Snippets of Words: An 'off the page' / 'onto the the side of a house' project

Hello you.

How's September shaping up so far?

Me? I'm sitting here, on a chilly grey day, curled up on the settee, with a blanket over my knees and the fire blazing away; the first day of the season I've needed it! And so ...

... I thought it was a good time to share with you a little cosy-home themed 3D project. 

Like the others in this 'Snippets of Words' series [catch up with all the posts so far here] this shows how a phrase, snipped from an old book page, can add a unique, meaningful, finishing touch to a project.

And this time around the snippet features on a little wooden keepsake I made along with a matching gift bag for a friend:

 

The wooden base is up-cycled from a long section of wooden something or other! [I don't know exactly what it was ... I just thought it was adorably house-shaped and had it cut into chunks!]

I then covered the front, back, and gable ends in patterned papers and raised the little building on to some decorative feet [what better way to keep the draft out?!]:

I also added a few roses around the door ...

... and, as you've probably come to expect by now [I've been saying the same thing in every post in the series haven't I?] ... the final thing to do was to sift through a pile of old pages and find a phrase which best suited the style and meaning of the project:

And, as I also keep saying, it turns out that a perfectly suitable phrase was there just waiting to be found!

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If you'd like some fresh new-to-you pages to browse through to find perfect phrases for your own projects then drop by the Vintage Paper Pack section of my shop where you'll find lost of different selections to choose from.

Amongst them there's everything from:

• Fact to Fiction;
• Foreign Languages to the song lyrics on sheet music
•  and lots, lots more in between ... including Serendipity Packs which are full of surprises!

Also, if there's something you have in mind ... but you can't see it there ... just drop me a line and I'll see if I can help. I'm always happy to compile custom packs - it gives me a great excuse to riffle through my entire collection to find just what you need!

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See you soon ... and if I'm not here when you drop by, I'm probably over at my Facebook page, so do come and say 'Hi' there too.

Julie :-)

My Month in Numbers: Communal Count #3 - Sept 2013

Hello, hello.

Already, after just 2 editions, the Communal Count seems to be catching on and doing what it set out to do ... uncovering our comforting similarities and intriguing differences.

Oh and ... last month's question seemed to work really well for getting you all to tidy out your handbags! See? I knew it wasn't a complete a waste of our time!

This time round nth I thought we could join in with that pervading 'back-to-school' atmosphere this time of year tends to bring to many places. So here's which numbers we need to be working out in the month ahead ...

How do those suit you?

 

I'm going to use the 'get directions; function on Google Maps to work out the distance between my house and infant school, but I'm sure there are other ways. And if you were home-schooled ... that still counts! Tell us that story.

• you're welcome to answer both, either or neither it really is entirely up to you
• you're welcome to interpret them however you like

If you don't usually join in with My Month in Numbers because you don't want to create a full length blog post ...

•  at the end of September you're welcome to join in with just your responses to these shorter questions 
• you can do this in a blog post / an Instagram / a tweet / OR simply in a comment on my September 30th Month in Numbers post 
• OR ... join in with your response on my Facebook page
• OR ... any other creative way I haven't thought of!
• then - if it's 'pinnable' I'll pin it to the My Month in Numbers Pinterest board.

You can then check back at the end of the month [and into October] to compare notes with the others who've joined in, and once again we can see where we're alike ... and where we differ.

If you'd like to share the question on your own blog / social media so your friends and readers can join you - then you're welcome to. You can simply save and use the image above [all my details are on there so you don't really need to link anything up].

Right ... I'll leave you to go jot down what you need to keep a count of in the brand new month but, before you go ...

*REMEMBER*: My Month in Numbers  - including the Communal Count - is never really just about the numbers:

They're just a 'way in' to the fun stuff, the important stuff: they crack open the story of your day-to-day life and allow you to share it with your online friends.

Happy September to you. No doubt I'll see you hear and there this month.

Julie :-)

My Month in Numbers 2013: August

Hi, hi.

Don't shoot the messenger but ... that's another month gone you know? Gone. Vanished. Like sand that's sifted through the grand egg-timer of life!

What did you do with your August? What made its mark on all those hours and minutes you held on to by your fingertips during the last 31 days?

What did I do? Well ... let me tell you ...

I'll  begin with my own responses to the questions I set you in the 2nd ever Communal Count where [in case you're new here] we all counted the same thing so we could compare notes at the end of the month. The questions were:

 And my answers are ...

(a) = we had 7 visitors to our house during August. Here I was just counting the ones I allowed over the doorstep and who I know by name. So no Posties or delivery people!

2 of that 7 stayed over for 3 nights and ...

2 = how many usually live here. Me and him.

and (b) = shortly after 7am was the earliest time I got out of bed,[I forgot to look at the exact time. I know ... you think I'd know better wouldn't you?]  and that was on the day of the 199 steps ... more of which below. This isn't that unusual when I'm not working from home, but it is a little early during the summer. However ...

... if you want to talk about the earliest time I almost got out of bed, then that would be ...

4.36am = the time I very nearly got out of bed one night this month after having a nightmare and being too afraid to close my eyes to go back to sleep because ... each time I did ... I saw the horridness which had woken me in the first place! I was crying uncontrollably, shaking and trying to process available evidence that would prove I was actually awake ... and that it wasn't one of those tricks your brain plays when you're still asleep!

4.39am = the time it genuinely crossed my mind to phone my parents to check they were OK after the aforementioned nightmare.  I reasoned that, seeing as how I wasn't phoning them with bad news [which no one wants to be woken with] then they really wouldn't mind. Fortunately for all involved ... I did eventually fall back asleep without needing to phone anyone!

Now let me hop back to some numbers relating to those 2 overnight guests we had: James's oldest friend ['oldest' in that he's known him longer than anyone ... not that he's old!] and his son. The three of them all seen here together on our trip to Whitby:

I really want to use one particular number here ... but it's not mine to tell, so ... let me put it like this ...

X = the significant friendship anniversary which James and his friend celebrated [after meeting at nursery when they were both 3 years old old].

As a way to mark the occasion his friend travelled 200-odd miles to our house, then we all travelled the 30-odd miles to Whitby ... so that the pair of them could get their photo taken, in a vintage style studio, dressed as American soldiers from the 1860s:

[For the record: James's friend does actually have a face! ;-) I just didn't feel right using it here.]

Anyway, once they'd finished playing dress-up ...

....we all did one of the things you just have to do when you're a tourist in Whitby ... walking up [and down] these...

 ... the 199 steps = the path which takes you up to the church, graveyard and Abbey ruins [You know? the locations that inspired Bram Stoker?].

And, as if the Rector and Church Wardens knew that I'm a number counter who also likes funny signs ... they left this one at the top for me:

 And. as if all those steps weren't enough exercise for one month ...

12 = the number of walks I've managed to fit in. Working from home I need to make myself get 'up and out there' some days. So these were either walks for walking's sake, or trips to the Post Office with shop orders.

Now then with the next photo ... don't panic ... and do not adjust your screen ... it's not you ... it's me ...

370 km = the distance between me and the International Space Station when I took this photo:

That little white dash up there on the right [like a sprinkle from the top of a cake] that's it. My Dad uses an app that tells you exactly where to look at exactly what time to see it pass overhead. Without the use of a telescope. And when he texted to let me know what time we could 'go and wave to Howard' [fans of the Big Bang Theory will understand that one] we made a point to go into the garden, look up ... and wait. And at 21:22, right on cue, there it was! 

18 = the number of 'Fabricky Bits' packs I eventually compiled from all this: [and this is 100% tidier than it had been the day before when I had every last ribbon and scrap of fabric I own tipped out on to that table!!]

In order to get my dining table back  I called in for assistance in the form of slave-labour [ie.my Mam] who admirably stepped in to help me organise my ribbons and prepare 48 pack labels for me. [I only needed 18 ... but I had printing issues!].

I haven't done that for quite some time - call a parent for help with my work - not since I was at school at least! But it was lovely to work with someone for a change!

And there's no one better to call upon for help with very little notice ... than a retired person who loves you!!

2 = books read with 2 more started. And, writing this post I've just realised a connection between the latest book I've started and another number I've recorded ... because part of the novel is set during the American Civil War ... so clearly James's costume has had a deeper influence than I knew!

And, finally, while we're on the subject of books ...

2 = the number of copies of my favourite novel I now own after I received a 2nd copy as a gift this week. A first edition. A signed one in fact. From the author himself. The result of a very wonderful-yet-entirely-unbelievable series of events this month.

I don't want to go into all the embarrassing details but ... let me tell you, you haven't felt awkward until you've, in a moment of blind paranoia, probed your favourite novelist about whether or not he's who he says he is ... and he is.

But, as the gift of the book attests ... it all turned out OK in the end!

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Right then ... I'll go now to calm down from all that excitement [who am I kidding? Like I'm ever going to take that in my stride!!] ... but as for you my friend...

Here's how YOU can join in with your own Month in Numbers:
If you've never joined in before there's a lot more information on the Month in Numbers page - including a 'How To' guide to inspire you. [There are no 'rules' other than those I'm about to set out below ... everything else I'll leave up to your own interpretation!]

If you want to share a link to your Month in Numbers post / photo / layout etc I can then visit you, comment on your contribution and then pin it to the communal Month in Numbers Pinterest board - which, as their all in one spot, makes it easy for everyone taking part to hop around and visit a few others.
 




**Please note: I can only 'pin' a post to the board if it contains at least one image/photo. Otherwise I can only leave a comment and smile at you from a distance**

So ... you just need to:

• Leave a link to your numbers in a comment on this blog post ... but ... 
• When you swing by my blog to drop it off - please leave a comment for me , about my post, while you're there. Not because I'm needy ... but because it's nicer if you don't just throw your link at my feet and leave without saying hello!  
• Please remember to link to my blog in your post. As much as I'd like to think that everyone who reads your blog already knows what 'My Month in Numbers' is [hey, it's nice to be popular, right?] ... the truth is, they don't. So unless you explain to your readers where the idea comes from and how they can join in too, they'll never know.
• And finally ... please try to take time at some point in the coming month to visit and comment on a few of the other posts too. It really does help build a community both around My Month in Numbers ... but also around your own blog space.

If - after reading through all the info on the Month in Numbers page of my blog - you still have any questions just get in touch. My email's in my right sidebar as are the links to my Facebook page and Twitter.

And please bear with my as I go around pinning and commenting on all your contributions ... the more you all keep me company with this memory-keeping-by-numbers lark ... the longer it's taking me to visit you all. But I do get there in the end!

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See you tomorrow when I'll reveal what you need to be counting for September's Communal Count ... until then ... I'd love to read your comments on my August ... and I'll be round to comment on yours soon.

Julie x

It's beginning to look a lot like ... Autumn

Hello hello.

Firstly - a quick note to say that I've drawn a winner - 'Scrapping Katie' - for the place on Shimelle Laine's 'Learn Something New Everyday' - and so the competition is now closed. I've heard back from Katie and am just about to purchase her place and pass her details on to Shimelle.

And, as the recurrence of LSNED indicates ... it's almost September ... and autumn's on its way!

I've been preparing lots of new autumnal coloured and flavoured kits for the shop, the first few of which you can visit here. But there's more to come in the weeks ahead ... so keep dropping back in for a range of items [many priced £5 and under] to help you kick-start your Christmas shopping! 

[Sorry to drop the *C* word on you when the sun's still high in the sky and you've probably not even broken out your cardigans just yet... but sure as September follows August ... Christmastime certainly follows autumn ... and it won't be long now...].

But let's just wallow in autumn for a while yet shall we? Let me share with you a little sneak peek into something distinctly woodland-y and squirrelish which I made for the latest issue of Papercraft Inspirations Magazine - Issue 117 - which is available now:

There are four squirrelly projects of mine inside so, if you'd like to see more, then this is the cover to look out for: 

I also created the 'Stencil Masterclass' in this issue [see the top right corner of the cover] which you can read either inside the magazine or via this 99p download from The Making Spot [Disclosure: I don't get paid for this - I'm just pointing out another way you can access my work - plus there are many more individual tutorials you can buy at The Making Spot.] 

See you tomorrow for My Month in Numbers and then on Sunday when I'll announce the next set of Communal Count categories with new things for you to tally-up during September.

But for now, I think I'll let you go and find where you've left your woolly tights ... you might well be needing them any day now ...

Julie :-)

Snippets of Words: Make it when you find it [or else find a really good storage system!]

Hi, hi.

If you're my mother, you might want to skip this post otherwise your birthday is going to hold few surprises. OK? OK.

As for the rest of you well ... the thing is, her birthday isn't for quite a while ... but I made the card just a few days ago, and not because I'm particularly efficient ... but because the opportunity occurred and I grabbed it. Which is really the point of this post, because once again I'm talking about using wording cut from books to decorate craft projects and:

• when you're dealing with tiny, lightweight, one-sneeze-and-it's-gone strips of paper snipped free from a full page ... you're either going to have to find a good way to store them until you need them OR
• get them safely stuck down before the next light breeze comes along, whether you need it right then or not!

As I've started needing to scour lots of snippets for another, on-going project, I've actually started to think of ways to securely store them while still making them easy for me to browse [I can't face just tipping them all into a envelope where they'd get all jumbled up!].

So at the moment I'm working on the idea of having layers of sheets of felt for all my free-floating phrases nestled on top meaning hopefully the nap of the fabric will help keep them from flying away! But I'll let you know how that goes when it's been tried and tested. But, failing that ...

... sometimes you just have to use those ideal snippets when you spot them.

• Before they sail away.
• Before you forget which page you saw it on.
• Before you accidentally pick it up on your cardigan sleeve and then deposit it somewhere random. Like inside your coat. Or Tesco.

And so ...  after making this card [one of my 3DJean Design Team projects for this month] I spent quite a while browsing for an interesting phrase to use on it, but only one stood out, and it didn't really mean anything useful except ... except it just put me in mind of the kind of thing my Mam [and my Grandma before her] would think or say...

... and while I hadn't originally intended for this to be her birthday card ... I just had to. It was too perfect not to grab the opportunity and put the snippet to its perfect use:

[For the record: she's not in the habit of not coming home!! It's more of a 'free spirited' kind of thing ... a bit hard to go into here!]

So that's how browsing for a phrase, for something, anything very broad and non-specific to finish off a generic card somehow became a very specific card for someone special:

But, if [like me] you can't always turn the phrase into something special right there and then ... then, like me, you're going to also develop a grand collection of little plastic bags stuffed with perfect phrases in search of a project!

I hope my examples of 'Snippets of Words' are inspiring you to give it a try. They really can help to deliver some sneaky poetry, an undiscovered story and an element of serendipity to your everyday crafting!

Julie
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Supplies from 3DJean:

• 12x12 Lily Bee Designs papers
• Lost Coast Designs Zebra Stripe border stamp
• Gold faux diamante mesh
• Black organza rose 

Meanwhile similar pages from a vintage German dictionary page are available from my Etsy shop here OR I can easily create an alternative option of non-English-language pages for you. You only have to ask.