An new calendar for a New Year

2011 is almost upon us. One of the things I always enjoy doing this time of year is searching for the perfect calendar to accompany me throughout the coming year! This year, it's this little lovely from Cabin + Cub. Sweet, huh?

Baby Gocco Steps

A little while ago you may remember that I purchased a Print Gocco machine to make our engagement party invites. It didn't arrive in time, so I used other methods... and then I found myself with a lovely package of Gocco goodness with nothing to print. Until now!

With the party over, I took off to Brisbane with work, and then we decided to move house. So it was only yesterday that we took the plunge and set up the Gocco for his first trial run.
...Am I pleased? Yes - to get the initial testing out of the way. Did I have problems? Yes, with photocopies sticking to the master, and ink bleeding. But overall, I like our little design - even though it may look a bit "rustic" - and I think that there is vast room for improvement. I have read so many inspirational blog posts of savvy ladies tackling the Gocco for their wedding invites, and I really want to be one of them!

A bit of crafty goodness

A few weeks ago, I purchased a Print Gocco. A dying breed, yes, but I found it just too tempting when I started thinking of engagement invitations and wedding stationery.

So, I pulled out my Ebay hat and took the plunge. Jon and I designed a little invite to print based on the Mexican tradition of papel picado, or cut paper flags. Very sweet and quite detailed, these flags are used for many celebrations in Mexico, hung as bunting across the space.

However, it soon dawned on me that my precious Gocco parcel wasn't going to make it in time to learn the basics, test, print and send engagement invites. After some pacing up and down the living room and considering several mad alternatives (potato stamps, anyone?) I decided, last weekend, to pull out all the paper-crafty stops I could think of and make the papel picado the traditional way - but in miniature. Madness, but I am soooo pleased with the result.

Tools ready to go - notice the awesome paper punch to do the scalloped edging!

Testing out the detail with a pattern and scalpel

Piles and piles of papel picado!

Stuck on the cards and ready to trim

...and here's the finished product. Lovely! What do you think?

I have been watching lots of my pals in the DUST team present beautiful collations of things they want each Wednesday, and quite frankly I think I'm crazy that I haven't taken part yet. Carley of VanillaPixie started it off, and now she has a list of everyone participating on her blog.

So here we go, here's what I want this Wednesday, 15th of April:

Houses and Bicycles Journal in Blue by FreshlyBlended

Hustle and Bustle Dress by OneHundredYears

All the Love 8 x 10 Print by LifeInSugarHollow

Blackbird Postcards by CrowandIris

Humouring the Demon

...otherwise known as "Allowing yourself to buy stationery and clothes from online stores once in a while". Well, this week I've done it. I shouldn't have, I know. Budget and all that - which my boy has officially renamed "The GFC" (Global Financial Crisis). You know what? Stuff the GFC. I needed a diary, I want to look pretty for a superspecial dinner I'm being taken out to for a late birthday treat (don't ask where, I don't know yet - squeeee!) - and the file folder, well, that was getting carried away. I fell for the old "Spend this much and we'll give you free postage" trick.

So anyway here's what I bought.

Above: Lovely metallic string nude going out top from TopShop online

One red moleskine diary. Day to a page.

And then, because of aforementioned free postage and because I like organisational aids ;) - these lovely wooden files, from Notemaker.

Into Gear for the New Year

I like feeling prepared for each New Year. So it's about this time that I go out of my way to find things to get me organised - I find myself poring over the shelving sections of IKEA catalogues, reading the junkmail from the hardware store, and I take myself out for a day of diary shopping.

My diary is with me for 365 days of the year, and everything I do is recorded. So it goes without saying that it must be a beautiful specimen that I will enjoy every time I open it.

2008 had me with a Royal Horticultural Society week-to-a-page:

Which as I am a gardening loon was very approriate. This year, I'm thinking sleek, red, fabric cover. Possibly one from Kikki K, or a moleskine:

Even just browsing is exciting!