Heart-shaped page marker origami

Here's a quick little origami project that's fun to do with patterned paper: heart-shaped bookmarks that slip onto page corners. You could mail somebody a couple for Valentine's Day.

Each heart requires a half sheet of square origami paper. (My paper was 5" square, so my starting piece after cutting in half was a 5" x 2.5" rectangle.)

With the patterned side to the outside, fold the rectangle in half lengthwise.

Then fold it in half width-wise to mark the center line, and open again.

Fold one side up at a 45 degree angle, so the edge aligns with the center.

Repeat with the other side.

Turn the paper over. Fold the top downward. You can eyeball this; about 1/3 of the top section gets folded down.

Fold in the corners to form a heart shape. The little pocket at the bottom can fit over page corners if you use this as a bookmark.

Frame purse inspiration

For Christmas my mum (Grandma G) asked for metal frames for making a couple of clasp clutches. We bought her frames and glue from While Baby Naps at Etsy. Looking forward to seeing the outcome!

There are tutorials all over the internet for this type of bag. Sew 4 Home has just posted a tutorial featuring Joel Dewberry's Notting Hill fabric collection, above. Find the how-to for those right here.

And for further clutch bag inspiration, check out these fun items from various Etsy sellers: Phone clutch from Octopurse, Squirrel and Striped purses from Misala, and Cars bag with handle from Oktak.

A printable 2013 calendar for the office

I just paid a visit to A Pair of Pears blog to see what those kids are up to. The pair didn't disappoint—I found a free printable 2013 calendar designed for Emma Magazine. The illustrations of office stuff are pretty darned cute! Download the calendar here and print yourself an 11x17 poster (or shrink it if you like).

A gallery of the world's best fashion windows

Need a 5-minute break to enjoy a little window shopping... at the fanciest department stores and fashion boutiques in the world? WindowsWear is a gallery of 1,500 windows from over 350 stores in New York, Paris, Milan, and London. They're magical, gorgeous, and strange.

See the best of 2012 right here.

Photos one and two are from Lanvin, Paris. The following are windows at Dior, Paris; Ralph Lauren, London; and Bergdorf Goodman, New York.

A tiny, handmade gift

Look at this miniature zippered case my friend Megumi brought when she visited from Japan last weekend. Her mom sewed it for me! It's an inch and half in diameter, and practically the cutest thing ever. Eek!

If you wanted to attempt one, this tutorial looks pretty close.

Stitch Savvy, a really pretty sewing book

I just got my hands on a copy of Stitch Savvy by Deborah Moebes. First, the part where I get excited because some of my Outside Oslo fabric makes an appearance, including that beautiful shot on the cover.

Some Tulip.

Some Picket.

Second, the part where I admire all the lovely projects and pick out some of my favorites:

A fun footstool slipcover.

A really cute purse. You can also sew the shirt. If you wear them together, you will laugh happily.

There are even instructions for a jacket. If I managed to sew an entire jacket, I wouldn't be able to stop beaming, either.

I haven't studied the book enough to evaluate the instructions, but I love the visual style of it. All the fabrics Deborah uses are terrific, and the photos look clear and helpful. You can peek inside and get a copy at Amazon.

Free font: Moonshiner

Mattox Shuler has designed a new typeface called Moonshiner. It comes in uppercase regular and italic, with a few alternate characters when you type in lowercase. Find a link to download it for free right here.

I can visualize it on the menus for the new pub you're opening. Where you sell locally-sourced free range chicken and craft beers, and all your customers wear beards and tattoos and skinny jeans. Right?

(Via Pixel Pixel Pixel)

Chocolate and the color orange

Want to hear something I learned over the holiday break? Hot Chocolate Tastes Much Better In an Orange Cup. It's scientifically proven. I suppose one ought to have a brown or blue cup for optimal coffee drinking, but that goes into my orange cup, too.

Thank you to the folks who sent me this interesting article! From now on, I will only eat my strawberry mousse off of white plates.