Concerning my nerdlove for LOTR...

it runs deep, this nerdlove.

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

see? i told you. from the One Ring wallpaper on my desktop, to my One Ring on a silver chain, to my gold One Ring earrings (enscribed with the dark language of Mordor) which i rarely ever take off, right down to this layout (made for OLW when i started scrapping again 3 years ago):

yep. NERD.LOVE. i ain't ashamed! ;P

after watching all 3 extended versions of the movie this past weekend, i'm still in that state of fantasyland euphoria... as i usually am for days after. i went out and bought the first volume of the book so i could read it again, which is what i was fully immersed in yesterday. so much that i read right through pick-up time. D'OH! my poor kid was waiting out in front of her school for 10 minutes. she got a hot fudge sundae out of it, though. so there's that. ;)

anyway, i'm not so much a hardcore Tolkien-ite as much as i am a huge fan of the movies (know what's fun? this movie trivia quiz.) and of the stories themselves,

and of,

and,

(who also happens to be an incredible artist/photographer/poet/musician.)

but i am in awe of the wildly inventive and imaginitive mind that was Tolkiens. from that mind evolved an entire world complete with it's own history, and elves, dwarves, orcs, wizards, hobbits - each race with their own languages & histories - the man created Middle Earth! which i'm not entirely convinced didn't exist at some point. ;)

anyway, after having read the books, i can understand why hardcore Tolkien fans would be disappointed with the movies, but come on people... the true essence of the story was captured, even if a bit jumbled. bottom line... Peter Jackson = brilliant.

and i really really want to travel to new zealand.
and take the LOTR tour.
and take up residence in a hobbit hole in the shire. don't judge. :P

so... i think i'm going to dig up that layout above, update it a bit, frame it and use it as part of my new decor. that being said, i think it's time to end this totally random (& kinda embarassing) post and rein in my nerd flag. surely, i'm not the only one who lets it wave from time to time, right? heh.

again... don't judge.
and remember:

“Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.”

HA! ok, i'm done. i swears it, precious. ;)

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!
xoxo

WHO KNEW...

... that this would turn out to be a year of makeovers? i didn't. but that's certainly the direction it's headed - from the house, to the backyard, to my blog (a work in progress), to myself (creatively & physically) - all makeovers. and clearly, much needed ones.

i've been working on makeover #1 - the house - purging like a madwoman for an upcoming garage sale, much to my family's dismay.(sure, pricing my husband's electric and classical guitars at $5 each might seem a tad unreasonable, but dude... they've been collecting dust and taking up space in our closet for 14 years! play them or sell them!) it's time to let go of things that are tolerated but not loved, which unfortunately seems to be just about everything. my house will be an empty shell. or... a blank canvas! yes. that will lead to makeover #2 - redecorating. with plenty of before/after photos. fun!

the blog - i'm working on here and there. it is currently a little drab, isn't it? it's ok. you can tell me. i know it. (though it's not horrible for being my first try at it. right? am i right? eh.) the trouble with it has been figuring out exactly what i want, and i think i finally have. now it's just finding the time (and a little help) to get it done. which i will. so don't freak if one day this blog is completely different. please.

myself - well, i'll have to save that for another post. a long one. i will say this... i am preparing myself physcially & mentally for the challenge i have ahead. and i'm hoping that the result will have been well worth it.

now, some sharing of the art. believe it or not, i have had a few creative moments so far this year. go me!

i'm very excited about this first one because:
1.) i was asked to be a GD over The Creative Type challenge blog. (yay!)
2.) it's a super fun challenge & i had a blast making this layout (go check it out!). special thanks to all the girls (especially this one) for letting me GD for you. you're the bestest!

some puffies i made for a Favorite Season ATC swap over at SIStv:

a layout i made for a Pencil Lines challenge - sk.171, using a photo of the lovely Michelle Sanders (thanks for letting me steal your photo off of FB, sanders!):

some Valentine pretties for some special friends:

and a little Valentine lovin' for the husband (and also a Bleuprint for Bad Girls Kits):

speaking of Bad Girls Kits... my 6-month term has ended. i have mixed emotions, but i can truly say that i am grateful to have had the experience because it was an educational one... on so many levels. it motivated me to become a better artist(scrapper? crafter?). and it exposed me to some of the most creative paper & mixed-media artists, whom i will continue to be inspired by. so, thank you. :)

holylongpost! it's what happens when i go weeks without. i do have more i want to share but,... perhaps tomorrow. what? it could happen! ;)

HAPPY MONDAY!

xoxo