Paper

paper people

I’m so glad to finally have my crafts back.  I was simply drooling over my beloved paper stash, but alas all crafts will need to wait until other things are done.  (My sister on the other hand kept reminding me what a crazy person I am for having so many storage bins of crafty materials! — Seriously though, it could be a problem!)

I just love it when people get crafty with paper products.  Upon seeing the work of Peter Clark, I was instantly inspired and wishing I was clever enough to “re-fashion” a map and make stuff like him.  Check it out:

{via}

group art

I wouldn’t consider myself much of a “group project” kind of gal.  I’ve got bad flashbacks of school projects gone awry.  Typically what happened is that my type A personality would take over because I didn’t want to have my name on something that I didn’t have full control over and of course no one was going to be able to do things the way I would.  Obnoxious, I know.

But I did, however, find a group project that I actually chose to join.  The Sketchbook Project is a unique collaboration of individual sketchbooks that will tour the country.  The catch?  Anyone can join and submit their book.  The day that Shannon posted about it, I immediately signed up and sent off for my own book.  Then a few days later she had the brilliant idea to collaborate with other bloggers and have us each create a page or two in one book.  I am so excited about both.  I received my book last week and have been staring at the blank pages for inspiration.  I love the accessibility of this project.  It’s for everyone from the professional to the amateur.  I hope I get to make it to Austin next spring to see it in person.

pick your favorite paper please…

…and send a note to someone!

it’s so sad that the post office is in so much financial trouble.  you can read an interesting story about it here.  the real tragedy (ok not really) is that so few letters personal notes are being sent.  i can appreciate the effort “to go green” and reduce all the unnecessary and superfluous paper out there (good-bye junk mail!). but i still find so much joy in sending ( and receiving) a hand-written note on carefully selected paper, written with a special pen, and consumed with deliberate thought.  i can’t imagine an entirely electronic world.

i’ll have to add these to my wish list:

 

{get these things here}

paper pieces

I’m itching to do something creative with paper.  But I had to leave my stash in Michigan because space is limited here…and I would have needed an entire u-haul for all my crafts.  But in the mean time I can dream of all sorts of paper goodness and just maybe start a small stash here in texas (but just don’t tell my husband!!)

I would LOVE to make a mini like this right now! 

Maybe I could start with something small, like these tags…

It will have to be next year until I can make the loveliest paper ornaments like the ones here:

working girl

I always love getting personal stuff done on company time.  Well, since I am just temping for a couple of weeks I don’t feel too bad.  (My supervisor did give me a stack of magazines to read if things got slow…so I mean, come on!)  One of the many things I accomplished today was addressing my Christmas cards.  I finally ordered a few photo cards, but I couldn’t afford the zillion that I needed and Target was having a sale last week (the one box store I can’t seem to boycott!).  As I examined the chicken scratch resembling an addressed envelop, it made me wish that I had an ounce of the talent of Betsy Dunlap — calligrapher extraordinaire.  Check out some of her work here.  And she also has a very lovely blog here.

a clean page

This weekend I took a break and quickly put together a new mini.  I was recently asked about my other mini… the daily 2009.  I stopped making pages in June.  It started to feel like more of an obligation rather than a joy.  I was also becoming busier and then when we put our house on the market, I couldn’t keep my crafts out in the open.  (I keep them in rubbermaid bins under the bed.)  I also started feeling weird about posting things that were so personal.  All of that combined… I decided to stop that book where it was.  I can’t say that I’ve done much with paper since.  My summer was so busy and dragging out the boxes wasn’t too appealing.

But alas, on Sunday, creativity came calling and I thought it would be worth the effort.  I think the whole idea of a “mini-book” will work for me if it’s already pre-made, or almost done… just add words, photos and a date stamp.  I am also too much of a type A personality to not love having more of a uniform look.  I like each page being the same size and a similar color scheme or theme.  (I know… all kinds of crazy!)

So I created this one on Sunday as a gift…but it will be hard to part with it.  Here are just a few pages:

mini book cover DSC_0728

pink paper blue paper

yellow and blue pink and gold