Interlude - What I've Been Up To

Many apologies for my long absence. We have Impending Houseguests (!), including a friend coming for half a week next week and my parents for a month in Oct-Nov, so we've been basically tearing up the apt and rearranging and reorganizing it all. This, among other projects, has been keeping me far too busy.

I did want to stop in, though, and share one cool thing I did earlier today. We had this ratty old lamp given to us by my Mother in Law a couple years back. We use it as a bedside table lamp, but it was pretty boring. So, today I decided it needed an upgrade. The base of it is actually quite nice, made of a rich-coloured wood, so really it was only the boring, cream lampshade that had to go.

(I wish I had thought to take a before photo... but really, just imagine a the most boring lampshade cover you can.)

It is actually now covered with Japanese Yuzen paper. I chose that because, one, it's really pretty! and two, I happened to have large half-sheets of it lying around.

Because of the shape (very narrow on top, very wide at the bottom), I was nervous about cutting it and getting the size totally wrong. So, I actually painted on PVA glue with an old brush I didn't care about and rolled the lampshade on the paper, wrapping it around as I went. (I had made a slit at the top so it wouldn't wrinkle weirdly as I turned it.) Then, I trimmed the top and bottom to about a centimeter or two, and made perpendicular cuts to the edges, forming tabs all around. I then glued each tab down separately, forming a nice edge

Nothing too fancy, but I'm really pleased with how it turned out. Mostly, I just love the paper I used. It has some wrinkles in it, but the paper is pretty textured so I think it just adds to its character. And now I have a bright, colourful lamp to perk up my bedroom. :)

(The chest of drawers in the photos is from IKEA, and I put that together today too. At some point I will stain and lacquer it with a pretty design, but that's a project for another day.)

Weekend Wishlist - Extra Geeky Warcraft Edition

So.. I spent this weekend at home watching the streaming Blizzcon coverage with my husband. For those of you that might not know, Blizzcon is the gaming convention put on by the company Blizzard, responsible for World of Warcraft and other video games. There were far too many unhealthy snacks and a whole lot of geeking out, I can tell you.

In honour of this epicly nerdy occasion, I'm showing off a few of my favourite Warcraft-themed items from Etsy.

Curious Yellow Stained Glass Question Mark Garden Sculpture by FeralGlass


World of Warcraft Hearthstone Earrings by TheClayCollection

World of Warcraft Guild Tabard by SterlingStitches


Mrrgluglg Custom Handmade Tadpole by lulahoops


A Ghoulish Companion by ChewyPopcorn


Etched 16 oz. Glass World of Warcraft Alliance Symbol by NanajofNine


World of Warcraft Horde Insignia Laptop Decal by sprocketbox

Crafty To-Do List

Sorry I've been quiet recently. I didn't even manage a Weekend Wishlist this week, because I've been super busy. I pushed myself a lot over the weekend (including staying up till 4am cleaning one night) and I'm paying for it by being really worn out this week. I do have some things on my mind to post about to make this blog much more exciting than it is now (which is not much!), including my adventures through teaching myself crochet and a perfume oil review I owe Artemesia from Owlchemy from ages ago.

This post, however, is about all the projects I have piling up around me that I really need to sit down and get to work on! I figure if I make a list of it somewhere, I can check it off as I go along. Or at least stare at it for a while until I feel guilty enough I'm not getting anything done. :p

1) Craft swap journal for the DUST craft swap this month. (Plus a few other goodies?)

2) Finish embroidering my husband's jacket, since he can't wear it till I'm done

3) Finish journals in progress for my shop, as well as make new ones. Expanding stock = good.

4) Sew the pile of scraps I've set aside into more pieces of wall art

5) Introduce a few new paper card designs into my shop that I've got tucked away up my sleeve.

6) Work out the logistics of bookmarks for the shop!

7) Continue teaching myself crochet, particularly finishing the scarf I just started.

8) Shadowbox project for my husband I've been tooootally slack on. Eep.

9) Finally open the not-so-supersecret art shop I've been planning.

Yeah.. I have a lot to get done, and always so little time, or at least that's what it feels like! What have you got on your crafting plate in the near future? I'm always happy to trade virtual motivational pokes!