Grey Moggie Press

Etiquette in a Post-Emily World

I traveled a whole lot for work in the fall, and everywhere I went I'd find a used book store and search for etiquette books. New ones, old ones, trusted books, hokey books, paperbacks and hardcovers (a pain to add to already overstuffed luggage). When I first mentioned my fascination with etiquette here on the blog, I threw out the idea of maybe trying to come up with my own definition for etiquette. I'm not there yet, but I have come up with a few of my own rules of etiquette, adapted for today's life and printed on bookmarks. A few people have suggested I just start leaving the bookmarks in books at libraries and bookstores, or on tables at coffee shops. If seeing these bookmarks reminds people to be thoughtful and kind, then I'm all for it!

Alphabet swap: B (buttons & books)

This time around for Alphabet Swap I went with a craft I’ve been doing for a while (mini books) and a new craft (crochet). When Kendra was here in January we had a conversation about books, particularly how she finds it hard to read non-school books as a full-time student. However, she graduates after the semester so she may have time to read books again soon.

I put together a little book where she can keep notes on the books she’ll read, and for now keep lists of books she wants to read later. I’ve had a subscription to The New Yorker for years now and I rarely throw away an issue. Before this last move, I neatly removed the covers from all of the issues and only the covers made it to the new place. I’ve been hoping for some inspiration as to what to do with them. A few of the covers were book and reading related so I used them for this book. The inside pages are graph paper and printouts of some of the photos from this fabulous tumblr blog (I Love Reading & Writing). The photos are backed with woodgrain patterned contact paper.

I also included a couple crocheted headbands with cute buttons. I got an amazing button stash on etsy a few weeks ago and knew they’d be part of the B project. I’ve been seeing these cute crocheted headbands all over the crafty blogs lately and there was a tutorial on Style School so I made some of my own to give to Kendra. (also a photo of Pony & me and some bookmarks I made.) I can’t wait to see her take on the letter B!

Bookmarks!

One of my favorite parts about making cards is cutting the paper down to size and then scoring it for a nice fold. When I'm done cutting and scoring cards from larger pieces of paper, there is always a strip or two of paper left behind. I don't like to waste, and in particular I don't like to waste pretty paper, so I've been keeping these strips in a drawer under my desk. I knew they would be useful at some point.

Around this time of year, exam time, I become very annoyed with clutter. Without any time to figure out what to keep and what to toss, I sometimes just get rid of everything. And those strips of colorful cardstock? Well, they've been piling up. I feared that I would just throw them out in a fit of anxiety if I didn't find a use for them soon.

So I got myself an eyelet setter, dug out the corner rounder and my favorite rubber stamps, cut a few pieces of ribbon and started making bookmarks with the strips whenever I had a free minute. Now, it's not a drawer full of random strips of paper; it's a drawer full of potential bookmarks. And doesn't that pink ribbon poking out of the top of the book make reading constitutional law seem more appealing? No? Well then, I hope unlike me you don't have a constitutional law exam to take this evening :)