Travel Journal, Travel Kit!

For my MIL (Mother In Law).  My mother in law Candy is going away on an adventure in a couple of weeks and taking along a travel journal (like the ones in my Shop) I made for her at the beginning of the summer.  So I was thinking today looking at my own little On The Go Mail Kit that she definitely needed a Travel Journal Kit!  She isn't a journaler by nature but shes starting out.  So she doesn't really have ANY supplies.   Hmmm I wonder where she could get some?!?!?!

The Kit I put together for her cost me almost nothing.  I think the plastic school supply box was about a $1.79.  All of the goodies inside are from my own stash.  She has all of the basics.

1.  Washi Tape!

2.  Clear Tape

3.  Glue Stick

4.  Paper Clips

5.  Pens

6.  Crayons

7.  Note Cards

8.  Envelopes

9.  Journaling Cards

10.  Embellishments

And of course I typed up a little instruction page, just something to give her some ideas of what types of things she can stick into her little notebook of pretty paper.

Absolutely Freaking

HILARIOUS!

OK, I have a new favorite Blog.  I'm trying to be cool about it and not be a Blog stalker who leaves comments about absolutely every freaking thing I loved about the post, so all two of you reading my little Blog have to check her out!  Laura at Please Deliver To.  She is a fantastically funny crazy mail obsessed girl.  And here's the kicker, she's an uber GEEK and a TREKKIE!!!  Girl after my own heart I swear.  Any who unfortunately there are far too many uber smart people out in Blogger Land who also think she is awesomely fantastic so she can't take on any more penpals (this may or may not stop me from writing her anyways) but reading her Blog is definitely a GREAT way to get your day started!

HAPPY SUNDAY!!!


Opps!  Thanks to Laura I have realized that I was lost in the space time continuum and that it is actually TUESDAY!!!  Holy Crow!  Thanks again Laura!

HAPPY TUESDAY!

This Was My Yesterday

So I had this crazy idea. It started with me pondering what kind of card I would make for the Twilight Moms Back to School themed card exchange to go with those little note pads I made.

So I decided to Google Twilight Back to School and the very first link was an article about esteemed universities who are offering Twilight themed courses!!! The article included a listing of the actual class offerings at the schools. So I thought hey, wouldn't it be neat to make a mini college course book? Then I went completely out of control and decided to make one for every single lady signing up for the exchange. Which happens to be over thirty so far!!!

I've got the bones of the books already made and a finished prototype. They're small 4x5 little books with eight pages each. I sacrificed the latest Twilight magazine that came out when Breaking Dawn was released and use the pages as covers!!! Now I have this stack of mini magazines. I think they look pretty neat!

A Crafty Day

My little Winnie Mouse and I have been very crafty together today. She is just shy of three but a swear she has a knack for it!!! She picked up one of the little Twilight Note Pads I made and thought it was hers because it was "Winnie Size" so of course I had to put a little book together for her.

It's a simple little small book of folded pages stapled at the spine. She picked out the pages and the shapes and I punched them for her. Then she picked which ones should be layered together and what stickers to use. She laid down buts of Washi tape haphazardly and told me where she wanted the embellishments and with which little Polaroid picture! It is coming along splendidly! Now she'll have this cute little memory book all to her self.

I'll post an update as we finish more pages inside!

Gorgeous!

My not quite three year old little miss painted rocks outside in the sunshine today. Aren't these gorgeous?! I want to put them up on a shelf somewhere so I can just admire them but I know she would rather play with them. And they're technically hers so she wins. I seriously might make a large print of them to hang up though!!! Yippie!

Beautiful

Buzzing Bees.

I feel like Pooh Bear with little bees buzzing around in my head.  I'm in a crafty mood!  I have decided to start making stationery again.  I think cards rather than actual paper stationery sets.  Unfortunately I lack the talent and know how that it takes to actually draw on a computer and turn it into stationery.  But I do know how to layer pretty things on a card!!!  And play with rubber stamps and Washi tape!  I am super excited because I just ordered through Amazon a teeny tiny little stapler.

Strange thing to be exited about I know.  But never the less I am!  I think staples add a nice hand made feel to paper crafts.  Something that is tangible.  Don't get me wrong I love my adhesive runners and there lack of presence but there is something really nice about seeing a staple holding your paper goodness together.  And these staples are really small! 1/4 of an inch small.  La Di Da.  Right now I'm punching paper like a mad woman.  Hopefully by this weekend I'll have some cards up in my Shop for sale.



I'm trying really hard not to be too discouraged about my little sales here and there.  I don't know how other people manage to make a living at it!  I sure wish I could figure it out.  But Oh Well.  I'm having a ton of fun anyways.  Even if I just end up with enough stuff to give away as gifts for the next ten years!  CHEERS!!!

Twilight Exchange!

And this months theme is "Back to School". So of course I thought NOTEBOOK! But it's a "card" exchange so I made three little mini 3x4 notebooks. I really had no idea about embellishments but I started on the notebooks anyways. After they were constructed I thought hey! I have some letter rubber stamps I never use I should stamp "Twi Notes" on them. Cute huh? Then I remembered I had procured some blueish glitter spray and I went "sky"! Well then of course I had to add my favorite thing which is a tree and so I went with a Forks, WA theme with a Sun button included. I am super happy with how these turned out and honestly the toughest part was waiting for the glue to dry.

A Quick Hello!

It's off to work I go... Pout

Here are a couple new journal pages! See I posted about myself not having journaled in a week and voila. Two pages were done! We took our little miss to the harbor where she had her very first ice cream cone. We're going back tomorrow for Pirates Day!!! Doesn't that sound fun? She loves pirates. What can I say she's three and has a wide range of interests. Cheers!!!!!!!!!!  (that was A LOT of exclamation points...)

Quick Dr. Jones

Look out!  Just kidding.  Here is a picture of my friend Jon with his New Indiana Jones themed journal.  Isn't that great!

So Many Things

So Little Time!!!!!!

My brain is spinning around with ideas and I just can't seem to focus on any one thing. So here is a probably not so short list of what's going on around in my grey matter...

1. I finished the Indiana Jones journal for my friend Jon. And he loved it!!! It was probably one of the more simple things I've made. I had to reign myself in to accommodate his tastes... Haha

2. I want to start Christmas Journals but I'm not sure if there is any point... I have a whole box full of lovely journals in my bedroom waiting for good homes already...

3. I think I want to start making stationery again! Cards really. If I could sit down and focus I might just do that!

4. I haven't journaled all week and I need to get back to my Summer of Love art journal class.

5. I really want to get another piece of mail art made for that Summer Camp I mentioned a few days ago! So far I am sending off a really neat big wooden postcard.


6. I really would love to find a penpal! I've had a few over the last years but after a letter or three back and forth they've fizzled...

7. I can't stop thinking about my upcoming VACATION! My little brother arrives from Oregon on August 5th and will be sleeping on my couch until the following Sunday. Eight glorious days!!! Sunday will be pick up day. Monday is the Ventura County Fair. Tuesday we will lounge and Wednesday is Disneyland day!!! Thursday we will relax and Friday it is off to the Aquarium of the Pacific. Saturday we will be couch potatoes and Sunday it's back to LAX for him. I can't believe how far we've come!!! I have to remind myself that I am almost 29 which makes him 26... Not so little...

Any who this not so little post is just SOME of the craziness going on in my noodle... Hopefully I can find some focus today and get something wonderful accomplished. Cheers!!!

Indiana Jones

Who doesn't love Indiana?!

Well this is pretty funny. But of all the people in my non online life it's the fellas who want me to make them custom journals. So now I have been tasked with making an Indiana Jones journal. You know the type. Leather. Rustic parchment paper. Maps. Oh did I mention the leather cover?!



I. Am. Not. A. Leather smith. But luckily I was once a journal hoarder. So I happen to be in possession of a fantastic leather journal cover with a wrap around closure. VERY Indiana Jones esque. Now I just have to bind a book together to go inside it. I'm thinking cream colored pages that have been distressed and possibly aged with tea... We shall see. Pictures to follow!

Yippie!!!

The 13 new Journals in honor of Friday the 13th and my tutorial going live on Katie's Blog Making this Home are officially in my Etsy Shop and up for sale!!!   This journey of story keeping and finding the medium that feels right to me has been so much fun and Katie has been a huge inspiration to me.  I am super proud of how everything transformed into something beautiful and I love each and every journal.  I hope others will love them as well but if not, I suppose I wouldn't be too heart broken if I got to keep them, (smile).   Well, sorry for the picture overload but I just think they all turned out SO pretty!

Here they are!

Busy Bee!!!

Tomorrow is the big day!  My tutorial goes live tomorrow Friday the 13th in the morning over at Making This Home.  So, I have been a super busy worker bee finishing some new journals for the shop!  Decorating the covers is my favorite part and that's what I am doing today!

On a weird side note.

*The tutorial is being launched on the Thirteenth.
                                 
*I ended up cutting enough paper for Thirteen books unbeknownst to me.
                                 
*I was worried I didn't have enough binder rings and when I counted I had
EXACTLY enough for Thirteen Journals...  SPOOKY!!!

So on a very happy note I hope anyone who reads my silly little Blog checks out my first attempt at a tutorial tomorrow!!!  Cheers!

So NEAT!

If anyone in interested in being part of a really neat little mail art project for children at camp them go check out this post on the Letter Writers Alliance Blog!  A fellow letter writing enthusiast is teaching mail art at a summer camp and is asking if people can send in some mail art so she can have examples for the children when they arrive!  Visit the site for full details.  I am definitely going to participate!  I have some neat over sized wooden postcards that are nifty to receive in the mail and I am sure I will think of a few other goodies to send as well!  Happy Mailing!

13 Journals

In the making so far!!! (for Friday the 13th...)  Sooo exciting. I spent a good portion of my lovely Sunday afternoon pulling paper and cutting them into journal sized sheets. Next I get to cut out cardboard covers... Which isn't nearly my favorite part but they make my favorite part!!! Then I get to hunt for the little extras to put in the books and decorate the covers.

So far I've got:

3 Twilight Inspired books with paper from my Twilight themed scrap pad and some handmade up cycled Twilight envelopes.

2 Autumn & Fall journals filled with paper in rich oranges and browns.

2 Camping and Wilderness books with fun themed paper including smores and fishing lures!

3 are Sewing Themed with needles, thread and patterns as well as hand made up cycled envelopes from a vintage sewing magazine.

And 3 Alice in Wonderland Tea Party Inspired journals.

These plus hopefully a few more will be in the shop Friday morning!!! Yippie.