Monday: Obsessed

Happy Monday!

And I mean that-  I want you to have a Monday as happy as a Monday can be...

Am I being negative?  No.  I just don't want to be secured to a desk until 5pm.  I want to be at home, working happily away on a little project.  A project that I started yesterday morning.  It's sitting halfway completed, now, crying for my return.  What is it?  I won't tell you, yet.  But I will give you a hint.  It began with these nice 12x12 sheets of chipboard.

That tells you lots, doesn't it?  I'll give you another hint-  it's a project for my favorite holiday.  Halloween.

I'm really proud of myself, thinking ahead and all...  I've got projects lined up for your amusement and entertainment needs.  All the way through Valentine's Day! 

I'm here today with some inspirationical links.  Stuff I'm obsessing over or stuff that has inspired me enough to lay in the middle of the floor thinking about what I'd do if I would only sit up.  If you follow all the people I've told you about in the past, you'll have seen it already- so in that case, you should skip to the bottom and let me know what you're obsessing over!

First up:  Sherry C's blog, My Favorite Things.  I'm loving her blog so much she should change her blog's title to KORY'S FAVORITE SITE.  She's a genius.  Want proof?  Lookit how she cut a square out of the Core'dinations and flipped it around so you can see both sides of this great paper.  I love this idea.  And I love that set of Core'dinations.  I have lots of it, mostly scavenged from Basket Market.  Also, don't miss the later post where she draws/embosses the Core'dinations by HAND.

Now, head back over to Frank's Haus of W.  Not only can you admire the old-fashioned CAMERA that he built, but the amazing Vintage Envelope Mini-Album he designed to go inside the camera.  And my dearest Franklin was also too kind to give away a PDF of the envelope template that he made!  I love envelopes more than I love vodka and tonic- so I spent some time playing with the template.  I printed it out in three sizes- regular size, medium size and a baby size!  Here they are, lined up in my mini-Smash book:

Cool, huh?

I would much rather make a card- but there are still times when a moment arrives and you just need to grab a store-bought card.  I have hundred of cards.  I always pull a selection of two or three cards from each package, to keep in my file cabinet at the office- so that I always have both thank you cards and blank cards near my right hand at all times.  How often do I need a thank you card?  Just about as often as I need a blank card to write happy birthday to someone down the hall, that's how often.  In other words: ALL THE TIME.

And I saw these colorful cards at Target:

I like the 'Tired of Texting' card.  And the 'Freakin Thanks' card.  Fun, huh? 

Okay, I've got work to do-  wish me luck!

-kory


 

Studio Calico - CHA 2012

I'm not exaggerating one bit when I tell you this:

Looking at Studio Calico's blog gives me the same feeling I got the very first time I saw a dirty magazine. 

It's a thrill.  And it also scares me how much I like what I see.

Out of every CHA sneak preview that's popped up - Studio Calico is the one that made me the most exciting in the pants.

Look at these journal cards: 

From Studio Calico

I'll allow you a few moments to pull yourselves together before I show you the next piece of Studio Calico CHA hotness.

Okay, all better now?  Here ya go:

From Studio Calico

I can already hear what you're saying- you've got the SMASH date-stamp.  You've got the Dear Lizzy date-stamp.  And hell, you've got a drawer full of date-stamps that followed you home from various office jobs.  But Studio Calico's date-stamp kills them all with a combination of hip design and smart phrases.  INSTAGRAMMED!   EPIC!  A ROW OF HEXAGONS?! 

Go over to Studio Calico's porno blog right now and look at everything else.  I'll be taking a cold shower.

-kory

Obsessed!

"OBSESSION IS MORE THAN A PERFUME!"
- Moby Dick: The Musical


Good morning, everyone!  It's Sunday.  But still Sunday MORNING- so the late Sunday afternoon depression hasn't kicked in, yet.  I'm still happy, hopeful and OBSESSING.

What it it that I'm obsessing over right now?

Yesterday, I managed to drag myself off of the sofa and out into the 350 degree oven that we call Oklahoma City.  With remnants of Friday evening's wild activities still clanging and banging inside my head, it was quite a struggle.  I was able to last about an hour before I ran back home to the safety of air conditioning.  But in that hour, I was able to run up to PAPER CROWN for a papercraft fix.  And I mean 'fix' in all it's druggy ways.  Paper Crown is one of my favorite pushers in town.

I straggled into Paper Crown, hoping that BasicGrey's outstanding new line, CLIPPINGS, would be in stock.  It wasn't- but the owner said it should be there by Tuesday.  (!)  I bought a few papers, obsessed over a couple of stamp sets- but put them down.  Don't know if I've told you, but I'm trying to lay off the stamps for the time being.  I just have way too many and barely use the ones I have- so, I'm trying to 'rediscover' the stamps I already own before I go on another stamp binge.  So I decided to allow my washi tape collection to grow again.  Yeah, I'll probably have to lay off tape soon- maybe that's when I'll go back on the stamps.   Anyways- here's my big purchase from yesterday's trip to Paper Crown:

photo from Cavillini & Co.

Have any of you heard of CAVALLINI & CO.?  I never had- until I began shopping at Paper Crown.  Aside from their kickass paper tapes, they also have some wowful rubber stamps and some too cool to use papers.  Scrapbook.com doesn't carry anything, but Two Peas does-  so if you're not in OKC, you can order them.  But if you're in OKC, run up to Paper Crown and tell them Kory sent you and you're there for the Cavallini.

Alright- back to the tape.  I think they made this just for me.  I love anything vintage office supply inspired.  It goes back to my childhood love of 'playing office.'  I didn't like to play ball or dolls- I liked to play office.  My Dad built a desk for me, and I setup my typewriter (remember those?!) and some IN & OUT boxes and I was in bidness.

So, Cavallini's Vintage Office paper tape set.  Comes in a great metal tin, too.  So when you've used up all the tape, you can reuse the metal tin.  That's if you'll use the tape.  Right now, all I can do is stare at it and stroke it and promise it that I'll never hurt it...

Now: Before we continue to my next obsession, run over to the bar and freshen your cocktail.  Take a couple of deep breaths, then continue reading.  It's amazing.  If you've already seen it because you, I don't know- READ BLOGS, never-mind.  Freshen your drink anyways.

Do any of you keep up with The Gentleman Crafter?  You should.  It's very much like my blog- but run by a much classier guy, well written, with good photographs of amazing projects.  Like the Graphic 45 LIGHTHOUSE.  If I would've been working the same amount of time that I've spent staring at this project, I would've accomplished something.  But I've just been staring.  You will, too.  Cuz just when you think it can't be any more heart-stopping amazement:  IT OPENS UP.  Just go- look- NOW!

Alright, my last obsession of the week- or since the last time I posted about my obsessions- is this journal in a handmade felt pocket, from my wonderful friend Frank, over at HAUS OF W.  Frank, or Franklin, as I've inexplicably decided I must call him, is so talented that my eyes burn with jealousy and at the same time, intense admiration.  And on top of being so damn talented- HE'S NICE!  For realz, Franklin is the best.  One day, we'll be neighbors and he'll teach me how to make flowers.  Or get a restraining order.

Anyways- check out his journal in a pocket.  I love felt.  And I love that he COLORED his own felt.  When I first looked at it, I thought that's just the fabric he found.  No, he COLORED the piece of white felt!  And embossed on it!  So cool.  Go look at it- HERE.

Before I go-  will someone explain to me WHY everyone is making the game pieces?  You know, the bingo game lookin' pieces, round wood with the number on them?  Just when I thought I'd thought it would be the end of them- I see Crate Paper's Wood Bingo Chips.  And they all look EXACTLY the same.  How many more companies are going to pack up some bingo pieces and sell them?  And how can they sell them without some text on the packaging saying, "We know, this isn't original- hell, you surely bought Mr. Holtz's first, and maybe added to your bingo chip collection with Maya Road's pieces- but just in case you didn't have enough- here ya go!"

Anybody else obsessed with anything this week?  I'd love to hear what it is!

-kory

Okay,

Watching TV & a new feature: OBSESSED.

I am OFF WORK!  I am laying on the couch, watching The History Channel- which isn't showing anything about history, but shows about Bigfoot, UFOs...and lots of people who make bad personal grooming choices.

It's almost 11am, and I realized I forgot to tell Holly that I'm off work- so I just called her to see if she wanted to go to Basket Market.  You know, to celebrate the 4th of July.  A trip to Basket Market is the perfect way to honor our INDEPENDENCE and FREEDOM this holiday season.  I don't know why the larger part of the population assumes the holiday calls for beer and 'the' lake, clearly, it's all about beer and Basket Market.

Speaking of beer for breakfast-  Anytime I have a beer before 11am, I remember, years ago, when I was living in Australia.  My ex-fiancee's brother had come from Canada to visit, and was staying at our apartment.  Every morning, he would call me into the kitchen:  "Kory, my friend, come have a beer...it is the perfect breakfast, you know- beer...it has...vitamins...and oats."

EVERY MORNING.

Okay- back to the goings-on on the History Channel-  I wish, REALLY REALLY WISH, that Bigfoot would be found.  Just so these insane people would stop being filmed LOOKING FOR HIM.

Now, a commercial for APPLEBEE'S.  Does anyone actually eat there?  I don't know of one single person who goes there-  yeah, I know a few people who've GONE, but none that ever RETURNED.  I went once and I'm still suffering PTSD.  It was that bad.  If I wanted to eat perfectly disgusting and/or flavorless, strange combinations of food, I would just go in the kitchen and cook!

Enough live-blogging television.  Here's what I'm here to share, this morning:

WHAT I AM OBSESSED WITH, SO FAR, THIS WEEK!

1)  Paul's Pepper-pot Boy card, from over at THE ARTSIDERS.

I'm obsessed with this drawing that he did- and begged for him to make a stamp from it- but since, like me, he surely doesn't have a rubber-stamp creating machine next to his desk, I thought he could make a digital stamp.  And you know what?  He was kind enough to RE-DRAW the little guy, SCAN it, and EMAIL it to me.  And on top of that, he still took the time to explain, to me, what a pepper-pot is and went on to explain what a SALT PIG is-  I'm still mystified.

2)  CrimsonMama's Punch Doily, as seen here in her Scrapbook.com GALLERY.

She MADE a doily with a Martha Stewart punch.  I have zero math skills, so as I read her description as to how she CALCULATED everything to MAKE THIS THING, my brain almost melted.  I don't see how she not only came up with the idea, but also how she executed the plan.  SHE  USED A PROTRACTOR.

3)  Shelly Hickox's 'Grungy Gatefold Birthday Card.' from her blog STAMPTAMP, which I found from the SIZZIX blog.

Click on the title of her blog, up there, and look at this freakin' card.  I'm obsessed.  Everything from the color, the stamps, the die-cuts-  WOW- this is the first time I really, really liked the Umbrella Man.  I mean, yes, I love the stamp (I don't have the die, yet) but I could never picture, really, what to use him on- something about it makes me feel sad.  Or creeped out.  I love the image, but I couldn't picture him on anything.  But seeing it here, it looks great.  As well as the rest of her blog.  I'm obsessed.


Okay, I've got to get going.  Nothing makes Holly angrier than a frantic phone call from me, shouting to HURRY HURRY HURRY LET'S GO- only to pull up and honk and I'm still undressed, watching a show about UFO's while simultaneously reading blog and talking on the phone.

I'd like to say that I'm going to find a shopping cart full of treasure at Basket Market and return to create my first Pinterest worthy masterpiece which I photograph well and post to my blog, resulting in magazines wanting to hire me as their craft editor.  But I'll be realistic.  I'll find nothing worth buying, end up being dragged thrift store to junk store and back again by Holly, eventually returning home where I'll lay on the couch and watch Ancient Aliens or something even worse.  Maybe I should sell tickets allowing people to sit beside me on the couch as I talk back to the TV?  It's almost a performance worthy of an award, really.

In case I don't make it back-  HAPPY 4th of JULY, Americans.

-kory