Just Make Stuff

Time to celebrate...

I have a few cards to share today and the first couple were actually made to donate to Operation Write Home. 

I learned about the organization last month and love the idea of getting to be the tiniest part of helping the members of military stay in touch with their families.

I made a card full of hearts for my first set...I thought it might be nice for someone to get to read reasons they are loved on each of those little strips tucked into a pocket. Of course the envelopes needed little hearts too...

If you'd like to help out with Operation Write Home you can find more information here. I have some extra stamps (they ask that you identify the back of the cards with OWH) and I'll send them out to the first three people to send me an e-mail that they'd like to get started making cards too.  Thanks to the first three people to comment Krista, Tami and Gayle...please e-mail your addresses and I'll send the stamps right out to you.

Randomness

1. I had my nose pierced back in 2006. It accidentally fell out in 2007 and I had it re-pierced. I came so close to accidentally yanking it entirely out this past Sunday and almost passed out before Sean helped me get it back in. Like I was a borderline hyperventilating mess which is probably one of many indicators that I am not cool enough to have my nose pierced.

2. Love that I have blog posts documenting my penchant for using inappropriate language and that I have a fake tooth.

3. Twitter can be very informative...first it led me to this blog post and now I want to take this crochet class since I still only know one stitch...

4. And now Twitter taught me that I should try these aromatherapy balms.

5. The newest Sur La Table catalog arrived today and I need to learn how to make whatever this deliciousness on the cover is...

6. I have a good mom. She told me that earlier tonight and she's totally right. 

The other white house...

I went along with my mom's best friend, Connie, and her daughter, Amee, on a field trip to Pasadena today. As we were leaving my house I made sure to ask permission to take along the big, annoying camera so I could blog about our day...and thank goodness I did. None of us knew when we headed out that it would end up with us squealing with happiness. Okay, maybe I was the only one that actually squealed, but we were all pretty excited.

First we had a late morning snack at Euro Pane Bakery. This blueberry strudel cake was warm out of the oven... 

Then there was the actual purpose of the trip. Going to Silverlake Architectual Salvage in search of a door for a project we have dreamed up for Amee's new house. Today I managed to refrain from purchasing anything, but oh the possibilities... 

Then we had lunch nearby in San Marino at the most wonderful restaurant, Julienne. If you are reading this and live anywhere in Southern California or are visiting anytime soon I would highly recommend this place.

My attempts at being a food blogger failed miserably. That coffee cake photo earlier and this photo of my beef filet sandwich were the only ones that turned out remotely decent. I guess I am too excited to start eating to be bothered with taking the extra minute to ensure a good photo of food.  

Okay, this where the real excitement begins.

Have you watched Father of the Bride two hundred and thirty four times like I have? Granted, that's a rough estimate. I do have admit that I have a shameful amount of details from that movie ingrained in my psyche. As we drove to lunch gawking at the beautiful homes in the area, Amee mentioned that she thought the Father of the Bride house was in Pasadena. 

Then as we arrived at the restaurant she was again perceptive enough to realize that San Marino, the little town we were in, was mentioned as the place they live in the movie. A little cell phone Googling gave us the address for the house just over a mile away. On the drive over the aforementioned squealing began.

And I might have shared with them that I was more excited to see this house than I would be to see the White House... 

You have to admit this is pretty magical.

The best part of the whole thing though was getting to share this magic (although fairly stalker-ish) with two people that adore every moment of that movie as much as I have. Now I just need to see the official White House one day.

Making my own...

If you read the weekly "Starred" posts around here you probably know I'm fairly obsessed with color combinations. 

Over the weekend I saw a couple of images that made me want to try to make my own...

from Grey Likes Weddings

from Ocean Swept

Maybe instead of working towards teaching Community College Sociology classes I should become a professional color combination creator. As I am currently faced with a big statistical paper to write I'm thinking this new career plan is a fantastic idea.

Mac Made: 02

Much like the pinata, Mac decided he wanted to attempt a "Starburst Bracelet" and quickly recruited assistance. This time from his dad and grandma...and his cousins who willingly took all the unwrapped candy since Mac couldn't have any chewy stuff with a new mouthful of braces.

I was amazed to see it all finished when he got back to our house the next day and I couldn't help but tease Mac's dad with text message's about his remarkable bracelet assembly skills. He told me he was considering it as a second job.

The bracelet survived a few weeks, but as we took these photos it was getting pretty worn and close to meeting the recycle bin. It was pretty sweet while it lasted though...pun intended. :)

Remember this?

The shop is back after summer break. It needs to get ready for all kinds of holiday crafting in the next few months, which means it's time for another clean-out...

There are a few new card kit grab bags and a couple of garage sale boxes that have had the price reduced. 

Most importantly you can save an additional 25% off your order with the coupon code "CLEAN"

And there is one new item...

Halloween twine all bundled up and ready to to craft with.

I saved an extra one to share so please leave a "pick me" if you'd like it. And if you have any Etsy shop requests I'd love to hear them too...

And then it finally occurred to me...

Do you enjoy inane details? Do you have the compulsion to try to make the most random of items a littler cuter? 

Well, if so, this is the blog post for you.

I have used Avery NoteTabs in my organizer for over a year. And while they are really handy for quickly turning to the current week, they are not anywhere near as cute as I would like them to be. That is until last week when it finally occurred to me to cover them up in patterned paper...

I covered the side with the adhesive so I could stick them to the back of the page I need to flip to.

 

Granted this is not particularly innovative, but it does makes flipping to my to-do list a little more cheerful.

Starred...

1. The Elegant Abode, 2. Granny Chic, 3. corner office, 4. Apples, 5. First Snow in Autumn, 6. my desk, 7. barely hanging on..., 8. inspiration wall

A few fun things from this week...

• Loves this idea for notecards.
• Cute gift wrapping with a clothespin.
• You know there has to be at least one color combo.
• Such a great house...how cool is the old wallpaper?

{Starred is a post every Saturday that includes recent Flickr Favorites and the blog entries I've found & saved (with a star) in my Google Reader}

Autumn...

So excited that it officially starts today...although admittedly I've been burning fall scented candles for a couple of weeks. Love making combinations in this votive holder...yesterday was macintosh apple, cinnamon sugar and caramel.

Hope you get to enjoy something cozy & fall-ish this weekend too. 

Paper fun...

I figured since I have spent the entire day working on a paper that is not fun, I would share a couple of layouts that I made a few weeks ago to remind me that some paper can be really fun...

Oh should I have posted tonight?

Instead I'm sitting at my desk along with the Nat King Cole station on Pandora, a decaf salted caramel mocha (told you I was addicted) and Sociological theorist Patricia Hill Collins writing my first paper of the semester.

I'll be back soon...

(The Last) Ten on Tuesday...

1. I'm making a change around here...no more Ten on Tuesdays. I actually really love them, but sometimes getting to 10 is painful. From now on it'll be "Weekly Randomness" which also frees up the day...because I have Statistics class on Tuesday and that does not free up any day whatsoever.

2. Granted, I just made that announcement with the assumption that this ridiculous little blog change matters one bit to you.

3. Last Thursday night I decided we needed to make creamy chicken and rice soup, cheddar herb bread and Nutella pumpkin muffins. 

4. Here is what the sink looked like after all that cooking...

5. I am unreasonably obsessed with the idea of perfect brown boots as seen here and here.

6. After the app sat quietly on my phone & iPad for too long I finally figured out why I love Evernote over the weekend. I was filled with organizational glee as I e-mailed my Evernote account Statistics class Power Points and codebooks from the study I'm using to write a paper this week.

7. I dislike the word "blog". I was reminded of this when I saw a TJMaxx commercial that focuses on having a fashion blog. I'm just complaining and don't know really what I'd want it changed to. Any suggestions? 

8. Now that I randomly shared my annoyance with the word, would this be a good time to mention I have ideas to create two more blogs?

9. Love that I can stop at #9 now...no more rules. Granted I guess I could always have stopped before. Man, I am way too compulsive sometimes.

30 Lists: Day Nineteen

{I'm participating in 30 Days if Lists this September...here are all my lists so far}

Just like last year...

           

Do you feel the chill in the air? It's almost fall which means the temperatures here in Southern California dip down a little bit...just enough to make you believe we get seasons. Then fall officially starts and the temperature shoots back up higher than ever. It's just like last year...I wrote about it being nice and cool and putting out decorations to celebrate. Within a couple of weeks it was a record setting 113 degrees.

But the beauty of fall is you can make your own inside...although it may require air conditioning. So again just like last year I decorated the mantle, in fact it's pretty much the exact same. And wouldn't you know the TV weathermen are discussing the pending heatwave coming up this week. 

                         

The only change this year is a little felt leaf garland that I pinned and copied from here. I hand-cut little leaves and stitched them together with the sewing machine...

Now just imagine cuddling up with a blanket, maybe a warm cup of tea too and inhaling a cozy autumn scented candle. It's just like fall around here...just don't go outside into the 90 degree temperatures. 

**************************************************
This project was shared at...
Sew Chatty 
Cherished Bliss
Somewhat Simple

30 Lists: Days Seventeen & Eighteen

{I'm participating in 30 Days if Lists this September...here are all my lists so far}

Starred...

1. sofa left, 2. yum!, 3. The Trollsta sideboard, 4. Nice idea, 5. autumn book., 6. desk area. , 7. Untitled, 8. Goldenrod Felt Yarn Wreath Original Handmade

Just a couple favorites from the week...

• Love these scrapbook layouts.
• Two great gift wrapping ideas...here and here.
• And this post has me already thinking about this year's holiday cards.

{Starred is a post every Saturday that includes recent Flickr Favorites and the blog entries I've found & saved (with a star) in my Google Reader}

30 Lists: Day Sixteen

{I'm participating in 30 Days if Lists this September...here are all my lists so far}

A little something...

A couple of weeks ago I took some flowers to a neighbor who had just dropped her daughter off to start college in Colorado (you may remember her local restaurant themed graduation gift I loved putting together last spring).

I took one of the many spaghetti sauce jars I continue to amass and strung some buttons on a wire around the top again since I'm still addicted to this craft idea. A quick tag finished it off...

The extra little stems ended up staying home with me in a tiny bud vase (similar to these)... 

It made me so happy to put this together...so who needs flowers next?

**************************************************
This project was shared at...  
Lolly Jane  
Somewhat Simple 
Tatertots & Jello

30 Lists: Day Fifteen

{I'm participating in 30 Days if Lists this September...here are all my lists so far}

Giveaway winners...

The Halloween banner goes to...

Comment #9 Sarah said... Love Halloween! Pick me! September 13, 2011 at 08:21 AM

 

The Amy Tangerine embellishments go to...

Comment #16 Maureen said...aren't you nice, I would love a chance to win. September 14, 2011 at 04:33 AM

 

Comment #52 Nathalie said...Those layouts are a real treat!!! I can even pick a favorite but I am glad to see pages on your blog!!! And I would love some embellishments of course!!! Thank you for generosity! September 14, 2011 at 04:07 PM

 

Congratulations Sarah, Maureen and Nathalie please e-mail me with your addresses.

30 Lists: Days Twelve, Thirteen and Fourteen

A little behind on my lists so here's the catching up...

Day Twelve

Day Thirteen

Day Fourteen

{I'm participating in 30 Days if Lists this September...here are all my lists so far}

And both the Halloween banner and Amy Tangerine embellishment giveaways are still open...I'll do the drawings Thursday evening.

Patterned paper heaven...

As I'm sure you've figured out, I have two long time loves in this whole scrapbooking/crafty world. One is rubber stamps. And a very close number two is patterned paper. It just makes my heart beat faster. 

I was fortunate enough to get a thank you package of Amy Tangerine's new line for being a part of her blog hop back in June. There are tons of cute embellishments, and the alphabets are adorable too. But the patterned paper has completely captured my crafty heart and soul. I made layouts over the weekend and just kept layering it on...

I mixed a few other things on a couple of these layouts, but the Amy Tangerine patterns are going to be a favorite of mine for a long time.

Since I mainly use patterned paper when I'm crafting, I have plenty of extra embellishments to share...

I'll send out two little packets later this week...just leave a comment if you'd like one.

Ten on Tuesday...

1. I tried a salted caramel mocha at Starbucks this weekend and became so instantaneously addicted that I ended up having three of them in just about 25 hours.

2. I technically don't like coffee or espresso so I make the annoying request for only half a shot. I've decided I can have one once a week.

3. Okay maybe twice, but that's it.

4. Like the good internet lemming that I can be, I checked out my Target this morning for the new Missoni items after seeing all the talk on Twitter. Everything was cleared out.

5. I came home and instead pretended to shop for a minute. This website quickly showed me that I would have liked to buy the chevron patterned box, file folders and make-up bag...oh well.

6. Last night was a harvest moon and I would've loved to be at home to see it while out on a walk with Sean. As I sat in my gender theory class thinking about that I happened to look out the classroom window and there it was all perfect and orange with wispy clouds floating in front of it.

7. My mom introduced me to creamy honey a couple of weeks ago. She suggested eating it on an english muffin spread with a little whipped butter, the honey and a piece of bacon (or sausage). 

8. Seriously you should go try it and then you can thank my mom too for sharing such a delicious idea.

9. I discovered The Party Dress Magazine yesterday...it has a lot of cute fall ideas.

  

10. Our house changed drastically over the weekend with Sean figuring out how to adjust the automatic swinging hinge thing (I don't know what the official name of it is) on the door between our garage and house. For ten years it had violently slammed shut unless we caught it in time. It was so bad that the door was starting to come off the other hinges. Now the door peacefully glides to a close. It's amazing how the littlest things can make such a big difference.

I shouldn't admit this...

Halloween has never really been my favorite holiday. However, when I saw Spooktacular September on the Eighteen25 blog last year it finally started to change my mind. 

Last October I ended up making pumpkin carving invites for the party Mac wanted to host for his friends and more invitations to our annual trick-or-treat party. I copied an idea I saw for paper lanterns and failed at an idea with candy corn. We ended up with a dining room all decorated for Mac's party and of course the front porch decorated too.

Now that I see that amount of craftiness I think I have to admit to being a total Halloween convert.

And even if I still wanted to hold out, the sentimental project I was lucky enough to share on Eighteen25 today completely won me over...

It was a dream come true to be a part of the Halloween blog event that helped me fall in love with all things cute and spooky. I can't thank Jamie, Jodie and Jen enough for including me. 

And in my crafty preparations I ended up with an extra little Halloween banner so if you would like it for your own project please feel free to leave a "Pick Me" and I'll do a random drawing later this week.

Just keeping you updated...

I shared back in July that the 2011 scrapbook layout count was looking pretty meager.

Low and behold I doubled that little number this weekend...all it took was the statistics homework I had waiting for me.

I will share more soon...

Nine Eleven...

My mom woke me up with a phone call on September 11, 2001 suggesting that I turn on the news right away that morning. 

Ten years later what stays with me more than the fear of that day is the resilience our country demonstrated in the days and weeks after. 

Being immersed in Sociology nowadays I have to study a lot about what society struggles with, what it does wrong. Remembering the care and concern that was extended to others, and especially the pride in who we were collectively, is something I believe as a society we did really, really right.

Even though it's burry I love this photo of one of my nieces this past 4th of July gathering together every flag we had lining our front yard.

30 Lists: Day Eleven

{I'm participating in 30 Days if Lists this September...here are all my lists so far}

30 Lists: Day Ten

{I'm participating in 30 Days if Lists this September...here are all my lists so far}

Starred...

1. Jar of Cupcake Cases, 2. Untitled, 3. Untitled, 4. all Orla, 5. Destash of Sugar Pink Boutique Ribbons and Trims, 6. Bedroom!, 7. In my studio, 8. Farmers' Market

Apparently I was hungry this week because I starred a lot of recipes...

• There's homemade goldfish crackers...bacon jam...bacon, gruyere and chive scones (can you tell I found a new favorite food blog?) and BBQ chicken pizza.
• Of course there's a couple of color combinations...one and two.
• And a very cool home office...totally inspired by this space.

{Starred is a post every Saturday that includes recent Flickr Favorites and the blog entries I've found & saved (with a star) in my Google Reader}

30 Lists: Day Nine

{I'm participating in 30 Days if Lists this September...here are all my lists so far}

Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars...

I made this layout to document our 12th anniversary...the moon and stars have always been our "thing".

Sean and I saw a shooting star on our first date which is pretty rare here in light and bright Southern California.

For our first Christmas after we started dating Sean bought Mac "Guess How Much I Love You" which ends "I love you to the moon...and back." We actually included the story in our wedding ceremony...watching my brother read it to everyone is one of my very favorite memories.

And our first dance at our wedding reception was supposed to be Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon".

The DJ accidentally played Frank Sinatra's, "Come Fly with Me". 

30 Lists: Day Eight

{I'm participating in 30 Days if Lists this September...here are all my lists so far}

Beware...

I've shared the drawer in my desk that holds all of my ink pads, but I thought I'd share the middle drawer which holds the necessities. Everything from my most used scissors to an in-case-of-emergency crank flashlight. Whiteboard cleaner to a Care Bears ruler circa 1984. This drawer is opened at least a dozen times a day.

But beware of when you close it. Especially if you're leaning into the desk with your chest in order to grab something. And maybe, just maybe, you don't have a bra on. Trust me, you'll almost cry. And if for some reason this drawer closing mishap does takes place, please learn your painful lesson and don't do it for a second time a couple of weeks later. Ouch.

I cannot believe I just shared that. But if I save just one person from being horrifyingly pinched in this manner than my mortification is completely worth it.

I often say, "Safety First" but I never realized that needs to apply to desk drawers too.

30 Lists: Day Seven

{I'm participating in 30 Days if Lists this September...here are all my lists so far}

Start strong...

I have a charming habit of being really on top of things. I start the various tasks I need to accomplish with fervor. I think of things days, weeks, even months before they need to be done.

And then I leave them half finished...that's the part that is not so charming. 

When I saw these cute clipboards and matching pencil sets in the Target dollar spot way back in May I thought they'd make cute gifts for Mac's teachers on the first day of school. I brought them home to wait months and months until the last minute and I finally got them ready yesterday, just in the nick of time for school to start today.

Thankfully all I had to do was cover the top of a notepad with some patterned paper...

 

You can see other first day of school gifts from 2010, 2009 and 2008 that I did a little better job of not only planning but also finishing ahead of time.

30 Lists: Day Six

{I'm participating in 30 Days if Lists this September...here are all my lists so far}

Ten on Tuesday...

1. The one tricky aspect of a three day weekend is remembering that it's Tuesday when it's over...today is not Monday. Am I the only one that struggles with this?

2. I just printed out my first four chapters of statistics homework to hand in tomorrow. I am probably feeling way more of a sense of accomplishment than I should be.

3. Last week I made an new page for my organizer. It's everything I need in a week. In case it's everything you need too here's the PDF Download This Week.

4. In our 13 years of dog ownership we have never lost any of our canine trifecta. Until a couple of weeks ago. It seems Shamrock slipped through a hole in our gate around 8pm and was missing in the neighborhood. Thank God it only took us 20 terrifying minutes to find him. Oh my goodness does my heart go out even more now to families who have lost a pet. I can't begin to imagine if we couldn't have found him. Shamrock is kind of the problematic middle child and will bark relentlessly, but he's is the most loyal, sweetest pain-in-the-rear dog we could ever want.

5. And he always wants to go with to take Mac to school and pick him up. Sean just reloaded his carseat since Mac's first day of school is Wednesday.

6. Fall crafts have started around here. I had an intense debate with myself while deciding the perfect shade of orange for an upcoming project. 

7. Speaking of fall crafts, I am in love with this leaf garland idea and have already cut up a pile of felt today.

8. Did anyone enjoy the first weekend of college football as much as Sean and I did? We celebrated with artichoke dip (from the Pioneer Woman's cookbook) for an afternoon snack and panini sandwiches for dinner. The good food almost made up for the fact that our favorite teams, Notre Dame and Oregon, lost their games.

9. Our walk last night included a rare sky full of clouds and the most beautiful sunset.

10. I'm darn lucky I didn't trip and fall since I was staring up at it and/or taking photos with Sean's phone for at least the first half of our walk.

30 Lists: Day Five

{I'm participating in 30 Days if Lists this September...here are all my lists so far}

30 Lists: Day Four

{I'm participating in 30 Days if Lists this September...here are all my lists so far}

Did I say Saturday night?

Yeah, that certainly didn't happen. So the Sunday night drawing for the bracelet...

#13  Lou said...

Beautiful! I just ordered a couple from their site. Thanks for always providing such great links! =)

September 03, 2011 at 11:23 AM

Lou please e-mail me your address so I can get the bracelet on it's way to you.

So glad some of you were able to check out 31Bits. I have been wearing my new bracelets in different color combinations all weekend.

Starred...

1. autumn indoors, 2. Apartment_Music_Area, 3. framing up birthdays, 4. Molly's Sketchbook: Apple Coasters, 5. RetroFlowerLampe2, 6. some rain and some sun today, 7. 2011_0509_Chenonceaublog12.jpg, 8. Book Pile

Good stuff from the last couple of weeks...

• Some of the most amazing cards I have ever seen here and here. Fantastic layouts here too.
• Colors...one, two, three and four.
• Memory has always been one of my favorite games so I love this idea.
• Cute way to package candles...and to decorate clipboards.
• Super inspiring crafty images here.
• I would like to try cooking Sweet and Sour Chicken, French Toast Pancakes and White Chocolate Mousse.

{Starred is a post every Saturday that includes recent Flickr Favorites and the blog entries I've found & saved (with a star) in my Google Reader}

30 Lists: Day Three

{I'm participating in 30 Days if Lists this September...here are all my lists so far}

Wanted to help...

I first learned about 31Bits here. I devoured the website and admired the company's mission so much. I ordered a set of colorful bracelets and when I noticed they were headquartered in Orange County I wanted to see if they needed any help.

I just started volunteering last week and loved being around all the jewelry. It is incredibly inspiring to see the craftsmanship as I get to help tag their new fall line. I took Mac with me today and he fell in love with it too...he's already plotting when he can go back, "Mom, can I volunteer again when I'm off school for Thanksgiving?" 

We brought home a few more bracelets with us today...especially new fall colors. I also have one to share...

If you'd like it please leave a comment for a Saturday evening random drawing.

If you're interested in getting more there's a discount code here. Or you could always host your own house party too. 

 

30 Lists: Day Two

{I'm participating in 30 Days if Lists this September...here are all my lists so far}

30 Lists: Day One

I signed up last month to write thirty lists in September. I thought it'd be a little something crafty I could do as I'm buried alive by statistics and gender theory. For each day's prompt I plan on just grabbing a scrap of paper or maybe typing something up if I get ambitious. Then I'll stick them all in a little book when I'm done.

Here's the first list...a few September goals complete with my favorite check-boxes...

Here's more information if you want to join in too.