Monday, August 16, 2010

la



i'm leaving today to visit abbie in los angeles for a week. i randomly bought a plane ticket to los angeles about a week ago. it's my one last hurrah before starting graduate school. wow i feel old.
anyways, i can't wait to see her house. she said she has a little garden too.

in other news, i am in the long process of putting tags on all of my 300+ posts. so now you will be able to see similar posts grouped together for easy subject viewing.

replies:
rachel / red lips vintage: oh yes! you definitely should make one. & then blog about it!
anna katrina: hello! hehe. it does : )

mini reno visit

i went for a short visit to wendy in reno a few days ago. as always, the visit was nice with home cooked vegan food & thrift store shopping. one of the thrift stores we went to had the most amazing dressing rooms. the room we went in had a beautiful carpet, vintage plush chair, neat curtains, & awesome walls covered with vintage magazine cut-outs. we couldn't resist taking some (semi-dorky) photos : )& of course we had catch lunch before we left at the pneumatic diner, specializing in all vegetarian dishes.

replies:

yellowblue: i learned how to make paper when i was around ten years old at an activity class one summer. also i touched up what i knew by watching this video. it kind of looks like a berry smoothie doesn't it?! haha.

melly: i am still amazed about the good price i got on the picnic baskets. the pulp does look a bit yummy huh? : ) blog about it if you end up making paper!

sheer whimsy: hello! how awesome : ) thank you. how do you know abbie?

thy lady: aww thanks. i glad it makes sense to you. blog about making paper if you do!

blackswan: hello! i'm so happy you found me : ) & i'm glad you like what i make. i'll be sure to stop by your blog too.

micaela: eeee! i love the mugs too. vintage mugs are one of your collections? nice! i like it.

dandelionkisses: : ) we should go on a picnic with the new baskets.

inside the cabinet of wonder: haha i thought you might like that one! (it's actually glass) isn't it pretty?

cap'n niknak: hello! yes, paper! thanks for reading : )

wendy's room II

i posted about wendy's room before & decided to do another post since she added a few new things to it since the last time i visited her. wendy collects old photographs & recently decided to display them on her wall. (the top string of photos are of her grandmother!)the rest of the photos are just a few little treasures i found in her room : )

Thursday, August 12, 2010

papermaking tutorial

hello! here it is, my papermaking tutorial : ) i'll first show you how to construct a mould & deckle for papermaking & then i'll show you how to use it to make paper!

the mould & deckle
what you need:
sisscors
staple gun
two wooden frames that are the same size with the backings taken out (i got mine from the thrift store for cheap!)
screen (like for screen doors)
1. cut a piece of screen that is a little bigger than your frame. staple the screen tightly around one of the frames like shown. trim the excess screen.2. the other fram lays on top of the frame with the screen. & there you have it! you have constructed a mould & deckle for paper making.making paper
what you need:
newspaper or felt (for drying the paper on)
mould & deckle
sponge
blender
different types & colors of paper (not glossy magazine paper though)
large, shallow tub full of water
water
1. decide what color paper you want to make & tear up paper into the blender accordingly. i decided to make purple paper, so i tore blue & red paper.2. fill the blender with water. i did one cup of water for every two pages of paper. but you just need enough water so it mixes & cuts the paper well into pulp.3. blend the paper & water until it has a nice consistancy like below.4. pour the blended paper & water into the large tub of water. stir until well mixed. dip the mould & deckle into the tub at an angle & then level out to catch some paper pulp into it. (remember, the screen frame is on the bottom & the other fram is on top for the mould & deckle)5. let the mould & deckle drip as much water as possible. take off the top frame.6. lay the screen frame upside down on the newspaper or felt. sponge up all the excess water from behind the screen. you will have to do this a few times until most of the water is gone.7. gently lift the screen frame up. hopefully the paper will stay down on the newspaper or felt. if it starts to stick to the screen, you should try to sponge more water up before you lift the screen.8. lay out the newly made paper on the newspaper or felt out in the sun to dry.9. when the paper is dry, gently peel the paper from the newspaper or felt. & you did it! you have made paper! you can experiment with adding more colors to your tub of water or even plant pieces or glitter!
i hope you enjoyed my tutorial : ) i hope everything was clear. if you have any questions, you can ask in the comments.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

rummage sale

i bought a few items at a rummage sale the other day. good deals! i bought this brown leather bookbag with a spot for a laptop for when i start graduate school at the end of the month for only $3. i'm so happy i found it because i was looking for something exactly like it : )

i then bought a few other things like this tote bag that i'm going to sew a pocket onto.a few vintage cups & mugs (i may sell some of them in my shop, i haven't decided yet)a leather coin purse for my coin purse collection.& these two picnic baskets! $3 only for the both of them! what a steal. it made my day.in other news, i made some paper last saturday. it was so fun! i constructed a deckle & all. i'll be posting a tutorial on it soon : )& i am off today on a mini trip to visit wendy! fun times & adventures ahead.

replies:

dandelionkisses: hehe : ) i should show you how to make it when i visit.

i'm alive and dancing naked & thy lady: thanks! : )

pauline: yeah! i think i'm the first person i know too who likes it more too! i'm still surprised that i do. & i was thinking maybe of selling them....but i'm so bashful at my inexperienced sewing skills...we shall see though : )

amy: yes watch it & tell me what you think!

Friday, August 6, 2010

new things

i've had this idea in my head for a while to make a little bag for my ipod. when i clean the house, i like to listen to my ipod, but i don't always have pockets to hold my ipod. so, i decided to finally try to make a small bag just for my ipod.
i really didn't know what i was doing, but i did know that i wanted to be able to button the bag closed so my ipod wouldn't fall out. i don't know how to make button holes, so i decided to use a button & button hole that was already made. hence, i used a thrifted shirt i got for $1 for the fabric. i think it turned out pretty cute : ) i finished watching new york, i love you & i actually liked it more than paris, je t'ame (i know, i know. lots of people like paris more). it had a lot of cute stories. i especially liked this one with orlando bloom & christina ricci. here is the segment from the movie:

replies:
inside the cabinet of wonder: hi hi. : ) things are ok right now. not amazing, but ok. when it does come to you, definitely see it!
brit: hehe! yes inception! wasn't it like mind boggling?? so good. so good.
i'm alive dancing naked: hello! :D
make it easy: yup yup : )
linda: haha! of course!
amy: yes see it. lot's of cute stories. have you seen paris, je t'ame?
thy lady: oh it seems like a movie you would like! : )