Origami Snail

I was first introduced to this cute snail origami tutorial on the lovely blog, Bloomize.  The actual directions to fold the snail can be found on this Japanese site.  The directions are in Japanese but with the pictures it's very easy to follow along.

This origami snail would also make a cute folded letter or note.  You know the kind. . . bubble letters written with colored pens, cute stickers for embellishments.  I spent hours making those cute little notes in my tween/teen years.  Anyone else?

Documentary: Jiro Dreams Of Sushi

Trailer: Jiro Dreams of Sushi by David Gelb

I don't usually recommend documentaries but this one is worth sharing about.  Jiro Dreams of Sushi is about a sushi master named Jiro who owns a 3 star Michelin restaurant.  The movie shares about his life, how he got to this level, and about his oldest son who's required to carry on his legacy.

I found the whole documentary fascinating.  One thing that stood out to me was Jiro's dedication to become the best at what he does.  It made me reflect on my own commitment to my craft. It had me asking questions such as, "at what cost am I willing to perfect what I do?".

Have you seen this documentary yet?  Curious to hear your thoughts. 

Free Printable: Moomin Memo Card Holder

For all you Moomin fans, Afternoon Tea has a free Memo Card Holder to download and print.  You can choose which characters to add to your stand.  There's also an assortment of memo cards to print.  To save printer ink, only print out pages 2 - 4.  Visit Afternoon Tea for the free Moomin printable.  They also have a cute Moomin card and envelope to download for fee as well.

 Extra Memo Cards and Moomin Characters

via Sweet Tidings

Make a Mini Newspaper with Little Printer

Photo Credit:  Berg Cloud

Have you heard of the Little Printer by Berg Cloud?  It's a tiny printer (pictured above) that allows you to make your own personal newspaper by subsribing to publications such as Foursquare, The Guardian and Google to name a few.  You can have to-do lists, tweets, crossword puzzles and much more printed out for you each day.   You also get to customize the face on the front which I thought was a nice touch.

As a maker, I love the idea of receiving a little printed craft or new recipe sent to me each day.  I'm not sure what's available but I did notice on the Berg Cloud Blog there were some origami instructions printed out. I think there's a lot of potential for it.  I don't know if I could justify the price tag of $259 at this time.  But, that doesn't mean I wouldn't love to get my hands on one and test it out.  I'm definitely intrigued.

Would you buy a little printer?  What would you use it for? 

Kid Craft: Mini Lightsabers

A few of you dedicated Star Wars fans might be asking why Princess Leia is holding a lightsaber.  I know she has never used one but it was the first action figure I found in the house.  Plus, it's a retro toy from my childhood so I like it better.  Okay, now that we got that out of the way, lets move on to the craft.  Today I'm making mini lightsabers out of toothpicks.  This is a simple craft that little kids or big kids can whip up in no time. 

Supplies:
Toothpick - refer to picture
Gel Pens or Markers - Silver, Red, Green and Black
Sandpaper or nail file
Craft saw or knife

How-to:

1.  Have an adult cut off the tip of the toothpick.  I used a craft saw but a knife or kitchen scissors will work too.  Sand the cut edge with sandpaper or a nail file.

2.  Color the small handle part silver.  Color the rest of the toothpick in desired color.  Let dry.  And the detailing of the lightsaber handle with a black pen.

Please remember these toys are for children 4 and older.