Sunnyside + Toy Story 3

This pretty much made my day.
Aaaaamazing.

DIY Desk Friends

If your workspace is getting lonely, you should consider making some friends. Literally.

Cubeecraft is a website with free printable templates for making little cube people from paper. All you need is a printer and scissors (and glue, if you're attempting to build a more complicated template). There are tons of characters to choose from - some are pop culture icons, and some come from the minds of different designers.

Check out my Cubeecraft Dream Team:

Venus de Milo, the Katamari Prince, Strongbad, and Karl from "Up".
There is seriously a Cubee for everyone.

I had some time to kill, so I decided to make a Cubee for myself! I chose to make a Stormtrooper, because I'm a geek (...and because I have a monochrome laser printer).

The stormtrooper template is an easy-level template. It requires no glue (though I did need a craft knife to score the paper in some places). Cutting out all the pieces took a good chunk of time... but being able to build everything up felt so rewarding afterward!

I used card stock instead of regular printer paper, and it really made assembly much easier. However, in working and folding the template, some of the ink started rubbing off the paper. Ink jet printers would eliminate this issue.

My stormtrooper is now standing guard near the rubber cement on my window ledge. Epic win. Try it yourself!

Before & After

My Thoughts on the Stanley Cup Playoffs

Go Chicago.

Chicago Flag Vegan Soap Bar - available at Renegade Handmade

Etsy vs the World: Wishbones

Not unlike every other quirky creative female, in my free time I enjoy clicking through various online stores that attempt to mass-produce one-of-a-kind, hipster-approved items (ex. lace-covered anything, cameras with plastic lenses, punny office supplies, and INFINITE iterations of bird-in-a-cage jewelry).

Odd thing is, since I've started spending more time on Etsy, I've found that Etsy not only offers higher quality versions of products advertised in hipster stores - but they're often less expensive, actually one of a kind, & (honestly) so much cooler.

This realization has led me to start a new segment on sunnysidenotes called Etsy vs the World, in which I'll feature an advertised mass-produced item and use it as "inspiration" to find similarly-themed (but far superior!) Etsy items.

For the first post of Etsy vs the World, I give you: Wishbones!

It all starts with this (tiny!), $35 "metal" wishbone necklace from ModCloth.com...

...and ends with these three gorgeous Etsy finds!


1. See Those Wishbones Tee - organic cotton tee by KittenInTheEngine
2. One for You, One for Me - interactive postcard by Threefold
3. Big Wish - life-size brass-cast wishbone necklace by soradesigns


Happy shopping. :)

Cork Vases Tutorial

A fabulous tutorial has been floating around the craftier side of the internet recently.

I think it's a brilliant idea - I can't see how you could bring any more elegance to old soup tins. Cork has a nice texture all on its own - the fact that it doubles as a mini-gallery space is a bonus.

It could also be a clever way to store sewing pins & embroidery needles in your craft space...

Uncanny Cork Vases & Containers Tutorial via paper n stitch

Phonetographer

A couple snaps I took while waiting to be whisked away to a patio.

taken with Cross Process for iPhone
(it's rad - download it pronto).

Goodies: Mrs. Bear Wallpaper

Today I had a day off from work & spent the morning doodling in Photoshop. The result: a downloadable desktop just for you.

It features a lovely lady bear, underscored by a nifty quote.

Mrs. Bear comes in two resolutions. Click on the one that suits your needs best to see the full-size image.

1650 x 1050


1600 x 1200