going home

this has been a busy couple of weeks for paperlust, and it looks to stay that way (at least for a little while)! good thing we're going on vacation at the end of july...need a little time away from the computer! doug and i are taking a trip to dallas here pretty soon to catch up on some zzz's and celebrate our one year anniversary. we're gonna hang out with a few friends, probably go shopping... and eat some cake!

in the mean time, though, i have quite a few books in the making that you'll be seeing soon. these two are headed off in the mail today, to go to their owners...

to sell or not to sell?

i've been contemplating what else to add to my etsy store, and though i've seen tons of magnets listed on etsy, i still can't help but think how cute and fun they would be to make... so i made some! they were super-easy to put together, and look great on my fridge. i've been thinking of offering them as custom items in my store (for brides to pick color-coordinating papers, i make... and then the bride gives away as favors to guests). maybe even printing up the couple's monogram and wedding date and they could be mix and match magnets! any thoughts on this you would like to share with me? good idea, bad idea, amanda..you're crazy!? i guess it's one of those things i'll just have to add to the store and see what happens...

hey desiree...

oh, i think i'm in love! desiree, i just can't stop taking pictures of your books! i finally finished the second guestbook tonight and they are ready to go to their owner. i hope you enjoy them!

book update

what have i been up to lately? more books, of course! the books below are almost finished and will both go to desiree. she's having quite a few guests and wanted two books to make sure she had enough spaces and to help traffic flow a little faster...great idea desiree! i have two more books in the works and will be adding photos of those here in the next few days. And be sure to check out the feature on my books at http://modernvintagedesigns.squarespace.com/ this friday, june 20th!

just for fun...here's my doggy scottie... he looks like me when i've been working all night! (very tired)

where do my weekends go?

so...when i ask my friends what they did during the weekend, most of them reply "oh nothing, we just watched movies" or "worked in the yard" (not so jealous of that one, though). 

so what did i do this weekend, might you ask? i made lots of earrings. leather earrings. cut with my trusty exacto knife. i had a large order (8 is considered large to me!) come in late last week and since doug had to work at the hospital this weekend, i spent most of my time cutting and staining leather. they're still not quite finished (need more silver findings) but i'll have them done early this week. thanks again tatiana for your order!

not all of them, obviously, but they're still a work in progress.

and what was i doing when i wasn't playing with my leather (that doesn't sound very good, huh?)? i also decided to finish painting our new shelves in our utility room and sort through a bunch of junk that's been in there since we moved in. and guess what i found? an art project from way back in the day (we're talking early teenage years), a little dusty but still intact. a kitty sculpture made from found objects, i can't believe i still have it! haven't really decided what to do with it...i don't want to throw it away but it's not really something that i want displayed with my other artwork, you know? anyway, if you know somebody that needs a wacky cat sculpture, let me know :) 

maybe i could put it in my backyard to deter stray cats?

my friend katie

so, i have this friend katie decker who's getting married july 26th. she's also a graphic designer (an amazing one btw), overly ambitious and she's my friend (can't you tell?). so as a wedding gift to the bride and groom, i took it upon myself to make her a special paperlust book! (there was another motive here though) i've been wanting to try a coptic binding method i've been researching and katie's book gave me the perfect excuse!

here's a close-up of the beautiful spine you get with this binding method.

katie was kind enough to screenprint some paper just for me! (she used the yellow fabric sans-ruffles for her wedding invites) the monogram is another one of her beautiful design creations and she had a stamp made specially for their wedding.

after spending...awhile...figuring the coptic stitch out, i decided i hadn't punished myself enough for one night and made katie a little bag to keep her book safe. the paper tendrils in the background are from my last minute decision to deckle the edges of the inside pages.

two new books!

so, in trying to keep true to posting more often...and also getting used to sharing my life with all you other wonderful internet-savvy folks, here are a few guestbooks i've just completed and stuck in the mail!

megan (book above) is getting married on july 5. i love the colors and paper she picked out and i think they will complement her invitations very nicely!


susan is getting married june 21st (she was a rush order!) and i couldn't be happier with the way her book turned out. i hope she loves it!

little bundle of joy

so, my husband's bro and his wife are expecting a little baby girl pretty soon and i had the honor of taking their maternity pictures! not that i'm a professional photographer or anything, but i do enjoy doing it. maybe someday my etsy store will sell enough guestbooks to supply my photo habit. maybe...we'll see. anyway, here are my favorite pics of the day outside. i'll be posting more from our inside session soon! presenting brandon, michelle, and soon to be olivia sneed!







we had such a good time running around town! and soon i'll be posting pics of little olivia!