a bit of random and a SB page

after yet another dust storm blew through the Valley, it rained this afternoon and evening-- yay!! Some lightning, thunder, and I actually needed to use my windshield wipers (only on intermittent, but still... rain-- yay!!)

Below is another SB page that I've had in my head for a while; I just needed to work out how to lay it out. Quite honestly, it was inspired by a set of stickers that I found in the $1 bin at JoAnn's etc. When I saw them, I knew I had to buy them, and instantly had an idea for a scrapbook page-- I love when that happens!

This is a close-up of one of the stickers (they're 3-D, with printed transparency wings). The detail shot also shows the 3-D effect I got in the grass... lots of cutting with scissors, but it turned out nice!

Here is the entire page... a sort of goofy page about how having the patio screened in is good for us (no bugs) and for the cats (they can't get out into the yard). I used some actual window screen for the page background. Thankfully the bugs in our yard aren't actually that big; if they were, they might be able to fly right through the screen!! LOL!

transformation!

remember this?? well, if you don't, this is what the backyard of our house looked like when we first saw it back in April, 2009. Kinda scary, isn't it?? The house was a foreclosure, and had been empty for almost a year-- from the inside, it looked like the previous owners weren't much for cleaning even when they lived there, either! (it wasn't as bad as some stories I've heard, but it did need a lot of cleaning.)

The backyard needed a lot of help, too... but over time, we decided what we wanted to do with it, planted cacti, and after the last few days of landscape work, it now looks like this:

pretty cool, huh?? grass, concrete curbing, a screened-in patio (no more flies or mosquitoes!), and a fire pit.

we have to keep the dogs off the grass for a couple weeks, till the sod roots, but I'm looking forward to them being able to lay out there, and not get covered with dirt!!

oh my gosh: what a difference a few tons of gravel, some sod, and concrete can make!! anyway, enjoy your weekend! We are going to the AZ Science Museum tomorow, to see the Body Worlds and the Brain exhibit- I'm sort of excited about it! Tom isn't exactly excited (like, not at all) but he said he'd go with me, so he'll do it. then again, it may be creepy to me, too-- but, at least we have a nice backyard to come home to!