Video: Studio Vlog-Shopping, Declutter & Cleaning

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Hi everyone! Today I am sharing a little something different-a studio vlog! I haven’t had much time at the studio this week so today I decided to have a bit of an artist day while I visited the used book store and a few craft stores before heading off to the spend the afternoon cleaning my very messy studio.

It was raining today but as I was heading to the car I saw that someone had left a lovely note in our Little Free Library thanking us for setting it up and keeping it so nice. It was a really nice surprise as I wasn’t sure how many people were using the library but it really made my day! They didn’t sing the note but I am so grateful to them.

My first stop was the used book store. I am very lucky to have an amazing one nearby and so I went in and left with a stack of books! Some are for my little library, some I plan to read and then add to the library and some are for my own collection. I will share a full shopping haul next week with my book club update.

After that I went to fabric store but they were closed because their power was out. I had wanted to buy some fabric to use as backing for a crazy quilt I’m making but it will have to wait for another time.

A stop at the library for, yes another book and then I found my way to the studio. The rain and chill had me looking forward to a cup of coffee and then I finally got down to the business of cleaning.

I also did a little shopping and I think for my birthday I am going to purchase some storage units for the studio. One will store items and also work as a great place to pack orders when I start offering physical products. The rest is to hide away all my supplies so the space feels much cozier and neater.

I also managed to get some work done on the dollhouse and film for tomorrow. All in all it was a really wonderful day!

I hope you enjoy watching the video. Please let me know if you like this sort of thing as I might add it to the regular rotation of videos.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Book Club August & September Reads

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This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links I may earn a small commission but you do not pay any more.

Today I am sharing what I have read in August & so far in September along with the books I hoping to finish reading this month.

It’s been a good reading month for me and I have found lots of great books and some new series. So here’s what I’m reading:

I finished Shady Hollow by Juneau Black (affiliate link) which I shared with you last month. I really enjoyed this book and I continued on with the series and finished book #2 which is Cold Clay. (affiliate link) Another cozy mystery only with animals as the characters. Super fun and imaginative!

I finished Once Upon a Broken Heart (affiliate link) as well and again, a great new series but this time falling under the YA fantasy genre.

I also finished Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie which was such a great mystery! I listened to it on audible and it kept me guessing back and forth the whole time.

Winterhouse by Ben Guterson which is a young fantasy series really captivated me and I have already purchased book #2 and cannot wait to read it. An orphan finds herself spending the holidays at a wonderful hotel and learns a lot about the mysteries of the hotel as well as some things about herself. I highly recommend this book.

I finished The Ogress and the Orphans (affiliate link) which I just loved. This book has all the feels of a classic to me with a town that was once perfect but now is far from it and at the heart of it’s hope is an ogress. Such a beautiful story.

Dear Mrs. Bird (affiliate link) was another book I finished this month. If you love historical fiction (this one taking place during WWII in London) then you may want to check this one out.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman (affiliate link) is another book I finished in September. Loved this imaginary world and the strange characters in it. I am on the hunt for my own copy to add to my bookshelf.

Lastly I finished Art Matters also by Neil Gaiman. (affiliate link) It’s a short collection of some of his thoughts on creativity combined with some beautiful illustrations. If you are a creative you definitely want to check this one out.

With just over a week left in September I have what might be a lofty reading goal but one that I definitely feel is doable. I am hoping to finish Katherine of Aragon the True Queen (affiliate link) by Sunday.  I have been reading this book for a while and have run out of library renewals so I am hoping to finish it and purchase book#2 in the series. I am really enjoying it and looking forward to collecting (and reading) the whole series!

I am also working on “A Study in Murder” (affiliate link) which has all the cozy mystery vibes but taking place in the Victorian Era. So far I am already hooked by the story and the characters and hope I can finish it this week.

Lastly I am reading “The Fortnight in September” (affiliate link) which is all about a family’s annual trip to the seaside. So far I am really enjoying the story and the cast of characters. I am reading this one on my Kindle (affiliate link) and hope I am able to finish it by the end of the month.

So that’s my reading wrap up so far. I will be sharing my Victober list and my October/Halloween list with you next week. I have quite a few books on that list so we will see how it goes.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

 

Video: Bible Journaling (No Artist Skills Required): Beginner Techniques

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**I updated the video on this blog post since the other one seemed to have been cut off-sorry for any inconvenience!

I have been venturing into Bible Journaling lately. I have watched videos for years but never really felt like I knew how to get started myself. I wasn’t sure how to start being creative in my Bible. I shared recently some supplies I purchased to get started and I have been playing around with them in my home Bible. I’m not making amazing art or doing anything fancy. What I am doing is adding color, making notes, adding washi and texture. It’s a way for me to connect to the words in my own unique way.

I wanted to share a few simple ways you can begin to add your own expression to Bible time especially if maybe you don’t think you are artistic.

I also wanted to include simple, inexpensive materials so you can hopefully get started wherever you are.

One of my favorite tools is colored pencils. I have tried special highlighters meant for Bibles but they still bled through the page more than I liked. Colored pencils are great for highlighting. You can box in a paragraph, just a line and even make a few notes.

Another thing I have been doing is adding little washi tabs to the tops of the pages as I read them. I love texture so this is something that really makes my Bible feel more personal. I also add washi tape to the edges of the pages I am reading which gives instant color. If you don’t have washi you can add some decorative elements to some plain masking tape and I demonstrate that in my video below.

Next up I like to add decorative paper clips to the first page of the book I’m reading. I leave it when I am done too because, again I love texture.

In the video below I also share how I made a simple pocket using a scrap of decorative paper.

There are so many ways to add your own unique expression without having to draw or buy tons of supplies. Of course these ideas work whether you are into Bible Journaling or just looking to get started journaling at all. I hope you find some inspiration!


Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Book Club: Shop with Me, Used Book Haul

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We are enjoying a vacation week. My husband took off for the week, our youngest is turning 5 this weekend and we are enjoying some time with friends and today I had a nice wander through the used book store.

I am so grateful to have quite a large used bookstore not far from me and I went for a little wander. I found so great books for the kids and for our Little Free Library that I’m excited to add.  I also had stopped off at the local Dollar Tree and picked up a 2 books for the kids for our back to home school which is next week.

Later I learned that my son and I had each won a prize as part of our library’s summer reading program. We went there and signed my youngest up for her very first library card! September is Library Card Month and it’s always so much for me when my kids get their first library card.

So today, I thought I would share with you the books I picked up. Below are the books and for the ones I could find I shared the link if you would like your own copy. Most of these are affiliate links so if you make a purchase using one of these links I may earn a small commission but it does not cost you any more. I am also sharing my latest book tube video where I chat a bit more about the books.

I hope you are having a wonderful day!

Page 1 A Turn in the Road: Blossom Street, Book 8 The Last Thing He Told Me - Dave, Laura

 

Anne of Green Gables - Montgomery, L. M. The Jane Austen Book Club - Fowler, Karen Joy Mary Poppins - Travers, P. L.

 

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dilettante’s Dollhouse: Making & Installing My First Window

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This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using this link I may earn a small commission but it does not cost you any more.

Today I am sharing a quick update on the dollhouse renovation. I have made my first ever window! It was a bit fiddly and far from perfect but I am so happy with how it turned out.

I started out by lining the opening with popsicle sticks (affiliate link) so I had a smooth surface to glue the window to. Then I made two squares from smaller wooden dowels (affiliate link). I tried measuring but in the end I just marked where to cut by holding the wood up to the opening. It’s not precise and required some adjustments but it worked.

I glued a piece of clear acetate between the 2 squares and then used some coffee stirrers to make a cross pattern on the windows. I then dry fitted the window and made lots of trims and adjustments and fiddles and then I glued it into place with my wood glue (affiliate link).

I used more popsicle sticks to make the trim as well and that really finished the window off. I cut the angles using my hand miter tool (affiliate link) and I am so happy with the results it gave. I am going to finish it off by painting the trim white.

I hope you enjoy this quick little update. If you have any questions please let me know!

 

 

 

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

 

As an Amazon Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Video: My Common Place Book

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Hi everyone! Today I am finally sharing what I am using my new embroidered journal for. If you aren’t familiar with this journal you can read about it here and here.

I have decided to keep this journal as a Common Place Book. There are lots of ideas about what a common place book is but I will share with you how I intend to use it. When I was in 7th grade we were given a project to keep a quote journal. It is probably the singularly most excited I had ever been on a school project and if I am being honest-the hardest I ever worked on one.

I filled a whole notebook with quotes and could not wait to turn it in. I still have the notebook today and countless others. Keeping a quote book is just something I have always been doing. A place where I can come to when I am looking to create or write or maybe just need to shift how I am feeling.  Using my handmade journal for this feels perfect!

Today I wrote out a few quotes that I have been collecting and glued them down. Added some washi tape and some stickers and called it done. Of course you don’t have to do any of this. A plain notebook and a pen are perfect but today I wanted to spend some time with my notebook and the quotes I have collected.

If you are interested in the Common Place book I mention in my video you can visit Miranda Mills blog here.  She has a wonder blog and I truly enjoy her Booktube channel as well.

Well that’s all for today. Do you keep a book of inspiration? I would love to hear about it!

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante