Oct 16, 2014

Daily Planner.

So I haven't really had much time to be overly crafty lately. One project I am working on, however is a 2015 daily planner. I have spent a lot of time searching the Internet for the best way to set out my planner. What would be best to suit my needs and the closest one I found was the Erin Condrin Life Planner. Now I could have just ordered one of them (if I had a spare $50 - $70)..or I could do what I always do and just DIY it. 

I set out the planner to have the week spread out over two pages, laying flat. Each day is in columns and broken into three sections: Morning, Afternoon and Evening. I have a section for a WEEKLY TO DO list and Saturday and Sunday are halved into the one column.. to give me a bit more width for weekdays. I printed out these pages on nice Strathmore cream drawing paper and bound the seven signatures (Groups of four pages) with dental floss. (dental floss for the waxed coating and it wont break. I bound all seven signatures together and then covered the loose book with a nice thick patterned card stock. 

As for the cover I have gone for a hand made leather slip cover. I decided to make it a slip cover in case I wanted to make the same planner for the year after. It's a simple design. One long piece of leather, slightly higher than the book and then folded over and sewn to form the slip bits the book is held into place by.  

I haven't done the cover yet, but I am quite pleased how the actual planner has turned out. It's very sturdy and firm, meaning I bound it well. My book binding has gotten a lot better since I last tried it. Yes I will post pics when it is all done. 

Oh.. one thing I did work on a few months ago was this drawing. It's done with different black ink pens on the Strathmore Drawing paper... 

It's pretty detailed and took me quite a few days to do. That colour is not true.. it's actually on cream paper. 

And this is Moby unsuccessfully trying to be a sausage roll.

Oct 6, 2014

Sue the Subaru

I'm writing this while listening to my Husband and son bash away at a piece of our car. To clarify it's a car we bought from the wreckers and are trying to get it back to road worthy. It's not a bad little car. A Subaru Outback. When we bought it, it had a smoking engine and bald tires, rusty muffler and the driver's side guard has a sizable dent in it....which is what they are bashing at now..in the back yard. 

It was destined for the scrap yard. To be honest I have every confidence in my husband to getting this car back into shape, even the dent. He has done up a lot of cars in the past. So this one was no different. The engine was completely torn down and put back together. ....

So I just had to go outside and inspect their panel beating. They have done a pretty good job. This car project serves a duel purpose. Hubby is using it as a bonding experience with the son. They have had a few issues since son has hit that terrible teenage milestone and they both need to work on their relationship. They have good days and bad. Mostly when hubby gets frustrated a job takes twice as long to do and son storms off in a huff. Or son had plans to sit on his electronics and doesn't want to be under the bonnet of a car... It's a slow process but they are trying.

Another good thing that has come out of this is that Hubby now knows a Subaru engine back to front and is finally going to get me the one I actually wanted.. the 4x4 Forester. YAY!