Printable birthday party game sheets

Anyone in need of birthday party games for adults might enjoy this one. For my husband's birthday, I collected photos of celebrities and asked party guests "Is this celebrity older or younger than Alex?"

The photos came from Google image searches with the "large" size selected in the search filter. I saved each photo on my iPad and put them in an album to make flipping through them easy. You could also use magazine clippings. Or just read a list of names without using photos, but guests who don't know what a particular celebrity looks like will be at a disadvantage. To find the ages, I just Googled "[celebrity's name] age" and it popped up at the top of the search results.

Guests could number their own pieces of scrap paper. Or you could get all fancy and make your own answer cards personalized with the guest of honor's name, which is what I did.

I also made this generic version in case anyone wants it. Download the game card PDF here.

It turned out to be really fun. Alex did fairly badly, which was even better. It's good for some laughs! I had no idea Keanu Reeves is 48.

Free font: Mathlete

Quirky, hand-drawn fonts are more popular than ever. If you need another one for your typeface arsenal, try out Mathlete from Mattox Shuler. It comes in four styles: Skinny, Skinny Slant, Bulky, and Bulky Slant. Best of all, it's free! Get Mathlete here.

The name takes me back to my days on the high school math team. Too bad I've forgotten every single thing I ever knew. I recently asked my engineer husband what that little symbol in calculus is called that looks like a fancy "S." I used to be able to solve problems that had those things. Nerds who can still do math, I salute you.

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.