Oh Beautiful Bookmark

Happy Monday guys!

Today, I'm on a mission to rescue this:

It's a label that came with my husband's new pair of jeans. It's made from thick and sturdy cardboard. Time to turn it from blah to TADA!

I thought it was a good excuse to use my newly acquired Washi tape. I love this because it has a darling print and the texture is like fabric!

Just a few strips at the front...

...that runs all the way to the back.

Don't forget to add some embroidery thread!

Now I've got a pretty bookmark for all my summer reads. TADA!

Jewelry Packaging Ideas

Very nice to see you today! If you tuned in last week, I made an assortment of earrings from my collection of beads:

 Today, I'll show you an idea on how to package them.

First off, we need cardstock. This a printed kind but nothing too loud or busy that can take the attention away from the earrings. I'm also using a circle craft punch and a hole punch. 

Punch some circles on the cardstock. If you don't have a craft punch, you can make circles by tracing around a can and cutting it with a pair of scissors. Or you can opt for other shapes like a square if that's an easier option. 

With the hole punch, make two pairs of holes on the cardstock circle.

This is where you'll attach the earrings.

Do this for all the earrings you have. If you'll be selling these, you can put your shop information on top or at the back of the cardstock circle. Maybe you have a stamp or a sticker label that will make labelling easier. 

As a little extra, I made this envelope using rubber stamps and an ink pad.

Put in the earrings and they are ready for your customers. TADA!

Handmade Earrings

So I was looking for my pliers and found them in my jewelry making supplies box. Then I realized how much of a mess it was.

I organized it right away and seeing all the beads gave me the urge to make some earrings.

With pliers and wire hoops, I quickly turned blah into TADA!

It was very therapeutic and I have new pairs to share. TADA!

The Country Living Fair

It's almost summer and to kick off my favorite time of the year, a roadtrip was on the agenda over the weekend.

The destination: Rhinebeck, New York for The Country Living Fair! 

Country Living is a magazine and every year, they put together a craft fair in different parts of the U.S. like New York, Ohio, Georgia, and Tennessee. I had always wanted to go and this year, I finally did.

It was the perfect sunny day with a slight nippy breeze.

There was lively music.

There were food trucks and food booths hawking everything from American, Mexican, Italian, and Polish treats.

There were "Meet and Greet" events, too.  Here are The Beekman Boys, Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge doing a cooking demonstration.

There were also speakers on DIY projects, as well as "Make and Take" Workshops.

Here are photos of some of my favorite vendors: 

I love that handmade is alive and well! Next time, I'll show you some of the things I took home from the fair. 

Have a beautiful week!

The Art of Hand Lettering

Howdy guys! I'm not sure what percentage of the world still writes using pen and paper. It's so easy to go electronic and paperless these days. 

I love handwriting. My lists are still written in a notebook and workshop notes jotted down in cahiers.  I'm in the habit of writing letters and cards. And I'm back into filling daily journals. 

That's why fancy penmanship appeals to me. I even took a calligraphy class! I know...very old school.

I picked up this book by the talented Abbey Sy, a creative entrepreneur specializing in hand lettering and travel illustrations. Here she details the basics of the art and features other artists to help the reader find their style.

Before attempting to hand letter, I assembled a kit. I chose this packing cube meant for travel because it has many compartments.

To be candid, I've seen a lot of kits like this in my Instagram feed and I got so jealous. Imagine, pens in all colors and tip sizes inside cases bursting at the seams!

I didn't spend on anything, though. These are supplies that I already have that I just organized in one container. As you can see, it has different kinds of pens, pencils, a paintbrush, compass, ruler and sharpener. I can add more supplies later (I'm still on the hunt for recommendations).

To start my hand lettering journey, I practiced my letters in different styles.

Then I combined styles and colors just to get the hang of it.

I worked on a few quotes and favorite slogans.

Right now, I'm just practicing until I find my hand lettering style. Next time, I'll show you where I apply my artsy letters.

Have a productive week ya'all!

Pink Balloons

An act of terrorism taking young, innocent lives in Manchester. What has happened to this world?

In a vigil last night, pink balloons were released in memory of the victims. 

I am saddened by all this tragedy caused by hatred. Nobody wins.

Blackout Poetry

I first learned about blackout poetry through Austin Kleon. It's taking a page with text (from a newspaper, magazine or an old book), finding words that stand out and blocking out all the remaining text with a black marker. The words that remain create a new story.

Here is my very first attempt:

"Rough Waters"
The blue waves of the ocean
A treacherous and unknown sea
I clung fast to this corner
I nearly drowned
All the water washing over me
The sun has helped to dry
And I feel better since

It's quite addicting, almost like those word hunt games. I'll share my process if you'd like to try your hand at it. 

Start with an old book. I found this at a thrift shop and I bought it for the purpose of crafting. 

The other supplies I use are binder clips to hold the book open, a pencil, an eraser, and a black marker.

I randomly choose a page and scan for words that, when linked together, make sense.

I underline these words with a pencil.

Then "blackout" all the other sentences with the marker.

Then I erase all the pencil marks.

"Affirmation"
You are as brave as you are pretty, my dear
Glowing brightly
Precious
Gleaming
Of silver and gold
Solid

I always add a title and sometimes accent with watercolor. 

There are other ways to do the "blackout" where the poet becomes an artist, too. Look here:

"Keeping up Appearances"
Pleasing, lovely, magnificent
Precious, rare, curious, costly
Everything seemed without a spark of life

Never fear

"Courage"
It will be a dangerous undertaking
We ought to do it
We shall do it
It requires a lot of courage for me
But I am going

That's turning an old book from blah to TADA!