30 Days of Creativity - Day 15: Leather Wallet

Congratulations to everyone participating in 30 Days of Creativity. We made it - we're halfway there! And, if you're me - the glass is still looking half full.

I still have plenty of ideas for upcoming posts and projects. In fact, I recently made a list. This list has certainly helped on some of those days when we're just not feeling creative.



I wanted to do something crafty again for today's post. As you can see, I made a leather wallet. This is just a prototype. If I had decided to use a different thread color maybe pm could be using this instead of me. (Or maybe I did it that way on purpose :)).I am hoping that it holds up well and doesn't need too many design changes. If that is the case, then you'll see these on our Etsy page. It's gotta pass the test of durability first though.

Happy Creating to everyone. Let's hope for sunshine tomorrow!

30 Days of Creativity - Day 7: Billfold

Happy One Week of Creating! It was high time the sewing machine came out for creative uses. I made a bunch of these billfolds (which were on our Etsy shop and more will be posted soon) awhile back.

Under normal circumstances I would not say that I have a "hoarding problem"; although, when it comes to paper, I will admit that I do. I have so much paper that I am no longer sure what to do with it all. (That said, I am open to ideas!).

The idea of making sewn billfolds came to me at a time when I was in the market for a new wallet. That said, I do not like wallets and I never have. I am also not a purse person. I like to carry the bare minimum around with me when I go out. This is how I got the idea to make a paper billfold. My sewn billfolds can only 4-5 cards at a time without overexerting the snap. Perfect for me - I can carry my drivers license, credit cards, insurance information and cash. I like being able to have this with me and use it regularly because it reminds me that I am creative and has proven to be a great conversation starter.

I have revamped my design a bit. I used two different types of paper for this one. The inside is lined with a textured stock paper and for the outer layer I used a silver water-repelling paper. Since I changed up the design a bit, I am going to add a velcro strip instead of a snap. I'm glad I made one today - I needed a new one :).

New collection.

It seems like it has been awhile since we posted photos of our creative endeavors. Don't be deceived - we still have been using our creative powers to make things; we just haven't been very good about sharing them.

I have been humming away at my sewing machine a lot lately. I've been making all sorts of envelopes (mostly black like in this past post). I've used various different thread colors and have also been experimenting with different sizes.

I am still undecided if I will actually try to sell any of these envelopes, since it takes me a good 20-25 minutes to make one. (That's if my sewing machine behaves!) Not sure I could price them in such a way that someone would actually want to buy one. Maybe they will pop up on our Etsy page soon, so stay tuned.

Anyway. I needed a solution to a problem I know many of us suffer from. Too many bags! I am always trying to use reusable bags when we go out shopping. I do this partly because we have more than enough plastic bags to use for the garbage for the rest of the year and I think it is a huge waste to always need a *new* bag. The area for "bag storage" under our sink was getting a little overwhelming. That is when I decided to make some envelopes out of brown paper bags.

These envelopes are surprisingly durable. I like how some of the bag graphics peak out of the top (like in the photo on the right from a Trader Joe's bag). I am working right now on a design to match for stationary. Once that is complete I will get more photos up.

This has been a good solution to an excess of bags. It's also been a fun recycling / up-cycling project. Sometimes you have to think outside of the box and sometimes you need to think outside of the bag.

FestiFools - Crazy fun!

We are deeply saddened we will not be able to participate in Ann Arbor's FestiFools event this weekend. This gem of an event involving over-sized paper mache puppets, was one of our #1 favorite townie traditions.

Not only is an extremely creative way to celebrate April Fool's Day and foolishness in general, but it's a great family-friendly event. You walk up and down Main Street and see adults, teenagers, tweens, and children all smiling, laughing and enjoying.

We will for sure be checking out the event's snapshots on the Flickr Group and bookmarking Myra Klarman's wonderful blog (and photography!).

While we can't be there in spirit, we are happy to be offering a portion of the proceeds for our FestiFools photo magnets (as seen above - click here for larger image - and on our Etsy shop) to FestiFools, an Ann Arbor non-profit organization. Please feel free to mix & match.

Don't miss this event. Sunday, April 11. 4p.m. sharp. Downtown Ann Arbor on Main St.

i < 3 hearts

I love how sometimes the most mudane things can make such nice photos. This stained glass heart has probably been attached to this window for years, and it wasn't until a recent visit that we were inspired by its charm.

And, yes, having it being a bright, sunny day and watching the red reflection bounce off the walls certainly did help catch our eye.



With Valentine's Day now under our belts, we'd like to reflect on some of the things we love:
<3 Morning espresso, freshly ground
<3 Walks, both urban and rural
<3 Sweets! (Especially those made from home, like our citris cookies... mmm!)
<3 Lazy Sunday afternoons
<3 Red wine (from the homelands...Spain)
<3 Snail mail & homemade cards

Oh, and how the list continues.

What are some of your loves?

We are back on Etsy...

... and hopefully won't make it to regretsy ;)

We just relisted some older magnetic goodies and are proud (and very excited!) to announce our newest listing to our shop: Metallic Holga 5x5 Prints. Not to toot our own horns, but we've got to say these prints turned out absolutely amazing, and the photos of the photos do not do it justice.

We also had some larger prints made. (Sorry ya'll - they are for us, not for sale. :)). We'll be sure to post some pictures of these too, once we have them up on our walls.

If you are interested in any of these prints, please leave a comment. This way we can apply the necessary discount for our fans. :o)

Creativity: Refocused

About this time last year, I got really into Etsy. While I still dream of crafting up new items to post - the reality is ... I don't. It was exciting at first to get new views, post new items & connect to the creativity community that exists on the internet. I guess my interest waned. Maybe it was that views never really became sales, and that there was never a direct "connection" with other makers. (Truth be told: There was just never enough time (or energy) at the end of the day that I could work with.)

I have, however, got very excited about home brewing. I have also rekindled my love for baking. These two activities have, as of recent, replaced my need to "make things." And, the glory is they both require a similar level of creativity.

My blog is going to be undergoing a face lift, and a slight change of course. Life's been busy - and change is good.

So here's a quick 30-minute recipe for a delicious citrus cake:
Slice of Summer
1.5 c flour
2/3 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2/3 c milk (or 1 lemon/vanilla yogurt)
1/4 c butter
1 egg
1 tsp orange extract
zest of 1 lemon

Combine, mix, blend. Grease pan.
Preheat oven to 350, bake for 30 minutes. Great with whipped cream on top - enjoy!

Photo Slide Magnets

The world is going digital and these photo slide magnets are a perfect keepsake magnet for all you film lovers out there.

Each magnet contains an original photograph (Photos mostly from medium format cameras -holga & seagull;and 35mm film cameras - Olympus OM1 & Argus c3). Magnet is made with a 2" x 2" glass slide and metal binder.

Photo slides aren't readily available any more, so when these magnets sell out - they sell out. Get yours before they're gone!

A Lazy Sunday

I have noticed a trend with Sundays. They always seem to be rainy, dreary or overcast (or all of the above.) It's a good excuse to take some time to relax and enjoy that one last day before the work week begins.

It couldn't have been more enjoyed today.

We have been crafting away like crazy for the last month (hence no posts :P) for our first craft show. While the show wasn't what we had planned, the positive is we're ready for the next and don't have to spend countless hours working on inventory. We'll have to see what shows are coming up. It was definitely nice to meet some fellow Michigan vendors and we're hoping our paths cross again soon.

We've been doing a lot of playing with patterns lately. The image above not only shows some of our patterned magnets, but also a delicious breakfast with some Spanish influence (mmm natillas!).

They are super easy to make and here's a good recipe. Enjoy!

4 eggs, separated
1/4 c. flour
1 qt. milk
3/4 c. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
Nutmeg

Make a paste of egg yolks, flour and 1 cup of the milk. In a medium saucepan, add the sugar and salt to the remaining milk and scald at medium temperature. Add the egg yolk mixture to the scalded milk and continue to cook at medium temperature until it reaches the consistency of soft custard.

Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry and fold into the custard. Chill before serving. Spoon custard into individual dishes. Sprinkle each with nutmeg before serving. 6 to 8 servings.

(Note: Adding lemon rind while heating up the milk adds a nice flavour too!)

Moo Cards

Moo Cards, originally uploaded by Angela&Martin.

I don't know that anyone really likes "shameless self-promotion." It is, however, something you have to do sometimes to get the word about about yourself; and, by nature of the game - what you are selling. :P Our most recent business card order is all self-promotion without an ounce of shameless.

We just received our Moo Cards and couldn't be more happy. They are high quality, unique and really help artfully represent some of the photos we've taken that are up on our flickr site. I don't know if I'm going to want to hand them out!

The ordering process is really easy, and with these helpful coupons, you can actually get a pretty good deal. (Considering that they are not your average business card).

We'll see how well they go over soon.

ampm hits the town!

It's official - we're going big time. Okay, not really. Although we are preparing for our first upcoming craft show.

In doing so, we wanted to create some unique signage that captures the essence of what we do.

We like to find "recycled" materials and we like to work with different colored threads and strings.

So - viola - here you have it! Naturally, it's just a sneak peak, but you'll see more of this to come.