A few posts back I posted how I got planner-envy with some of the people I follow on IG. They make it look so easy to beautify their daily notebook companions when here I am struggling to make mine remotely "artistic". But luckily I've got a weapon in my hand that has helped me become a fraction better at "planner-ing" than I used to. It's the SILHOUETTE CURIO. Ever since I saw the Silhouette Cameo come out years ago, I wanted one. But I had always told myself that it was a frivolous expense and what did I need a plotter-cutter for anyway? But when Silhouette came out with the Curio- a machine that not only can cut but can emboss, deboss, stipple and etch as well -- I was HOOKED! My Curio has been with me since late last year, but I have not had the chance to completely play with it until this planner phase of my crafting career kicked in. Now with the Curio I could put different unique stickers in my planner and all of it would be hand made and cut at home!
But what if you don't have a Curio or a cutter plotter, is everything lost? NO WAY!! Just because you dont have a Silhouette doesnt mean you cant make your own stickers as well. Which is why I'm going to tell you how you can do it yourself with very little spending. And, in the spirit of generosity I am also throwing away a "free printable" of my own below. (PS: Another reason why I'm so excited to share with you this sticker printable is because I conquered my fear of Photoshop and was able to make this completely on my own with the help of stock images of course!)
So what do you need to get your own stickers? Well the obvious is sticker paper and a printer, but another crucial piece is an EXACTO KNIFE. If you cant get one a small cutter would do, but I would advise getting the knife because it's going to make your life easier. They are quite inexpensive and available in the local National Book Store. First off you download the printable below. Do this by CLICKING HERE to be able to get the file from Google Docs. Then open the image in your computer using any photo viewing (and editing) software. If you want to adjust the sizing go ahead. Also if you are a whiz at photoshop you can tweak the images too. But for the basics just open the image and print using your printer. If your printer has color options it would be nice to pick vibrant just so the colors really pop. Another thing, wait for the ink to dry before you start cutting. I didnt wait and some of my stickers got smudged which was a total bummer on my part. So PATIENCE IS KEY! After you've printed on sticker paper get out the Exacto Knife. It would be better to have a cutting mat, but if you dont just make sure you have something underneath the sticker paper so you wont damage the working surface. Slowly but steadily trace out the images with your exacto knife do this until you have completely cut out the stickers. Once you've done them all have fun sticking them on your planner or wherever you like! Don't forget to give a shout out on IG (using @sab_adventures) if you have photos using the stickers. I'd really like to see how you've applied them. In any case thanks much for visiting and allowing me to share this creative brain-fart with the internet world. ENJOY!
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One of the first cuisines I got introduced to was JAPANESE. It would be such a treat if we could eat in a jap resto when I was younger. I have always loved Japanese food -- it would probably be one of the first exotic cuisines I got to taste. Exotic in the sense that it wasnt normal fare at home. As a kid my favorite would always be miso soup and Ebi Tempura. No fail, that was my go-to order when we would have Family dinners at Okasan (a restaurant along Madrigal Avenue, Alabang). But as I got older, I've begun experimenting on other dishes and have grown to love sushi, teriyaki, ramen and Katsudon. Which bring us to the topic of this blog post. One afternoon, I was craving for Japanese food and Katsudon came to mind. I thought to myself, why not try to make it from scratch? How hard could it be? (I was also going through a DIY phase where I wanted to handcraft, handmake, hand whatever everything!). Again, the internet proved to be a vast resource and I was able to pluck a relatively simple recipe. The next item was to source the ingredients. Friends of mine recently opened an Oriental Grocery here in L.A. (Legazpi, Albay) and had in stock things I would need. If you want to make this -- or other oriental recipes check out DyLeeShious along Rizal Avenue. It's a play on all their last names which is why it's spelled that way, nevertheless food there IS delicious so check it out. To cut the suspense, here is the recipe and a few of my tips: Ingredients:
The rest of the recipe goes like this:
It's a fairly simple recipe and it only took me 30 minutes tops to make! No kidding! This could be in the running for Jamie Oliver's meals. And the hubby loved it so that's a plus. Of course, the finish product didnt have the plating skills of Master Chef contestants but what maters is the taste -- which my number one critic (the hubby) said was AWESOME! If I can make this, so can you. So try it at home. Serve with chopsticks too if you want it to really be authentic. I've got photos below of what my FIRST TRY looked like. haha Maybe with a little practice it would look more presentable. Ive been bitten by the SEW bug. Once I was able to conquer the pen roll it was a normal transition into zippered pouches. There is a mystique when doing zippered pouches -- at first I thought how hard could it possibly be to stitch in a zipper?? Only to find out it was SIMPLE but not that easy. First things first I needed a zipper foot. Yes to sew in a zipper with your machine you need a separate foot-- it makes it easier for the bulky zipper to glide through. Luckily I was able to find one here for only Php95.00. BUT the zipper foot I bought didnt fit my cheap-ass machine (I did buy it on sale! :) ). Hubby had to file and smooth the connection so that the screw could fit inside. When it finally did, it took some getting used to. Like you have to guide the fabric through the teeth more now, unlike before when the foot would do all the eating. But all-in-all you'd get the hang of it. Again, my box type pencil case came from Youtube inspiration. First off, I didnt have the right zipper. NOTE: DONT BE AMBITIOUS LIKE ME AND STICK WITH NYLON ZIPPERS. I went and bought a metallic one which makes it hard for the needle to pass through. So I had to go buy nylon zippers instead. When you're an expert already thats when you can graduate to metal zippers. But in any case the final product did turn out well. Some craftsmanship flaws that come with being a beginner I think. hihi Like my ends dont match up perfectly. But with practice you'll get better. Malcolm Gladwell said it takes 10,000 hours to become proficient. I've got 9,999 more to go. hahaha The final product ended up smaller than the video I will be posting below simply because my zipper was too small. I had to match it up to the shorter end rather than the longer end of the cloth. At least I end up with a perfect home for my PILOT PETITE PENS both the brush and fude ones. Hope you enjoy DIY-ing as well. I also experimented and did another pencil case out of canvas. Someone suggested to me to do some calligraphy with it so wrote down a quote at the bottom by Van Goethe. Currently I didnt have any fabric pens so busted out my Metallic Sharpie to do the writing for me. This is what I ended up with. :)
If you're like me you cant ever have too many lists or organizing tools. On a daily basis I probably make 2 to 3 lists and ever since i heard about BULLET JOURNALING this has grown! I have always loved journaling but have never found the patience and fidelity to stick with it every day. Also ever since journalling stars on instagram have been posting their their journal pages I got intimidated. No way could I be that artistic with my notebooks no matter how much I try! And grabe sila complete with stamps, lettering, washi tape and paintings even. For a simple girl like me and who is mostly a DIY art person I didnt think I could give justice to my notebook pages. And good paper quality journals -- like Midori, Hobonichi, etc -- are expensive! Check out some of the JOURNAL QUEENS on IG below. Luckily, I found out about BULLET JOURNAL-ing which is a no fuss way of writing down your thoughts and if you had extra time/space you could decorate. Bullet Journal is a glorified practice of making TO-DO lists -- for an OC person such as myself this is right down my alley. You can read all about it here. All you need is a notebook (preferably graphed), writing instruments and finally your creativity!
But if you dont want to make the commitment just yet I'm giving off a free printable. Yes the first of its kind on my blog. Just a simple way of me giving back for all the creativity and inspiration I've gotten from the world wide web. It's a open-dated weekly planner. And if you're going to publish this send me a message or tag me on instagram (@sab_adventures). Just right click on the image and click download then print on bond paper and you're good to go. Enjoy making your list and checking it again, again and again.... :) Ever since I got into this writing love affair my ball pen collection has grown tremendously. So much that I currently have 3 pencil cases and an array of cups housing different writing utensils from brush pens to mono-liners to fountain pens. And wait there's more -- my collection is growing every day. As I write this I've got a Pilot Prera on its way as well as a replacement nib for my Lamy Safari Demonstrator that got damaged a few days ago. So the growing concern now is -- where to store my babies?? I didnt want to lug around another pencil case because it was bulky and took so much space in my already cramped hand bag. So I thought why not a pen roll? A pen roll is like a big placemat that has individual sleeves where you can place your pens then after which it is rolled and tied together so everything stays in place. Pen rolls dont come cheap and materials can come in the form of ultra luxe like leather or to the simple but cute cotton prints. I didnt want to spend big buck for another pencil case. So I researched in my number one resource- YOUTUBE- for a way to simplify or DIY a pen roll. Luckily I was able to find a really simple video by CheapbutChic1 (I will link below dont worry!). At first I didnt think I could do it since I have very little experience with sewing crafts. But I remembered that I bought a really cheap electric sewing machine off Lazada last year and it has just been gather dust so far. After watching the video 10 times and convincing myself that I COULD really DIY this, I set out to look for my materials. Luckily, Pacific Gaisano has a simple but complete collection of textiles on the 4th floor. I was able to get this really cute print off their cotton line which is normally used to make PJs. I paid only Php 65 for half a meter of cloth. Additionally I bought yellow ribbon (Php6/meter) and Fell On (Php8.50 for half a meter) to reinforce the cotton and make sure it can withstand the beating of carrying my heavy pens. In totality the materials cost me Php79.50. How can you beat that when pen rolls go for a couple of hundreds in online craft stores! Before posting the Youtube Video I'm going to make a disclaimer -- it doesnt really talk about making a pen roll but more of a make-up brush roll but I thought I could adjust the sizes of the sleeves, follow the same procedure and make my own roll. Also I added photos of my finished product. Look how pretty it is and it took literally very little effort! So before you click play read the few changes I made to customize the make up brush roll into a legit PEN ROLL:
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Who is sab_adventures?I have always wanted to write. This will now be a creative outlet-- home to all my arts and crafts. So feel free to browse around my everyday adventures. Interests
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November 2016
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