How To Make a Mini Book With Soap Box

I came across this neat little tutorial randomly on YouTube a few months ago and I finally have some soap boxes saved up to try it!!!  It seems to be really fun and simple and I love any paper craft where I get to use up the smaller bits of paper that I hoard because I hate to waste them.  I'm thinking of making up a small bunch of these and listing them in my shop.  Whatcha think?

I think they would be great to:
Throw in your purse for lists
Favorite quotes
Random song lyrics
On the spot ideas that you really don't wanna forget!
Dinosaur prints...

Or they would be fantastic for gifts for:
Birthday party favors
Bridal parties
Baby showers!!!

Uh oh, I LOVE doing themed sets.  OK now I am really excited, lol.

New Photos

And a lesson learned...  Well, I have finally done it!  After receiving some feedback about my shop the main point that was made was that my pretty backgrounds in my photos were detracting from the bright colorfulness of my journals!  

Which of course I don't want, so it was back to the camera.  This was a tough thing for me because everyone says that white backgrounds are the best.  But my mind always goes for color!  

Well I came up with an interesting idea that follows through with a white background while also making sure it isn't completely plain.  I took a 12x12 piece of white scrapbook paper and put a sheet of bubble wrap over it so it sort of had a glassy/glossy background.  What do you think?  Fingers crossed!

Hello!!!

Sorry for the impromptu week away, my does time fly!  While I have been away I've been working on something really great, something I have been thinking about doing for quite some time. I have started a new Blog!  But don't worry, this one isn't going anywhere.  I'll still be here all of the time with my latest crafty, mail endeavors.  The new Blog is to document my journey into Vegan-ism   Yup, this girl is going Vegan.  Should be quite an adventure!  If your interested in following along here is the link.  It is called Simply, Sara Jean Newbie Vegan!

Discount Day!

Just popping in to mention that for some strange reason I am getting a lot more visits to my shop this week!  Which is fabulous and heck I will neither question why or complain!  So in celebration I have uploaded a DISCOUNT!!!  10% when you type in WOOHOO at checkout!

I'll be back with a more entertaining post later today.  Only two more days left at home!  Sad...

Remains of the Day

I have had a great vacation at home so far! Why oh why can't I always Be home... Pout. Anywho!

I decided to sign up for a crafty class while home to break up my time spent crocheting crazy rainbow granny squares. So I signed up for Mary Ann Moss's Remains of the Day journal class!!! If you don't know who Mary Ann is then you need to get over to her blog ASAP. She's over at Dispatch from LA. She is fabulous!!! She makes amazing journals. Takes beautiful photos and is all around swell! So is her sister Carol over at Tall Tales from Kansas.

I absolutely love Mary Ann's classes. She is a gorilla crafter  There are no rules. Almost no measuring and nothing is ever supposed to be perfect!!! All of that sits fine with me. She is also super funny. I HIGHLY recommend taking any of her classes. They are well worth it!

So this is the journal I made! Remains of the Day is a journal making class that involves using what you already have in your craft arsenal and turning scrap fabric and paper into a beautiful and haphazard memory catching journal! I really like my first attempt. Took about two days time to make. Probably about five hours total? I think I'm going to make another one before its back to the real world on Monday. Whatcha think? Inspired to try?

Confessions of a Paper Hoarder...

OK here it goes, they say the first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem, I LOVE PAPER.  For some reason I blame my grandmother who passed away many moons ago because I like to attribute all of my favorite aspects of myself to her, she was a wonderful woman 

It alllll started with stickers.  When I was very young I started to collect stickers.  It was back in the day of Lisa Frank and I was in heaven.  We are talking huge sets of rainbow animal stickers that could easily be bought for very little at ANY STORE!  This was ten year old Sara's heaven.

Then when I was in my early twenties I became entranced by stationery.  It all began with Sanrio.  Hello kitty stole my heart.  I mean the sets were just so FREAKING cute!  There were sooo many to choose from, new ones were always popping up on the shelves and who could resist paper, envelopes and sticker sets all excruciating and disgustingly adorable for under $5?!  Not me...

Eventually I moved on from the aesthetic of Hello Kitty and discovered Dark Horse Comics.  Did you know most comic shops carry stationery sets?!  Designed by fabulous artists!!!  If you love wacky insanely cool stationery then please Google Dark Horse comics and go to their stationery section.  SO COOL!!!

Well then came along the age of Amazon and suddenly paper was literally at my finger tips.  I could stay home in yoga pants and shop secretly from my own home where there was no one to shame me!  Insanely affordable box sets of postcards started zooming there way to my home (I probably own a thousand?  EEEEKK!)

The final stages of this addiction then took a turn towards scrapbook paper (I have a stack three feet high?) and ephemera (I just can't help myself!!!)  Scrapbook paper is just lovely and has so many possibilities (smash books anyone?)  Ephemera is my Kryptonite.  Reproduced images of vintage goodies that I can add to other paper creations?!?!?!?!  Oh the madness.

So here it is folks.  My cards are all laid out.  I am a PAPER ADDICT.  I am in the late stages of this disease and thankful for it seeing as I have absolutely NO MORE ROOM to store a single sheet of paper.

Are there any other paper addiction sufferers out there?  Maybe we should start a support group...