Evil Twin Notebook

How do you distinguish the “good” twin from the “evil” twin? Beards, moustaches and goatees all denote evil. It’s all about facial hair. Facial hair covers the face so it can mask the person themselves and their true maniacal intentions. When I think “evil twin”, I think about the parallel universe in Star Trek where evil Spock has a goatee. It’s been a long time since I saw that episode, but the “facial hair is evil” moral has stayed with me over the years.

Knock on Wood Notebook

I’d been eying this “wood” paper at the paper store for some time now. I’d pick it up, lustfully look at it and then reluctantly put it down because although I wanted it, I didn’t have a plan for it. The problem with the paper is that it’s not terribly versatile; it’s dark, heavy and textured—not good for printing. But it was pretty. And I like pretty things. So I finally decided on using this specialized paper in a project that would utilize its “wood” properties, and what came to mind was the idiom “Knock on Wood.” [I know. (Sigh.) I’m slightly addicted to using idioms in my designs.]

Vintage Advert Notebook

I finally broke down and bought a binding machine. I’d been eyeing one online for quite sometime and when it happened to be on sale at a local store—I gave in. I’d resisted the urge to get one for a while because I didn’t need one but as with most crafty items I wanted it. [Sigh.] I really just tried to avoid the inevitable…and that never really works.

Since my mom’s birthday was just around the corner, I thought it was the perfect time to test my new binding machine by making a notebook. My mom enjoys classic Hollywood films from the “Golden Age” of cinema when screwball comedies and musicals reigned supreme, so I wanted to reflect that time period in the notebook I made for her. I had purchased a stamp that had various newspaper ads from that 1940’s and thought that I could use it to create a cute cover.

DIY: Brown Paper Bag Wrapping Paper

I love kraft paper, and while I could have bought a roll of it to use, I decided on using a brown paper bag from the grocery store instead (since it was something I already had) for wrapping paper.

Sticker Pattern

Sometimes I’ll keep items that I think I’ll be able to reuse later. I have a few of these tall containers that I use for extra storage, and I decided to dress one up a little bit with some fun polka dots.

DIY: String Tag

I wanted to make something that used string as a focal point. I think in the back of my mind were those cardboard thread holders that you might find in a travel sewing kit, where the thread is held in place by an indented part of the cardboard.

I had embroidery floss that had been sitting in a drawer for years, so I decided to use it in this string tag.

It’s Golden

Dressing up a kraft Moleskine notebook is pretty commonplace because it’s just such a great blank slate to work with. Stamping, screen printing and drawing directly onto the notebook were all options I considered, but I decided to emboss the cover.

DIY: Clothespin Magnet

I impulsively bought a package of clothespins while at a home improvement store, and even though I didn’t have an idea at the time of how I would use them, I knew an idea would eventually come to me. And it did—I ended up having the idea of creating magnets.