Category Archives: celebrations

My Little Red Toolbox | Sakura Quickie Glue Pen

The Little Red Toolbox is back! And, with another pen (not on purpose)! But this one is not full of ink, it’s full of glue. Glue that streams out in a nice fine line. Glue that can be covered in glitter to add little more *sparkle* to your projects. Glue that can be used to stick the teeeeniest bits of paper to other bits of paper.

Sakura’s Quickie Glue Pen writes like a smooth ballpoint pen making it easy to add small glittery details to paper projects. I used it to add some subtle sparkle to some decorations (the Stars & Stripes Garland from Paper Source) for the Election Party. The Quickie Glue Pen writes with a 0.7mm point and is really easy to control. I traced the outline of the stars inside the circles and I had no problem staying along the edge, even though I am often careless, impatient and messy when I craft. When I first started, I traced small sections of the stars and added glitter to each section before “writing” more glue.

By the time I was on the last color, I was tracing the entire star and glittering all at once. (For the record, I only glittered six of these…see what I mean about being impatient?) The good news is, the glue stays tacky long enough to hold the glitter well.

I strung them up (with the included tiny clothespins and twine) and stuck them on the TV stand. I still have eight more circles and eight more stars that I can play with someplace else, if I don’t run out of time (or interest).

It’s hard to see the glitter in the picture, but it adds just enough sparkle to make things festive around here. As soon as the donkey and the elephant are glittered, they will join the garland near the TV for a little sparkle party.

But back to the glue pen. When the glue is still blue, it is a permanent adhesive. While I wouldn’t use a thin glue pen to glue large areas or heavy papers together, I do use it to adhere tiny bits of paper to other paper or to stick down that pesky corner that the glue stick always seems to miss. But for the most part, I use the glue pen just as I used it today–to add some glitter to decorations or cards. Because a little sparkle goes a long way around here. (And even a little sparkle creates a glittery mess that lasts for weeks…but it’s worth it!)

Tagged , , , ,

These Guys Won’t Even Know What Hit ‘Em

Election Party prep is in full swing around here. On Thursday I packed up all of the Halloween stuff and the weekend ahead promises to be full of cleaning and craft projects of the red, white and blue persuasion. Those guys up above (a plastic elephant and donkey from the toy animal bins at Michaels) are going to get a glitter treatment. We are still deciding on food and I’m trying to motivate myself to get the cleaning and decorating and shopping out of the way so I’m not rushing around on Tuesday while I’m trying to vote and obsessively watch the election coverage on television.

And, while everyday life goes on here, everyday life has virtually stopped out East. My heart is breaking over the devastation there. Cecelia, my longest-running pen pal lives in Manhattan and I am anxiously awaiting a letter from her so I can hear how she fared in the storm. Of course, I understand that it might take awhile as she focuses on adjusting to the new normal there, but in this age of instant communication, it’s weird for impatient me to have to wait for news in the mail…like we’ve turned back the clock 100 years. Cecelia and I have never exchanged email addresses or phone numbers, so I’m relying on John-the-Mailman to bring me news.

In the meantime, I will be hoping for the best for Cecelia and everyone who is affected…

Tagged , , , ,

Smart Women Vote

When I was a college freshman, I voted for the first time by absentee ballot. I remember being so excited when the ballot arrived, punching my choices with the little stylus, and dropping the completed ballot in the blue mailbox near my dorm. It was really exciting, but I was so disappointed that I didn’t get to vote in the real voting booth and I didn’t get one of those I VOTED stickers. Upon hearing my disappointment, my grandfather (who always wrote me the most charming letters) sent me his voting sticker. I’d forgotten all about this kind gesture until a few years ago when I was sifting through all of my college mail and I found it folded in a letter written in my grandfather’s beautiful script. Just thinking about it makes me all weepy.

Since then, I’ve voted at the polls in every election–and I’ve always proudly sported my I VOTED sticker. And, for the past few Presidential Elections, I’ve sported these Smart Women Vote buttons. This year, I did a mass mailing and sent a bunch out to my friends and pen pals. It’s a “safe” political outreach, because it’s non-partisan…I’m a firm believer in agree-to-disagree…I know I’m not going to change anyone’s mind about their political leanings, just like they are certainly not going to change my mind. (I am very stubborn.) But I do think it’s important to vote–so, no matter which side you are on, or whether you live in a red state, a blue state or a swing state…as they say in Chicago–vote early and vote often!*

*Kidding…just vote once.

Tagged , , , , , ,

Happy 40th Anniversary

20121028-165740.jpg

Happy anniversary to my parents who are celebrating forty years of marriage today! Here’s to many more years of happiness!

Tagged , , ,

Halloween Treats

Tag Team Tompkins

Halloween decorating is coming along slowly this year…until motivation arrived in my mailbox today with my treats from Tag Team Tompkins! The Tompkins ladies (a mother & daughter team) turn hand lettering and paper cutting into gorgeous letterpress designs. These are (obviously) Halloween-themed, but they offer everyday designs, too. The paper is nice and thick and the letterpress impression is just perfect. I like that their shop is filled with classic black and white designs, but I love that they went all out with the silver ink on black paper for these. I’m going to hang up some twine over my desk and clip them up with tiny clothespins. (I hope it looks as good as it does in my mind.) Tomorrow, the Halloween decorating will happen. In the meantime, here is Presley enjoying her favorite October spot:

 

Tagged , , , , , ,

my little red toolbox | Sakura Stardust Clear Gel Pen

I’m afraid that the fabulousness of this pen is not going to be conveyed in my amateur  photographs…

Remember when gel pens were super-popular? I gave them as holiday gifts to my students when I first started working in education…the kids loved them! I personally never saw the draw…until recently…

Sakura’s Stardust Gelly Roll in clear is my favorite tool to use when I want to create a little sparkly accent on cards, envelopes and decorations. It works just like a gel pen, but it leaves a little trail of glittery ink behind. I used it to color in the acorns on the envelope and to outline the acorns on the decorations (which are part of this Acorn Garland Kit from Paper Source).

It is pretty subtle (you can barely see it on the lighter papers of the acorn decorations, but in person it is noticeable), so I wouldn’t really recommend writing a letter with this particular gel pen, but the Stardust line comes in a bunch of colors, if glittery writing is your thing. I personally just love it because it’s a mess-free way to add a little pizzazz to my projects… without the risk of getting glitter in my eye!

*This and all posts about my little red toolbox are not sponsored posts. I just thought it would be fun to share my favorite tools for paper crafting. For more about my little red toolbox, go here.

Tagged , , , , ,

planning…election party 2012

I love politics. I love the strategy, the speeches, the photo-ops, the over-analysis from pundits, the debates, the fact that adults in Washington DC can act like children and somehow it’s totally acceptable… I love how Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert have such a keen eye for the craziness and I love that Saturday Night Live ups its game on election years. (Oh, how the candidates give us so much to laugh about!)

Naoto & I have been hosting election parties since 2004. The party in 2008 was the best, complete with Election Bingo, campaign cocktails, Chicago-style hot dogs and Presley dressing up (under much duress) as an elephant.

There are less than fifty days until election night, and I am in full planning mode. I’ve been stocking up on red, white and blue paper-y goodness, washi tape and (non-partisan) election buttons. I’ve been digging through my collection of vintage political paraphernalia (George H.W. Bush paper dolls, anyone?) I’ve been pinning ideas for cocktails and snacks and decorations like crazy. I’ve been trying to talk Presley into dressing up again. (She put her paw down…she will not be dressing up in 2012.) And I’ve been researching televisions…because we want our guests to be able to see the results on our TV.

That’s what is keeping me busy today. (That and master bath remodel planning…) Do you host an election party and wait up to see the results with all of your friends? Or do you go to bed and catch the news in the morning? And if you’re not in the US, are elections a huge deal where you are?

Tagged , ,

adami prosecco

Naoto came home last Friday night with some flowers and this Adami Prosecco. We knew there was a prosecco out there that shared my name, we just didn’t realize it would be so easy to find! I am over the moon about it, too. It’s fun finding things that share your name, and it’s even better when they are festive and bubbly and delicious!

We waited until Labor Day to drink it and we invited our neighbor Karen over to share in the festivities. We broke out some cheese and crackers and made a meal out of it.

The flowers were lovely, too…

I might be just a little bit spoiled…

Tagged ,

Happy Labor Day

Happy Labor Day to all of my American friends! I decided it was only fitting to have the hardest working guy in America pictured on today’s post. Here is Naoto in action at his fun job, Trader Joe’s. After sitting at a desk all day (doing translation management), I know he loves to burn off his superfluous energy stocking shelves and chatting up the customers. And we love that he enjoys bringing home the bacon (both literally and figuratively).

Today, we both have the day off and hopefully we will be enjoying a slow morning with lots of coffee and a busy afternoon of getting the office side of the living room situated…hopefully!

*A special thank you to the managers at Trader Joe’s for letting me bend the “no photography” rule…all in the name of blogging!

Tagged ,

an olympic birthday

Our friend Santron turned 30 on Friday, so we threw him a little party on Sunday night–Olympics-style. Santron loves London, so it was kind of perfect.

After making a paper chain out of Olympic flag colors, I crafted up a gold medal out of cardstock, double stick tape, glitter, number stickers and some patriotic ribbon. It was the first time I used my Martha Stewart circle cutter (even thought it’s been sitting in my craft closet for months…) and I found it challenging to use. My circles were not perfect and the end never matched up with the beginning… Is there some sort of trick to it?

Chef Hasegawa made Shepherd’s Pie and it was delicious! To make this heavy dish a little bit lighter, we used ground turkey instead of ground beef and added in extra peas and carrots. So simple & so good!

We also enjoyed gin drinks (London Dry Gin!) and giant cupcakes (not homemade) and then watched swimming and gymnastics together on the tiny TV. A relaxed celebration–the best kind.

 

Tagged ,