Wow.  Has it really been TWO YEARS since I posted anything?

What can I say?  I've been busy.

To add to the heap of stuff I've been up to, I've somehow managed to get myself wrangled into being a Girl Scout Leader.  It's going to be so much fun, but I'm pretty sure it's going to keep me super busy.

So don't fret, I'm still here.  I'm going to try to post a little something every now and then if I manage to actually do something.  Maybe I'll at least show off some of the stuff I've done in the last few years.

Take care all!

Samantha

I'm still alive!

I'm so sorry I haven't posted anything lately.  I didn't realize that it had been over a month since my last post!  Things have been nuts around here!  I had a little issue with fatigue for a while, but I've just about got that under control.  All I wanted to do was sleep, and that isn't possible with two little girls to keep up with. 

The girls have also been super-clingy and haven't been all that happy about me doing anything without them.  So, I haven't been spending much time at the computer.

For those of you that are waiting for me to get the Nook and e-Reader covers into production, I really have been working on it.  I keep running into small snags here and there, finding an affordable magnet supplier, working on the process so that it doesn't take sooooo long to put them together, making sure the end result is of the highest possible quality, etc.  I don't want to spend hours on end on something and have people buy it and it wear out prematurely.  I'd rather not sell anything than to try to sell something that's just "cheap".  So, please be patient.  I'm working on it as much as I can (and as much as the younglings will let me).

Kaylee turned three years old on Saturday!  She's such a big girl.  It's really hard to believe.  Aby is talking up a storm, and learning her colors (at 17 months, I think that's pretty good!).  They both want to help mommy cook all the time, which is cute but sometimes hinders the whole process a bit.  But, they gotta learn, right?

As far as us local folks getting together, you tell me.  We have both cars back, so no transportation problems there.  Just let me know what you guys want to do and I'll make it happen.

How have you all been? I've missed everybody, so let's catch up!

Next meeting for local Conspirators!

Okay, Kim and I are thinking this coming Tuesday, June 14th at 2:00 or 2:30.  My husband and I are down to one car at the moment, so I have to leave no later than 4:45.  I'm leaving this to Kim to fill in the rest of the details in the comments section.  She might show up as "Maroon" so just know that it's her.

Happy Crafting!

Samantha

If River Song had a Nook...

After several prototypes, I finally finished this.  I was going to enter it into the "Where's the TARDIS?" contest, but I was just a bit too late.  Since this first one is a gift for our friend Jenny (aka @Meadhbh on Twitter, among other things), I couldn't unveil it until now.  (I broke down and mailed it to her, she LOVED it.)

If you don't know what that is below, or who River Song is, stop what you're doing right now and go watch Doctor Who.  You can watch all of the "new" series all the way up to the current season on Netflix.  The significance of River Song's diary becomes apparent in Series 4 and up.  I'll admit I haven't watched the older series, but I'm totally caught up in them now.  That said, I don't honor myself with the full-blown title of hardcore "Whovian",  but I am a fan.  Enough of my rabbit-trailing...

 (Photos taken with my mother-in-law's Nook.  It fit in there nice and snugly, which I was almost to the point of having nightmares about.)

Except for the inside lining (which is fabric), and the magnets and steel plates for the closure, the entire thing is made of PAPER, chipboard, and copious amounts of glue.  Lots of little pieces glued up and then embossed... let's just say it took a bit of time to put together.  Now that I know what I'm doing, I'm sure the next one won't take quite as long.

It still hasn't been really used yet, so I'm going to get some input from Jenny after she uses it for a little bit, if it needs any more tweaking.  Especially the part that holds the Nook in place.  

If anyone is interested in one, please email me.  No idea how much I would charge for one, because it's more time and labor intensive than it is expensive to make.  But I wouldn't charge enough to pay myself minimum wage for all the time I put into it, if that tells you anything. 

All in all, I'm proud of what I made.  What do you think?

Busy busy

Just wanted to let you guys know I'm still around and kickin'!  I've had several projects going on, the main one I finished Monday morning!  Can't post pics of it yet, because it is a gift for a friend, and I don't want any spoilers. 

Local people, let me know when we want to get together.  I did hear from Brandie, she just hasn't had computer access lately.

Happy Crafting!
Samantha

Successful meeting! What next?

We had a good time yesterday!  All of us actually managed to just about finish making our books, so that is a success in my book.
Now the question: what do you guys want to do next, and when?
There are a few things I have in mind, but if you guys have any suggestions or requests, let's hear 'em! 
I found a tute online for making roses out of egg cartons, and I made three and they turned out pretty well, but I don't know what I want to do with them.  I'm adding a picture below, but this is a first for me adding a pic from my phone, so we'll see how it looks.
If you guys enjoyed bookbinding, I can show you how to make a book similar to the one we made yesterday, but with a soft cover.  Or we can tackle another method completely.
I had some success embossing the metal from a soda can, but I'm still trying to figure out what to do with that, too.  (Adding another picture).
Also, I saw several things made from toilet paper/paper towel tubes that I'm itching to try.  
We could tackle a sewing project, perhaps.  I'm open to suggestions.  Would any of you like to share something?
Also, when do you guys want to do this?  Next week is out for me, I have a few projects of my own to finish and appointments to go to.  How about the week after that?
Comment away, you guys!

Bookbinding Update

I just finished putting together a hardcover book I'd been working on for a while, so that the process would be fresh in my mind for writing Part Four of the tutorial.  It is the trickiest part of putting the book together, to tell you the truth.

I had a little trouble with it, and it didn't turn out quite as well as I had hoped.  For one thing, my spine piece is a little too wide, so I'm going back and editing the previous post's measurements for the spine before anyone else makes the same mistake I did.

Also, I think from here on out, I'm going to stick to using cardstock for my end papers/fly pages, since it doesn't bubble on you as much.

Learn from my mistakes, friends.  I hope I do.