the toki cafe

ishtar olivera

2012-01-31T07:53:00.000-05:00

it's been a very difficult month and to finish it up... i'm sick again! hopefully, february will be a better month. anyways, today i wanted to share something cheery and lovely.

today i'm loving ishtar olivera. her designs are so joyful they feel like a clean breeze, a smile, and a warm cup of tea. whether it be a hand carved stamp, an illustration, or a sweet photo, a visit to her blog always leaves me feeling a bit more light hearted. stop by her etsy shop too!

thank you ishtar for letting me share your photos!

year of the dragon

2012-01-24T08:59:00.000-05:00

i'm a day late but happy lunar new year! it's the year of the water dragon, my mommy's sign :) and it will be my niece's too!

here's my forecast as a piggie from proastro.com
"Well isn't this just sweet. You'd expect a letdown after an extremely favorable, Rabbit year. Not likely to happen. Here comes another, 11 favorable months. Things could get hectic. There's likely to be a lot of action. And, you might find the pace just a little too much. Not to worry. Go with it, and you can score some big successes. It's time to take some risk. You especially want to be bold when it comes to education, travel, networking and communications. These can flourish in a Water year. If you were smart, you did keep in step with the Rabbit's slower pace last year. If not, you might want to start the year off slowly. Then rev up those engines and fly with the Dragon."

and here is a bit of the year's forecast:
Hail mighty Dragon! Your arrival is most welcome. People and businesses around the world have had difficult times over the last few years, so the good luck you bring is timely and needed.
The Dragon is in fact the major symbol of good fortune in Chinese Astrology. The Dragon constellation, for example, is accorded the honor of being the guardian of the Eastern sky. According to tradition the Dragon brings in the Four Blessings of the East: wealth, virtue, harmony and longevity.
Indeed, of the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac the Dragon is the most special, as it is a mystical being rather than an earthly animal. It is sometimes called a karmic sign. In this context that means we can expect grand things this year. Bigger than life is very much a Dragon thing. There will be spectacular successes as well as crash and burn failures... Regardless of your sign, there will be significant upheavals in 2012. Soaring stock markets, natural disasters, and noteworthy, cultural and political developments will be more the norm than the exception. There will be celebrations of all kinds. And, good luck will be coming your way. Are you ready to fly with the Dragon?!

i hope the new year brings you good fortune and happiness!

shimtokk

2012-01-23T12:20:00.000-05:00

today i'm loving shimtokk. shimtokk is the beautiful brain child of sally j shim of shim + sons and joke vande gaer of tokketok. they feature the prettiest packaging ideas and offer plenty of printable freebies. i love their clean, joyful designs!

1. hello gift tags; 2. merriest christmas patterned paper; 3. + 4. meant to be calligraphy goodies

burp cloths

2012-01-20T09:03:00.000-05:00

my sister's shower was this past weekend! she and my brother in law were happy so i'm happy. and once i got home, i promptly got sick and was stuck in bed unable to eat anything for a day and a half. oof. i dragged myself to work yesterday and stumbled around until i could go home and crawl back into bed. but on to happier things!

as a part of my sister's shower gift, i made her some cute burp cloths. i had seen a few tutorials around the web and decided that it would be a simple and practical project to tackle. and i figured if my sister has a barfing baby over her shoulder, she should at least have something cute to catch the barf. apparently, burp cloths made from cloth diapers make awesome, super absorbent burp cloths. i used this tutorial by sew she sews. so easy and fast to make! just don't run out of thread like i did...

i found these diapers at target. nice and plush.

the joann fabrics that i went to didn't have the greatest selection of flannels so i went with regular quilting fabric.

tad dah! finished burp cloths!

little dose of love on a gloomy day

2012-01-13T14:42:00.002-05:00

happy weekend :)

peas in a pod cake!

2012-01-03T22:08:00.002-05:00

a little while back, my college friend kathy requested a set of peas in a pod (that's them on my blog header). a friend of hers liked them so much that she requested a set to give to her sister as a gift. she also asked kathy, who is a super talented cake baker/decorator, to create a cake to match and oh my goodness it's too cute! three little sugar peas in a pod! to see how she created this cake (and other amazing cakes) visit her blog sweet kat's creations.

happy new year!

2012-01-02T20:47:00.000-05:00

happy new year! i hope you had a beautiful christmas. it was a busy (but strangely also very lazy) holiday and we're finally back in boston, ready to start a new year. i'm frantically working on putting together a baby shower for my sister so i won't be around for a few weeks but i wanted to share my little daruma.

i picked up this daruma on our trip to san francisco. back in high school, i had to do a project on japan and a part of it was to make a wish on a daruma doll. the idea really stuck with me and i've loved daruma ever since. daruma come in all different sizes, shapes, colors, and styles but one thing is always the same. daruma dolls come with both eyes blank. you make a wish on your daruma, fill in one of the eyes and once it's come true, you fill in the other. it's a symbol of luck and perseverance in japan. the story goes that a monk mediated facing a wall for nine years. he mediated for so long that his legs fell off!

so i made a big wish for the new year and filled in its eye... i hope it comes true!

holiday craftiness

2011-12-12T22:11:00.003-05:00

looking for a holiday craft project? happy weekend!

1. crocheted snowflakes by sarah london; 2. gold stars by strawberry chic via pinterest; 4. polymer gift tags by poppytalk; 5. nativity ornament by wild olive; 5. shimmery tree made of newspaper by martha stewart

spoonflower

2011-12-12T21:39:00.000-05:00

pst! have you heard of spoonflower? it's a place where you can design your own fabrics and purchase fabrics designed by thousands of people everywhere! there are a lot of talented people out there and countless designs to choose from. if you're looking for a very specific theme, look no further. they seriously have everything!

for black friday, they had a buy one get one free offer for fat quarters and i had to exert some major self control to avoid buying more fabric than i could afford. now i just have to decide what project is worthy of such cute fabric.

lilac saloon

2011-12-10T10:55:00.000-05:00

hand cut felt heart confetti by lilac saloon

have a sweet and happy weekend!

fabric flower garlands

2011-12-06T09:04:00.000-05:00

made using a tutorial by dolci odille via once wed

here, there, everywhere

2011-11-29T11:06:00.001-05:00

i hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving! we've been traveling a lot these past couple of months and i thought i'd share a few photos from our adventures :)

after our wedding in september, we headed straight to hawaii for our honeymoon. hawaii is so gorgeous and the food! oh the food is too good.

wild chickens roam around kauai and cockadoodledoo all day long. i thought they were hilarious.

queen's bath. the waters around hawaii are so unbelievably clear.

power hang gliding. that's me in the back seat! i thought i'd be terrified but it was so much fun that i'd love to do it again.

i miss shave ice

malasadas! i'm searching for a place in boston where i can get these.

after we got back from hawaii, we packed up again for a visit to san francisco.

our first mongolian hot pot experience. i'm not sure what they put in their broth but it was phenomenal.

i only had a few must-do's on my list and miette was one of them. everything was too pretty. i highly recommend their mini scharffen berger chocolate cake. the taste and texture are divine.

we spent thanksgiving in DC with RT's sisters. it was a wonderfully lazy weekend that included RT's 29th birthday celebration.

the national archives. i loved it here. they had on display pa ingalls's de smet homestead file. if you grew up with little house on the prairie books i'm sure you understand how cool it was to see it!

library of congress

hello mr. president!

the national postal museum. how cute is this mailbox from the netherlands?

whew, that's a lot of traveling for someone who's a total homebody. i do love to see new places but sometimes home is my favorite place to be :)

gifted magazine

2011-11-28T10:22:00.000-05:00

ez over at creature comforts has put together her annual holiday gifted online magazine. page after page of lovely inspiration and eye candy! as an added bonus, there are a ton of beautiful holiday printables too. i wish i could get this in print... it's definitely something i would keep forever :)

mameshiba pattern

2011-11-17T08:16:00.000-05:00

i've had a surprising number of requests for this pattern so i thought i'd share it. i must warn you though, i scribble notes as i crochet and try to turn my notes into a pattern afterwards so it may be inaccurate. and for all i know, the way i write my patterns may not make sense to anyone other than me! as you may have noticed, i crocheted this guy inside out (L's not V's. no clue what i'm talking about? read this post) SO depending on if you crochet using the "right" or "wrong" side, your results may be very different. use this pattern as a guide and starting point. mameshiba comes in all sizes and colors so experiment! good luck :)

mameshiba

materials
medium/worsted weight yarn
poly fiber filling or any filling of your choice
E/3.5mm hook
stitch marker
safety eyes or buttons
embroidery thread
tapestry needle
*this pattern is worked in rounds, no turning!*

body
R1) magic ring 6 (6)
R2) inc in each sc (12)
R3) *1sc, inc* 6 times (18)
R4) *2sc, inc* 6 times (24)
R5) *3sc, inc* 6 times (30)
R6) *4sc, inc* 6 times (36)
R7-9) sc in each sc around (36)
*attach eyes and nose. stitch mouth using embroidery thread and tapestry needle*
R10) 10sc, dec, 4sc, dec, 4sc, dec, 6sc (33)
R11) sc in each sc around (33)
R12) 10sc, inc, 4sc, inc, 4sc, inc, 6sc (36)
R13-15) sc in each sc around (36)
R16) *4sc, dec* 6 times (30)
R17) *3sc, dec* 6 times (24)
*stuff your mameshiba*
R18) *2sc, dec* 6 times (18)
R19) *1sc, dec* 6 times (12)
R20) dec until closed

ears - make 2
R1) magic ring 5
R2) inc in each sc around
R3-5) sc in each sc around
*press flat and stitch to your mameshiba body*

please do not sell this pattern or any mameshiba that you may make with this pattern. please do not repost this pattern on any website but you are welcome to link back to this original post. if you post a photo of a mameshiba created using this pattern, please also include a link to this original post.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

yellow wallpaper handmade

2011-11-14T08:19:00.000-05:00

today, i'm loving the pretty, vintage inspired designs at yellow wallpaper handmade.

lovely right? :)

found via papernstitch

chronicle books haul-idays!

2011-11-10T09:04:00.000-05:00

yay! chronicle books is doing it again! pick your favorite chronicle books valued up to $500 and enter to win it all for you and a lucky blog commenter. and to make this year even better, the winner will choose their favorite non-profit to receive $500 worth of books too. i would choose the boston public library. i was unemployed for what seemed like an eternity and i stopped buying books in order to save money. it was during this time that i discovered what a wonderful resource my local public library was. i know they, like all other libraries across the country, are struggling with decreasing budgets and increasing demands from their communities. i would love the opportunity to give back to them in thanks for all that they have shared with me.

leave a comment on this post for a chance to win these pretty books for you, me and the boston public library! happy haul-idays!

chronicle books haul-idays 2011! by littletoki on polyvore.com

away we go

2011-11-03T08:00:00.000-04:00

off on another adventure. be back soon :)

bunny kite by naokosstoop

in a creepy mood

2011-10-30T09:32:00.000-04:00

halloween always gets me in the mood to read some poe. i'll be curling up this weekend with some masque of the red death. happy halloween!

another day in new york

2011-10-27T08:01:00.000-04:00

RT and i decided to take a last minute trip to new york, our last before winter settles in and it gets too cold to walk around. we went with no real plans... a first for us! it was nice to wander around aimlessly and just enjoy the city.

m&j trimming. i love this store. this is the mother ship of all trim stores. it can definitely be overwhelming since there's so much inspiration packed in every shelf! it literally goes from floor to ceiling.

tinsel trading co. i nearly hyperventilated upon entering. this shop is GORGEOUS. most displays in the trim district focus on function rather than design. the tinsel trading co. not only has lovely inventory but the store itself like a beautiful vintage treasure chest. i walked around the store clapping my hands with joy at all the vintage goodness. i so badly wanted to take photos of the inside but i was too shy to ask.

kinokuniya. i can not stay away from this place. it's like a drug. i got another scrapbooking book and some more pretty notebooks which hopefully will be filled using inspiration from the scrapbooking book. i'm going to test out a whole new scrapbooking style! new to me at least.

brunch at braai in hell's kitchen. i liked that their brunch menu offered pretty standard brunch fare but with a south african twist. makes trying new cuisines a lot less intimidating. my breakfast sandwich was made with an english muffin, eggs, spinach, onions, feta, and a tasty sauce that i couldn't identify. i loved the spicy potatoes and peppers that came with it. i think it's called chakalaka? unfortunately it took forever and was stone cold by the time it got to our table. i still inhaled it and had it been warm, it would have been perfect.

we ended our trip with tickets to how to succeed in business without really trying. we bought super discounted tickets using an online promotion and somehow ended up in the front row?! it is truly amazing to experience a broadway show up so close. especially one with dan radcliffe! i nearly fell out of my chair when he came within five feet of us. he's a pretty good singer and dancer! and i loved the set and costumes, so retro! the show itself has an incredible, infectious energy. i'm pretty sure i had a semi-crazed smile of wonderment and excitement on my face throughout the entire show. i hope i didn't freak out any of the performers.

last stop was chicken and rice and then a heartburn filled car ride back home. bye new york! see you in the spring ^_^

crepe paper

2011-10-25T08:52:00.000-04:00

oh beautiful crepe paper... have i got plans for you :)

here comes the bride

2011-10-20T08:33:00.000-04:00

i saw this "here comes the bride" banner on martha stewart's website and knew i had to include it in our wedding. and i had the perfect banner bearers in mind for the job!

supplies:

linen fabric

iron on transfer paper

disappearing ink marker

wooden dowel

sewing machine (optional. this can all be done by hand too!)

iron

printer

it was a challenge finding iron on transfers with good ratings. i grabbed these at A.C. Moore with a 40% coupon. i used my home inkjet printer and the print quality was excellent.

definitely do a test run to get a feel for how much heat, pressure and time you need to get a good transfer.

not too shabby! they say to cut as close to the edge as possible but i liked leaving a small border. it helped when ironing on those darn serifs later on.

the instructions said not to use an ironing board but a hard surface like a table or countertop. a pillowcase will protect your table.

i drew lines using a disappearing ink marker to help me to keep everything nice and straight.

looking good so far!

i ran into some trouble with the serifs. if i ever use this font again on an iron on transfer, i'll focus extra hard on the serifs and use the point of my iron to apply some really intense pressure. peel slowly! don't get impatient like i did.

photos stop here since the sun set and i ran out of good photo light :)

from there, just sew a few straight seams to finish the edges. fold over and sew the top of the banner to create an opening for the wooden dowel. slip in the dowel and hand it off to a couple of cute kids!

photo by our friend marco at magic touch photography

the banner in action! the banner bearers are my cousin's ridiculously adorable and awesome kids. they were total pros! it was such a fun way to include kids our wedding.

making our wedding cake topper

2011-10-17T08:29:00.000-04:00

photo by mr. p

photo by our photographers, gina & tony

i was worried that making our own wedding cake toppers was going to be a stressful endeavor. i'm not really known for my drawing/painting skills! i even bought an extra set of dolls just in case. lucky for me, it was so much fun to make these and i'm very pleased with how they turned out.

note: my unfinished wooden dolls were purchased from goose grease. love their customer service :) they sell finished dolls and custom orders too if you're not up to painting your own!

in case anyone was curious, 47 is RT's lucky number and my life goal is to find platform nine and three quarters. or at least the leaky cauldron so that i can get into diagon alley.

2011-10-14T10:43:00.000-04:00

i'm back! and i'm back a mrs. ^_^ it's been a crazy few weeks getting married then honeymooning in hawaii. hawaii is so lovely... i dream about it while i stare at my work computer screen. it's been a bit of a struggle getting back into our normal routine. mornings are not pretty! but it's wonderful to be back and we're enjoying our new lives together as a mr. and mrs. not that it all that different... we've been together for over 7 years!

photo by mr. p - the same mr. p who did our mini e-session!

i'm really excited to share with you some of the things i made for our wedding. i love crafting but knowing that it was for our wedding made it even more enjoyable. at no point did anything feel like a burden (except for those darn programs that no one took!) and i put a lot of love and work into all the little details. hope you enjoy them too! check back soon!

a little hat for little miss d.

2011-09-22T10:02:00.002-04:00

last post before i disappear for a bit :)

mrs. pk had her baby girl! she's so gorgeous and i can't wait to meet her. mrs. pk and little miss. d live in cali where the weather is pretty warm but i thought a little hat would come in handy for those chilly nights. and i firmly believe that babies and little children should always have animal ears or tails on their clothing.

i used a pattern by innerchildcrochet as a starting point and changed things here and there to suit my yarn and added ears. the yarn i used is baby's first by lion brand. it was my first time crocheting with it and i'm in love. it's a cotton acrylic blend and instead of the usual 4ply, it looks like it's made up of several strands twisted together which i thought was fascinating. it's so soft and cuddly i just want to snuggle with it and take a nap. it's very plush and holds its shape well. it would make lovely, warm blankets too! mm... new project!

sweet etsy favs

2011-09-20T08:17:00.000-04:00

some of my recent etsy favs. super sweet and full of happiness :)

winston and squeak - hilarycosgrove

laptop bag - bicycle and a bit of lace on linen - trackandfielddesigns

lion costume - dog halloween costume - lilyorkiefrufru

hello speech bubble hand carved rubber stamp - eatpraycreate

the photographer rabbit - teconlene

right as rain - small wall art hoop - pillipillihandmade

beautiful, last days of summer

2011-09-15T17:14:00.000-04:00

RT and i are getting married in 10 days (10 DAYS!) so of course things have been super crazy around here. i'm crafting 24/7 in preparation for the wedding and i can't wait to share everything with you!! and i started a new job. whew... busy summer! but in the final, lingering days of summer, there have been some lovely days. life is truly beautiful :)

top to bottom: exploring new england; a visit to the boston harbor islands; our friends' sweet, floppy, warm, chubby-foot puppy; picking korean pears at evergreen farm; fresh dak dori tang made with organic chicken at evergreen farm... amazing!!; BBQ in NH smores? yes please; remembering 9/11 at the boston public garden.

life is what we make it

2011-09-01T19:00:00.000-04:00

from this

to this

back in may, i went on a girls trip to palm springs and LA. we stayed at a beautiful resort and noticed this mat in the elevator. one of the girls snapped a photo of it with our toes in the shot and it's one of our favorite photos from the weekend.

i stumbled upon an online tool at stitchpoint.com that turns words into cross stitch patterns and thought i'd test it out. you choose your font, type in your phrase and voila! instant pattern. the font i used for the quote above is dublin. i had to make a few changes here and there to make the letters join together a bit more smoothly but other than that, it's really a great tool and incredibly easy to use. i'll definitely be using it often! try it out here: cross stitch writing tool.

p.s. happy birthday miss j.j.s <3

knitted cupcakes

2011-08-22T10:06:00.000-04:00

knitted (and edible!) cupcakes by vegan yum yum. so cute... the details are amazing!

so long, farewell

2011-08-17T14:02:00.000-04:00

i'm sad to announce that the toki cafe shop is closing. it's been fun but i do believe that it's time to move on. maybe someday i'll be back with exciting new things to share but for now it's goodbye. the shop will remain open through mid-september or until everything is sold, whichever comes first. to help clear out the shop, i'm offering a "goodbye for now" discount to everyone! enter the coupon code "BYE4NOW" during checkout to receive 25% off your entire purchase before shipping. this is my first time using etsy's fancy new coupon code feature so i hope i did it right! there are only a few items in there so snatch them up while you can!

i've enjoyed being an etsy seller and maybe i'll be back someday. any updates or news will be posted here on my blog which i'll continue to update with life, things that make me happy, and craftiness.

thank you so much for your support of the toki cafe these past couple of years!

30 day photo challenge

2011-08-12T10:50:00.000-04:00

i found this via wild olive and i loved the idea so much that i wanted to share it :) sherry over at oh so lovely created this fun little photo challenge that i thought would be a perfect project for me and my instanx mini. i love that they capture little everyday things and encourage a bit of creativity too. i started a bit late so i'm behind but here are a few of my photos so far.

since starting this project, i've noticed that my instax mini is a bit off. what i see through the viewfinder is not what i get in the photo (thus some of my photos have to be taken with my trusty canon powershot). it's extremely frustrating since they're essentially a dollar per photo. i'm also frustrated that i can get a lovely photo on my camera, but the color dulls when i import it into my computer, and then drains some more when i upload it to blogger! there has to be a setting somewhere that can fix that...

happy weekend!

little snail

2011-08-11T08:22:00.000-04:00

a little snail made from ana paula's amigurumi two! she's an optimistic little snail and how could she not be with all the good news that's been flying around :)

comfy hooks

2011-08-08T13:49:00.001-04:00

crocheting for extended periods of time can be rough on your hands. i found a cute way to make my hooks more hand-friendly.

these squishy pen grips are from my last trip to kinokuniya in new york but you can find similar ones at most office supply stores. wrap enough medical tape around the handle of your hook to ensure that the pen grips fit snuggly and won't move while you work. slip your grips over the tape and you're done! i use two grips per hook and the placement of your grips will be determined by how you hold your hooks. here's to many more happy hours of crocheting!

*edit - replaced the photos with brighter ones... the first ones were taken on a stormy day. hello sunshine!

summer food... black bean + corn salsa

2011-08-04T11:04:00.000-04:00

black bean + corn salsa. here's what i used... roughly... i didn't measure anything :P

1 tomato, diced

1/4 c red onion, diced

half a 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

2/3 c frozen corn, thawed

1 garlic clove, minced

juice of half a lime

cilantro, chopped or torn

salt + pepper

tumble it all together and adjust everything to your liking! a minced jalepeno would be nice too if you'd like to add some heat. RT and i love corn so i added lots of it. it's even better if you let it hang out in the fridge for awhile so that the flavors can all sink in and it's nice and cold. we had this with fajitas last night. such a yummy, easy summer dinner!

learning embroidery

2011-07-26T10:14:00.002-04:00

mollie johanson from wild olive has a great, easy to follow tutorial on embroidery basics. this little cupcake was made from one of her many free patterns. i was surprised at how easy it was to pick up and how relaxing it is. until my thread knots. then i go into crazy mode.

*hm... the colors look faded when i upload them to blogger. it's happened before. sigh... i guess i should look into that.

little monkey

2011-07-21T11:58:00.000-04:00

hello! a heat wave is charging through new england and i'm doing my best to stay cool. i live in fear that my A/C will break and the bunny and i will melt like an ice cube in an oven. hope you're nice and cool wherever you are! and here's a little monkey to brighten your day :)

mini paper bags

2011-07-18T09:28:00.002-04:00

mini paper bags - olive manna

seeing these everywhere all of the sudden. someone please give me an excuse to buy them :P

the end

2011-07-14T11:32:00.000-04:00

"hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home." - jk rowling

i'm so thankful that jk rowling created the world of harry potter and shared it with everyone. it's amazing what a good book can do. i know it's not goodbye forever but i'm still sad that it's all coming to an end. no more books, no more movies.. sigh. i can't wait to see the deathly hallows part 2 but a part of me also wants to hold off on watching it so that i can make the excitement last as long as possible. a very teeny, tiny part mind you. the bigger part of me wishes i were catching the midnight showing surrounded by people dressed up in house scarves and ties :)

shop love: mochithings

2011-07-01T15:22:00.000-04:00

an innocent search for instax mini photo albums lead me to mochithings. oh dear. i've been toying with the idea of getting myself a belated birthday present (i turned 28 last week! ah!) and this may have just pushed me over the edge.

pottermore!

2011-06-24T09:37:00.001-04:00

j.k. rowling finally announced the launch of pottermore! while i'm a little disappointed because i was hoping for more information (this was such a tease!) i can't wait to see what j.k. rowling has in store for harry potter fans. everything she does is made with such care and detail that i know it's going to amazing. and i LOVED the paper cutting + book art featured in the video.

banana zucchini bread with chocolate chips and walnuts

2011-06-10T10:50:00.003-04:00

i know, it almost sounds like too much but i LOVE this bread. it's not overly sweet so i can snack on it all day long. super moist with a little crunch from the nuts... <3 make a loaf for the weekend and i promise it'll make you happy. the recipe is by noshings and can be found here.

yarn spring cleaning

2011-06-03T17:09:00.000-04:00

every once in awhile, i go through my yarn stash and reorganize everything. it's a good way to track of what i'm running low on and pull out the yarns that i probably will never use.

oh my... kind of messy.

all cleaned up! loose ends are all tucked in and everything is sorted. i feel much better.

tiny yarn balls. the smallest is about an inch wide :) even tiny yarn balls can have big dreams.

happy weekend!

an ode to crayons

2011-05-25T07:51:00.000-04:00

i've always loved crayons. crayolas in particular. the best schools years were the ones that started with a brand new yellow box filled with waxy, bright, crayons. i did my best to use my crayons evenly, rotating them so that they would stay pointy for as long as possible.

zodiac crayon carvings by diem chau

love in every color - 8x10 fine art photograph by shannonpix

to be honest, i think this old sesame street clip is what started my whole crayon love affair. this was by far my favorite sesame street video and i love it now just as much as i did when i was six.

i believe coloring (with crayons especially) is good for the soul. next time you're having a bad day, grab a box of crayons and a coloring book and scribble away. and please do color outside the lines if you'd like :)

wishing i were back in california

2011-05-23T10:52:00.000-04:00

first time making a quilt

2011-05-19T12:35:00.001-04:00

mrs p and i have been friends since the first grade and we went to grade school, jr.high, high school, AND college together so it's pretty crazy to think that soon she'll have a little baby girl! as a baby shower gift, i wanted to get her something unique and special that hopefully, they'll treasure for a long time. so i decided to try my hand at patchwork quilting. i'm a pretty terrible sewer so i'm still debating whether this was an awesome or terrible idea. please forgive me for the awful photos. i took them as i worked at all hours of the day and the sun hasn't shone in boston since the beginning of time.

basic supplies. i invested in a rotary cutter and quilting ruler for this project... best purchase ever.

neat little squares waiting to be sewn.

everyone says that you MUST iron as you work and i found that it really does make everything clean and tidy.

ready to be made into a solid piece

finished! it turned out smaller than i had anticipated... i swear the more i worked on it, the smaller it became. then i just ran out of fabric and time so all i could do was scratch my head and ponder why sewing doesn't follow normal laws of space and matter. and i didn't take any photos of how i did the edging because i had such a hard time with it. i kept having to pin, repin, sew, rip seams, and resew the layers to the bias tape. i definitely went into crazy mode for a couple of days. but it's on there and hopefully it will stay put.

congratulations mrs p! i can't wait to meet baby girl k and seriously, don't look too closely at the stitching. i hope you and baby girl k enjoy it :)

greek style mac and cheese

2011-05-09T10:55:00.000-04:00

weekend dinner... delicious greek style mac and cheese with feta, harvati with dill, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, and olives. i only used half the amount of feta because i ran out but i increased the amount of harvati which made me happy since i love harvati with dill. i also cut the amount of olives a bit and the next time i'll add more sun dried tomatoes. recipe via steamy kitchen.

world's smallest post service

2011-05-05T08:19:00.000-04:00

lea redmond runs the world's smallest post service. she creates and sends packages and letters so teeny that they come with magnifying glasses so that you can read its message.

photos via ali loves curtis

side note: where does one go to get a tiny roll top desk??

chronicle and lea redmond have teamed up to create the world's smallest post service kit so you can run your own miniscule post service. it includes everything you need to get started including envelopes, twine, postage, and gift boxes, all impossibly tiny.

world's smallest post service

in addition to running this miniature post service, lea has creates interesting things such as recipe dice and a matchbox theatre. she also has several other projects that can encourage people to be more thoughtful of the world around them or to just do something that will make another person smile. visit leafcutter designs to see them all :)

happy hippo

2011-05-03T08:05:00.000-04:00

special request on etsy

assassin cross stitch

2011-04-27T09:22:00.000-04:00

"nothing is true, everything is permitted."

geekery and crafting go together so well.

i was here

2011-04-25T09:11:00.000-04:00

i stepped into blick to buy some posterboard and rubber cement and left with an awesome travel journal.

love the charming illustrations

and the ideas! i'm definitely going to start an international pad collection.

in the reference section, a guide to international dumplings. a definite must-know when traveling.

places to write what you ate

and people you meet. "what do you spread on toast?" never thought to ask anyone that.

i was here: a travel journal for the curious minded by kate pocrass

i'm a terrible traveler. i don't take enough time to sit back and really experience a place. we're usually on a tight schedule so i'm too busy trying to get from major tourist site A to major tourist site B. i wish i could buy a case of these journals so i could have one for each trip that i take. it really encourages you to observe your surroundings and see all the interesting things that your eyes would normally pass over. in addition to all the fun stuff, there are pages to help organize your plans and itineraries. there's also lots of space to doodle, scribble, and jot down random thoughts and notes. if you take the time to work through its pages while you travel, you'll end up with a really wonderful souvenir.

right vs. wrong

2011-04-21T07:40:00.001-04:00

*edit - lisa left an awesome comment sharing a ton of resources where you can find out more about "right" vs. "wrong" side crochet! be sure to check it out :)

"right side" vs. "wrong side". i use quotes because really, there is no right or wrong way. it's all up to your own personal preference when it comes to making amigurumi. i thought i'd share my own insights in case any of you were curious about the two options.

when making amigurumi, each side of your work will have a different appearance. because i don't like to call them right or wrong, let's make right = side A and wrong = side B.

most people use A when making amigurumi. you can tell it's A by the little v's that are formed. in my opinion, A is more rigid and ribbed. the rounds are far more defined. however, it does look tidy and consistent. also, you can use invisible decreases! huge bonus. but i find it slows me down as it's harder for me to get my hook into the loops. maybe i crochet funny but when i crochet, my work naturally tends to form B.

B results in a smoother surface and it can be identified by the stitches that look like backwards L's. it forms a more even surface but increases and decreases stand out more in the finished product. i find that it's good for making rounder shapes. on the other hand, if you're making pointy ears, A is the way to go. and i think it's easier to get your hooks in the loops because of the way the edges naturally curl in.

almost everything i've made thus far has been using side B. in the beginning, i didn't really like the ridges created by A but i'm slowly going back to it. mostly because i now like the texture that it adds and i love invisible decreases. keep in mind that A and B don't always have the same results. for example, my happy little pork buns will always be made in B. i tried it in A and the shaping just didn't translate well!

so what's your preference? i'd love to hear your thoughts! :)

printable invitations by the wedding chicks

2011-04-19T08:28:00.000-04:00

came across these super sweet printable invitation suites by the wedding chicks. best part (other than their awesome design) they're totally free and customizable! yay!

postcard #2

2011-04-14T07:35:00.000-04:00

bunny walk

2011-04-11T10:29:00.001-04:00

hello monday. i had such a happy weekend. fun times with friends and lots of delicious food. rt and i got a new harness for waukegan and tested it out at the park. i can't tell if she enjoyed our little outing or not... she was pretty relaxed and seemed to not mind this harness as much as her last one but the sun made her squinty and it looked as if she were glaring at us :)

in need of serenity

2011-04-08T07:34:00.000-04:00

diy flower round up

2011-04-06T13:56:00.001-04:00

weddings are expensive. all those wedding blogs where people have beautiful, fashionable weddings for $5,000 boggle my mind. i just don't see how it's done unless you're lucky enough to have a professional cake baker aunt, your best friend is a florist, and your parents own a lovely ranch, and you only have 50 guests. argh! since i want our wedding to have a soft, handmade feel to it and we want to at least to try stay within our budget, we've decided on foregoing the traditional floral centerpiece. instead, our centerpieces will feature handmade flowers. i've rounded up a few of my favorite ideas and they definitely don't need to be limited to just weddings :)

fabric flowers via 100 layer cake + photos by jen rau

diy fabric flower boutonnieres by laurie cinotto via once wed

diy tissue paper garden centerpiece by anna bond via once wed

fabric + ribbon centerpiece by shauna younge via nonpareil + photos by emily steffen

crepe-paper flowers via martha stewart weddings

paper flower bouquet via project wedding

weather report

2011-03-30T08:23:00.001-04:00

found via pillipilli. click here to enter your city and view your weather report presented in collage art. created by kurt riedi and steffi gloor.

little rocky

2011-03-28T10:30:00.000-04:00

i loosely followed a pattern found in ami ami dogs which was recently translated and published in english. my book is in japanese so there was a lot of guess work involved and for all i know i made this little maltese using a pattern meant for a great dane. happy monday!

comic book love: EmiTown

2011-03-25T08:16:00.000-04:00

emitown: a sketch diary by emi lenox

my sister is my favorite source for new reads. going to her house is like visiting my own private library where i don't have to worry about due dates. and she reads everything so i can go to her and get books in any genre including comics/graphic novels. sweet!! she recently let me borrow EmiTown and i inhaled it. thankfully, i can get more on her blog. emi's easy to relate to and the facial expressions are priceless. and it really makes me crave a breakfast burrito.

swim?

2011-03-21T11:06:00.001-04:00

it's way too early to think about beaches and swimming but it's another cold, gray day in boston and i'd like to imagine being back in cancun staring at the ocean with my toes buried in the sand in a pretty bathing suit. i'm loving all the super cute one piece suits that are popping up everywhere. i definitely want to trade in my uncomfortable bikini for one of these!

solid ruched bandeau tank - j.crew

jersey lomellina® asymmetrical ruffle tank - j.crew

beach blanket bingo one piece in black - modcloth

women's striped swimsuit - old navy

seeing circles

2011-03-18T09:42:00.003-04:00

needed some new wall art. idea from artful spaces by gerard smith

busyness + a puddle photo

2011-03-16T10:30:00.002-04:00

RT and i took a trip to chicago to do some wedding planning and to hang out with my family. i love seeing my family <3 that weekend kicked off hardcore wedding planning time. within a few days, we signed a contract and put down deposits for our venue and photographers. we met with our florist (love her!) and got a block of hotel rooms reserved for our guests. we got our officiant ordained and researched our county's marriage laws. we discussed videographers (eh still don't know what to do with that), sent out our save the dates, and got our wedding website up and running. after such a long delay, it's like months worth of wedding planning was done in a week.

while we were in chicago, we asked a friend of ours to take a few photos for us so we could have a nice photo to use on our save the dates. we had one hour to spare out of our crazy schedule so it was a rapid fire photoshoot that ended when it started to pour so hard that water was dripping down my face. RT and i are the most awkward people on earth but mr. p got some really sweet shots. he's a pharmacist by day but i think he should be a photographer by night ^_^ thanks mr. p!!

vintage inchies

2011-02-28T09:44:00.000-05:00

one inch collages made for swap-bot

the one inch photo project

2011-02-24T08:43:00.004-05:00

i have a lot of extra photos lying around that never made into a scrapbook. i don't like wasting things so i started a one inch photo project.

start with a pile of photos. look for interesting color combinations, textures, details, and other things that make you happy. get a good variety!

use a one inch square punch to cut out a section of the photo.

find a frame for your photos. i like ribba frames from ikea. this one is 9x11.

lay out your one inch photos and play with the rows and columns until you like your arrangement. i tried to make sure that all the colors, themes, and textures were distributed evenly throughout. i think it would look neat arranged by color too. cut a piece of cardstock for your background (i used white) and adhere it to the mat.

now here comes the hard part... line up your tiny photos as neatly as possible and adhere them to your cardstock background. i used a roll-on tape adhesive. if your corners curl up, just use a glue pen to make everything nice and flat. it takes some time to get everything even with perfect margins all around but you'll eventually get there. for future projects, i may try drawing a grid to help with placement but i need to figure out a way to draw an invisible grid that won't show on the final product.

here's the finished product. it was fascinating to see how much detail can be found in just one square inch and it helps you to see your photos in a different way. for each little photo, i can tell you where i was and what i was doing. all are from happy memories :)

tastespotting

2011-02-21T11:32:00.000-05:00

in love with tastespotting. they call themselves a "community driven visual potluck" which to me just means a non-stop flow of beautiful photos and recipes for delicious foods <3

egg rolls + deep thoughts

2011-02-16T07:58:00.001-05:00

last weekend, i finally got around to making a mountain of egg rolls. i rolled 50 of these babies. and then i ate a third of them. it's nice to make a big batch at once and freeze them in portions to fry up on a lazy day. i used this recipe from the steamy kitchen, substituting the chicken for the pork. super tasty! RT prefers egg rolls with lots of filling, i like lots of crunchy wrapper. next time i'll double the filling so that we're both happy. i got into a zen-like state rolling egg roll after egg roll and thought about life, the future, the decisions i've made in my life thus far, and things that i'm thankful for. apparently, egg rolls make me pensive.

hana yori dango

2011-02-14T07:35:00.000-05:00

i love hana yori dango. i've seen the anime, the japanese mini-series, the movies, and the korean mini-series. the only one i haven't seen is the taiwanese version, meteor garden. so when miss sk asked me to make dango that looked like makino, domiyoji, and rui, of course i said yes. you can't tell in the photo but domiyoji's hair is hilarious, it's just as curly as the real domiyoji's! happy belated miss sk!

postcard #1

2011-02-10T08:17:00.001-05:00

happy afternoon

2011-02-07T08:44:00.000-05:00

last weekend, rt and i took a trip to jersey to visit his family and on the way back stopped by new york. we grabbed some soon tubu from seoul garden, ate rainbow rice cakes from woorijib, walked around the new york public library for the first time (they have an amazing special exhibit on the art of books with displays of inks, papers, and writing implements), marveled at m & j trimming, and splurged a bit at kinokuniya. what a happy afternoon <3

happy lunar new year!

2011-02-03T10:47:00.000-05:00

gong xi fa cai! it's the year of the rabbit! according to proastro.com, it's going to be a great year.

"The year of the Metal Rabbit promises to bring some much needed peace and tranquility. If you are like most people, you probably feel like you were on a roller coaster in 2010, the year of the Tiger. That will generally not be the case in 2011, as the Rabbit is everything the Tiger is not. Let there be peace, and let it begin with me is the Rabbit motto. The Tiger makes waves, but the Rabbit mends fences. Diplomacy reigns. If you want to improve your chances of success, you most often want to negotiate and cooperate rather than try to force your ideas and methods on others. It's also a time to kiss and make up. Forgive and forget. Let's all get along. Make love not war. If last year the emphasis was on excitement, it now is on harmony." - proastro

here is my (pig) horoscope for the year of the rabbit:

"You have the privilege of being the luckiest animal during the Year of the Metal Rabbit. It’s about time! Last year might have been a bit hectic... 2011 should bring many things to be thankful for. I’ll bet you’re nice and settled in a fulfilling career, a satisfied relationship, and a happy home. If not, those things are probably on their way. Remember to share your successes with the ones you love. Keep striving for inner balance and self-acceptance. Internalize the goodness around you and know you deserve it."

what a beautiful prediction! i like things to be calm and quiet so i'm looking forward to this year. happy new year everyone! eat lots of long noodles and nian gao.

i heart falafel

2011-01-31T07:43:00.000-05:00

made from a pattern by rose langlitz in tasty crochet: a pantry full of patterns for 33 tasty treats

PetitPlat

2011-01-26T08:15:00.001-05:00

images by PetitPlat

someone needs to pick me up off the floor. i remember seeing PetitPlat's work on etsy a long time ago but i recently rediscovered her work when i saw a photo of a teeny cheese platter on must have cute. i definitely remember her fruity earrings, and the unbelievably realistic salmon, but oh my gosh i do not remember her baked goods! how are these not real?! to give you an idea of how tiny these masterpieces are, one of those bread baskets measures about one inch. PetitPlat, you truly are an artist and miniaturist extraordinaire.

lahbokkie

2011-01-24T07:37:00.004-05:00

it's not a good sign when the weather report uses words such as "frigid" and "arctic". thankfully, i grew up in a chicago suburb so i'm pretty used to it but even i need warming up once in awhile. and the perfect snack for cold, windy days is lahbokkie! dukbokkie is a dish made of rice cakes swimming in a hot and spicy, slightly sweet sauce. when you top it off with ramen noodles, it's called lahbokkie. in korean, ramen is pronounced more like "lahmyun". so when you mix dubokkie with lahmyun, you get lahbokkie. still with me? i like to add onion and carrots to mine and some people like to put in fish cakes too. but no matter what you toss in, lahbokkie will definitely warm you up! i wanted to post a recipe here but i didn't really measure anything. maybe next time :P

an ami family

2011-01-20T10:06:00.000-05:00

2010 was a year of changes for RT's family. his youngest sister went off to college and his dad moved to another country for a new job. with another sister on a naval base and us in boston, his family is all scattered for the first time. so for christmas, i crocheted his family :) using saplanet's pattern as a starting point, i personalized each one with little accessories and their favorite colors. the idea is that their amis would stay together at home so that their family will always be together even when they're apart.

i stitched a tiny circuit board for RT since he's an engineer. sometimes i really crack myself up.

featured

2011-01-18T11:20:00.000-05:00

my fruit stand set was featured in a beautiful treasury! thank you shellyka for including me :)

why i make amigurumis

2011-01-13T10:30:00.000-05:00

panda keychain for my mommy

i started crocheting a few years ago when i was unemployed and getting depressed because i felt like a waste space. i decided it was time to pick up a new hobby and my friends were all obsessed with knitting and crocheting so i thought i'd join along. i began crocheting baby blankets to be sent overseas to orphanages and to reservations where over 25% of the population was homeless and another 59% live in substandard housing. suddenly i felt useful. then my sister introduced me to amigurumis. amis were a lot more interesting and fun to make than half double crocheted blankets. but every once in awhile i would wonder, "should i be spending so much time making these? they don't serve a real purpose and i could be making something more useful". these past few months have reminded me why i make amigurumis. because they make people happy. nothing gives me the warm and fuzzies more than to get a message from a friend who i recently made an ami for saying that they had been feeling blue but their new little friend had brightened their day, made them smile, made them laugh. what a wonderful thing, knowing that you've made someone happy. and that is why i make amigurumis.

p.s. i still crochet baby blankets but now that my non-profit of choice has closed up shop, i have to decide where to donate my blankets. i would appreciate any suggestions!

wedding dresses by decade

2011-01-11T09:00:00.005-05:00

as soon as i told my sister that i was engaged, one of the first things she did was get me a subscription to martha stewart weddings. how awesome is my sister? martha stewart weddings is one of my all time favorite magazines and by far the best wedding magazine on the market. i usually gloss over the dresses but this time they had a feature on weddings dresses inspired by each decade. i'm a fan of anything historical and this feature is so unique, i love it! if i could pull it off, i would LOVE to wear the victorian inspired dress. it's so feminine and romantic without being fussy, and different from what brides wear today.

images - martha stewart weddings

you can view the full gallery on the martha stewart wedding website here. my second favorite, the 80's dress. simply because it's so wonderfully 80's. all she's missing is pink neon plastic earrings, and an acid wash denim jacket.

resolutions for 2011

2011-01-10T08:20:00.004-05:00

i'm a little late with my resolutions because this year, i really wanted to put some thought into them. i'm hoping that if i take my time and choose them carefully, i'll take them more seriously and hopefully will be able to come back to them at the end of the year and feel that i've accomplished something. as a daily reminder, i printed and put my resolutions up on my wall above my desk.

1. be more positive/happy/kind - it's no secret that i'm kind of a grumpy person. lots of things make me angry (don't get me started about people at the airport) it's not something i enjoy and it's something that didn't develop until i went to college. i want to be more optimistic because the world definitely doesn't need another angry person but it could use more happy, positive people.

2. live life without a plan and be okay with it - the other day, a friend of mine said, "you make it sound like there's supposed to be a plan. there is no plan". i feel like i need to accept that i can't plan out every detail and just enjoy whatever gets thrown at me.

3. be craftier, become a better sewer - simple enough. i spend so much time staring at and hoarding inspiration that i find online but so little time actually using that inspiration.

4. spend less time online - i know a lot of people are resolving to be more connected this year but i want to go the other way. i want to peel myself away from my laptop and i want to write more letters, read more books, converse with people in person, and make things.

5. learn photoshop - i bought that darn photoshop for dummies book and i still haven't cracked it open.

6. be more open to challenges - i like to live my life quietly. and i'm terrified of failure. all that equals a slight dislike of challenges. but how can a person really grow if they're constantly running away from challenges?

a cactus

2011-01-07T09:15:00.004-05:00

i had some beautiful succulents and they all died. well, except for one scraggly, scrappy, bean stalk looking one. i've seen a lot of crochet cacti on flickr and thought it would be a good idea since it's hard to kill a yarn plant. the beautiful thing about crocheting cacti is that i have no desire to write down a pattern or count my rows. cacti come in all different shapes and sizes so you can't go wrong! and there are so many different ways to make them unique like adding a flower, using knobbly yarn, or adding needles.

tetris blocks

2011-01-05T09:45:00.005-05:00

i remember playing tetris on our old (but at the time, super fancy) nintendo. we played so obsessively that my sister and cousin had nightmares of being chased by tetris blocks. i saw this tutorial over on craftster awhile ago and put it in my "to make pile". it kind of got lost in there until recently. they're so easy to make and it's a great project to work on while watching tv. i found it to be very soothing.

to orlando we go

2011-01-03T08:54:00.000-05:00

i hope everyone had a happy, beautiful holidays! my christmas was unbelievably amazing and definitely more than i deserved. we spent the holidays in orlando at disney world and universal! visiting disney world during christmas has been a dream of mine for awhile and of course i nearly lost my mind when i saw hogwarts and hogsmeade. the only downside to the trip was the crowds. i would never recommend visiting orlando between christmas and new years. definitely go earlier in december when the crowds aren't as rough but you can still enjoy all of the holiday fun.

clockwise from top left: magical indeed; chip and dale; hi mickey!; couldn't stop laughing over these caramel apples

clockwise from top left: can never remember what's in the golf ball; window in china; exhibit on japanese spirits and their influence in pop culture, love; chef remy stopping by our table

clockwise from top left: hogwarts!; a window display for scrivenshafts ; beauxbaton students; pumpkin juice

i can't believe it's already 2011. so much to look forward to. it's going to be a wonderful year.

holiday postcards

2010-12-22T10:46:00.001-05:00

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

2010-12-17T10:14:00.002-05:00

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

2010-12-14T08:13:00.000-05:00

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

2010-12-07T15:38:00.001-05:00

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

2010-11-29T10:22:00.000-05:00

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

2010-11-22T08:29:00.000-05:00

reading list

2010-11-18T08:12:00.000-05:00

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

2010-11-12T08:53:00.000-05:00

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?

2010-11-05T15:20:00.002-04:00

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

2010-10-29T08:26:00.000-04:00

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

2010-10-21T10:21:00.000-04:00

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

2010-10-12T11:16:00.001-04:00

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

2010-10-08T22:13:00.000-04:00

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

2010-10-07T08:01:00.001-04:00

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

2010-10-05T10:54:00.001-04:00

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

2010-10-01T07:50:00.000-04:00

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?

2010-09-28T14:22:00.002-04:00

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

2010-09-17T10:46:00.001-04:00

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

2010-09-13T09:13:00.000-04:00

bunting + garlands

2010-09-10T08:53:00.002-04:00

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