the suburban pen pal

Thrift Store Finds

suburbanpenpal — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:43:40 +0000

I’ve developed a new hobby to fill my time: thrift store shopping. I only know of two thrift store in the are, which is good because it limits the amount of shopping I do. Here’s what I found at Goodwill:

And here’s what I got from Saver’s:

I love mason jars and this book has the most awesome illustrations. I’ve already made two envelopes out of them:

I picked up another fun little book from Know Knew Books a couple of weeks ago. It’s a Jello recipe book from the 1930s:

Aren’t the illustrations great? They’ll make excellent invitations for a summer party.

Experiments With Watercolor

suburbanpenpal — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:24:15 +0000

I love watercolors. I never learned how to use them properly, so when I get the urge to craft with them I usually just mix up a bunch of colors and start flinging paint at paper. This time I also wanted to try doing some drips after I saw these beautiful birthday invitations by Anastasia on Oh So Beautiful Paper:

She didn’t use watercolors so mine looks noticeably different. (I also smudged my drips a little bit ~~by accident~~):

And of course I also flung a bunch of paint at some writing paper because that’s just what I do with watercolors

Chez Panisse Calligraphy

suburbanpenpal — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 07:35:16 +0000

I adore Chez Panisse Cafe. We’ve been eating there as a family on special occasions for years and the food is always fantastic! However, being the nerd that I am, I couldn’t help but notice their beautiful calligraphy. We went to the cafe for my parent’s anniversary before Christmas and they served our dessert with these on the plates:

They also had these glasses etched for the 40th anniversary of the restaurant and cafe:

Photo by Linea Carta

My very own 2012 calendar!

suburbanpenpal — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 20:12:33 +0000

I completed this back when I was in full on Christmas crafting mode, but never got around to photographing it. I’ve always wanted to make my own calendar and I finally had enough time to do it! I used the DIY kit from Paper Source and added rubber stamps, washi tapes, and some origami paper. Some months turned out better than others, but overall I’m pretty happy with it:

A Piñata for Charlotte

suburbanpenpal — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 03:42:30 +0000

I saw this tutorial for mini piñatas a few weeks ago on Oh Happy Day and I just had to try it! Luckily, my good friend Charlotte has a birthday right after Christmas which provided an excellent excuse. I made him out of a Wheaties box and named him Norman:

Calligraphy Invitations

suburbanpenpal — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 22:14:43 +0000

We have a budding calligrapher in the family! Here are some invites my sister did for an upcoming tea party:

The flats are by Parrott Design Studios. I can only take credit for the gold sealing wax, which I’m improving at as well!

Christmas Crafts

suburbanpenpal — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 01:38:32 +0000

Hello again! I just wanted to share some pictures of my very crafty Christmas. I’m extremely proud of my wrapping this year. I did most of the presents on the right side:

Here are a few of my favs:

I had some extra yarn leftover from the wreath I did so I used it on the presents. (Note to self: remember to take a picture of the wreath BEFORE you put the Christmas tree in front of it).

I made the wreath with this tutorial. I think it came out well! At least I didn’t burn myself like the last time I tried to make a wreath.

My sister did the rest of the wrapping. Check out the calligraphy and embossed snowflakes!

I love the tree we got this year. It might be a little too big on the bottom, but we made do:

My grandmother made these stockings for my sister and I when we were babies. I’m still in awe of them:

My sister made these stockings for my parents last year when we were in London for Christmas:

And finally, I’ve been obsessed with making these security envelope stars ever since I saw this post on the Odessa May Society. I don’t have enough to make a garland yet, but I am definitely doing something with them next Christmas.

Happy Holidays!

Taking a Break + Blog Love

suburbanpenpal — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 17:30:32 +0000

Hello lovely readers! I have returned albeit briefly to tell you that I will be out of pocket for a while. Although I love blogging about all of my favorite things, I’m going to have to put this on the back burner until my school/work schedule calms down a bit. I’ll be back posting around Christmas time when I hope to show you all the wonderful things I discover on my trip to Paris and London (!!!!).

In the mean time, here’s a list of blogs I’m currently loving:

The Jealous Curator – The name speaks for itself

Coco + Kelley - Fantasy blog I just adore

Tea for Joy - A delightful mix of everything British. Makes me want to go back to London!

Design Work Life – My favorite graphic design blog

Upon A Fold – A fantastic Australian blog, she just did the most interesting series on Tokyo paper stores.

Oh So Beautiful Paper – In my opinion, the best blog out there on fine stationery and cards.

Sick.

suburbanpenpal — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 07:14:00 +0000

It’s done! For weeks now I have been working on embroidering these cheeky little hankies and they’re finally finished! They were inspired by my good friend Charlotte; not because she’s gross or anything, but because she is the only person I have ever met who actually uses handkerchiefs. I thought a hanky with her initials stitched on it might make a nice gift, but then I thought why not embroider a handkerchief for what goes inside of it? Totally gross! And so I did:

Of course I had to make some sort of packaging for my little creations, so I hand-stitched a mini paper bag. Here’s to you Charlotte (don’t get sick!)!

Tagged: embroidery, handkerchief, handmade, packaging, sick

Monthly Etsy Inspiration

suburbanpenpal — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 04:28:38 +0000

Wow, I haven’t done one of these in a while. Here are a few things for your consideration:

Rolling Letter Box and Mini Envelope Set by Lemon Tree 77

Couple Card by Nothing Is Elegant

Ink Lines Card Set by Fine Day Press

His and Her Silhouette Sticky Notepads by Lemon Tree 77

All Images by their respective owners.