Have/Have Not

What I would’ve bought today if I had any money at all:

Umbra Horizon Photo Albums

Five of these gorgeous photo albums to put all our photos in. Getting them out of my childhood Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse albums and giving us the ability to print more of the backlog of photos stored on our computers.

Cool, money-free thing I did instead:

Japanese girl and a tree

I bought this tree more than a year ago when I was part of my first and only craft show. Since then, it’s been collecting dust at the top of my craft closet. Because I’m always so frustrated at not being able to see my jewelry, thus remembering what I have to wear, I decided to pull it down and actually use it. The little momiji doll was a gift from my sister. I love that little doll. Makes the whole thing look so much better.

Must. Have. Self-Control.


Week of January 19th:

A weekly list of goodies that I’ve forced myself not to buy.
(You know, because I’m broke.)


Ever since I read Craft Boom’s review of the Artisan 800 I’ve been wanting to get my hands on the Artisan 700. It’s basically the 800′s kid brother. You know, without the fax functions that I don’t need.

Since I am attempting to save money at the moment I’m trying to put off its purchase for as long as possible, but my current printer is so lame that I’m bound to buckle under the pressure soon enough.

Available here.

See, this is the kind of gorgeous wrap dress that flatters every figure and can be worn a million ways. I am loving charcoal grey right now too. So cozy. And don’t even get me started on that shawl collar. Self-control. Self-control. Self-control.

Available here. Found via here.


Wow. So lovely and intricate. I can’t imagine how long it takes to weave the band of a ring like this. Quite the statement piece! Available here. Found via here.


The more I look at things, the more I understand my own style better. Lately, instead of just an “Oh, I like that” reaction, I’ve been thinking about why I like the things I do. What I’ve learned is that my style is simple+. The design can’t be too ornate or look like it’s trying too hard, but it can’t just be straightforward, plain-jane minimalism either. It’s gotta have something. Some flare.

And, wowza! See right here? This is a perfect example of the style I love. It’s simple, with clean lines but also has flourish enough to make it stand out from the crowd.

Available here. Found via here.