{121} button letters

can it be possible that this is my first name using buttons despite my absolute obsession with them? 'tis true! well, this one took me a few days to make actually. who knew that hot gluing all these buttons together would be so time consuming! but it was totally fun to figure out how to shape each letter using my buttons. i thought this would use up most of my white buttons but it didn't. i'm still left with an enormous amount of white buttons. that's okay. i'll use them again for another name on another day.

the small white buttons from my collection fit perfectly (if not overflowing) in this beautiful pyrex friendship bird dish. it's one of my fave dishes (and, yes, that is a primary green mixing bowl in the background).

a close up of all the buttons used. my small brown buttons are stored in candy jars in the background.

{120} elements

i've got some ideas for using the periodic table of elements again the future. but for today, i'm simply listing the elements to spell  my name. thank goodness there were even the right elements that i could do this! i thought it would be like so many other ideas that start off great but then i get stuck on a letter.

la is lanthanum, u is uranium, re is rhenium and n is nitrogen. more details on them to come. :)

only 235 to go!

{119} bar code

i'm going to do the bar code again in the next 240 days because i'd like to turn the bars into letters of my name. however, for today, it will be simple and just as is. ugh. feeling a lack of creativity again lately! where is it?!

{118} you're a tool

have you noticed a change in tone with the titles of my posts lately? i'm trying to up the creativity when it comes to naming them. why not. i still have 247 more to go.

while putting together yesterday's name with screws, i decided to use all the tools i have to make my name. i started to run out so the paint brush and paint can opener had to be used but i think the rest of it works.

{117} screw you

i resorted to hauling out my tool box today (okay, it's really not a box so much as an old purse) and used some of the items in there for today's creation. i found all kinds of neat things that i can use in future posts!

{116} i left my heart in...winnipeg?

i was officially not feeling creative today so i had to (as if it is some sort of punishment) resort to getting an idea from my 365 book. for day 116 it suggested to use old maps. so, i picked six places in winnipeg (the only map i had) that had left an impression on me and have influenced my life and hold a dear place in my heart. is that even possible with winnipeg? well, yeah. sort of. i've detailed each one below.

the "l" represents the red river college campus on notre dame. i spent two years there studying to become a high school teacher! wha? yes, 'tis true. i carpooled in every day for two years and have some amazing memories with friends there (who i no longer have any contact with, unfortunately). i have memories of parking tickets and lots of laughter. but, it is also the place where i was on 9/11 and so, for that, it will always be memorable.

the "a" is for st. vital shopping centre! lol but, it's true. a piece of my heart is in that shopping centre. growing up, that was always the mall of choice when we'd make it in to the big city. i have great memories hanging out there with renae and going on weekend shopping trips to the mall!

the "u" is for canadinns stadium. i bid it farewell last october. then again in november. and now we'll be back there again for the 2012 season. oh, well. life is never dull with the cfl. i had been attending football games my entire life but i didn't get invested in it until 2002 and then things changed. because of the blue bombers, i went on to be a contestant on "sideline idol", i went to college to become a sports journalist and even worked for the team for a year. this place holds a zillion amazing memories for me. hanging out in the dressing room (a lot of good memories there! ;)), watching tom canada trip on the sidewalk while we were walking around the stadium, and watching the bombers play some spectacular football. good times.

the "r" is for the courts of st. james where i lived for two years while going to college to become that aforementioned sports journalist. i found this apartment after going to view a different and smaller apartment in the same complex with heather loewen. i saw my apartment and it was huge and beyond a rent that i could afford so i told them..."i'll take it!" that apartment was the downfall for my debt but it was also a fantastic place to live. i've got so many memories there. i still sorta miss it.

the "e" is for the downtown red river college campus. this is where i spent two years becoming that non-existent sports journalist. but, i had the best two years of my life there. the friendships and experiences i made on that small city block, will carry me through the rest of my life. what an incredible time of my life.

the "n" is for the university of winnipeg campus. again, i spent another two years at this campus studying for my bachelor of arts and bachelor of education. i hated it. with everything in my being. but, it still holds a special place in my heart because i have so many other memories. i was hit by a car there. i walked by a murdered body there. i skipped dozens of classes there. i stole someone's locker there. good times. but, really. i did dislike it intensely because it was a place that required you to be an extrovert and i am a through and through introvert so i was miserable. it was an experience.

{115} i'm steamed

every morning i think to myself that i need to write my name in the steamed mirror before wiping it clean...finally, today, i remembered to do that and take a picture! similar to yesterday, this is one of those simple acts that we all do, it just had a purpose today for my project!

{114} dust bunnies

i was exiting my craft room and thought that either my button cabinet had been painted grey or there was a serious layer of dust on top of it. of course, one finger swipe later i realized that it really was just crazy full of dust. that one finger swipe also led to me quickly writing my name in the dust before cleaning it off! it seems that often my names are coming to me accidentally and they come from simple things that we normally do--like, who doesn't write their name in dust when they have the opportunity? or, maybe it's not your name, but you write some sort of message, don't you? it's a pretty normal act. i just got a great purpose for it. :)

ah, my button cabinet. it once held dirty screws and rusty old nails but i re-purposed it into a neat holder for all of my buttons! it totally makes me laugh, though, whenever i hear jerry seinfeld's joke about who keeps all those little buttons you get with a new jacket or pair of pants. and he goes on to say "what kind of freak keeps them in little drawers and pulls each one going 'where is that button?!'" lol

{113} one line

blah, this took two seconds to do. not one of my most inventive names. so, i just took my marker and decided to see if i could create my name using one solid line without every lifting the marker. it worked! there are only a few darker spots throughout the line where i paused and went "hmm, am i stuck?" but i made it through. :)

{112} dot-to-dot

you know, after 112 names, i'm really starting to forget which ideas i've already used but, though i thought i already used this  medium, i hadn't! bonus! i wrote my name in script on a blank piece of paper and then put another blank piece of paper overtop so i could see the original shining through beneath. then i simply put dots in the logical places required in order to make a dot-to-dot of my name. only 55 dots. i'm going to get the youngest E to try this one and then, since she can't read handwriting yet, ask the oldest E to read it! hopefully it works!

{111} bar of soap

this was a fun one. i was out of ideas so i grabbed my "make something 365" book and flipped to a page. there was an idea for using a bar of soap in today's project so i went for it. it was super easy to do. at first i just took a still photo of it but then i totally loved how it looked under running water. LOVE the photo more than the name today.

{110} eye make-up

well, it took one awfully failed attempt at writing my name on my eyelids before i got one that worked and i actually liked. it isn't quite on the eyelids, as i'd planned, but it still works. who knew that drawing eyeliner on your eyes, backwards in the mirror would be difficult? ;)

(the awfully failed first attempt. drawing it on the eyelid and on eyeshadow turned out to be my biggest downfall.)

in other news, i love eye make-up. i love wearing different colours to suit my mood or to contrast (NEVER MATCH IT TO YOUR CLOTHES!) with what i'm wearing for the day. not all colours have been sampled yet but at least every hue makes its way onto my eyelids once a week.

{109} carved stick

thanks to all the Crazy (yes, it warranted a capital "c") wind we've been having, i've got my share of branches strewn about my yard. then, because the yard is fenced in, all the branches have nowhere to go but...here. great. at least i found this great stick that had the perfect spot to carve my name. it took awhile to do. mostly because i didn't know what type of tool to use so i just grabbed a square-headed screwdriver and went to town. i do quite like the result. it shall be my stick from now on. and if someone says to me "you can't have that stick! it's my stick! it's not like your name is on it!" i will reply "yes. it is."

{108} i'll be there for you

so, no one told you life was gonna be this way. your job's a joke; you're broke. your love life's DOA. it's like you're always stuck in second gear. when it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year but i'll be there for you, when the rain starts to fall. i'll be there for you, like i've been there before. i'll be there for you, 'cuz you're there for me too. - (c) the rembrandts

ah, i love friends. it will likely go down in history as my favourite show of all time just based on the sheer number of times i have seen each episode. i used to tape the episodes on VHS and then i eventually switched over to DVDs (and, i bought them as they came out so my collection cost me over $500 even though you can buy a season for $15 now! enough griping...). and, now i'm switching to digital for my iPod. it's so great. i can always connect with these six characters and i always laugh during every episode. i could go on and on about how great the show is (if i wasn't running behind this morning i totally would--maybe i'll come back and add more commentary!).

i did a lot of sketching (see picture #2--you can see my sketches shining through) trying to figure out which character's name would work best for creating "lauren". it was cool.

"chears", george!

just had to share this post-haircut pic of george. look at those ears! that's all that's left of him. :)

{107} wingdings

i promise to not do a digital post tomorrow! i've just got completely caught up in going digital the last few entries.

while creating yesterday's name in excel, i decided i wanted to see my name in wingdings. at first i wrote it in all lowercase but that read as blocks and circles. totally visually unappealing. so, i tried all caps and liked the result. i wonder if it means something: the L means i can get sad sometimes. the A means that i totally am at peace and love there is no conflict. the U is a cross because i have faith. the R is because i love the sunshine and being outside in the sun with george. the E is because the R is so awesome that it needs to be pointed out twice. and the N is...hmm, i'm not a fan of the poison symbol, so i'm not sure what that one means. lol

{106} line graph

see, excel isn't just for creating spreadsheets and charts and documenting data (or creating list after list like i do). it has many creative purposes such as charting the correct pattern of numbers in order to write your name.

it wasn't even that hard to do! i thought i'd have to set aside a half hour with the computer figuring out the correct combination but it came pretty naturally to me. :) it's a good thing i spend all day on a computer!

(and, just to prove that i didn't just draw this or make it up, i have screenprinted the data i used below in order to create the name above. plot it yourself. it works!)

{105} eye chart

i just got my new perscription sunglasses and so i've been thinking about my eyes. i'm finally used to the new perscription in them and i'm not getting headaches anymore which is awesome. now, i have only one month left to decide whether i want to get a new pair of regular glasses as well. if i do, i get $130 off the frames. that would be awesome and i do want new glasses eventually anyway. i just have to figure out how much they'll still cost me! some say that i should think about switching to contacts but a) i'm not putting my finger in my eye. b) i'm not putting a foreign object into my eye. and 3) glasses are my safety blanket. i only feel comfortable if i have them on my face. i've had them for 16 years and i can't imagine not wearing them every day! i love my glasses (but i'd love them more if they were new!).

{104} new plants

i picked up my plants last friday and got all my planting done over the weekend! i always like to save the tags from all the plants because a) i always think i'll do something creative with them and b) because i want to remember which plants i used in case i want to use them again next year.

fortunately, i will get to do with this time around! using an x-acto knife, i carefully cut out the letters to my name in six different flower tags and then placed them next to their blooms for the picture. it's always tough at the beginning of summer when you see your plants so small. i get so impatient for them to be full and colourful! even though i only planted them two days ago, i'm already wandering around the yard checking on their progress and hoping to see some new blooms. a few more weeks, and i'm sure they'll look spectacular.

{103} mother's day

instead of creating a name today that would be inspired by my amazing mother, i decided to let her create my name! i told her that she could do whatever she wanted and had no limitations.

so, she chose to use chewed gum.

when she and i play games together we always keep a pack of juicy fruit at our side so that we can munch on the delicious gum together. so, she would chew a piece and then spread it out on wax paper. i think it's pretty cool. i hadn't thought of this idea yet so i'm really glad that she did! and, i just love that she is now a part of this project.

she's the most incredible woman and an amazing mother. i love her more than words can express. every time i'm with her, i'm happier and feel more alive. she is beyond the funniest person i have ever met in my whole entire life. she is also one of the smartest people i have ever known. she loves to watch the bachelor/bachelorette shows and i love that she loves them. my mom makes the most delicious food ever. my mom is greatest grandmother i could have imagined the Es having. my mom gives everything of herself to her husband and her family. my mom would rather go without the comforts of her life than see her family in any sort of trouble. she has the most giving and generous of hearts of anyone ever. she is the kindest, gentlest and sweetest woman. she has the most incredible talents with singing and playing the piano. she's an hysterical actress and brings down the house every time she performs. she is a true example of what a loving christian mother is. she leads her life by faith and is a blessing on everyone she touches. i love that i am like my mother in so many ways. i love that i am compared to my mother in many ways. i can only hope to some day have half of the strength, class, humour and poise as she.

{102} hieroglyphs

after i saw this post from a fellow 365-er, i knew i had to do something with hieroglyphs too! so, i didn't have a book at my disposal so i just googled "write like an egyptian" (which was also one of the coolest things i've ever googled) and this site popped up and it was as simple as typing my name in and then the hieroglyphic version of my name appeared! then i hand drew out all the symbols, coloured it in and voila! i wish that i had the descriptions of what each symbol means because for all i know, i've drawn some horrible term but i still think it looks pretty neat.

{101} gummies

seriously. this was one of my bad moments. i bought each of the Es a cup full of gummy candies and intended to give them to them tonight. yeah, i ate them all. at first it was just going to be one small candy and then i devoured a gazilion of them. i feel sick. i have learned my lesson. at least, hopefully, they'll never know! ;)

{100} spiralaurens

another new word for the vocab: spiralaurens. i knew today, though it was momentous to reach 100 posts, wouldn't be my most spectacular of names but it was fun to do another video to go along with today's project. after a few failed attempts at other ideas (save for another day), i just simply decided to write my own name in my own printing 100 times in a spiral. i imagined to run out of paper but it turns out that 100 names does not take as much room as you'd think. so, here it is: the picture of 100 spiralaurens and the video of it being made. :)

triple-digits! no backing off now!

{99} burger

last week i'd drawn a sketch of what the "lauren burger" consists of. the ultimate indulgence for me (which is why i don't keep any of these ingredients in the house) is this concoction (listed from the bottom up):

- homemade bun bottom
- thick slice of cold ham
- 3 bread and butter pickles
- thick slice of cheddar cheese
- raspberry jam
- 3 dill pickle chips
- a little more jam
- homemade bun top

ah-mazing. it sounds horrendous but, trust me. it's ah-mazing. the combination of the jam and the chips is really something incredible. hey, don't knock it till you've tried it. :)

anyway, so my little sketch inspired me to draw my name as layers inside of a burger. it's the lauren burger!

(ps. please. no high hopes for #100 tomorrow. i have zero ideas...)

{98} flipbook

took several attempts to film this one where you could actual see the letters move. finally, i was okay with the final one (not happy with it, but just okay with it). meh. after i filmed the last one, i ripped the pages apart (for another purpose, not because i was mad!) and then regretted it because i came up with a better way to film it. oh, well. i like the idea of using video to record some of the names...

{97} flashcards

i bought a set of flashcards in grand forks, nd two months ago strictly for this project's purpose. a very very simple project today. i'm still thinking that perhaps i should've spruced them up and cut them out, etc. but i was running low on time (aren't we all??). tomorrow shall be more labour-intensive. :)

{96} grasping for straws

didn't a 3-D model of my name out of straws sound like a great idea? yup, sure did. well, after the "la", i was sure sick of these straws but i wasn't going to give up! i wanted each letter to be free-standing as well but i had to resort to using tape to help prop them up. oh, well, it took me a LONG time to do this one. mostly because straws don't easily bend in the direction you want them to. in the end, it looked pretty neat. i think...

{95} time lapse

i had been playing around with the "youcam" on my computer and, specifically, the security camera settings on it. i had set it up to record george for a few hours while i was not at home because i was curious to see what curious george would be up to while i was gone. he ended up not even appearing on the video so who knew where he was! lol

but, the idea did inspire me to try doing my name using the time lapse feature. it took FOUR tries but i finally got a video that i was happy with. the first two videos, i moved through my papers way too quickly so you couldn't even see what they said. the third video the lighting was so horrible that you couldn't read the letter! finally, on this fourth attempt, i held each letter for 70 seconds each and then did whatever while i was recording. i didn't want to just hold it perfectly still--i wanted some movement.

so, here it is! even george participated in a few shots. :)

{94} backsidewards

new word of the day: "backsidewards". i didn't want to just do my name backwards. or just do it upside-down. i wanted to do both. so, here it is written backwards, flipped backwards and then flipped upside-down. it is backsidewards, if  you will.

i feel the need to pick up my pencil and start drawing again instead of relying on the computer. two digital posts in a row seems like my limit.

{93} numbers

this post is titled "numbers" but it could also be called "grasping for something that's not really there". lol once again, i started off quite well but then got stumped on a letter. this time it was the "r". i couldn't figure out how to make a number look like an "r" without manipulating it in some way and i wasn't willing to compromise and do that. so, i went with a "6". it's got the little tail on the end so it's sort of close. i think the other five numbers worked out quite well, though, so i'm happy with this one overall. :)

{92} grill

holy flashback, batman. ugh. i had to wear braces from grade six through grade nine. misery. and they put them on in stages too. like, i just had the front six (as similarly illustrated below) at first and then they did the whole top and then added in the bottom. blech. but, i did get wonderfully straight teeth out of it and that i am grateful for.

now these are just photoshopped braces (spelling out my name, of course) but can you imagine if i was so hard core that i actually got a grill spelling out my name? dude. :)

{365 Names} feature

Pretty exciting stuff. This project and blog is featured on the "Make Something 365" blog today! Thanks to Noah Scalin for the feature and for his inspiring book!!

{91} little rock

i have rocks everywhere. my driveway is rocks. there are rocks in my front flower bed. there are rocks around the back of my house. there are rocks surrounding my rock garden (how approp.). there are rocks around my playhouse. i chose to play with the rocks around the playhouse--mostly because it is the one private area of my whole yard where no one can see me. simply lined them up quickly before g would run through them. as you can see by the blue spray paint, this is the corner where i bring my crafts to paint them because you can't see it from the rest of the yard. that back corner is littered in dried-on paint!

(some perspective)