Black and White....and Yellow!

Yellow has never been one of my favorite colors.  I don't wear a lot of yellow and I don't have a lot of yellow stuff in my house.  But over the last several months, I've noticed that I'm increasingly drawn to it.  And I do recall reading somewhere that yellow is the color that makes people feel the happiest, so that alone is a good reason to bring a little more yellow into my world. 

I think my attraction to yellow started last year when I got my hands on this paper:

It was love at first sight!  I absolutely love this paper.  It's bright, cheerful, sweet--it makes me happy just looking at it.  In case you're wondering, it is a lotka paper (made from the Daphne plant!) and you can find it at Paper Source.

When I make a journal from an old book, I let the book's cover art take the lead when it comes to choosing the papers for the inside covers; I like for them to match, or at least coordinate with, the cover art.  Some covers give me some leeway as to what colors I can use inside, while other books don't leave much choice (in my opinion, which is, of course, the right one!).  Take for instance, this cover, from the 1974 edition of Better Homes & Gardens "Creative Decorating on a Budget":

There was no question whatsoever about what paper to put inside this cover.  And I really like it when the book cover makes my decision-making/design process simple and easy.  (Isn't the living room featured on this cover totally awesome?  I wish my living room looked like this and I am not kidding!)  Of course, I could have used a black and white paper inside this journal and it would have worked.  I did consider this paper:

I love chevrons, but it was clear that the daisies were the right match.  Instead, I put the black & white chevron paper inside this journal:

Because daisies are too girly for this macho Handyman's Book journal anyway. (Both journals are available in my shop, by the way.)

Making these journals made me think about the whole black/white/yellow combination.  I realize I see it everywhere--and by everywhere, I mean craft stores and in magazines.  I thought about this pillow cover that I made a few weeks ago:

Wouldn't this throw pillow look perfect in that 1974 living room?  And yet those fabrics are new; I just bought them last summer and I finally got around to using them in February! 

All this thinking about yellow also reminded me of my favorite scarf that I've been wearing nearly every day this winter:

I knit this way-long infinity scarf in October & November, just in time for the onslaught of arctic weather we've been having; the yarn is Loops & Threads Cozy Wool from Michael's and I love it.  It's light and cozy and warm and knits up nicely.  It's a 50/50 wool acrylic blend.  I had never entertained the idea of knitting anything yellow until I saw this yarn and fell in love with it.  The color itself is so warm and it goes great with all my gray and black shirts.  My winter wardrobe tends to be very monochromatic and boring so I need some colorful scarves to mix it up a little. 

So there you have it: my love affair with yellow.  I think it's permanent.  I feel pretty happy, too. 

Bright April

Holy moly, I think spring has finally arrived!! 

I just finished this journal up this morning.  I love the bright colors inside and the beautiful illustration on the cover.  It's a discarded vintage book I've never seen before, but serendipity put it in my hands in a timely manner. 

We've gone a week without snow.  That's a record!  I am getting excited for spring flowers, craft shows, and playing outside.  Finally. 

What are you looking forward to this spring? 

Here are a few more spring-ish journals I've finished lately and will share:

This is an upcycled 1966 book about Iowa and it makes an adorable journal or scrapbook (I think.).  The whole book is included, so you can learn a little bit of Iowa history while you're filling the blank pages. 

I'm thinking about planting some flowers and also about garden journals; they're one of my favorite type of books to make.  Old agriculture textbooks make great garden journals too, as well as old garden books.  Here are a few:

The paper you see on the inside cover here is oil paper, and it is awesome.  I think it looks like a cross between a Monet painting and tye-die.  Love it.  Will definitely be getting some more. 

Big things are in the works here in Papercake world: May is going to be a fun and super-busy month.  I can't wait.  When I know all the details, I will share.  Lots to look forward to! 

Happy April and happy SPRING!

Some Are Small: mini album for my little man.

Yesterday was a special day, because Jacob was Student of the Week at preschool.  He'd been waiting for this day: a while back he'd expressed his worry that he would not get to be Student of the Week.  So we chose a couple of his favorite things to take to school to show the class (his Curious George storybook and his favorite board game, Candyland) and we were also supposed to send a few photos for him to share.  I decided he shouldn't just take photos to school, but rather a photo book. 

I had a stack of his paintings that I hadn't used on scrapbook layouts or calendar pages yet, but of course I couldn't just toss his masterpieces in the recycling bin.  So I used his paintings as the pages for his book.  For the album covers I used a 1950s reader called Some Are Small.  Perfect for a book about a 4-year-old. 

Here's a look inside:

This book is very simple.  I may go back and add some more journaling, but mostly it's just photos and his paintings.  I organized it by season with some leftover file tabs from folders.  I folded his paintings in half, secured them with double-stick tape, trimmed them to fit, and bound it.  Quick and easy.  Jacob really likes it.  He enjoyed sharing it with his class.  Nothing fancy, but something we will continue to enjoy. 

Market Day Preview: Girl Scout journal

I found this sweet little Girl Scout handbook from 1945 a couple of months ago; it's rare to find scouting books that aren't priced as collectibles, so of course I had to snatch it up!  Then last week, I came into a huge stash of awesome papers and cardstock, which worked out perfectly to make pockets for this journal.

This journal has two silver pockets, to match the sweet floral paper on the inside front and back covers.  It's the little things in life like metallic cardstock, that really make my day!  There are also some pages from the book included in the journal:

This is just one of the new items I'll be bringing to Market Day on Saturday.  Hope to see you there!  Remember, we'll be opening an hour earlier this month, at 8:00 a.m. 

Market Day preview: Fancy Nancys

A week ago I shipped a box full of journals to White Rabbit Gallery in Iowa City (you should definitely check it out when you're in I.C., you can find it at 109 South Linn or online at www.whiterabbitgallery.com.  It's a haven of handmade goodness.), which depleted most of my inventory, so I've been busy making more this week.  With the first Market Day coming up on May 5, I will stay busy. 

I have made a lot of Nancy Notebooks in the past three years.  They were one of the first things I made when I started making journals back in 2009, and I still love making them.  Because I love Nancy Drew.  I have loved her for about thirty years.  When I was about seven years old or so, my mom used to drop me off at the public library in Knoxville so she could grocery shop in peace.  That probably sounds like bad parenting, but it really wasn't.  For one thing, way back then, in a small town, it was totally safe to leave an exceptionally well-behaved 7-year-old such as myself alone at the library.  And it was totally okay with the children's librarian, Miss Viner, who was always able to tell my mother that I sat and read quietly the entire time.  True story! 

The Nancy Drew books were, as I recall, on the bottom shelf.  The Knoxville library had an excellent children's collection, so I was able to read my way through most of the Nancys.  They were the older editions, with the blue tweed covers, rather than the picture covers, which is what I like to use to make journals.  I adore the picture-cover Nancys.  Nancy is always smartly dressed and ready for any adventure.  She knows how to fly a plane, change a flat, and she always looks good doing it.  Is it any wonder that my main career aspiration as a child was to be a detective? 

But I digress (actually, I do that often, and well!).  Here are a couple of Nancys I just finished up.  I love using velvet paper whenever possible.  I'm a tactile person and velvet paper just can't be beat. 

I've probably made at least a dozen journals from various editions of The Secret of the Old Clock.  I think the cover with Nancy in the green dress is my favorite, because then I can use this awesome green velvet paper for the inside covers:

I remembered these ledger envelopes that I've had and it occurred to me that it would make a sweet little pocket for this journal.  And it did. 

Here's the inside of the Crooked Bannister journal.  I love the bright pink cover and the fact that it has a robot on the cover as well.  And I love the velvet and metallic floral paper inside:

This journal has two pockets, on in the front and one in the back. 

My photos don't do the papers justice, but you get the idea.  I am really looking forward to the Planned Parenthood book sale next week to see what Nancys I can get my hands on. 

New Journals and happy news!

Here are a few journals that I finished up yesterday.  I think these are some of my very favorites ever:

More Better Homes & Gardens.  Taking these apart and binding them takes some serious muscle. 

Love this vintage social studies book.  Love the yellow and green. 

This 1962 reader might be my very favorite of the bunch.  I finally got to use a new paper that I am in love with for the inside covers of this one:

I like pink.  And I love this pretty pattern so, so much. 

Yesterday, I waited very patiently and only checked my email a few dozen times to find out if I got in to Market Day this year.  I'm happy to say that I did!  I am so excited to be part of this awesome event again this year.  We will be located at the Kirkwood for the second year in a row, but instead of happening on the last Saturday of each month, Market Day will be the FIRST Saturday of each month, May through October.  And then in November, of course, the super-fabulous Market Day Black Friday event.  Go ahead and mark your calendars now for Saturday, May 5.  That's also the first day for the Des Moines Farmers' Market.  Come down and see us at the Kirkwood.  You can find Market Day Iowa on facebook to get updates and news and also at: www.marketdayiowa.com.  I am just so happy that I get to be a part of Market Day.  Because it is seriously awesome. 





Typing-Book Sketchpad & Typewriter Tablet

To continue my typewriter theme this week, here are a couple tablets I just finished.  The larger one is a sketchpad upcycled from an old typing book.  I love these.  The small one is paper-over-board, a good size to tuck in your bag to jot down important or not-so-important stuff.  I just love this typewriter paper; if you need some too, you can find via Paper Source (www.paper-source.com).  The inside of these look like this:

Red faux-crocodile for the typewriter tablet. 

Funky, retro checks for the typing-book sketchpad. 

(This fabulous paper is from Hollander's, www.hollanders.com)

I have another old typing book I'm going to do, and the plan is to put the typewriter

paper on the inside covers.  Because I just can't resist. 



A Giveaway!

Today I'm participating in my first-ever blog giveaway, as I was flattered to be asked by Britni over at booknookclub.blogspot.com to be part of her 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways.  So hop on over to her blog and leave a comment to get your chance to win an upcycled journal made by yours truly.  You can choose one from my etsy shop OR you can let me know if there's a certain type of book or title you'd really love to have and I can see what I have in my craft-show inventory or even create it if it's a book I happen to have in my stash (okay, stashes, plural.  Which, I am told, are "all over the house.")  I want to make sure the winner of this giveaway gets a book he or she will love.