Monday, September 20, 2010

Kid in a Candy Store.

There are some stores where I feel like a kid in a candy store.  You know the feeling.  You walk into a store and there are just so many beautiful goodies to look at, that you find yourself walking up and down every single aisle, and staring at absolutely everything you see.

Michaels is one of those stores for me.  Racks and racks of amazing scrapbook paper, every crafting tool you could ever imagine, and roll after roll of gorgeous ribbon.  Sephora is another.  I could spend hours and hours looking at all that pretty makeup.  Cost Plus World Market and Trader Joe's can sometimes be like that too for me.

Today I took a trip to one of those stores for a little shopping, which (as usual) turned into A LOT of shopping.  I went to Michaels to scout out some supplies for a party invitation project that I am working on.  (I’ll have more details about that project in the upcoming weeks.)  I went in with a pretty set list, but of course I picked up a few items that were impulse buys.

my Michaels purchases

One such impulse buy was this Amazing E-6000 glue.  I heard about this glue before from a friend, so when I saw it, I had to have it.  I have no specific plans for this glue yet, but I am thinking thrift store + vintage china teacups + vintage china plates + Amazing E-6000 glue = fabulousness.  We’ll see though.

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This Micron pen and Elmer’s Craft Bond were not impulse buys.  I’ve been looking for a new thin-tipped black pen and I’m going to give this one a try.  A crafty girl can never have too many thin-tipped black pens.

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A crafty girl can never have too many different glues either.  Ever since I ran out of my favorite Aleene’s Memory Glue only to find they no longer carry it at any craft store in my area, I have been heartbroken.  That stuff was great.  Photo safe, acid free, and a nice skinny tip.  It met all my criteria for a perfect card-making glue.

Recently I tried Scotch Scrapbooker’s Glue and I was not a fan.  Here’s the main reason why.  It made my paper and cards curl.  I would have to immediately lay each glued piece down on a hard surface and cover with something heavy so it wouldn’t warp.  Near the end of the bottle, I started to get used to this glue, but didn’t like it enough to give it a second try.

I’m crossing my fingers that this latest Elmer’s Craft Bond that I picked up is a winner.  I haven’t used Elmer’s since grade school, so this will be interesting.

Credit: All photos taken by me.  Michaels, Sephora, Cost Plus World Market, Trader Joe's, Amazing E-6000, Micron, Elmer’s Craft Bond, Aleene’s Memory Glue, and Scotch Scrapbooker’s Glue.

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Crushin’ On Color: Brown

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It’s rustic, yet industrial at the same time.

Credit: Newell Jones + Jones Photography via Rock N’ Roll Bride

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Saturday, September 18, 2010

Merry Ditty Boo Boo Candy Cane

Now this may look like a holiday card…but I assure you it’s not. This is in fact a birthday card that I made for my love’s sister. The card was all his idea.

See that little saying on the front of the card? Well, that’s her family nickname. Does that make more sense now?

It sure was hard trying to take the holiday away from a candy cane and I don’t necessarily think I succeeded in that. But I still think the card turned out cute.

Maybe I’ll be reincarnating this design come the holidays. We’ll see.

Birthday Card - Merry Ditty - FrontBirthday Card - Merry Ditty - Inside

Credit: All photos taken by me. Card by Miss Jillian Designs.

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What I’m Working On…

A few projects that I have in the works…

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Is the suspense killing you?  More information and photos to come soon.  This will be my motivation to finish these projects that I have started, but not yet finished.

Credit: All photos taken by me.

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Friday, September 17, 2010

Pinterest

Currently I have a bit of an obsession. And this obsession is called Pinterest. Have you heard of it? It might just be one of my very favorite things ever on the computer, next to Google Reader.

image via http://www.facebook.com/pinterest

I feel like Pinterest was made just for me. I feel like the inventor of this lovely website stepped inside my brain and knows how it works. I feel like I am love with this website called Pinterest.

Enough gushing, let me actually explain what Pinterest is.

According to Pinterest’s own site; “Pinterest is a social catalog service. Think of it as a virtual pinboard — a place where you can post collections of things you love, and "follow" collections created by people with great taste.”

By using a special button (called the “pinterest bookmarklet”) that you put in your internet menu bar, you can pin images from any website to your boards.

If you are like me and like to bookmark a lot of things on the blogs you read (or anywhere around the Internet), instead of bookmarking tons of things or saving images to your computer, you just pin them to one of your virtual pinboards. The image of your choice is saved along with a direct link back to the original post.

one of my boards - "Party Planning Ideas"

Basically, Pinterest makes an “inspiration board” of sorts from all the things you pin. You have the option of making many different boards with different categories so you can keep all your pins organized. For example, I have a board called “DIY that I have got to TRY” filled with projects that I see around that I want to try for myself, and another board called “I will I will BAKE you” filled with recipes for baked goods.

snapshot of my Pinterest profile showing some of my boards

I love that I can see the images of everything I pin since I am a very visual person. I also love that I can see what others are pinning and I can re-pin their lovely finds to my boards.

Pinterest homepage with most current pins on Pinterest

If you are interested in seeing more, you can check out my Pinterest profile here.

I don’t know what I did before Pinterest. I joined the site on August 22nd and since then I’ve accumulated 20 boards, 2,372 pins, and 218 likes. That’s a lot of visual bookmarking in less than a month!

I do believe that you have to have either have a Facebook account or Twitter account to join Pinterest. But doesn’t nearly everyone by now? Also, joining Pinterest is currently by invitation only. I do happen to have 4 invitations left to give out. If you'd like one, leave a comment below. Please include your email address in the appropriate field (I'll need it to invite you).

Happy pinning! And happy weekend!

Credit: Pinterest: Paul, Yash, and Ben work on Pinterest as proud members of Cold Brew Labs, a startup in sunny Palo Alto, CA. They get lots of help from their very talented friend Evan.

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Ode to Inspiration

Happy Friday! Here’s a little dose of inspiration to start the weekend…

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Credit: Image by Sma Kee via Classic Bride

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Credit: Print by Simply Hue via Parcel Post

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Credit: 'Villa Vals' (house inside a hill) designed by Christian Müller Architects and SeARCH, photography by Iwan Baan, via Black Eiffel

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Credit: Wedding shoot from Bash, Please events via Once Wed

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Credit: Cake by Alliance Bakery for Renegade Handmade

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