My photos are gone...

So, I don't know what happened here. All my photos are missing. No worries. I will try to replace them. Blogs just aren't as nice without pretty pictures! Here is one to keep your spirits up while I do some renovations!

As you can see, I've been busy. Here are some birthday cards using Paper dolls from old McCalls catalogs. Below that is a cute DIY notebook using a paper bag from The House That Lars Built blog. Below that is a cute napkin I embroidered, followed by a bowl I got for >$1 at a yard sale and sprayed it gold. My great grandmother LOVED to spray paint things gold - rocks, figurines, plastic fruit. It was fun to reenact the myth of Atalanta and the golden apples. Enjoy them while I sort this mess out.

Mother's/Aunt's Day

Hello again Lovelies! More hand-made loveliness ahead as Mother's Day hit my house. This was the kitty-cat-inspired Mother's Day card I made for my mother. I swear, it's nothing more than a cardboard card, a sharpie, and some colored pencils. My mom is the tabby cat and I'm the white one with spots.

 Here is the back, let me explain the joke set-up. My brother (orange-cat because his hair was orange when he was born) rarely unplugs himself from his new, shiny laptop and it's internet. My mother jokes (well, half-jokes) that she wants the router unplugged for Mother's Day and we laugh evily at the thought of my brother panicking because the internet suddenly went out. Hee hee. So, here is the kitty-cat version of that.

 It's also my Aunt's birthday so I embroidered this card to look like dandelions being blown. Get it? Wishes for her birthday lol.


A-----nyway, I wanted to share these cute cards to you and inspire you to create some of your own if someone special to you has an important date coming up. Nothing says "I luv u" like a hand-made card.

Ciao!
-L

My Inspiration "Bored"

Periodically, I drop by the bookstore to see if any magazines or books or knick-knacks peak my interest. The number of inspirational items at this immense resource has dropped at a disheartening rate over the past 3 months. Today, for example, I leafed through a few past favorite magazines, only to find them and their articles blasé, unappealing, and unrealistic. Yes, that $2,000 purse is quite lovely, however, I will never use it. Some of the outfits would look great if I was a performer or celebrity but here in my hometown I would be mistaken for a hooker or a desperate middle schooler in those particular outfits.

Ironically, I took home a traditionally male-audience magazine about music and menswear. Go figure. In my bedroom, I have a board where I pin up things that inspire me. Here it is at the moment:

[starting clockwise from the top: the My Melody watch I got as a gift from a very generous 6-year-old, A printing-press-printed valentine that I stamped and colored at an art studio open house, a little black cat I drew, Eddie Redmayne and a red glitter heart sticker, a 60s Brigette Bardot inspired look, this month's NYLON and Glamour, the new CD from Action Item (a boyband that ranks somewhere between The Wanted and The Monkees), a cologne ad starring Alexander Skarsgård, and two ads for Juicy Couture's new fragrance.]

I'm probably going to rip out a lot of the Adam Levine photo-spread and after photo-copying some pictures for a gal pal, pin a few of them up there. His tattoos are amazing, it helps that the canvas is so handsome. ha ha.

I need a photo of Matthew Belamy and Brandon Flowers to complete my sexy artist tri-force. And Brandon Boyd, so I guess it's a quartet. What a heavenly quartet that would be.

Speaking of heavenly, I let my flowerchild out yesterday and braided a flower wreath.

But getting back to my lack of inspiration, I think getting older has made me harder and more realistic. I try to do good, I know I can't change the world by myself, but I can change my community. I miss all the fun things my friends and I would do in the name of "ART". We've spray-painted messages of love on bridges and abandoned walls, we've braided flower crowns for each other and made up fairytales, we drove two hours just to eat at our favorite resteraunt, went to get ice cream and 2 in the morning, and even snuck into "restricted areas" just so we'd havethe best few of the sunset. I blame age. I'm putting an end to this monotony, tomorrow I begin plans to revolt against age and be a bohemian again.

Good night Lovelies,
Wish me luck! - LL
 



My Father is 50 years young Today!

Hello Lovelies! I wanted to show you all the card I made for my dad's birthday. It's only cardboard, paper, string, and glue! I cut out tiny diamond shapes for the flags and folded them over the string. After glueing the points together, I secured the banner to the card. My markers are missing so I hade to improvise with the highlightes and sharpies in the des drawer. I hope I find my markers but I'm so excited to give my dad a hand-made card this year!

Stay Lovely! <3

Birthday cards

I was commisioned by my parents to come up with something clever so they can present my brother with something concrete for his birthday. They got him flying lessons and wanted something that resembled a Willy Wonka Golden ticket to reflect it. So I scooted on down to the craft store and picked up a piece of gold foil cardstock ($1.99) and an oil-based marker ($3.99).

I can't tell you how glad I am that I was gifted with a crafting scissor bouquet. Those are kind of expensive! After staring wistfully at the edging punches, I managed to swipe a cute floral stamp set on clearance ($2.99!!).

Once I got home, I was a crafting hurricane, Lemme show you Lovelies what I made:

So to the Left here is the certicate I created with the gold cardstock and pen. Nifty right?

And here to the Right, is the card nestled safely in it's deceptively simple envelope.

On a side note, here is my not-so-fancy but still kinda-clever card from me to my little bro, who is very into Minecraft (copyright Minecraft). After some totally not-suspicious research, I found out that Emeralds are the rarest element in the game right now. It helps that I also know what my little brother's favorite fastfood place is (Taco Bell) and I picked up a gift card to put inside. I know my camera blurred a bit so let me tell you that the outside of the card says "Happy Birthday to My Brother..." and inside of the card says "... a "rare" find". hee hee.

That's all for today my Lovelies. Hope this inspired you to make inexpensive but fun cards for your own loved ones!
-LL

New Band I Heart

So, like many twenty-something kids, I was scrolling through my ipod songs with a heavy sigh, I was growing bored of the same 107 songs. (I know, ONLY 107?). I rotated a few songs back in and rotated a few out so as not to get too sick of them. But 34 songs look kind of wimpy. So I reached out to my facebook-a-friend option and posted that I was looking for a new band to focus my musical frustration on. Of all persons, my Mother posted a music video on my wall. (I shouldn't be suprised that she'd find an awesome band, she is very good at that kind of thing.)

I can't tell you how much I Heart this song lately. Give it a listen, I think you will too!
-LL

Project: Fancy Matchboxes.

Here is a cute way to make that candle in your bathroom feel less awkward.

You will need:

• tiny matchboxes (I got mine at the drugstore in a pack of 10)
• ModgePodge
• a paintbrush
• decorative paper (I used Origami rice paper from Michael's craft store)
• scissors
• a ruler (and pencil)
• newspaper
• glitter, sequins, other small decorations (optional)
• painter's tape
• metallic spray paint (I used gold)

Step 1: Take the little match box drawer (and matches) out of the matchbox, if you paint the box as is, the little drawer can dry shut.

Step 2: Trace or measure the matchbox on the back of the decorative paper and carefully cut out the covers so each matchbox has one for each large side. Set them FAR away from the next steps.

Step 3:Cut the painter's tape in thin strips just larger than the strike line of the matches. Tape over the strike lines on each skinny side, letting excess tape hang off edge end.

Step 4: Spread out your newspapers somewhere outside or well-ventilated and paint the top and sides of the matchbox covers. Let dry.

Step 5: After they dry, flip them over and paint the other side. You should now have little metallic boxes.

Step 6: When the boxes are completely dry, CAREFULLY peel off the painter's tape. If it tears the strike line, don't stress, just go ahead and paint over that side with the metallic paint. Camouflage is awesome.

Step 7: Paint over one large side of the matchbox cover with the Modgepodge, then place the paper cut out on top and tap it into place with your finger. Once the corners are matched up, paint on a second layer of Modgepodge. Let dry.

Step 8: Repeat on other side.

Step 9: I used glitter glue to dot some of the flowers and give it some sparkles! Then I finished with another layer of Modgepodge.

All done! Now your friends may pretend they need to light that candle just so they can play with the matchbox!