DIY: towel design

Inspired by this post by Elsie Marley, I made a towel each for Sean and Daniel with a diagragm of the butcher cuts of pork. I think they turned out great (and much cheaper than the Anthropologie towels I spotted in store)!

DIY: 2012 Calendars

For one of my Secret Santa gifts at work, I decided to make a calendar with scrapbook materials I had on hand in a bowtie theme. Here was the project progression:

It's true...I have a secret love for scrapbook paper, glue dots, and washi tape. 

studio love

I am slightly obsessed with checking out art studio and design spaces. To me, it's a little like looking into one's soul because it reveals a lot about their personal style, their obsessions, their passions, whether they work best with organization or chaos, whether they work prescisely on one piece, act impulsively on many, or work on multiple pieces simultaneously. The list could go on and on.

My studio's wishlist would include:

large windows with plenty of natural light

painted cement floors

high ceilings with track lighting
multiple workspaces - easel, large sturdy table, tiltable drawing table, etc.
storage shelves galore for supplies and books
paper trays and maybe even an apothecary cabinet
a letterpress drawer for stamps and such
a thinking couch, probably one that's tufted
a good soundsystem since music can be inspirational

Ideally, mine would be, messy, functional, organized, and inspiring. Until that day when I can have an art studio of my own (and possibly even a library...I love those too), here are some pictures that make me very happy:

I also love the idea of this interactive wallpaper by Taylor & Wood for Graham & Brown in a studio.

Maybe one wall of this wallpaper and another that's black chalkboard painted.

I can just imagine the endless possibilities...

Valentine's Day Craft: A Date Book

Last week, my roommate Stephanie and I decided to do a craft night and make some gifts for the boys. We both pulled out all our scrapbooking and crafting material and tried brainstorming on what we'd like to do. To be honest, my addiction for paper and scrapbooking supplies was a bit overwhelming, and it took a while for both of us to find any direction with our projects. I decided that the theme I was going to go with was quality time, since both Sean and I really enjoy events and activities together.

I started by making a card, shown below...











...then created a date book, which was a calendar of local events with additional ideas for the two of us, envelopes with vouchers that can be used throughout the year, and gift cards, etc. It was a fun crafting project, and I was pleased with how it turned out!






























































(And the real accomplishment is actually finishing a project within a decent amount of time!)