It's not even September yet, so what the heck??

Less than three weeks until I'm at the Shop Til You Drop craft show in Cypress, TX. So you know what that means...

It's time to pull out the Halloween merch.

Less than three weeks and I'm pretty sure I'm way behind the getting ready curve. That's...

 Wait. Did you say Scary and Creepy? I think I dated that guy in college!

This is one of my favorites. C'mon, it's Halloween. It's funny, and...

...it's made out of a Twilight book. Get it?

Speaking of getting it, click any of these pictures to buy a book. Oh, and one last chance to get on my email list to get the inaugural issue. It'll be worth your while. Promise. 

Did You See My New Stuff?

Notice anything different around here? Like maybe everything?

Yep, I decided it was time for a little spruce up at Reading with Scissors so check out that fancy-dancy new banner up there.

Or check out the new design on my Etsy shop...or ask me for a new business card...or have you seen my new packing slips? 

I'd like to take credit for how ultra cool it all looks, but that honor goes to my friend, Paula. That's her below in the blue shirt. The one without the mustache.

Paula and I work together in Cube City with Chris (the one with the mustache) and Jasmine. Twice a day we get out of our chairs, circle the campus, and try to get some steps in. On one of those trips, I told Paula that I was thinking about rebranding Reading with Scissors, and Paula told me rebranding stuff was one of her best things. Match made in heaven!

I wanted to make her a special book for all the work that she had done for me. When I asked her what word she would like, she said...

Good choice! One of my favorite words, too.

I really like the way it turned out. Not only because it's one of those "round letter words" that looks so pretty in script, but also because I like the impressionist painting that covers the end papers.

It's a roiling sea--just like most of life these days--but in the midst of it: Grace.

If you would like to give the gift of Grace to a friend, you can order one by clicking here. And BONUS! You'll get to see Paula's work on the packing slip, too!

But wait, there's more! Click here to sign up for the Reading with Scissors newsletter. It'll be lots of fun including behind the scenes looks at what's going on in the studio and what's happening in my car--which is where most of my good ideas are born.  AND more Paula banners! Don't be left out. Sign up now. 

Bo Does Mountains

You know the way I love books? Well, that's the way Captain America likes airplanes. He can't get enough of them.

And that's how we got the newest addition to our family.

Meet Bo. Short for Bonanza F33a.

Isn't he a beauty? And the plane ain't half bad either!

Captain America traded in our first plane and brought Bo home a couple of months ago. We've already taken him a few places, but this weekend we decided to go on our longest trip yet--to the mountains of Colorado.

Those of you who regularly fly the friendly skies in one of those big jet airliners at 35,000 feet don't know what you're missing at 13,000 feet.

That scenery right below your toes!

Another thing you're missing in an airliner is wearing an oxygen mask. It's a necessity when you're flying high in an unpressurized plane like Bo. Here I am modeling the latest in tube technology and looking remarkably like someone's grandma. Oh wait, I am someone's grandma!

Our first full day was spent in the quaint old mining town of Creede, known primarily as the place where the Coward Robert Ford was gunned down, which I'm pretty sure puts me at one degree of separation from Brad Pitt. So there's that.

The next day we went to Williams Creek Reservoir in the San Juan National Forest. 

In Houston the temperature that day was 96 degrees and 94% humidity. (That is not a typo.)

At Williams Creek Reservoir that day it was about 78 degrees and 11% humidity. 

That's why we are smiling in this picture.

It was such a pretty Colorado weekend, one morning I sat out on the porch and before I knew it, I had made this! After I decorate the endpapers, it will be ready for your Christmas decor. 

Wait, what? Christmas already?

Yes! I'm pleased to announce that on September 10th, Reading With Scissors will be at the Shop 'til You Drop Marketplace, so I'm already making holiday products. I'll be featuring some of them here over the next few weeks, so stay tuned.

Speaking of staying tuned, one of the easiest ways to find out what's going on is to sign up for my new email list. The first email will be coming out shortly. There's a sign-up form on this page, so go ahead and don't miss out! There will be goodies. Just saying.

The Funniest Thing I've Done Lately

The first thing I told Captain America the night he proposed was that as soon as we got married, I was going back to school.

It was the summer after I graduated from the University of Oklahoma, and my plan had been to return there in the fall to start my masters,..and then well, you know what that they about a man in a uniform. Suffice it say that plans changed. At least for the year it was going to take him to finish pilot training.



As soon as the Air Force sent us to Tacoma, Washington, for Captain America's first assignment, though, I enrolled at the University of Washington. I was halfway through my master's degree when baby #1 arrived. So I put my plans on hold again...and then the Air Force moved us back to Oklahoma.

So I thought about getting my master's from Oklahoma State, which was the closest university, but it was going to be so hard for this Sooner to put that on my resume, that I decided to get my teaching certificate from them instead. Then baby #2 came. And then we moved to Houston.

Finally 16 years after I became Mrs Captain America, I picked up my master's degree from Texas A&M. I decided to become an Aggie, because I knew we weren't ever going back to Oklahoma. Plus, A&M was close to home. And most of all Sooners and Aggies have the same general opinion of Longhorns!

One of the things that I like about the folks from A&M is they know how to take a joke. And trust me, there are plenty of Aggie jokes. And a lot them are probably true. I know from personal experience.

I mean, I'm still a Sooner through and through and all, but occasionally my inner Aggie shows up. For instance, that diploma I'm handling in the picture above? I have no idea where it is. I lost it. Every time we move--and we've been in 3 houses and a trailer since then--I think it'll show up, but it never does.

Another thing I like about Aggies is that they are good customers. I've sold more books that say "Gig 'em" than any other pattern.

So...the other day I made another "Gig 'em" for my Etsy shop. When I was done, I decided I needed to take a new picture of it, so I set up my whole photography stage, perched my camera on top of my tripod, and took my first picture.

So far, so good.

Then I turned the book around to take a picture of the back...

Look closely.

Yep. I folded the book upside down.

Mind you, I touched 288 pages during the creation of that book without even noticing! Who needs a lost diploma with Aggie credentials like that?!?

Whoop!

I mean...Whoops!

But now that it's done, I kinda think it's great. I mean, c'mon, isn't it the best Aggie joke in folded book form ever?

So if you're looking for the perfect something for that new Aggie grad, purchase it on my Etsy shop, and I'll send it your way. First come, first served.

And if Aggies aren't your thing, order something for your favorite school. I promise to make it right-side up.

Hey, I'm starting a Reading With Scissors newsletter. It's gonna be full of fun stuff. More stories about Captain America and me. Pictures of things I've been making, Recommendations on good books and other stuff. All around goodness. See that sign-up form over there? Well, sign up already.

~~~~~~~~
UPDATE: The first to come was served. The upside-down book is sold. Whoo-hoo! Right-side ups are still looking for a good home. Apply here.

Make Your Own Valentine Book

Happy New Year!

Thank goodness the holidays are finally over! I spent last weekend putting up all my Christmas decorations. And then I spent all last week gathering up all the things I forgot to pack. I have an entire table filled with the forgotten stuff. I kid you not.

I was going to put them up in the attic this weekend, but I forgot to do that, too.

Isn't there a pill for that?

Well, it wasn't so much that I forgot to put them up, I just got busy doing something else--like playing with my new fancy-dancy camera that Captain America got me for Christmas. It has more buttons than I know what to do with right now, but this is the year I'm gonna learn.

Here is one of my first pics.

Which reminds me--Valentine's Day is coming up. If you're looking for a book that makes a statement, this beauty is for sale in my Etsy shop.

Or if you're a DIY kinda person, you still have plenty of time to fold your own book just like this one. The pattern is for sale in my Etsy shop, too! 

If you've never folded a book before, you can get the Love pattern as part of my Folded Book Kit. The Kit includes instructions and a book to fold along with the pattern. If you're already an experienced book folder, you can also get just the pattern.

Double Your Fun

Just because I haven't been posting much, doesn't mean I haven't been folding. Didn't these pink beauties turn out so sweet?

When life brings you twins, don't fret. I can make you a duet of books!

Flying With Scissors--Wait...Is That Allowed?

It's been over a month since my last post. I have no excuse except Christmas and New Years and MLK Day...and vacation! Yes, I spent last week in paradise, which is otherwise known as the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel on the Big Island of Hawaii. You need to go there. And if you can arrange it, find a way to stay. It is gorgeous in every way.

See those big waves out there?



Most of the public spaces at the Hapuna Beach are open air, so you get to listen to crashing surf at all times. Morning and...



evening.

But fear not! Even though I was away from home hypnotized by beauty and beach, doesn't mean I was away from paper. For instance, there was plenty of paper decorating my drinks! 

 

 

 And do you know how much folding you can get done on an eight-hour airplane ride?? At least this much.

And I'll have to show you all the book page drawings I did in another post.

But here was some of my favorite paper. A necklace I found made of paper beads.

 

(Do you think I look like Jay Leno? People sometimes say I do. I think this picture might prove their point. We of the vast chins.) 

 

Anyway, back to the beads. I've seen paper beads before, but these are so small! And just exquisite. Plus some of them are covered in GLITTER!

The jewelry comes from 31 Bits and is made by women in Uganda who are working their way out of poverty. It's quite a story, but now wearing the beads makes me feel good inside and out. Kind of like vacation does.

I'll plan to post some more of my own creations soon, but in the meantime, lots of people want Reading With Scissors to fold them a book, and I need to catch up on Downton Abbey, so off to work I go. More later.

Geometry With Scissors

Mathematics textbook + Reading With Scissors = x.

Solve for x.

Ah, here ya go!

Thank you, Pythagoras.

Available for your favorite math lover at the Woodlands Fall Festival and Market  at 

Christ Church United Methodist

this Saturday.

Sneak Peek 2 - Woodlands Fall Festival and Market

Hands up. How many of you remember textbooks like this from your high school or college days. Yep, just about all of you.

Books like this remind me of some of my favorite people. I was lucky to have been taught by some wonderful English teachers. They have made me a life-long reader, which is a gift indeed.

If there's a language arts teacher on your gift list, here's a great addition to his or her bookshelf.

Available this weekend at the Woodlands Fall Fair and Market at Christ Church United Methodist. Come and get it!

Sneak Peek - Woodlands Fall Market & Fair

It's craft fair time again.

On Saturday, Oct 26, Reading With Scissors will have a booth at the 2014 Woodlands Fall Market & Fair at Christ Church United Methodist and to whet your appetite, here's a sneak peek of a book I just finished.

Normally I don't leave dust jackets on books, but this time I made an exception. Here's what the book looks like on the outside.

and here's what it looks like on the other side.

C'mon. You know it's funny.

The show starts 9 a.m. Christ Church UMC is at 6363 Research Forest Drive, The Woodlands, TX 77381.

Come see me!

The F Word

It's the end of August and you know what that means, right?

FOOTBALL!

Maybe your team hails from the ACC...

Or maybe you cheer for the SWAC...

Maybe your team plays in the SEC...

Or maybe you cheer for a Big 12 team...

Or maybe you can't decide...

Maybe you have so much pride it spills out into two books...

Know what I mean?

No matter which team you root for, it's time for

Football!

(And if you need some help decorating your shelf, Reading With Scissors is here to help!)