Mushrooms in the Forest

I had hoped to get out and photograph the many mushrooms growing in our area before the torrential rains swept through, but I didn't make it out until after the storm had passed. By then, these resilient little fungi had endured sheets of rain and even a brief barrage of hail. The National Weather Service issued an emergency tornado warning for our area and urged everyone to take shelter. Thankfully, no tornadoes touched down in our county.

Though battered by the storm, the mushrooms seemed all the more beautiful for it. Their weathered caps and worn edges gave them a quiet character and charm, as if each one carried a story of resilience written by the wind and rain.

View a brief slide video below:

 Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): 

https://uppbeat.io/t/dan-barracuda/julieta

 License code: VUDI5MFM5OOZYY0F

Mini Wildflower Notebooks

Sweet wildflower greeting cards are transformed into beautiful, sturdy covers for these handcrafted mini notebooks.

 Each cover is made by mounting two cards back-to-back for durability and charm. 

Select cards are also featured inside as pockets, secured at the top and bottom to hold pastel cardstock journaling inserts. 

Inside, coordinating pastel papers, lined index cards, and delicate floral line-art pages create a soft, cohesive look throughout.

Bound using The CInch

Dimensions: 3.5" W x 5" H

View a short video flip thru below - ASMR

Desktop Easel Note Holders

This was a great 'scrap busting' project! Typically these are referred to as 'post-it note holders' or 'sticky pad note holders'. At the moment I was out of 'sticky pads' so I decided to refer to these as just 'desktop easel note holders'. I had lots of paper off-cuts so I trimmed them to size to fit into the holders.

Here is an easy to follow video tutorial by Einat Kessler. She provides you with cutting dimensions, and demonstrates how to score, fold and glue to make this DIY Easel Note Box. 

I made one box with the dimensions she provided and then adjusted the measurements and made two more slightly larger Note Boxes.

I have tons of notebooks, but I'm always reaching for a piece of scrap paper to just write a little note. These will be handy to have around my craft room!
 

1930's Pillsbury Cookbook

This was a great find, even includes some of the previous owners' handwritten and saved recipes.This hardback cookbook, titled 'Balanced Recipes,' was copyrighted 1933 by the Pillsbury Flour Mills Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota. The cookbook features a durable metal cover with the title embossed on the spine and a decorative design on the front.

 The pages are bound by a secure metal ring binding system, and the tabs separating the sections are intact. Inside, the book includes classic recipes prepared under the personal direction of Mary Ellis Ames, head of Pillsbury's Cooking Service.

Below is a short slide video of the cookbook 

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

 https://uppbeat.io/t/justin-lee/silver-linings 

License code: XB0HESAG4T26WJV0

Art of Hand Block Printing

I received this Hand Block Printed Dishtowel Set as a gift. I love the colorful designs. They're 100% cotton and made in India. 

You can find basic information about The Art of Hand Block Printing here.  

If interested, you can do a google search for a more in depth explanation of this traditional textile technique that involves hand-carving wooden blocks to create intricate patterns onto fabric and various surfaces using natural dyes.

 Disclosure: I'm not an affiliate, don't receive a commission for the product. Just sharing  my honest appreciation for the product.

It's Still July, A Little More Christmas...

This was a simple project to pretty up some mini composition books and create a 'dust jacket' that holds two books, each book measures 3.25 x 4.5 inches. 

I used double-sided holiday scrapbook paper from the Carta Bella Collection to cover both the notebooks and to make the dust jackets. I added tuck spots to the front and back covers of the books and inserted holiday theme tags in each.

Makes a thoughtful little holiday gift!

If you'd like to know how to make your own, check out The Posh Paper Lady.

You can view a short slide video below:

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/sonda/home-for-christmas

License code: DBPOLBUSYTPYWH6N

Shelled Gastropods

 Snail Convention

While researching 'snails' I learned something rather astonishing...at least unbeknownst to me. 

There is a snail slime extraction market industry. They harvest mucus from snails for a variety of uses, particularly cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

"The global snail slime extract market was valued at USD 555 million in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 850 million by 2032. Key growth drivers include rising consumer demand for natural skincare and the proven efficacy of snail slime in skin repair and anti-aging"... According to 24marketreports.com 

Wow! once again...who knew?!!