weekend update

so is it cool to do a recap on Tuesday? I know it's usually a Monday thing...but Monday just came and went a little too fast. True to my word I spent the weekend doing all the things I planned...including a few hours working at the store on Saturday. I laughed, I took plenty of pictures and I made stuff. Mostly minijournals that I have yet to photograph and list in the shoppe. Having the books around certainly inspired me to actually print my pictures and write things down. I never realized that the small amount of preparation would actually free up my creativity so much. I think I might hold on to a few which is a bit counterproductive as far as the business of selling books go, but super-productive as far as documenting my life goes.

I have a few other ideas for other things I want to make, but I'm only halfway serious about this right now. Mostly I am looking for ways to recycle and reuse all the product I've stored up and maybe make a little money in the process. Three cheers for Handmade!

I've just completed my little journal and will be adding a flickr link a bit later.

connecting

it's time to indulge in a little connecting that has nothing to do with safari or firefox. I plan to spend this weekend laughing, taking pictures and making stuff.

enjoy this oldie but goodie

project mini

So, as promised (a tad late), I humbly introduce....project mini. My take on the ever popular minijournal with a few twists.

I love the colorful mix of papers, pictures and stories that make the mini such a work of art... but I also wanted to make something that appealed to my sense of order. The final result was a 4x6 book that was both random and neat. I also like that it accommodates photos without any cropping. I intend to create a horizontal version although I display my photographs both ways regardless of the book's orientation. That's the benefit of creating a small book meant to be handled and loved...turning it every which way feels natural. I also wanted to achieve some harmony between fun and function so the books are based on my favorite color combinations.

I like the idea of completing the mini in one sit down or working on it as an ongoing project. I also like the idea of the book including more than just the front, back and in between. So, for each color combo I designed a bunch of adhesive labels and such. All you really need to add are pictures and stories and a bit of glue of course:).

This one now available for purchase in my etsy store and I plan to add more over the weekend once I get them all photographed. I'm only adding a few to start since I don't have much time to churn them out...but if they are well received I'll surely make more.

hi july

fruit sticky notes found here

So, another month slips by and we begin anew. I am not particularly fond of July. I have no real objection to it other than the heat, but I am happy to be that much closer to Fall. The holiday weekend brought a nice visit from family and really good food...lots of it. July will definitely be a month of healthier eating and exercise.

Even though I've been concentrating on the new job, new clients and old projects...I have had plenty of new ideas swirling around to keep me busy. One of which began in a fairly standard way...by figuring out something for myself. If you read this blog regularly you know that I have been struggling to find a good solution for many of my photos. I purchased several cheap flip books from Target so I could start getting things under control, but once I got going it felt sort of cold...so I revisited the beloved minibook.

I love anything that combines a smaller size with the word book. Perhaps because I'm on the short side myself or maybe because I spent my college career devoted to books, either way, I love them. Since so many of my pictures these days tend to be part of a larger theme or series I have been seeking a more compact way of displaying them while retaining all the bits and pieces that make scrapbooking so special. I also wanted something that would reflect the journals I kept as a girl. Enter the mini book. I have dedicated quite a few posts to my love of the small tome and linked to other artists who share my affinity for them. I figured it was about time I sat down and made a few for myself. While doing so, I though I'd make a few extra and put them in my long neglected etsy store. I will be updating the store by the end of this week once I've had a chance to properly photograph the books. I will introduce them on the blog tomorrow, so if you're interested...stop by for a peek.