In Primary last Sunday, we handed out church leader flashcards to the children as an Easter gift, and also to get them thinking about the upcoming General Conference.

These were really easy to make, mainly because you can download high-res, print-quality photos of all the church leaders here. So awesome. The backside of the photos are printed with the leaders’ names. I then drilled (like literally, drove a hand powerdrill through 40+ sets of cards) a hole in the corner, and bound each set with ribbon when I ran out of book rings. Which apparently, are nearly impossible to find in my part of the United States.

Now, this would be the part where I say click here to download, but unfortunately, the church has strict usage rights on its copyrighted material so I can’t share my doc. But its very simple to put together. You just have to download the pictures (15 total), resize to about business-card size (I laid mine out in Illustrator), print, cut out, then bind with ribbon or book rings.

I am so looking forward to conference! Is it bad to have “favorites”? I can’t help having Elder Bednar as mine. And President Eyering. Oh, and Elder Oaks. Definitely Oaks.

A copy-cat shirt at that…

Original on left by Mary Meyer. One day, I’d like to own one of her lovely pieces, especially a scarf. But alas, I have children to raise and a food storage supply that needs updating. Priorities. Hence my home-made version using fabric paint and a $3 Old Navy top.

For Ryan this Valentine’s Day, I sewed a burlap pouch, stenciled it, and filled it with spicy things because he loves spice. Something I enjoy reminding him on those days I’m cranky, feisty, and totally copping an attitude. The drama makes for an interesting marriage, I say!

Have you heard Ryan’s piano arrangement of Silent Night yet? If not, you can listen and download here. I promise it is very beautiful.

And how fun is wrapping gifts? Being surrounded by paper, trimmings, and a good pair of scissors is my happy place.

Pipe cleaner + online tutorial + 1 hour.

And really loving the view from my kitchen, all hours of the day.

Further showing off some handmade goods, since I’ve nothing better to do this fine Sunday afternoon. I ought to be sleeping with the rest of the household, but Ryan’s beastly snores have caused me to flee the bedroom into the comforting arms of my second lover, the computer.

Another stab-bound card, this time for Father’s Day. A last minute idea inspired by my three-year-old’s persistent, “go get ‘em!” attitude. If I continue to use Kai’s soundbites as greeting card material, my next one will read “I’m going to kill you!” In all-caps. Blazing red. Superimposed on top of a photograph of someone to be revered and respected, like the Pope. (And there was some dispute today on whether he said “kill” or “shoot.” It was indeed “kill.” And it was said very loud during a very quiet sacrament meeting.)

I think I sound grumpy, so I should attempt a nap again, or bake some cookies.

And nail polish color of the week is purple.

{Headband pic by sis-in-law Anna}

This is the wedding anniversary card/booklet I made for Ryan. Was very fun to create because I haven’t done Japanese stab-binding since my book-arts class in college (explains my crooked stitching, ha). And it’s especially cathartic to create something tactile with your hands, as opposed to clicking around with a computer mouse and designing on a headache-inducing computer screen.

I printed out my design onto a leftover 8.5″ x 11″ sheet of Eames architecture paper I had on hand. Note: This Eames paper is very soft and tissue-like, so if printing on an ink jet, make sure to use the fine or photo setting. I didn’t, and as a result, my small copy plugged up and bled a little. The two booklet pages fit on the one (and only, arg!) sheet, each page measuring 5″x7″. The very last page is just a 5″x7″ photograph spray-mounted onto kraft-colored cardstock for sturdiness.

I think stab-binding looks fairly impressive and intricate, but it really is one of the simplest methods of bookbinding. There are a bunch of great tutorials out there on the interwebs, including Melissa’s, who is a pro at book-arts.