holiday postcards

i've been searching for holidays cards for weeks and couldn't find one that i liked so i pieced one together using a couple of printables found through my favorite blogs.

i decided to turn this card by pauline grayson at munfinc into a postcard. for the back i used this design by amy moss at eat drink chic. brush on a ton of rubber cement (with the windows open!) to glue it onto a pearly postcard from paper source, slap a stamp on it, and into the mailbox it goes. i love the design and i save on paper and postage. sweet!

kalbi jeem + mexican pizza

a couple of weeks ago, i went on an asian food kick and we ate nothing but korean food for days. one of the new things i tried was kalbi jeem... braised short ribs cooked with carrots, onions, garlic, radish, and soy sauce until the meat is so tender that it just glides right off of the bones.

i used this recipe by maangchi (who by the way is the master of cooking homestyle korean food) and the recipe found in this book as a guide. easy to make but time consuming. by the time it was finished, i was so tired of standing that i wasn't hungry anymore! but artie really liked it so it was well worth the effort.

after all that asian food, i needed a break and so we had a mexican pizza last night. i saw the pioneer woman's mexican "flatbread" pizza recipe and followed the basic idea. i threw on refried beans, leftover taco meat, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, olives, green onions and topped it all off with sour cream and taco sauce. being extra lazy, i used a tube of pillsbury pizza dough. so good! i actually got bummed when i got full last night because i wanted to eat more. but that's okay because now i have leftovers for lunch today :)

ami bridal party

a friend of mine from undergrad just got married! as a surprise to her bridesmaids, she requested tiny amis for each of them. i was in a bit of a rush to get them to the post office so my photos aren't the best. i love miss chipmunk's eyelashes and how perfect the koala's nose turned out to be. there's also a little gray otter that belongs in this group but all the photos looked strange since the otter lies on her side instead of sitting upright.

congratulations mrs. k.s.! i hope you had a lovely wedding and that your bridesmaids liked their little amis.!

chronicle's haul-idays

i heart chronicle books. i always keep an eye out for those little glasses because it's a guarantee that the pages will transport me to a happy place. they're having this amazing contest called haul-idays. bloggers share their chronicle book wish lists (up to $500) and earn a chance to win the whole stack for themselves and a second stack for a lucky commenter! it's too amazing. i almost can't handle it.

Chronicle Book Haul-idays by littletoki on Polyvore.com

Print & Pattern: Laurence King Publishing $35.00 : Chronicle Books, $35
Decorate: 1,000 Professional Design Ideas for Every Room in Your Home..., $35
Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe $35.00 :..., $35
Lotta Jansdotter's Handmade Living: A Fresh Take on Scandinavian Style..., $30
Handmade Weddings: More than 50 Crafts to Style and Personalize Your..., $25
Whip Up Mini Quilts: Patterns and How-to for More Than 20 Contemporary..., $25
Farmers' Market Desserts: Gorgeous Fruit Recipes from First Prize..., $25
Blackbird Bakery Gluten-Free: 75 Recipes for Irresistible Gluten-Free..., $25
All Cakes Considered: A Year’s Worth of Weekly Recipes Tested, Tasted,..., $25
Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing: Patterns and How-To for 24 Fresh and..., $25
Quick & Easy Mexican Cooking: More than 80 Everyday Recipes $22.95 :..., $23
Tapas: Sensational Small Plates from Spain $22.95 : Chronicle Books, $23
Wallpaper Projects: More than 50 Craft and Design Ideas for Your Home,..., $23
Cake Pops by Bakerella: Tips, Tricks, and Recipes for Irresistible..., $20
Knitting Pretty: Simple Instructions for 30 Fabulous Projects $19.95 :..., $20
Quick and Easy Thai: 70 Everyday Recipes $18.95 : Chronicle Books, $19
Whoopie Pies: Dozens of Mix 'em, Match 'em, Eat 'em Up Recipes! $16.95..., $17
My Milk Toof: The Adventures of ickle and Lardee $15.95 : Chronicle..., $16
Kyuuto! Japanese Crafts! Lacy Crochet!: $14.95 : Chronicle Books, $15
Oh Joy! Mix & Match Stationery: $8.95 : Gifts : Chronicle Books, $8.95

grand total: $499.10


thanks to oh, hello friend for sharing this contest! be sure to visit danni's site for a chance to win her wish list! it's a good one.

minion

 hello? is someone there?

 aha! i thought i heard something rustling around my desk.

hi little minion!

i made this guy for miss j.a., hence the "j" on the minion's pocket. i worked off of wolfdreamer's pattern changing a little bit here and there. the hardest part was his mouth. i tried out a couple of different mouths cut from felt but nothing looked quite right. i eventually had to ditch the felt and went with a simple stitched smile. now, off my little minion, to do as miss j.a.'s bids!

sneak peak

reading list

currently in my book pile

harry potter film wizardry by brian sibley

paper + craft: 25 charming gifts, accents, and accessories to make from paper by paper+cup designs

playing with books: the art of upcycling, deconstructing, and reimagining the book by jason thompson

 the woman in white by wilkie collins

 yarn bombing: the art of crochet and knit graffiti by mandy moore and leanne prain

dawbis's lovely paper

dawbis of lovely paper, is a paper magician. what she does is so incredibly unique that i really haven't seen anything quite like it. when i saw her latest work in progress, i had a "eee-i-really-need-to-show-someone-how-amazing-this-is" moment. so i shall share it here!

 

 

images used with permission from dawbis

isn't it beautiful? everything she creates is a true work of art but something about this one, i really can't wait to see it finished. maybe it's the cute animals :) i'm hoping that someday, her work will be used as illustrations in a children's book. wouldn't they be perfect? to view more, visit dawbis's blog and flickr. she also has a vintage paper collection that is museum worthy. you really must check it out.

do i really need all this glue?

the answer is yes, yes i do. the other day i tried to open my glue drawer and it was so full it got stuck. so i thought i'd venture in there and share what i found.

mod podge - crafters love this stuff because it's versatile and easy to use. i've used it as glue, sealant, i've even used it on felt. dries clear, shiny, and surprisingly non-tacky. they make several varieties including glow in the dark, satin, outdoor, fabric, and glitter which is the one with the silver label in the photo above.

pva - polyvinyl acetate. traditionally used as a bookbinding glue. pH neutral, permanent, and it's supposed to stay flexible even after it's dried. this is strong, strong stuff. imagine it as kind of a high quality elmer's glue.

aleene's original tacky glue - this is one of my favorite all purpose glues though i wouldn't recommend it for paper since i'm pretty sure it would wrinkle if you're not careful.

fabri-tac - ultra strong and dries super quick so you need to work fast. my favorite for gluing felt details to amis especially since it's washable. avoid using this one after getting your nails done... it has acetone in it which will destroy a manicure in seconds. lesson learned the hard way.

glue dots - falls between glue and tape. i use these all the time to glue down small, non-paper details like ribbons and buttons. no drying time needed and it's a lot neater than messing with glue.

elmer's glue - i honestly don't even remember buying this but i suppose it's handy to have around.

rubber cement - ah, i remember discovering rubber cement in grade school and i was fascinated by it. i loved how fast it dried and how easy it was to get off your hands. though, over several years, it may dry out and lose it's hold. there are a few kusudama's that i made back in the day using rubber cement that fell apart. if you're looking for a strong hold, be sure to apply rubber cement to both surfaces before smushing them together. great for paper since it dries wonderfully wrinkle-free.

aleene's glass and bead - the name says it all. i think i originally bought this to make glass bead magnets. i also usually have a tube of E6000 around but i just discovered that it dried out. works great on non-porous materials and dries clear.

zig 2 way glue pen - love love this glue. it can be temporary or permanent depending on how you use it. it has a fine tip so it's my favorite for neatly gluing tiny paper details. avoid the marker tip pen because the tip will solidify once the glue touches it.

glue gun - every household should have a glue gun. excellent for building bridges out of coffee stirrers or gluing magnets to anything.

missing from my stash:
spray adhesive - ideal for larger paper projects. but i rarely do large scale paper projects and it requires outdoor use and a mask which is just too much trouble for me.

glue sticks - these are great for kids since they're usually non-toxic and non-messy but their ability to hold isn't the best and i go through them so fast it's not economical.

judikins diamond glaze - i dream about diamond glaze. definitely the priciest glue on this list which is why i have yet to buy it. it dries to a dimensional, glass-like finish which is how you make those cool scrabble tile pendants and bottle cap magnets that you see everywhere. also good for vellum and as a lacquer.

am i missing anything? i'd love to hear about your favorites especially if they're not on this list :)  i think this is my longest post yet... and it's about glue. am i crazy?

hello! lucky + chicago

everyone knows that hello! lucky is amazing. i adore everything that they do but their "visit chicago" design makes me extra giddy.

i love how whimsical it is! and it has a vintage but modern feel to it which i'm really loving these days. i'm crossing my fingers that they'll add a "visit chicago" template to the hello! lucky wedding website templates offered at mywedding.com. hello! lucky also has designs for london, LA, new york, san fran, paris, las vegas, and london.

photo toys

take vintage photobooth photos.  the lady speaks to you in french  :)

 la photo cabine via oh, hello friend

super easy and so many options

shape collage

color tags

as you probably already know, i love color! so i'm having a real tough time picking out a color palette for our wedding. i know that i want pale blue but what shade of pale blue and with what other colors? to help the process along, i took a trip to my local hardware store and came back with a stack of paint chips.

i used a tag shaped paper punch to cut out the paint chips

ran them through my xyron with repositionable adhesive

adhered the tags to my wedding inspiration notebook

now i can carry my potential color combinations with me wherever i go. since they're respositionable, i can rearrange them and stick them to other items to help me envision all the details of our wedding  :)

friday 5: mementos

a friend of mine does this great thing on her blog called friday 5. each friday, five questions are posted by friday 5 and bloggers are encouraged to share their answers on their blogs in hopes that people will "put something down that might help them understand themselves better, or at least make it to tomorrow". lovely! let's go  :)

1.  Do you still have your senior yearbook? Where is it?
of course! it's at my parents' place back home. when i flip through it, i barely look at the photos. i read through the messages that people left. my girlfriends (still my best friends) would fill an entire page with memories from the year. K.I.T.!

2.  What souvenir did you bring back from your last trip?
a mini chichen itza. i also brought back some sand and seashells in tiny, empty honey jars. this probably goes against customs laws but i'm going to start collecting sand from every beach i go to.

3.  What visible signs are there of your most recent injury?
the other day, i was making blueberry muffins and accidentally touched the 400 degree oven with my pinkie. the blister went away quickly and now there's a little smooth scar.

4.  What’s the neatest wedding favor you’ve ever seen?
i went to a wedding this summer where everyone received a giant full-sized bottle of whiskey. i don't drink but i'll always remember that one. for my sister's wedding, our cousin made about 500 tasty truffles and put them into little boxes with ribbon. sadly, i never got to taste them :(

5.  What do you do with playbills and movie-ticket stubs?
i save everything. i'm obsessed with keeping little bits of paper. playbills usually end up in a bin under my bed and movie ticket stubs now go in my journal with a note about what i thought of the movie. old movie ticket stubs are squirreled away in random places. i really should keep them all in one place and figure out a way to keep them from fading.

happy friday!

autumn walk

autumn walk by littletoki

Aerie Shawl Cardigan, $40
Old Navy Womens Deep-V Jersey Tops, $8
Women's Jegging - American Eagle Outfitters, $40
Corso Como Frankfurt, $99
Forever21.com - Gold Trim Carry All, $30
Forever21.com - Antique Charm Earrings, $5.80
essie® - merino cool, $8
Hand Book Artist Journal Value Packs - BLICK art materials, $31
Forever21.com - Thin Grosgrain Bow Headband, $1.50

little pumpkins

 nothing groundbreaking... just a few pumpkins  :)

*when i uploaded these photos to blogger, the colors were drained! any thoughts on why this happens?

reading list

currently in my book pile

 graphic design for non-designers by tony seddon + jane waterhouse

the girl who kicked the hornet's nest by stieg larsson

i love patchwork: 21 irresistible zakka projects to sew by rashida coleman-hale

 

the monsters of templeton by lauren groff

 the spendid table's how to eat supper by lynne rossetto kasper + sally swift

where are my keys?

i used to have a bad habit of leaving my keys in the door after letting myself in.  really bad when you live in an apartment in the city.  thankfully, my keys were never stolen and a nice neighbor usually knocked on my door to let me know that i had yet again left my keys in the door.  every night, i would freak out before bed wondering where my keys were, panicked that i had left them in the door again and that this time, they had been stolen.  to solve this problem, i made a simple key holder to hang by my door as a reminder to take my keys out of the door and so that i always know where they are.

super simple and in all, probably cost me less than $3 to make.  i got a small, plain, wooden plaque from michaels and a couple of cup hooks from home depot.  i used a few coats of acrylic paint on the plaque then used mod podge to affix a piece of patterned paper to the surface of the plaque.  after letting that dry, put another coat of mod podge over the whole thing and let dry.  mark where you would like your hooks to be and screw them into the plaque.  hang up your new key holder and admire your handiwork.

toilet paper tubes

i cannot get over this diy wall art project by tali schiffer from imperfectly perfect.  tali is a self proclaimed "photographer, designer, life lover, wild, child, optimist, dreamer, shower-singer" who recreated this project on growing up creative.  she took this...

and turned it into this...

now who looks at a pile of toilet paper tubes, something we chuck in the recycling bin without a second thought (or give to our bunnies to chew on and toss around), and thinks to turn them into flowers?  genius.  not only is it beautiful but it makes mother earth happy too.  visit imperfectly perfect to view how tali put this masterpiece together.

snapshots

bunting + garlands

1. Untitled, 2. Large Tear Garland - Spearmint, 3. Wouldn't this pretty up an empty space?, 4. spring bunting, 5. Butterfly Garlands, 6. The Garland Vendor, 7. Untitled, 8. Oh Happy Day!!, 9. Molly's Sketchbook: New Year's Garland

mr & mrs sea otter

 

 

happy happy news

we're engaged  *^_^*  words can't express how completely overwhelmed i am with happiness.

a pretty pouch

when doing something creative, you should surround yourself with pretty and inspiring things.  the pouch that i kept my crochet hooks, scissors, and stitch markers was not pretty.  i think it was a makeup bag that came as a free gift in a department store.  so i asked lyn from florspace to whip up something inspiring for me.  isn't it sweet?  it's perfect and makes me so happy.  thanks lyn!  and be sure to check out florspace... so many pretty pouches and the quality is truly top notch.

mameshiba

mameshiba.  i had no idea what mameshiba was until a friend requested an ami edamame mameshiba.  i looked it up on youtube and it's a bit hypnotizing and a little (okay, a lot) puzzling.

mamau le petit monde

i love looking through illustrations and prints on etsy.  i was searching for a print to give to my sister as a housewarming gift when i found mamau le petit monde.  i love her work.  it's sweet, calming, dreamy, and just makes me so happy.   i wish i understood spanish because her blog looks just as lovely.