DIY Washi Tape Chart

My washi tape collection has grown quickly and keeping track of all the tapes I have is getting more and more difficult. Also, washi tape is very expensive (in Germany at least) and so I like to see how the finished product will look before I rip off a stripe. Also the translucency of the tape makes it sometimes hard to imagine what it will look like e.g. on a pattern paper.

This morning I came up with a quick and easy DIY to solve all the problems mentioned above.

What you'll need:

one transparency

a pair of scissors

your washi tape stash

a hole puncher

First, cut your transparency into rectangular tags. My tags measured 1" x 2.5".

Next, punch a hole into all of your tags. I used my crop-a-dile and hole punched all at once to make sure that the hole was at about the same spot on all pieces.

Next, stick a stripe of washi tape onto each tag. 

Put a binding ring through all of your tags et voilà, you have a washi tape chart!

You can add new tags as you buy new tapes. Your wahi tape chart can be easily stored - just hang it on a nail or some hook. You can lay a tag over a project you're working on to see how the washi tape will look like. You could also take the washi tape chart with you when you buy new tape, to see if the new tape will fit to other tapes you already own and to ensure that you don't buy a tape twice.

I hope you have fun making your own little washi tape chart :)

DIY: Jewelry

I recently ordered some jewelry making supplies online which I intended to use in art journals.

But why not make a couple of cute, vintage-looking necklaces and earrings? Here's what I came up with:

Cute bird, sewing machine & camera? And a vintage look? I like!

I don't have any of those fancy jewelry making tools. My list of materials is quite simple:

1. a nice cup of coffee/tea, nice weather and a cozy place in the garden.

2. a tablecloth (it prevents things from falling down), some pliers(I recommend to clean them. The ones I found were quite dirty...) and some pendants, necklaces etc.

You can always use old necklaces, earrings etc. and use the materials to make new, handmade beauties.

I got all these from a dawanda.com shop

I like to keep my jewelry rather simple, so I usually only use one charm/earring.

These are also cute, little gifts. If you don't want to invest money in charms etc, you can also use buttons, little thrift store finds, pompoms and small fabric elements like yo-yos and small flowers.

Happy crafting!

Thought Bubble Chalkboard Love

For my mom's 50th birthday, I wanted to take pictures of all the guests and make a scrapbook for her. I wanted to do something fun and individual, not just photo booth like portraits.

When I saw Rachel Denbow's Thought Bubble Chalkboard that you can buy at Red Velvet I fell in love!! As shipping costs to Germany are pretty high and I didn't have time to wait for it to arrive, I decided to make my own!

I can't wait to make some new designs in the future, like a heart, sunglass, christmas tree or scalloped shape?

Here are some pictures of my family at my mom's birthday party. Everybody loooved the chalkboard and people came up with lots of creative and funny ideas what to write on it :)

My parents are 100 years old? Now I feel old, too :D

My brother, Till. Normally he doesn't like having his photo taken too much so I was surprised that he was very easy going and dynamic in front of the camera. Maybe I should do a photo shoot with him in summer.

Although in the beginning, my sister refused to write something on the chalkboard because she found it ridiculous, she soon realized how much fun it is and couldn't stop coming up with new ideas :)