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