Too much fun in the lab

A few years ago, my colleagues and I decided  to enter a holiday ornament making contest for our common room's tree. The goal was to make ornaments and decorations out of lab and office materials. Though not required, we ended up taking it a step further  by coming up with our own little ski resort (which we didn't enter in the contest). As for the results, our lab finished 3rd place, losing to what appears to be a test tube snow "globe" and a ball made entirely of lab tape. 

The ski resort is still perched on one of the lab's shelves and it's been that way for the past 2 years or so. Being the mastermind of it all, I would take it apart, put it away, then set it up every winter. Obviously, I have been too busy with real work that I forgot to put it away though nobody seems to mind. 

Without further ado, here are some photos of this handmade ski resort. 

 It's like no other resort you've seen: It has it's own train engine!

...with snowmen to greet you

...a ski lift to take you up

...we have penguins too

...here comes the fun part!

...let's do it again!

Now, who says crafting and science don't mix?

Until next time, thanks for reading. =(^.^)=

Snow in Seattle

The metereologists got it right this time. I woke up this morning only to find that it was snowing outside. My apartment is about a mile away from work so my said commute would not be so bad. I either walk, take the Streetcar (or "Tram" as my European friends call it), or ride the bus to work. Anyway, even if my workplace closed down due to inclement weather, I still have to go out and mail a couple of packages.

I worked a full day. I did not have my usual commute home via Streetcar. Instead, I had to walk back to my place.

I took a few pictures outside upon reaching home. I could not resist the sight of a black bicycle under the snow! By the way, I am getting close to putting together a set of Seattle bicycle postcards for each season.

Until next time, thanks for reading. =(^.^)=

Preparations

My piano's closed lid serves as a makeshift drying station for these old-school parcel labels. I handstamped these myself using a custom rubber stamp made by Cupcaketree. The wonderful skeleton key stamps are from Norajane.

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I am currently preparing for my first Craft show since opening velonoir, my store on ETSY. It will be held at my workplace where it has been an annual tradition these past few years. Creative employees are encouraged to join as vendors, so here I am finally «outing» myself as a crafts person. A portion of vendors' sales will benefit cancer research or cancer patients. It is always inspiring to create for a good cause and with friends from work backing me up, it makes creating fun!

A trouser hanger becomes a drying rack for my handmade photocards stamped with my logo. The scarves serve as protective cushion against the wall ;)

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Since my living space also incorporates my crafting space, I have learned to use unlikely surfaces and everyday objects to keep the crafting chaos in control (well...sort of). 

One of several extra paper bags donated by a friend and a smaller bag made from a catalogue page--both are now fancy packaging.
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In the spirit of eco-friendly packaging, I try to use recycled materials. Repurposing objects and materials is one of my favorite things to do. I found another use for catalogue pages before putting them in the recycling bin!


Until next time, thanks for reading. =(^.^)=