Washi Tape Meets Keyboard

 Washi Meets Keyboard

When I first heard of washi tape, I wasn't impressed. When I first saw washi tape, I still wasn't impressed. Until I found this tape: 

I fell in love with this on the spot and only bought one roll! What was I thinking? Especially since I cannot remember where I bought it, who makes it and cannot find it in any of the local crafting stores. I have one small 6" piece left. :( If anyone knows where to find this tape, please let me know!

Fast forward a few months later and I now have a pencil box full of various washi tape rolls. The only place I really use them is in pocket letters so they do not get used much. This morning when I sat down at my desk, I remembered a photo I saw of a washi-ed keyboard. Of course, I had to try it! Here is the result:

As you can see, the pink argyle tape does not like to stay put. I have a feeling I am going to have to replace at least the space bar piece. 

The keyboard looks great but functionality is only so-so. I keep feeling the edges of my fingers catch on the edges of the tape as I type. I may need to trim a few pieces a little more.  Thankfully, I learned how to type correctly (Thanks Mrs. Novotny for your insistence on that in middle school!) so I'm not having to hunt and peck or look up a keyboard map. Hmmm...I think I may just do this to all the kids' keyboards...

Happy crafting!

Parisian Feline Pocket Letter

Oh, the joy that is Pocket Letters! And cats! Two of my favorite things!

After creating the PL for Billie, I came across a post on a PL Facebook page from a lady looking to swap a cat PL she had made. Being the cat lover that I am, I jumped on it. Or, shall I say, pounced on it. :)

I had a few things in my stash that could be used for a cat PL, but not enough to complete one so I went shopping. I had to go to the next town over and it has a Joann's so I stopped in there on the way home. I found only a few things but it was enough to create this PL.

A couple of weeks after I sent this PL, I was in my local Hobby Lobby. I saw sooo many cat items that I was kicking myself for not shopping there before I created this. Oh well, I'm sure there will be another cat PL in my future.

This is the front:



I love bright colors and funky and blingy stuff and this PL catches that essence. The two cats are actually iron on patches that I picked up from Joann's (then found in Walmart for less than half the price I paid - grrr).

The tiny clothes pins are covered with the letter "I" from the same stickers that the word "CAT" is from in the middle pocket of the top row.

The paw print stickers are actually dog paws, I believe, but I used them anyway. The local high school's mascot is the Wildcat and cat paws are huge around here. So, I associate paws with cats more than dogs. (Guess that could also be because I'm a cat lover...)

A note about my design method: I like to design the front as a work of art and fill the back with reusable goodies but some people like to put goodies in the front of the PL as well as the back. Most people collect their PLs and like to look back through them and this is why I design my PLs the way I do. This way, when someone looks at them, they still have complete front pockets to look at. Just remember - PLs are YOUR thing. Design them how you want and the way you want. There is no right or wrong way.

This is the back:



It's full of various supplies that match the theme, color and materials I used on the front. The pocket on the right in the middle row contains a small envelope that I made using the WRMK Envelope Punch Board (I'll post about this later). It holds a small bag of various colored skittles.

Skittles are little colored domes that can be glued down and very similar to the domes in the top left pocket. They were all the rage in the papercrafting and scrapbooking world a few years ago though I have not seen them in use since I started learning about PLs. The  pockets in the middle of the top and bottom rows also have envelopes in them but for the life of me I cannot remember what I included inside the envelopes! Maybe nothing? Maybe my letter in one? Who knows. My memory is not what it used to be.

This PL went to Canada and the recipient is the one who named it, "Parisian Feline." Very appropriate, don't you agree?

Check back as I add more PLs. Happy crafting!

My Very First Pocket Letter Ever

So...I spent much time reading about PLs - what they were, how to create them, what to put in them, what their purpose was. I kept wanting to jump into a swap but I was afraid! Having never created a PL, I wasn't exactly sure how to go about it.

I finally decided to create a PL for a dear friend from church. Her name is Billie and she is crafty. I have had the pleasure of working with her on a couple of large projects as well as seen her work throughout the congregation from time to time. I figured she would appreciate a PL and could put the goodies to use.

Billie absolutely LOVES pink. I've never seen anyone love a color as much as she does. She also love shabby chic. So, I made her a pink shabby chic PL. Or tried to anyway. I never did quite love this PL and plan on attempting another pink shabby chic someday.

Without further ado, here is the PL.

This is the front:



The background is a sheet of 8.5x11 scrapbook paper. The roses are a throwback to the first project we worked on together which involved French shabby roses. The four corners are a small pink doily that I cut in quarters. I added texture with the lace, bow, pearls and crocheted flower. The rhinestones are probably more my taste than Billie's. (I LOVE bling and glitter. I think I drove her and our other friends nuts with my want of glitter and sparkle in our projects.) The stamped image is one I bought from Hobby Lobby. It says:
"Some people strengthen others just by being the kind of person they are."
This quote is very true of Billie.

This is the back of the PL:



I packed it full of goodies that she can hopefully reuse on her many projects. There are doilies, crocheted flowers, stickers, lace and ribbon, stamped images and washi tape. The empty pocket eventually held tea and my letter to her. Since I already know Billie, in my letter I just told her about PLs and why I chose her as my first recipient.

I bundled it up all pretty (again, the packaging can be reused) and put it in her mailbox at church.



I had fun making it and have since made about a dozen more. I'll be posting more so check back!

Thanks and happy crafting!