professional help... So, a year later after a few letters from the home owners association.... We called in the big guns.

Here is the front porch sporting the special city pass that allows us to water the lawn every day if the week instead of every other day from 6am-11am. We hadn't heard about the restriction until the lawn police came to visit and asked us to cease and desist. Why would we water dirt and weeds? Ehhh??? So, after a little palm greasing we got our permit the following day. Not sure why we're under a water restriction but the water gods have allowed us to keep out sod alive, at least for another day. If we finish watering before the pass expires, I may sell it on the black market. I hear I can get big bucks for a water pass.

See that red bushy looking thing in the corner? I planted that! I went to Lowe's and asked for something I couldn't kill. Apparently that bush fits the bill. The lawn is our brand spankin' new sod. It's green and squishy.

Off to the side of the house where we have some bushes. Apparently they will bloom in various colors.

Pretty sure I have some gardenias and azaleas over there. Is that??!! Could it be??! a pink flower on that bush???

Sure is! the plants are a bit shocked from being uprooted and replanted but they're supposed to come back.

A little sad, but a start!

Here's the new fence and the right side of the patio.

Those little vines will grow up around the fence and make pretty smelling flowers. Pretty sure those are jasmine. Then there are some Ligustrum and Little Richard abelia? At least that's what they said they planted. Not sure it's Little Richard and not Jerry Lee Lewis or Chubby Checker. I'd totally plant a Chubby Checker bush.

Corner of the patio and the Crepe Myrtle. It's also a little shocked from the transplant. The leaves might grow back this year but maybe not.. Since this picture was taken the kitten has relieved the tree of one branch.Then they put some knock out roses along the back side of the patio. Mama said Knock you out... oops, just channeled a little LL. I digress.

Here's a shoot of the right side of the patio. See the new porch? We are loving the stamped concrete. We had it stained a light brown with a dark brown border.

And the left side of the patio.

I am actually sitting in the chaise on the patio typing this post. Kev has a book next to me and 2 of the kitties are frolicking in the yard. Luger tried to climb one of the trees and he did a respectable job for a baby kitten. Then he got to a vertical branch and looked like a fat kid trying to climb that damn rope in gym class. Hence the broken branch.

Well, the light is fading and the bugs are biting.

Enjoy!

Lara

I don't like birdies anymore.

No, I don't. You see this Sunday (after I made this card) I was in the backyard with Titus and Luger. I wasn't paying attention and lost Titus. Usually when you "lose" Titus, he's ventured into the drainage ditch at the end pf the backyard. I went to look for him and as I'm leaning over looking at the tube, something swoops past me and brushes my hair. I jump back and see an angry bird hovering beside of me. It then swooped at me heading right for my eyes. (To peck them out I'm sure.) I took off running through the yard shrieking at the top of my lungs and into the house. As I dash in, I see Titus wander over from the side of the house, no where NEAR the ditch. I tried to explain my near death experience to Kevin who was quite unconcerned. 1 hubby 3 kitties and nothing, no help.

I finally went back outside and saw the birdie staring at me from the neighbor's yard. He then hopped to a bush and screamed at Luger. Darn birdie. He was staring at me this evening when I went onto the porch. I'm biding my time and so is he.... We'll see who wins in the end.

The entire accident happened AFTER I made this birdie love card using the Unity KOTM for the month. I used some designer paper from Cosmo Cricket's everafter collection, Dusty Durango and Basic Gray cardstock from SU!

I did some coloring with a Copic marker and added some Stickles. I just love using Gray as a neutral color on my cards.

I like this birdie a lot better, she doesn't try to decapitate me....
Enjoy!
Lara

Royal Kat Wednesday!!

Hi all!! Hopefully you've joined me from Victoria's blog. If not, head back to the Queen Kat blog and start from the beginning! This stuff is too good to miss!

The theme for this week's hop was to draw inspiration from this picture and make something pretty.

I was really excited to see the bright summery colors and all that yellow! I looked over my QKD stamps and knew I had to ink up Lani the mermaid from the Whimsical Ink Sorority line.

Isn't she beautiful? I colored her with my Copics and layered some designer paper from MME behind her. While I was creating her the other night I had a flash of smart and decide to share 2 helpful tips for you faithful hoppers.

The first one is that if you have your beautiful stamped and colored image on a piece of paper and accidentally trim it too close on one side, instead of redoing the entire thing, simply cut out the image and mount it on a piece of decorative paper.

Tip number 2 that I JUST realized and I really felt a little slow that I hadn't realized this before. If you want to layer a piece of paper behind one of your Nestibilites and the next size up is a little big for your liking, cut one shape with your die cut machine and then with the same die, trace it on a separate sheet of paper and cut it out! Really, I was SO proud of myself last night then I figured that everyone had figured this out already. Still proud of myself though!

Alright, enough of my rambling, head over to Anessa and take a look the awesomeness she has in store for you and don't forget to stop by the store and check out the amazing clearance sale!!

Enjoy!

Lara

Big Baby!

I realized that I hadn't posted any new pictures of my baby kitten. Here's Luger waking up from a nap he was taking on the kitchen table..

That's what a 3.5 month old kitten looks like. Yep, 3.5 months. He is a tank and has enormous paws! Last night he ate all of his wet food, finished the rest of Godiva's and Titus' wet food, came into the living room, stole a piece of ham from my chef salad and then ate 4 pieces of lettuce. I don't get it, neither of the other 2 kitties like people food and this one will eat anything!

Have a good night!
Lara

Queen Kat sale starts tomorrow!

Happy Tuesday all! I hope it's going smashingly well for you! As for me, I has 3 teeth filled this morning and my face is still numb. I might be drooling as well... I keep checking to make sure I not!

So, I might not know that I'm smiling but I sure am when I think about the MEGA BLOWOUT sale starting tomorrow at Queen Kat Designs! almost everything in the store is on sale! Here's an idea for the goodies that await you.
20% off past kits
20% off QKD stamps!
25% off the special deals section
35% off grab bags, acrylic blocks and paper packs.
55% off Clearance section
55% off scrapbooking kits

Is that enough?? NOPE every order over $25 gets a grab bag worth at least $13.50!! The sale starts tomorrow and runs until the 31st or until it's all gone!! So mark your calendars and head on over before it's too late!!

Lara

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Birthdays!

Happy friday all! It isn't my birthday, you'll definitely know when that day arrives! Nope, it's for my old SU! Demo and now upline. She tends to stick with SU! Products so I like to switch things up for her.

The image and sentiment are both the new Classic Decor set from Starving Artistamps. I might have bought the set for this sentiment alone. I used some dp I bought online, summer sunrise and raspberry fizz from PTI.

These colors make me so happy and I hadn't realized how awesome they would look together! Why not try out different color combo today. Who knows what you'll come up with!
Enjoy!
Lara

Not for the faint of heart.

WARNING off color humor ahead!! Kids, avert your eyes and don't look if you have a weak stomach! Grin..

I am very easily amused VERY. I saw this sign that was produced by PETA to raise money for the organization. I so wish it was still available.

Ha ha!! It looks like Godiva!
Enjoy!

Going away present

The economy is taking a toll on everyone. Nearly every day I hear about another person is being displaced or laid off. I know that at my job it seems as if we're having a going away party every other week. I know how difficult it is to be laid off, but I can also speak as a manager and let me tell you that it really stinks to displace your staff one by one and watch the department slowly dwindle. Today I displaced 30 people. It stinks.

Needless to say, I've been making a lot of going away cards and presents. One of my employee's last day was a few weeks ago and I used one of Lauren Meader's timelesss templates. Let me tell you, it was super easy to put together and I actually assembled it at work. (Yeah, not much going on right now.)

I used the new Dusty Durango from SU! and matted the dp with Crushed Curry. I am really lovin' on those new in colors! I filled it with some tissue paper and added 3 full sized bottles from Bath and Body Works.

See how it all fits?? Now the lid only fits with 2 bottles but since I left it at home that day, I put all 3 inside. Grin...

Enjoy!

Lara

Royal Kat Wednesday Blog hop!!

Happy Wednesday everyone! Hopefully you've hopped over here from the Queen's blog, Ms. Vicki herself! If not and you stumbled over here 'cause you love me, that's awesome but you HAVE to head on back to the beginning of the hop to check out everyone's amazing creations!!

You may have seen a pattern forming, our task this week was to use yellow, red, orange and lime green in a project. Lemme tell you, this one threw me. I'm just not a lime green girl. I made a card Monday night and I woke up at 4am thinking about how I didn't like it. Sigh, I need a sleeping pill. I took some supplies to work yesterday and here's what I came up with.

Red, orange yellow AND, look reeeeaaaaaly closely, see that sentiment??? Green!!!! Yeah!!! I used the seals set for the image and the sentiment. If you like it, head over to the store and pick up a set for your very own! Now head on over to the super talented Shannon and see what she has in store for you!
Enjoy!
Lara

Feeling Better?

1/3 of the kitties are feeling better. Titus is back to his old ways and has learned to open the screen door. yeah... whoopie... If only he would learn to close it. Godiva has lost her voice and when she opens her mouth to meow nothing comes out. Baby kitty is still sneezing and taking a trip to the vet. However, after I saw this scene, I think Titus might not be feeling so hot.

At least he has some Tums to counteract the pizza.

Enjoy!
Lara

A little observation

Good morning! People who know me know that I am a HUGE hair metal fan. Love it all. Bon Jovi is my absolute favorite band and his been since I got Slippery When Wet for my 11th birthday. My second favorite is definitely Poison and I've met Bret Michaels a few times. (You all should be thankful that my bubbies weren't bigger when we met. If they were, the world wouldn't have been gifted with Rock of Love 1 and 2 as well as Rock of Love bus. You have me to thank for that.)

So, Def Leppard and Poison are on tour this summer and of course I want to go. I haven't seen Def Leppard before. (crazy, huh?). I was looking at the ticket prices and VIP packages for the show. Poison has several packages and in all of them you receive a Poison coloring book and markers?!!!? Really?? What has this world come to?!! I remember trying to explain to my mom why I listened to men who looked like girls and wore tight leather pants. Now they're passing out coloring books?

Have we gotten old? Is it assumed that Poison fans have kids and grandkids so they need to bring them home something from the concert? ugh! I don't get it. I do have to wonder if you can color a picture of Bret being hit in the head with a piece of the Tony's set. Snort..

Have a happy friday!!
Lara
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QKD Blog Hop!

Happy Wednesday everyone! If have stumbled here from Jacquie's blog you are in the right place! If you came to me on your very own, head on back to the beginning! You wouldn't want to miss any of the spectacular creations the team has cooked up for you today!

I used the Two Peas in a pod stamp for my card today. This baby is available in the store right now for $1.75! GACK! Where else can you find this level of cuteness for essentially the change you'll find at the bottom of my washing machine?? Or on the floor of the bedroom, or the closet floor, or spread on my dining room table? (Someone around here isn't the best when it comes to putting change away...) I'm sure you'll find tons of other stamps you can't live without once you get there! I'll make it easy, click here.



So, since I am a late nelly, please excuse the picture quality. I took it on the dinning room table in the hopes I would get some light. Uh, no those aren't liquor bottles in the background officer. Nope, can't imagine what that could be. Just focus on the card, K? Edited to add- I swaped out the picture for a better one. This one was taken in my office where I don't have any liquor bottles... (But I should!)

I think this card would be perfect for a couple who just got engaged... (Hear that??? You know who you are.) Or someone who is expecting a baby.

I colored the peas with my Copics and used some pretty Basic Gray paper that I've been hoarding for a while. I'm digging the summery feel to it. It would be nice to give it to a couple who got engaged in the summer, right???!!! K, enough not so subtle hints. I'm the last stop on the blog hop so head on over to the store and grab up some sale stamps!!

Enjoy!

Lara

Happy Fourth of July

I hope everyone is having a happy fourth!! Kev and I had a list of things to do today with the first being a stop to the pet store to pick up some medicine for the baby kitty. He's been sneezing since we brought him home and the foster agency suggested that he was just getting accustomed to his new surroundings. Well, 5 days later we still have a sneezy kitty and now Titus is lethargic and sounds congested. We took him to the animal hospital today since our vet closes at 12 on Saturday. He had a fever and some sort of infection. Poor guy, he has ton take a course of antibiotics in pill form and baby kitty has liquid amoxicilin. Thankfully Godiva hates the baby kitty and hisses every time he comes near so she hasn't caught his bug.

I guess I'm a little annoyed. It isn't the kitten's fault that he's sick, but I noticed him sneezing the first day we had him and called the agency. We're fostering to adopt and they take care of his medicine and vet visits. Maybe if I had gotten the medicine sooner Titus wouldn't be sick and we wouldn't be out $280 to the vet. Although, if this kitten is sick, I can't imagine him having more energy or eating more. We spent quite a bit of time at the animal hospital today and the rest of the evening was spent assembling patio furniture. So far we have 6 chairs down and 1 table to go!!

I didn't have much crafty time today but I do have something in the archives. I made this for a Verve challenge. I just love blue and brown together. For this one I used some really pretty Crate Paper Designer paper with Chocolate Chip and Kraft card stock.

The ribbon is from PTI and it makes such a pretty accent.

Tomorrow I have great plans for a pedi and some time well spent in the craft room. Of course all of this happens after the table is put together. Alright, off to check on a sick kitty,
Have a good night!

Christmas in July?

Technically I made the project in June but Christmas in July sounds a lot better. I was playing with my new Christmas stamps from Queen Kat Designs. One of the stamps is a To and From and I immediately thought that it destined to go on a tag. This is a little more countrified than my usual projects but I decided to branch out a little.

I picked up a few wooden stars from Mike's for .20 apiece. I started by decoupaging some designer Christmas paper from last year to the star.; After it dried I distressed the edges, stamped the To and From with Versamark and embossed with gold powder. It still needed a little more antiquing and I sponged some gold paint on the edges. Punch a hole at the top and thread some twine and there you go. All of the new stamps are on sale 25% off at QKD for the next few days, head on over there and pick up some for yourself!

I think it will make an adorable accent to someones gift this year.
Enjoy!

Lara

Welcome to to the QKD!!!

It's July first and that means new stamp releases from Queen Kat Designs and a blog hop!! Hopefully you came here from Anessa's blog. If not, head on back to the Queen Kat blog so you won't miss any of the awesome projects from the design team!

So, on with my projects. I got to play with the brand Spanking new Fancy Christmas set! I wanted to show just how versatile this set was. When I first received it I thought how awesome it would look embossed with silver.


I think the funky paper gives it a retro feel. It makes me think of Christmas trees from back in the day that were sprayed with white/silver flocking (like my cousin does) and covered in icicles. For those of you who didn't grow up in the northeast, icicles are awful pieces of shiny silver string that your mom puts on the tree. When you walk past the icicles are drawn to your pants with static electricity. Then you find them allover the place for the next 7 months.

I stamped the image with Versamark and embossed with silver glitter. This is my way to get some silver on the tree without having to wrestle icicles from the cats.

Now don;t think that this set can only be used for funky fresh cards, no way. I also whipped up a more traditional image. This one was stamped with Chocolate Chip ink and I added some accents with the gold glitter pen,

This one came together pretty quickly and I like how the flowers look like pointsettas. So, if you like what you see here, head over to the Queen Kat Store and pick up some of your very own! Heck, they're 25% off right now, what are you waiting for?? In the mean time head over to the next stop on the hop, the super talented Andrea. I'm sure she has something spectacular waiting for you!

Enjoy!!