Jewelry/Bookmark Inspiration

Hi everyone! Happy Sunday!

Kelli and I both enjoy crafting. It is an excellent way to spend a day, it's relaxing, and it allows us to focus our energy to create something beautiful. She specializes in paper crafts, and I have been making bookmarks and jewelry.

So, today I wanted to share some of the things that have inspired my crafts lately! :)

Space and Science


(Eta Carina Nebula- photo source can be found on our Pinterest page @wordpaperlove.)

I love space! The colors and textures are so interesting. I would also really like to use constellations, DNA and molecular structures, and planets/moons/suns/stars in my crafts!

Books

I also LOVE books! That's probably pretty obvious from my other posts. Libraries, favorite characters, fairy tales, all of these have inspired my crafts. I hope to eventually make book themed sets of jewelry! I would definitely wear a Harry Potter set of jewelry. :)

Nature


(Photo source can be found at our Pinterest page @wordpaperlove.)

Natural colors and textures definitely play an important role in my crafts. I love adding those textures to fresh, bright colors to create something more modern, as well. Using natural beads, like stone and wood, bring an earthiness that I really like,

Heroes


(Photo source can be found at our Pinterest page @wordpaperlove.)

This is a new obsession for me. I didn't grow up reading comic books. But man, do I love them now. Spiderman is my favorite, but I also draw inspiration from other characters, like Batman, Catwoman, and ALL of the villains. The villains are always my favorite. And the vivid, contrasting colors of their costumes make excellent crafting palettes.

I'll post photos of some of the finished items soon! What inspires you? What types of crafts do you enjoy doing? Or what type of craft would you like to start creating? Share below!

And as always, happy reading! (and crafting!)

-Sarah.

2015 Reading Challenge Update

Hi Everyone! Kelli recently posted her reading challenge update, so I thought I should do a similar post! It's halfway through the year, so I thought it was an excellent time to check in and see how I'm doing with the 52 book goal I set for the year! Here goes! Below is a list of the books and categories I've read so far.

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt: Classic romance
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab: A book that came out this year
Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier: A book by a female author
Landline by Rainbow Rowell: A book with a one-word title
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams: First book by a well-known author
First Light by Rebecca Stead: Book I haven't read yet by an author I love
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan: Book a friend recommended
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner: Book my mom loves
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz: Book based         solely on the cover
Good Kings Bad Kings by Susan Nussbaum: Book with an antonym in the title
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey: Book that takes place somewhere I want to visit
The Kingdom of Little Wounds by Susann Cokal: Book with bad reviews
Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen (The Abhorsen Trilogy) by Garth Nix: A trilogy
The Celery Stalks at Midnight by James Howe: Book from my childhood
Fables, Volume 13: The Great Fables Crossover by Bill Willingham: A graphic novel
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater: Book I own but haven't read yet
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman: Book that was turned into a movie/TV show

So far, those are the books I have been able to read for the 2015 reading challenge! 19 out of 52 isn't too too bad. And I have read some really good books so far this year, which is much more important to me than how many books I'm able to read. I also keep getting distracted by other books this year! Good thing there is still another half a year to read. :)

Which books are you reading for this year's challenge? Have you read some of the books I've read this year? Share your book love in the comments below!

Happy reading!

-Sarah.

Mobile inspiration

Hello Friends!!! So this post today is a quick one. I love a good mobile. Of course they are an essential for any baby's room, but I think that they can be used to decorate ones home as well as make good party decorations. I have been working on making my own mobiles that I will share soon. In the meantime, I have posted a few if my favorites from Pinterest that I found inspiring. 

I am partial to paper mobiles because i love working with paper. I also fell in love with these ones though because they are simple in design and I also find the colors quite happy!

I chose these threee because they are unique in some way. I love the use of the branch in the first one!! 

Links to these mobiles and a few others can be found on our Pinterest page @wordpaperlove. Under the mobile board. Please check them out!! 

2015 Reading Challenge

Hello friends! Today I want to talk about the reading challenge I am participating in this year.

At the end of last year, a coworker was looking to read a bit more this year and came upon this reading challenge list. She made copies for anyone who wanted to participate. I was super excited about it and jumped on board immediately. Last year I read 32 books which is pretty good I think, but I wanted to read even more in 2015. 

I really like the list that my coworker found, because it gave me ideas of what kind of books to read. It was not a list of specific book titles. I thought this was a really great idea because I was starting to accrue a pretty big TBR list and I want to get that under control. To determine what I would be reading, I basically went down the list and chose a book from either my book shelves or I would select a book off of my TBR list on Goodreads.

Here is the suggestion from the list and what book/author I chose to go with it:

A book with more than 500 pages - Shadowmarch by Tad Williams

A classic romance - Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

A book that became a movie - Dune by Frank Herbert

A book published this year - Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

A book with a number in the title - Mr Penumbras 24 hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

A book written by someone under 30 - Brisingr by Christopher Paolini

A book with nonhuman characters -The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman

A funny book - Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett

A book by a female author - City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

A mystery or thriller - A Case of Crooked Letters by Lori Copeland

A book with a one-word title - The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

A book of short stories - The Year's best SciFi 19th Annual collection edited by Gardner Dozois

A book set in another country - The Faithful Place by Tana French

A non-fiction book - The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat and other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks

A popular author's first book - Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

A book from an author you love but haven't read yet - Stardust by Neil Gaiman

A book a friend recommended - Graceling Kristen Cashore

A Pulitzer prize-winning book - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay - Michael Chabon

A book based on a true story - In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

A Book at the bottom of your to-read list - Mojo by Tim Tharpe

A book your Mom loves -The Body Book by Cameron Diaz

A book that scares you - The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury

A book more than 100 years old - Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

A book you were supposed to read in school and didn't - Animal Farm by George Orwell

A memoir - The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer

A book you can finish in a day -Batman Widening Gyre by Kevin Smith

A book with antonyms in the title - A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

A book set somewhere you always wanted to visit - The Black Country by Alex Grecian

A book that came out the year you were born - Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg

A book with Bad Reviews-*

A trilogy - Voyage of the Jerle Shannarah by Terry Brooks

A book from your childhood - Mr Happy by Roger Hargreaves

A book with a love triangle -  Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin

A book set in the future - Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

A book set in high school - Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins

A book with a color in the title - Raven Black by Ann Cleeves

A book that made you cry - Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

A book with magic - The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

A graphic novel - Batman -Arkham Asylum by Grant Morrison

A book by an author you've never read - Fin and Lady: A Novel by Cathleen Shine

A book you own but have never read - Slab Rat  by Ted Heller

A book that takes place in your hometown - *

A book that was originally written in another language - Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank

A book set at Christmas - The Christmas Store by Ray Sipherd

A book written by an author with the my same initials - *

A play -  The Winter's tale by William Shakespeare

A banned book - The Giver by Lois Lowry

A book based or turned into a TV show - Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

A book you started but never finished - Shadow Play by Tad Williams

* there are three suggestions that I have left blank. The reason I did not choose a specific book for these categories is because I either didn't like the category or had trouble finding a book to match it. In place of these three categories I have added the first three novels from the Friday series by Jasper Fforde. I have been meaning to read these for awhile and can't wait to get started.

So, the books that are highlighted in green are the books I have read or are currently reading... I haven't got too far yet this year. However, I will say that, with one exception, the books I read so far have all been really good. I think the suggestion list has had a big part to play in this. I put a lot of time and thought into what book went with each suggestion, instead of just mindlessly going to my book shelf and picking a new book to read each time. 

To make it a little more interesting, I created a TBR Jar. I put all the book titles in a jar and, when I am ready to read a new book, I pick one out. This simple step has insured that I don't get stuck in a rut with one type of genre. Also I reused a candle jar for this and every time I open it, it smells like a Christmas tree and makes me really happy. 

I would love to hear if you guys are participating in any reading challenges this year, or what books you would have choose for the suggestions that were on the list. Let me know in the comment section! 

Also you can find me and Sarah on:

Instagram word.paper.love

Twitter @wordpaperlove

Peace, Love and Trees

Kelli

Top 10 Most Beautiful Book Covers

Hi everyone! I love a good book cover. I know you can't judge a book by its cover, but it doesn't stop me from doing it. Thanks to Goodreads and their rating system, buying beautiful books that turn out to be awful has been kept to a minimum lately. But the list below are beautiful books that are good on the outside AND inside!



10. Deathless (Deathless #1) by Catherynne M. Valente

I love the simplicity of the cover. The silhouettes are so beautiful. And Koschei's form is intriguing, especially after reading the synopsis, "a menacing, evil figure, the villain of countless stories." The cover makes him look like a fairy tale Prince. Wonderful.



9. A Darker Shade of Magic (A Darker Shade of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab

This cover is so unique! Kell- in the red coat- is shown walking from London to London, his mysterious, magical, many-sided coat floating out behind him. I love the colors of the cover art- especially because color is such a big part of the story line.



8. Fables graphic novel series by Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham

I love ALL of the artwork for this series of graphic novels, but the cover art is over-the-top amazing. Woven together in a dream-like tapestry are all of the characters in the Fables world- Snow White, Boy Blue, Bigby Wolf. My favorite cover is from the deluxe edition #2 (shown here), but they are all beautiful.



7. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

This cover always caught my eye when I worked at the bookstore. It's so bare, but so colorful. And once I read about what the book was actually about (the madwoman from Jane Eyre), I HAD to read it. I learned what the 'vast ocean' from the cover symbolized. Such a good book under this intriguing cover.



6, East by Edith Pattou

I am a sucker for covers that even remotely look like they may be associated with a fairy tale. Amazing retelling of 'East of the Sun, West of the Moon'? Yes, please. And Pattou's cover art is just as beautiful as the story.



5. The Assassin's Curse (The Assassin's Curse #1) by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Okay, so I became OBSESSED with this series after reading book number one, and then realizing that they were going out of print. I tracked number two down with a fevered passion that is actually kind of embarrassing to think about. :) But come on! A strong, female main character who is a runaway pirate Princess who meets an assassin, and after being cursed, has to complete three tasks to be set free? The cover is beautiful, the story is amazing, please read this! I need people to talk about it with!



4. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

I picked this book up a long, long time ago based SOLELY on the cover. It was one of those frustrating paperback copies that don't actually give a description of the book. But it was so beautiful, I bought it anyway. (This was in the years before Goodreads, btw.) And I was surprised by how good it was! After reading the first line, "I write this sitting in the kitchen sink", I was hooked. The story follows the journal entries of Cassandra and her family, who live in a run-down castle in Suffolk. So good! There are many covers to this book, but the one above is my favorite. It's the copy I own, the one that introduced me (luckily) to this amazing book!



3. Fairy Tales from Around the World by Andrew Lang

Omg, I am also a complete sucker for leather-bound collections. This one is so beautiful! It has an intricate cover, inside illustrations, and A SILK BOOKMARK. What more do you need when reading fairy tales? I feel like the book could be IN a fairy tale, it's so pretty. And inside the cover? Owls. Cute owls.



2. Graceling (Graceling Realm #1) by Kristin Cashore

I looked at this book on the shelf for YEARS before I finally broke down and bought it. It is such a striking cover. And after I read the beginning of the synopsis, there was no turning back, "Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight-" I mean. Really, I HAD to buy it. Just to find out what that was all about! And funny thing is, my best friend had been looking at the book for a long time, too. We had never talked about liking it, but we both bought it the same week, read it, and LOVED it. We are book-soulmates btw. And this book is the first in a companion series that is amazing, and all three books have beautiful, colorful covers.



1. Wildwood Dancing (Wildwood #1) by Juliet Marillier

This. Cover. This is one of those covers that is not only beautiful when you buy it, with it's intricate magical artwork, but it's even MORE beautiful after you read it. After I read it, I was looking over the cover art again, and realized that the pictures on the cover ARE the story. It goes through all of the major events, and all of my favorite characters are right there! You don't know that before you read, but now, every time I look at the book, I remember, OH YES I loved this story.

Thanks for reading!

-Sarah