DIY Lampshade and Bookcase, Part I

Today I bought a few fine papers so I could redo my lampshade and bookcase, which are currently a dirty beige and dull dark gray, respectively.

I'll be making a new lampshade with this "katazome papaya poppy flower" paper.

And I'll redo the outside of the bookshelf with this (the insides will be lined with red paper):

Let's hope it works out! Keep you posted on the results.

Work in progress

Stan's address cards are slowly coming together. I still need to add the hands, feet, and the house at the end of the road. Then I have to decide how i want to lay out the back of the card. Anyway, here's a sneak peek at a work in progress.

The Swan Geese

I immediately fell in love with "The Swan Geese" when I read it in college. It's a Russian fairytale. You can read a summary here. (The version I read, however, had a river with banks of custard, instead of a river with milk.) I loved this fairytale because not only did it have absolutely nothing to do with romance (it was an "anti-love" time for me) but also because the heroine learned--she grew during the course of the story. She was a dynamic character, not a static one.

One of my goals in the New Year is to add more variety to my shop. I am planning to include bookmarks and art pieces. I am happy to give you a preview of my first collage art piece, based on my beloved fairytale The Swan Geese.

The First Bloom

This one won't be going on my shop until late February/early March, but it is my spring card and companion to "The Last Leaf" and "The First Snowfall" (which isn't up on my site yet).

(The border isn't part of the card, by the way.)

I was watching Ratatouille last night, and this quote from the Chef Gusteau came up:

"If you're focused on what you've left behind, you will not be able to see what lies ahead."

More on this later.

The newest addition...

...is this very cute Octopus "Thank you" card! I just made it tonight. It actually resembles a stuffed animal octopus that I have (except it's blue; my octopus is pink). I hope I don't get sued by Ty!

Update: My mom just bought ten Octopus cards from me! (I wanted to offer them to her for free or at a discount, but she refused. aww, mom.)