Makin' loooooove, outta nothin' at all!

Hmm.  Maybe that isn't the EXACT song quote I was looking for, but it's what came to mind.  I made this tiny little mini-zine (8 pages, but it's made from one piece of 8.5x11 paper) from just the scraps on my desk.  It's not long on quality content, but it does go to show that you can do something fun with the bits and pieces left over from other projects, or that you just can't stand to throw away.

See?  Hoarder tendency: justified.

Get yours here.

The front

How I plan to take over the world (you'll just have to buy the zine to find out)

The back

Very Pinteresting!

So you know when I'm quiet for a while, I'm clearly up to no good, right?  Well, I accepted a project that has been a ton of fun, and I've been working away at it like a good little elf.  (I'll report on the no-good stuff in a different post.  Heh.)

My sister-in-law found this idea on Pinterest, and asked if I could paint some stair risers for her basement like the ones she was admiring online.  I love painting and I love books, so I jumped on board without a second thought.  This life strategy usually makes me gnash my teeth with deep regret at my impulsiveness, and I don't really recommend it.  Luckily, this time it's been a really fun project all the way through and I don't even hate anybody yet.  She used leftover interior paint to base coat the planks, which is a great idea because now they'll match her house, regardless of what lettering I add to them.

Here's a pic of the whole set, with just the base coat of the lettering done.

And here's a closer shot of three that have the lettering detail done.

I have a couple more risers to detail, then they all need the shading/highlighting that will make them look more rounded, and not like flat pieces of plywood glued to the front of each step.  They might not be photo-realistic when I'm done, but I do hope the illusion will hold up if a viewer squints and has a kind heart.

More to follow...

Love Shelley!