Craft: Washi Tape Phone Cover

I recently got a new phone.  And with a new phone comes new accessories.  Okay, accessories aren't mandatory but they sure are fun.  At first I thought I was going to go with an owl case.  But can you really be taken seriously when you answer an owl shaped phone?  I don't know?  Then I had my eye on an embroidery phone case.  But I think we all know I have far too many WIP (works in progress) lying around.  The last thing I needed was a half embroidered phone case mocking me.  So, I decided to go with something fun, easy and my style, washi tape.

I started off with a basic white iPhone cover.  Then I just covered it with tape.  One of the great properties of washi tape is that it's low tack.  So if you don't like how the tape looks, you can just pull it off and start again.  It doesn't leave any glue residue either. 

Brightening Up Our Lives

Show of hands, who remembers the Light Bright?  My grandmother had a Lite Brite and I would spend hours playing with it in the basement.  I loved creating my own pictures and was mesmerized by how the pegs would light up. Well, I was recently reminded of this memory at a friends house over tea.  While we were chatting, she got out a vintage Lite Brite for my kids to play with. Just looking at it put me in a nostalgic trance. . .

. . .so I secretly decided I would buy one.  Now just so you know, normally I only buy my children toys when it is a holiday or birthday.  However, technically this toy was for me and I don't have any rules about that.

 My Little Pony Lite Brite Image

One eBay purchase later, I we had our very own vintage Lite Brite.  It even came with My Little Pony Paper, bonus!  You might be wondering why I went with a vintage Lite Brite since they have updated models now.  The simple answer, it wasn't the same.

State of Create Global Benchmark Study

Have you seen this new study released by Adobe(Nasdaq:ADBE)?  They interviewed 5000 people about creativity from the following countries: United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Japan.  The findings show that even though 80% believe creativity is an integral part to economic growth, only 25% believe they are using their full creative ability.  The study also touches on workplace creativity, education concerns, and creativity ranking within countries.

I found this study absolutely fascinating.  I thought it was a little sad that only 52% of Americans believe they are creative.  What do you think?  Are you part of the 25% who believe they are living to their full creative potential? 

For the full study, visit Adobe.  Once you get to the landing page, you'll find a link to the State of Create Global Benchmark Study.  You can view or download the PDF file.

Crafting with Washi Tape

ModeS4u recently asked me if I would like to review some of their new washi tapes.  Of course  I said yes.  For one, I love crafting with the tape.  And two, I have worked with them in the past.  Last time they sent me some fabric to review, and not any fabric, Japanese fabric, the good stuff. If you've never checked out www.modes4u.com before, you should give them a visit.  Anything that you would call kawaii they have, from Re-Ment miniatures to DIY eraser making kits. Plus, they have lots of crafty things too.

Want to see what I made with the tape they sent me?  Here's a little tutorial to start with.

When I first saw the flowers & pattern tape, the print reminded me of a Cath Kidtson bag so I decided to play off that idea and make a card.  Here's what you'll need to make your own:

Flowers & pattern washi tape
Card-stock
Black pen
Small food & flower images cut from a magazine
Scissors

Place your magazine clippings where you want the center of your bag.  Place one piece of tape on top of them.  The top of the tape will be the top of our bag.

Layer pieces of tape on top of each other until you have the bag at the length you like.  Next, cut the tape into thin strips for the bag strap.  You'll notice I placed the tape underneath the bread to give it a more three dimensional look.

*Optional - outline the bag with black pen.

In the picture above, I used two different rolls of tape, deco seals and deco letters alphabet.  The seal tape is actually wider than the traditional rolls so you get a larger image. The deco seals come with four images: key, heart clover, and treble clef. 

For the letters you get the entire alphabet.  Naturally I wanted to spell something with them but didn't want to waste any letters.  To solve this problem, I rolled out one complete alphabet and stored the extra letters on parchment paper (pictured above).

 

Saving the best for last, here's a look at the deco plant tape.  This also comes in a wider role with miniature vintage illustrations of botanicals, figs, leaves and fungi.  The tape is the perfect width to decorate a matchbox (pictured above).  I even lined the inside with it.  I know this print has more potential.  I'm still brainstorming ideas with this one.  If you have any suggestions, please share.

How To Type in Cute

Do these cute bear faces look familiar to you? Well if you guessed the bear Rilakkuma, you're right.  I first discovered this font on Pugly Pixel (fabulous blog by the way).  The actual download for the free font can be found at dafont.

If you've never downloaded a font on your computer before, check out the directions on the dafont site.  The idea of installing a font may sound intimidating but I promise it's easy and painless. 

 Image of Rilakkuma via San-X net