Crafty Tutorial: DIY notepads

Today was a gorgeous day, which was rather convenient since I was off of work. I went antiquing and took some photos and had some delicious Chinese food. I like to end a day like that with some crafty crafting.


If you know me, you may know that I love to make lists. Then I love to cross things off those lists. Gives me a thrill. So I go through a fair amount of notepads. Most notepads have annoying flowers all over them or something even worse like cats. Blargh. So I took matters into my own hands and made some delightful notepads of my own. You can too.

You will need:

Paper printed with list headings, clever quotes, etc. (I did about 75 sheets for each pad, which worked out nicely. I wouldn't go higher than that.)
A paper cutter of some sort (They're relatively inexpensive at any craft store.)
Bonding compound (Also available at craft stores or online. A bottle this size will last you a lifetime and probably make it into the will.)
A small paintbrush
Small paper clamps (Available at Staples or the like.)
80s music and maybe a snack or a drink


First, print your lists. I did this quick and easy by using Word, turning the paper to landscape orientation, and splitting it into three columns. Then I added fun headers in pleasing colors, which you can't really see since my photo is hideously blue. (I don't want to hear about it, James!)


You could use dramatic or historical quotes about remembering and organizing. (That Marcus Aurelius had a lot of interesting stuff to say.)


Or you could be more on the nose.


Or you could use a fun quote from one of the best television shows ever created, despite the fact that it was cruelly cancelled after only two seasons.


After you print your paper (50 to 75 sheets, I'd say), you need to cut it. This is the most tedious part of the process, made considerably less so if your parents got you a super awesome paper cutter for Christmas. You can also use the scrapbooking paper slicers sold at most craft stores, but you can't cut as many pages at a time with those. (This is where the 80s music and snack come in handy.)


When you've finished you'll have a nice, tidy pile of pages ready to be bound together. I trimmed my Natalie/Jeremy pile shorter because I want to carry that one in my purse.


Then you place a small clamp on either side of the pad, about a quarter of an inch from the top.


Now this part is fun. Slather the top with a generous amount of bonding compound. On one of the pads I added a cardboard backing with a bit of magnet so I can hang it on my fridge. I made sure to put a lot of compound on that one.


Also, should you happen to accidentally send your paintbrush hurtling through the air, splattering bonding compound on your shirt, pants, and floor, fear not. The compound cleans up very nicely off of cotton, corduroy, and hardwood floors.

Not that I did that. Twice.


Let them dry while you stand back to admire your handiwork.


Start making a list of stuff for your next project. Or grocery trip. I am totally out of milk.

Felices Cinco de Mayo

In celebration of the Mexican defeat of the French forces at the Battle of the Pueblo, I went out for lunch with friends and stuffed my face with chicken flautas and burritos. As I struggle to stay out of a food coma, please enjoy this fascinating video of Jello bouncing in slow motion. It really is gorgeous.

This is how I feel.

April Meat Meal

This month's meat meal is Enchilada Casserole. (FYI if you didn't know, I'm determined to conquer my terror of meat in 2011 by cooking one meat meal each month. This is a big deal for me.)

April is crazy busy, so I didn't have the time to do a roast or something terrifying like chicken. I found this recipe online and it looked delightful.

First I browned a pound of hamburger. I'll spare you the revolting sight of the raw hamburger. Just because I was gagging doesn't mean you should have to.

Once it's browned you drain it and add a can of enchilada sauce. The recipe also called for adding salsa but I didn't have any on hand and that didn't sound good to me anyway.


Next, grate some cheddar cheese. The recipe calls for 4 cups, but I just used what I had on hand. If I'd been thinking ahead I'd have gotten some of that grated and bagged Mexican blend cheese because I'm a firm believer in making life as easy on yourself as possible. If, like me, you go the long route, at least enjoy some of that delicious cheese while you grate it.


Grease a lasagna pan and layer the bottom with tortillas. I had fajita-size tortillas so I had to rip them up to cover the bottom.


Then layer your meat mixture, corn, and some cheese on top of that. Put another layer of tortillas on and repeat.


You're supposed to end with the meat/cheese layer on top, but you're supposed to do three layers. I didn't save enough beef, so I only did two layers, but it worked fine.


Pop it in the over at 350 and bake 30 minutes or until the top is bubbly.


I was ravenous so while I waited I had some hummus and a Peeps bunny (not together). The bunny was not stale enough for my liking.


This is basically like making enchiladas, but easier, and with corn. I have made enchiladas before so maybe this shouldn't count as a monthly meat meal, but I will deal with that question in the cold light of morning. For now I'm too busy stuffing my face. This is SO good!

I brought Jules a little surprise tonight.

She was pretty excited.


What else was there to do but throw on a wig and a dress and start watching?

A bit of the old country

The best part about having a fireplace? Decorating the mantle.

Mine is problematic because the space above the mantle goes up so high, so the framed photos I had there weren't cutting it. So this weekend I finally got around to framing an old map I had, and the results are quite delightful.

The truly best part of this is that the map is actually a high-end piece of wrapping paper. It cost about 5 bucks. Pricey for a piece of wrapping paper, super cheap for a frameable map.

Delight.

I haven't made a huge mistake.

This is today's lunch. (Kris, hopefully this makes up for all those meat photos.) A perfect bowl of mushrooms sauteed in butter and garlic. A great companion to an Arrested Development marathon.

I do love a lazy day.