I See The Light

Some of my favorites...

Luna Handmade Paper and Twig Art Lamp by Wyldewoodpapers

This lamp is amazing! It looks like something you'd find in a hobbit or a fairy's house. Jan makes the paper herself, cooking the raw fibers of hickory bark and the abaca plant and forming them into sheets which are wrapped around the twig framework. I fell in love with this lamp the moment I saw it!

Spicy Hot Pepper Table Luminary by ZienOnMain

Hot Pepper was inspired by a picture Cindy took in South Korea. Made from terra batik handmade paper and branches, it’s vibrant, fun, and casts a warm glow on a cold winter night. Very sculptural!

And last...

Chandelier with copper accents by SilverCityIron

This chandelier is handforged using traditional blacksmithing techniques and features fish-tail scrolls, copper wire banding and reclaimed copper candle holders. Corry often uses materials which are recycled and salvaged which adds to the character of each piece!

Dreaming of Warmer Weather...

I'm so tired of this cold weather. Temperatures have been about 20 degrees lower around here than normal for months now. I hyperventilate each month upon opening the utilities bill. When will we get a break?!

Instead of sitting here with cold hands and feet wallowing in my misery, I will relive my days on vacation in the Bahamas...ahh, tropical paradise. Warm sand between my toes. Warm water for snorkeling. Pretty fish and sea shells. Sitting in the shade beneath a palm tree, sipping a drink. I need to get out my "Island Paradise" nature sounds CD and it will *almost* be real...and maybe a heating pad to lie on.

This is for the EtsyBloggers Team Carnival, this round hosted by HandmadeBySandi. Thanks Sandi, for this wonderful theme!

A Place For Everything

...though not everything is always in its place...!

I'm so delighted with my latest piece of studio furniture! My hubby made a paper organizer for me! No longer is my paper in a box in the floor to be tripped over. I no longer have to fear my preschooler will use my paper storage box for a platform and trample my papers to death. Nor do I fear my dog's toenails piercing the papers walking over them when I've left my box open.

Not only is it an organizer's delight, it also doubles as another work surface, and I surely can't get enough of those!!

See that carved elephant puppet on the table? I love him but cannot for the life of me figure out where to hang him. My ceilings are all angles and I don't have a nice corner for him to hang in. He looks out of place hanging anywhere else. I'm determined to find a spot for him.

Now my papers are literally at the tips of my fingers and I can see what I have. *squeals with delight*

AND...the top opens up for even more storage of smaller sheets of scrap paper! Oh bliss! I'm so fortunate to have a husband who is crafty.

Where Are They Now?

I thought it would be fun to do a little posting every now and then to showcase the travels my books have made. This book, Honey Indigo, made its first stop in Australia and is now on a European tour! It will showcase memoirs, snapshots, and ticket stubs from the trip. *I'm a bit jealous of this book*  Oh well, I'm proud to have something I made traveling around the world, even if I'm not going myself!

Be My Valentine!

Personalized Cupcake Toppers by thepaperkingdom

It seems Valentine's Day was more special for me when I was a child than it is now. I remember the excitement of making our own mailboxes and taping them to the sides of our desks for the BIG DAY.

Valentine's Day Personalized Cards with Keepsake Mailbox by InkspotWorkshop

When the day came, we'd walk around the room playing mail carrier, delivering Valentines to everyone's mailbox. I think there was a rule that if you participated you had to give everyone a Valentine, not just a special few people. That way no one felt left out.

In Bloom Spring Colors 3 by simplysplendidstamp

I kept my Valentines for many years until at some point when I was a teenager I decided they weren't cool anymore, so I threw them out. I wish I still had them. :/

February's Featured Etsy Blogger

Congrats to this month's Etsy Blogger, TiLT Creations!! She has a shop full of really neat things like backpacks, totes, purses, clutches and this really cool messenger bag--

Zombie Worker Denim Messenger Bag, hand embroidered by TiLT Creations

I love what she wrote in this description: "Do you feel like a zombie heading out to work? Then this bag is for you." I was just telling my hubby the other night sometimes I feel like the guy in that old Dunkin Donuts commercial, staggering out of bed and mindlessly heading to the kitchen..."Time to make the donuts"...only in my case I'm stumbling to the studio to work on custom books.