Happy New Year!!!

Hello all!  So, how was your New Years Eve?  Mine was wild!!!  I stayed home with my family, had a bottle of wine and was in bed before 2013 was even good and over, heehee.  It was a very nice way to ring in the New Year, and bonus, NO HANGOVER!

So, as promised I will be really revving up my posts this next year!  Thanks to planning in my awesome new sidekick, my FILOFAX, I am already to go and get some blogging done!

Firstly I have quite a few commitments that I will be making this New Year and one of them is my Letter A Day project!  OR LAD for short.  It is as simple yet daunting yet fabulous as it sounds!  I will be writing a letter a day, though some may be short note cards, a post card, a long letter or a quick hello.  I will write to friends and family members, pen pals and strangers.  I will write to the men and women who serve our country, the elderly who need extra love and to anyone else I can think of!!!  I will even be leaving letters here and there to be happened across.  I am SO excited!  I will be (among many other blog posts) updating on hopefully a weekly basis on the outgoing mail smorgasbord.

So, here is to a productive 2014 and you will be hearing often from me!!!  CHEERS!

Why I Love Paper

I received some upsetting news today and it got me thinking about why I love paper. You all know the obvious reasons. It's pretty and bright and colorful and often filled with silly pictures and it simply makes me smile. But there are many more heartfelt and important reasons than just the aesthetic ones.

Paper lasts. Paper that is thousands of years old has been recovered and people's stories have been told. Stories other wise never known. After I received my unhappy news today I took to crafting to distract myself. I covered my MTN Diary Insert in paper. The main focus being a vintage postcard. A postcard that is over 100 years old.  Here it is today still telling its story. The postmark has it dated 1910.

This made me think about why I love to journal on paper and write real letters instead of emails. There is something wonderful and deeply human about writing. About putting good old fashion pen to paper. A feeling a white screen just can't do. Don't  get me wrong, I love the technology we have today. But there are some things which just can't be done digitally. When the computer/phone/tablet battery goes dead that's it. Sure you can back things up but who will happen upon them? Most likely no one... No one will see your digital journal in 100 years. No one will happen across those heartfelt emails to friends and family 100 years from now in an attic. No one will know your story, life, dreams, hopes, fears.

I wish writing journals and letters was a requirement. Something that was taught in school at a young age and encouraged. Think of all the wonderful stories that could be shared between people that wouldn't have been other wise. Imagine having personal, thoughtful records of family members that have gone...  A lasting tangible something to stay connected with. Something to turn to when feeling lonely or nostalgic. Something...

It's ALMOST my 30th Birthday!!!

SO, here is what I have been up to!!!  I opened my Birthday presents that I bought for myself.  It was a VERY happy mail week.  I had a box full of memo pads from Kawaii Ya and a box full from Shop Kawaii.com.  I did a silly low quality iPhone video of the Shop Kawaii opening if anyone is interested.  I still want to do a full on stationery share video so stay tuned!

***Stationery***

I am still having planer indecisiveness!!!  I LOVE my Fluoro Pink FF but can't seem to use it...  Why oh why do I always do this with planners?  Should have known, silly Sara Jean, tricks are for kids.  I have had a few binder system planners over the years and after set up I seem to not be able to use them!!!  Is it the rings?  I don't know...  Is it the dividers?  IS IT TOO structured???  I think that may be it...  The wonderful beauty of it's structure panics me...  And with my Filo the possibility of ruining its beauty, well, that is a BIG fear.  Silly, I know.

So currently I am switching things up!  Trying something new that I have never used before.  A Midori Traveler's Notebook!!!  Behold the beauty in it's simplicity.  A piece of thick leather which holds paper books.  The fact that my handling it will actually improve it's physical appeal makes me feel calm.  It reminds me of my love for adventure and is very Indiana Jones-esque. The elastic band method of keeping and adding notebooks of my choosing is fantastic and so straightforward. It is still SUPER customize-able which I adore and need.  I plan to collage the covers of the inserts, add an Owl charm to the unobtrusive hanging thread book mark and maybe even add a bead to the elastic band that keeps it closed.  Simple but personable!  Is it weird that I find it more warm and inviting than binder rings? Anyways, I wont bore you with silliness but here is the Un-Boxing video!  And I will keep you (yes the one of you who reads this) updated!!!  And if you haven't seen a MTN is action Google it and look through the Flickr group feed!!!  There are some absolutely beautiful photos of this little gem in action.

***Un-Boxing Goodness!!!***

P.S. I deleted at least 30 exclamation points and 5 all cap words from this post while editing!!!  HAHA

Filo Fun and Broken Collar Bones!

No! I didn't break my collar bone...  But the DH did!  Skateboarding at 7 am to the corner store...  I was woken up to a ready to pass out hubby saying he had possibly dislocated his shoulder and needed to be taken to the ER. At first I thought he was going to make me try to put it back in socket!!!  Eeeep. But alas he did not which is good because it wasn't dislocated but broken...  Sooo that was fun!

So far this week (it's only Tuesday) has been filled with playing in my Filofax and getting everything set up juuuuust right. Which is so fun!  I decided I really loved next years vertical and lined week on two pages. So much so that I disliked this years horizontal unlined ones...  Sooo I sort of made my own for the remainder of the year!  Not toooo shabby. I scanned the first week of next years. Popped it into Word. Printed it front and back on regular printer paper. Washi taped over the incorrect dates and VOILA!!!  Happy camper. 

I also revamped my Mail Log!  Writing the same info on two pages (incoming and outgoing) was getting tedious and ridiculous! So, I took advantage of the wonderful roomy pages in my A5 Chloe and made new ones!  LOVE! (Yes that is a Unicorn paperclip and yes it is awesome).

Then I FINALLY made a log for keeping track of Shop sales and crafty purchases!  When the big bag "Tax Collector" comes round this year Sara Jean will be prepared! Don't mess with a girl and her Filo...  LOL

I was good and also finally made a Food Log to keep track of things. Because, well, this girl is turning 30 in three weeks and wants to live until shes 90!!!

This picture is simply here because I love the fly leaf I made and the tree.. The TREE!  Oh, how I love trees...

I finally started Smashing and Journaling in my Filofax! The little miss bought her very first "Luvie" with her own munnies from her piggy bank so I kept the receipt , snapped a shot and voila!

There, um, may have also been a stationery purchase delivered last week from Janet Store...  It wasn't me, I swear!!!  Ok, yeah you caught me, it was me...  But it is all so awesome!

And I mean really, all of my stationery fits in two shoe boxes!!!  So I don't think that I have a problem so nee ner nee ner neeeeeee ner! LOL

Well I suppose this post should end!  Some things to look forward to in future posts are:

*A Stationery Stash share video? Would anyone watch that? I mean besides me...
*ZINES!!!  I really, really, really, wanna make a Zine
*A new Video update on my life in my Filofax Chloe!
*Stationery!!!  I am going to be designing some collage stationery to sell! MY DREAM!
*Lots of Postcards and Beeswax, intrigued?
*Oh and there will be many cups of iced coffee and possibly a baby... (Figure that one out)!

Hello Friends!

Look!  It's only been a week and here is another post!!!  This week of vacation has been fun and lazy and wonderful. I always feel like my little brother always lives on my couch when he is here for a week. I will be sad this afternoon when we start off for the airport...

But we had a fun week!!!  We went to the LA Zoo. Which. Was. Disappointing...  We chose it because it appears to be larger than the Santa Barbara Zoo which is the only zoo I have ever been too. But it was not...  It's just more spread out. And it was too hot and too sunny...

 So we left early and went to DAISO!!!  Which. Was also kind of a let down...  Only one little section of stationery and no other cool crafty supplies. But I did get a few things sooooo...

The rest of the week was spent shopping. Walking downtown. Eating out. Yesterday was Pirate Day at the harbor and it was so much fun!  Arrrgggh!!!  Lol

I started a new craft!  Collaging with Beeswax, it is so fun and easy and gives you a really neat Vintage effect.  I intend to make postcards!  I also found an old Atlas at the thrift store, NO paper is safe from my Envelope Punch Board!  Muahahahahahahahaha

I also bought myself some birthday presents!  Even though it isn't until August. I upgraded my Filofax!  "Already"? Some will ask puzzled.  Well. I needed something bigger!  BIGGER!!!  I wasn't able to do the journaling and Smash Booking in the little personal sized one. So, off it went to a good home and hello a5!!!  She is still a work in progress. I have only had her for a day. But I will post a video soon!!!  

What has your summer been like so far???  Any amazing crafty things???  Cheers!

Someone. Anyone. Please Slow Down The Earths Rotation!!!

Ahhhhhh!!!  Has it really been almost a month since my last post?!  Oh my...

Where has this year gone???  Yesterday. I got that feeling. That feeling you get round Christmas time?  It was just a glimmer...  But oh my goodness it is going to be the end of another year so quickly!!!  Ah!

These last few months have been so fun and busy!!!  My friend makes fun of me when I say I have a list of things to do and they are all self imposed crafty fun mail things. But they are important to me!!!  Just because my list doesn't consist of chores and work doesn't make it less important.

So!  Here are some snap shots of what I have been doing!!!  And there WILL be a blog post later this week. Because I am on vacation!!!!!!!!!  Yayee for free time. Hugs!!!  Cheers!!!

Stationery!!!  This is all from Kawaii Ya and holy cow do you SEE the pig donuts and panda bread?  How freaking awesome are they???  I can't wait to write letters!

This is my stationery hoard, not too massive!!!  I mean it all (ok well not all now because of the above pictures...) fits in a shoe box!!!

These are my new pilot Frixion pens, in rainbow colors, and they rock!!!  They ERASE!  How cool is that?  They are especially great for letter writing and Filofaxing!

Winnie wanted a mil box for the house.  So we made one, now she can send daddy and mommy mail.  Man I love this kid to bits!!!

This is just ONE of the amazing things I have received lately in the mail.  Yes, that is a one of a kind hand painted envelope!!!  Soooooo amazing, I have NO CLUE what I will ever be able to send her in return...

This is my new Lomo 35mm Camera La Sardina!!!  It has a wide angle lens and the ability to take multiple exposures!  I am a little dismayed to find that hardly anyone develops film these days...  And that the places who do charge about $15 bucks per roll!!!  But alas I will just have to make every shot count and every print into a piece of artwork.

While getting re acquainted with Lomography I have pulled out my Mini Diana!!!  She also takes multiple exposures and is a square format camera that can also take 2 side by side shots on one frame!  And a bonus is her manual advance so you can also blend the frames together!  So fun.  I can't wait to develop my film!

I got my Envelope Punch!!!  Don't know what that is?  GOOGLE IT!  I have made ohhhhhh a hundred envies in no time flat?  No paper is safe now...  Muahahahahahaha

I have discovered I LOVE writing letters on my typewriter!!!  I have weak hands, pout.  So writing can be especially uncomfortable.  But writing a letter on  a computer is just...  sad.  Plain white paper, computer fonts...  UGH!  But the typewriter!  The typewriter enables you to use all of your stationery hoard!  It also makes your letter quirky and filled with all of the typos you would find in a hand written letter.  No spell check, no grammar correct and once you have advanced down a line there is no going back and editing.  LOVES IT!

THESE!  Are just SOME of the un-used vintage stamps I ordered from Ebay!  They are wonderful!!!  I got about $45 bucks worth of really old stamps of all kinds from all over.  They make a letter look so neat!  When I received these I decided to add up how many stamps I have.  Now you see I have only been pen paling really for about five months?  But I have always had stamps!  I have always loved the idea of mail.  So every time I would go to the post office over the last oh 6 years I would buy a neat sheet (isn't that what you are supposed to do?)  Well, I now have enough stamps to write about 400 domestic letters!!!  How did that happen???  LOL

Sorry for the long winded share!  I have just been doing so many fun things I wanted to pop in, at least to update my like 2 followers...  I once again pledge my promise to BLOG more, or at least attempt to!  Have an amazing week, I know I will!!!

Hello Lovelies!!!

Gosh I have been wonderfully busy!!!  Soooo much crafting and mail swapping. Oh and Filofaxing of course!  I have no idea where the time has gone. Here are some photos of just some of the crafty things I have been up to!  And also TWO new videos!!!

My Filofax Setup Revisited!



My Oz Album Share!



 Outgoing MAIL!!!

I was bored at work so I colored a rainbow envie, but it looked better insideout!!!

Dividers!!!  I went crazy and made a "few" sets of Filofax dividers!  No clue what to use them for, lol

]
THEN! I turned little notebooks into Filofax inserts!  Cool huh?

Here was last weeks finished Filofax pages, rainbows!

Field Notes?

Hello!  I can't believe it has been a WEEK since my last post!  Holy Cow where does my time go...  Oh, yeah I joined the LEP!  Haha, I have been having sooooooo much fun with all of my new pen friends and have been doing more crafting and letter writing than ever!  My mail box has been so happy.

So the other day a fellow LEP super hero mentioned that she used these little booklets called "Field Notes" to write nice big long letters in!  These books are small-ish in size for a notebook but big enough to write a pretty epic little letter or even include doodles and photos.

Well, you know me, I couldn't wait to order some so I whipped up some of my own!  Granted mine are a "bit" more embellished than the plain ones you can buy...  But they are pretty!  They have 10 (20 front and back) little 5x5 pages inside, are hand bound with cotton waxed thread and have a sturdy little cardboard cover!  LOVE!  Ok anyways, I promise to post at least 3 times this week!  Cheers!

Good Morning!

I should definitely still be asleep... It's my day off! And even though I would have woken up when the little miss decided to awake it needn't be this early!!! It's 6:30 am and the house is chilly and quiet. This is my favorite part of the day. I love sitting at the computer catching up on all my favorite blogs and crafty endeavors. I love the anticipation of waiting for my Winnie to come out of her room and greet me with a good morning hug and kiss.

(source unknown)

This morning for some reason I woke up super early and the gears in my brain started churning. I started thinking off all of the fun crafty and mail related projects I have lining up! So much fun goodness. There are letters to write. Swaps to send out. Packages of goodies to put together. Minis to make. And I still haven't found the time to make more things for my shop! Must do. Very soon. I have been SUPER active over at the LEP FB page and it has been such fun.

What fun projects does everyone else have waiting for them?! Anything unique or exciting?

Oh!  And take a peek at this lovely FB page dedicated to journal/smashbooking!!!  So much color and inspiration!!!  Love

https://www.facebook.com/SmashBookLove

Today's Mission

To write a letter or a postcard to most of the people in my address book!!!  It is a chilly, gloomy day here in Southern California and it just feels like letter writing weather.  This is also great becasue it will help me to update my adress book!  Thank goodness for whiteout.

When it comes to an address book I keep it old skool.  I have a small Jane Austen themed book filled with hand written entries that have been crossed out and changed many times.  There's something nice about seeing the changes in peoples addresses, like seeing the evolution of their lives, where they have been and where they are now.  What are your missive goals for this Spring?

***Today is my and the Misters 8th Wedding Anniversary and this is the sweet little gift he bought for me!!!***

Gonna Be Seeing A Lot More of Me!

Ahhhh has it really been a week since my last post?!  For shame...  Life as usual has been a little crazy...  But next week I am FREE!!!  Free for eight glorious days from my day job.

This week I have been granny squaring it up!  Crocheting is fantastic, I mean who doesn't LOVE blankets and scarves and BRIGHT BRIGHT rainbow colors?  I love crocheting because of really how simple it is.  There is really only one stitch in crocheting and depending on where and how many times you repeat it, it turns into other magical stitches!!!  I am loving granny squares because I get a sense of accomplishment after every one.  Even though it takes like 120 to make an entire blanket each little square itself is a finished product and I am an instant gratification kind of girl sometimes!

Have the 2 people who read this little Blog checked out the LEP yet?!  The League of Extraordinary Penpals?  It is SUPER fun!  Seriously check it out!  We are having a party right now that involves invisibility punch and intros, too silly, here's mine!

Hello! Good morning? I feel as if maybe it's a little too early for invisibility punch.. Oh well! Down that hatch it goes, hmmmm tingly. 

Anywho My name is Sara! I love owls and photography. My secret (ok not so secret because really I am a HUGE dork and fly my dork flag high) is reading and or consuming Young Adult Fantasy Fiction! Yes, I will be thirty this August and will be having a roller skating party to celebrate, 1980's kids style!

I also have a Blog, Simply Sara Jean and an Etsy Shop WillowMucksShop where I sell handmade Smash Book Travel Journals!

I would also like to share that I have now had two glasses of the punch and it rocks! So now I feel free to admit that I am a Washi Tape and Ephemera addict.

Cheers!!!

I Got Mail!

And I didn't have to pay for it! (Because most of my mail has been Etsy and Amazon shopping lately...). Haha

It's from my pen pal Ashley. We decided to become pen pals in the summer time? And we emailed back and forth a few time about who would write the first letter. So I raised my metaphorical hand and said I would!!! Then life got a little hectic but golly the letter was written and mailed off. Then nothing...

I thought maybe she got my letter and it was terrible! Awful!! Repulsive!! Ok not really but you never know, I can be a gabby weirdo.

Then as I was trudging home from work today I checked my mailbox and found a letter!!! It was wonderfully decorated and from a name I didn't know..... Hmmmm intrigue. Well I was super excited to rip it open and find that it was from Ashley! My letter hadn't been a horrid atrocious mess! Life had just gotten in the way of mail.

Anywho,  I am super excited to write back and thought i'd share a little mail goodness with the maybe one person? Who reads my little blog.

Remember to get mail you must send mail! Cheers to mail!!!

Outgoing!!!

Just some Twi mail going out this early Fall morning. I sure hope that even though this is the last movie and all of the books have been written that we continue these exchanges! Regular mail exchanges are OH SO FUN!!

Ps I promise a mute interesting blog post later!!! Nikon J1 anyone?

Crafty Craftyness!!!

I am having the most WONDERFUL day!!!  First today is the day before my Birthday so I am home ENJOYING myself.

That has involved quite a bit of crafting.  SOOOOOO I have three sets of cards in my Shop now!!!

Wizard of Oz (which I LOVE)

Vintage Advertisement/Steam Punk

And Some Retro Christmas!!!

Happy, Happy, Happy

Cheers!!!