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!