Planner

Week #16: Study Day

12:14 PM

I've been pretty diligent with my chores, but with the upcoming CSET, I've been quite busy trying to make sure I know all of the material before taking the exam. I've also tried to incorporate the "7 Day Ab Challenge" since we have an upcoming holiday to Hawaii coming up. Hopefully, I can make it to the end of the challenge since the crunches get harder and harder as you approach the last day of the challenge.


Crafts

DIY Washi Tape

1:51 PM

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything. Three months to be exact. I’ve been busy studying for the CSET exam, coping with a spring cold/flu and also trying to organise and decorate the house. Another reason that I haven’t blogged either is Instagram. I post a lot of pictures about my travels, food, and just about anything interesting. If haven’t blogged, the chances are, there are a lot of posts on Instagram.The “washi tape” craze has hit the market. Stores like Beverly’s Crafts are carrying an assortment of washi. It was hard to find washi. I normally purchased them on Etsy or at Sanrio Surprises.The first one I bought was the Little Twin Stars washi from Sanrio Surprises. I love this washi (even though it’s pink) because I can write on it without having the ink smear. There’s a downside to the this design though, I hate writing on Kiki and Lala, so I decided to use it as a border decoration on my Filofax pages.

I searched online and found a pack of Martha Stewart washi tape. I was thrilled with the pattern and went ahead and bought them on Amazon. I really don’t like Martha Stewart’s washi tape. It’s glossy and you can’t write on it. You’d have to own a sharpie to be able to write on it. It’s purely decorative. I went on to buy the Scotch Expressions tape which is similar to the Martha Stewart brand.Finally, I was able to find washi tape that’s similar to the Little Twin Stars Washi I have. I couldn’t believe when I found it at Target and the price was reasonable. Now I have an addiction.But the price of washi tape (including shipping) is somewhat expensive considering what I plan to do with it. I’m hooked and I need alternatives. Of course, I’d still buy them, but I have to set myself a limit.

The thing about being a Do-It-Yourselfer, I started thinking about ways on how I can make my own washi tape. And since I want more, I made the decision to try to make it. The cost of a generic brand of double-sided tape and whatever paper you want to use is cheaper than buying spools of washi. There are several different ways you can make your own washi. I prefer this method better. Here are the instructions with photographs. Please bear in mind that I’ve taken these photos with my iPhone and might have been a little lazy to edit them.


DIY Washi Tape

Materials:

Double-Sided Tape
Scissors
Patterned Paper
Commercial Grade Parchment paper.





 


The first thing you want to do is check the measurement of your double-sided tape. Some tapes have a backing on top and others do not. The ones that have the backing are quite expensive (and I couldn’t find them at Target), so I decided to use the one without. That’s where the parchement paper comes in handy.

If you’re thinking of doing this, there’s no easy way to make a continuous spool of washi if you’re using double-sided tape without the backing. It’s possible to do it both with the backing or without, but just to save yourself from heartache and frustration, just make it in strips.

First, grab a long pice of tape, the length doest matter as long as it doesn’t exceed the length of the parchment paper you just tore out.

Tape it to the parchment paper. Grab your paper strip and start applying it on the tape, making sure that all the edges are neat and that there are no bubbles. When you’re finished, cut the wax paper with the tape and roll it onto a cork. It’s that simple.

I know you’re wondering why commercial grade parchment paper, why not wax paper. In my experience, the double sided tape tend to adhere pretty well to the wax paper and when you try to peel it off, it’s like peeling an old sticker from a glass or plastic jar.It’s not hard to find commercial grade parchment paper. They can be found at restaurant supply stores.




Life

Downton Abbey's Christmas Special

9:38 AM


I never thought I’d write about a television programme, let alone make it my first post of the year.I was dying to watch the Downton Abbey Christmas Special, but I was on a holiday to Disneyland and Las Vegas until after the New Year. So chances of watching the show is nill.

Over the last few months, there were rumours that Dan Stevens, the actor playing Matthew Crawley did not sign on for the fourth season and I wonder how the writers of the show would kill off his character. With the twists and turns of Season 3 — the emotional roller coaster the show has taken it’s viewers, I couldn’t expect anything less of what their decision of how, when and where.

Just one word before you continue on. If you haven’t seen Season 3, I would advise you to stop reading. This blog will contain spoilers.

When I came home two days after New Year’s, I quickly switched on my laptop to watch the Christmas Special. I prepared myself. I grabbed a box of tissues, sat them right next to me and prepared myself for the ride. I wasn’t going to be caught off guard again just like I did when Lady Sybil died in the fifth episode.

There were no tear jerkers, just an overall astonishment at how Matthew Crawley’s character was written off the script. It was such a good episode with Matthew welcoming his newborn son and heir, not to mention his marriage to Lady Mary is as strong as ever which made his untimely death at the hands of his automobile was quite a shocker.


After watching the episode, I couldn’t get that final image off my head and wondered how in the world are they going to open the fourth season. I wasn’t at all distraught at how it ended for Matthew Crawley unlike others who took it to heart. Yes, it was heartbreaking, gut wrenching and very sad, but it’s just a television show. Life would go on. Some viewers tweeted that they won’t watch the next season, but in my case, I will. I’m curious how to see who Lady Mary would adapt to her new life as a mother without her soulmate. So, yes. I have not completely written off the show and can’t wait for the next season to start.


The happy family before the tragedy.




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