• Cupola Corner sells a curated selection of handmade and handbound journals that would be perfect for a gratitude journal.
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• Cupola Corner sells a curated selection of handmade and handbound journals that would be perfect for a gratitude journal.
πTo return to the main page, please click on the banner at the top of this page or click on this link: Cupola Corner Blog
I am currently reading Anne Voskamp’s “One Thousand Gifts.” Anne was challenged by a friend to write down one thousand gifts or blessings. Her list included things like the iridescence of bubbles. Everyday things for which to be grateful.
The book is not a gratitude journal. It’s about her journey and what she learned by keeping a gratitude journal. There are lots of fascinating things on her list and I’m thinking that we’d all have lots of interesting things upon which to reflect if we considered the things for which we are grateful. Do you have a gratitude journal?
• Cupola Corner sells a curated selection of handmade and handbound journals that would be perfect for a gratitude journal.
πTo return to the main page, please click on the banner at the top of this page or click on this link: Cupola Corner Blog
Mulberry paper is a type of handmade paper made from mulberry trees. I had never seen a mulberry tree until a couple of weeks ago. It was covered in small blue-y purple-ish berries that looked a lot like blackberries. You can eat mulberries and apparently you can use them in recipes just like any other berry. I’m thinking mulberry jam. Yum!
Mulberry paper is made from the inner bark of the paper
mulberry tree. The long fibres of the paper mulberry make it ideal for paper
making. The bark is boiled to soften it, soaked and then beaten to a pulp. The
pulp is spread out onto screens and allowed to dry. Mulberry paper can also be
machine made in a paper mill.
Mulberry paper was first made in China about 2000 years
ago. It was the beginning of paper as we know it today. Up until this point,
people wrote on hides, papyrus or clay tablets.
Almost all mulberry papers are made in the far east where
the paper mulberry tree is native and grows abundantly. The paper mulberry tree
does grow in North America and mulberry paper is made in Canada and the U.S. as
an art or craft.
Sheets of mulberry paper have a deckled edge which can be
used as is. You can cut mulberry paper with scissors or a paper trimmer. You
can easily tear mulberry paper to get a lovely, feathered edge. If you wet the
paper where you want it to tear, you can create lots of different shapes.
Mulberry paper comes in lots of different colours and
designs. Some of it is so pretty that you could frame it! You buy mulberry
paper in sheets, but you can also buy flowers that have been made from mulberry
paper. These little gems are a great for cardmaking.
You can stamp on mulberry paper. You can use if for
printmaking. It can be used for decoupage and origami. Calligraphy looks
amazing on mulberry paper. Need a unique gift-wrapping paper? Mulberry paper
might just be what you are looking for. You can even use mulberry paper in your
Sizzix or Cuttlebug embossing folders.
This summer we made our third trip to Newfoundland. If you've never been, it's definitely worth considering. It's a huge island and there are lots of really unique areas to explore. Bonus: /Newfunlanders/ really do welcome all those who Come From Away.
Our latest trip to The Rock was to the Bonavista Peninsula and the North Central Region. Our goal was to see puffins, whales and to visit Fogo, Twillingate & Moreton's Harbour (i.e.: "all around the circle").
We flew into St. John's, rented a car and drove for ten days up and around the east coast of Newfoundland. We explored lots of little towns, saw both puffins & whales and sang "I'se the B'y" as we pulled into Fogo, Twillingate & Moreton's Harbour. Trinity was a lovely side trip off the main road up the Bonavista Peninsula. It is home to Aunt Sarah's Chocolates, lots of hiking trails, a cooperage, a blacksmith shop and lots of other unique places to explore. We didn't do any hiking, but we did buy some Wild Strawberry Chocolates. They were amazing!We spent two days in Bonavista which allowed us to explore some of the historical and natural sites in the area. We visited the Cape Bonavista lighthouse a couple of times and got a chance to watch the puffins swooping around the little island just off shore from the lighthouse. We also had lunch twice at The Little Dairy King on the way up the Cape Shore Road to the lighthouse. Definitely worth a stop!
Fogo Island is accessible by ferry from Farewell. You can't reserve the ferry so you just have to line up and hope that you are early enough. Coming back the line up was so long that most of the cars did not get on. We were one of the lucky (& early) ones.Fogo is pretty barren. It's not surprising that it is considered one of the four corners of the earth. Some areas have trees, but mostly there are lots of rocks. We explored some artist shops and checked out (not checked into) the Fogo Island Inn. We saw some whales spouting just off shore from the The SaltFire Gallery on the north shore and had a lovely stay at our "Escape By The Sea" accommodations in Seldom on the south shore.
We squeezed in a stop at Gander enroute and had the opportunity to see the "Come From Away" musical. It was wonderful and we got a mini lesson in how to speak "Newfunlander". Apparently, if you "adds" an "s" to all your verbs, you are on your way to speaking fluent "Newfunlander". That does not, however, take into account all of the unique sayings that you might hear during your visit.
We had part of a day to hit some of the highlights in St. John's, including Quidi Vidi, Signal Hill, Jellybean Row and then dinner at The Salt House.The weather during our visit to Newfoundland was great. It was warmer than the locals were used to, but surprisingly the humidity was not an issue the way it can be around the Great Lakes in the summertime.
I ate a lot of cod during our visit to Newfoundland. Cod is intrinsically tied to the history and economy of Newfoundland. From the early days, through the moratorium and today, cod is a part of the island's essence.
After three visits to Newfoundland, there are still places for us to explore in this beautiful province. I'm not sure when the next trip will be, but I'm guessing that there will indeed be another visit to The Rock in my future.
The Newfoundland & Labrador tourism website is a great place to start planning your visit to The Rock. You can request a map and a guidebook through the website and they will mail it to you. So "Get On The Go" and start planning your visit to The Rock. ...and "Enjoy the Journey!"
•Beothuk Interpretation Centre•
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The Cupola Corner Literacy Project promotes early literacy and helping young children learn to love reading because #readingisFUNdamental.
Had to do some pruning in my "vineyard". Things were getting a bit out of control. I used the trimmings to make this grapevine wreath. Not sure how long it will take for it to dry out, but I'm looking forward to using it to create a dried flower wreath.
When we first moved to the Niagara Peninsula, I thought that growing grapes in my backyard would be a fun thing to do. Turns out that we are living on a clay bed, but with the addition of some nice loamy soil, things were looking good. Two years ago I was finally able to put in some gardens and my mini vineyard was born.
Journaling can be fun! There are lots of health benefits to journaling, both for physical and mental health. Put all that aside for a moment and realize that you might just enjoy journaling because it can be fun. Write what you want, when you want and about what you want. Express yourself.
• Cupola Corner sells a curated selection of handmade and handbound journals.
πTo return to the main page, please click on the banner at the top of this page or click on this link: Cupola Corner Blog
Ever wonder what cardstock weights mean? Paper weight doesn’t refer to the individual sheets of cut paper or even the package of paper. Paper weight is determined by how much a ream of uncut paper weighs. A ream is 500 sheets of paper, and it is weighed before being cut down to smaller sizes. A ream of 17” x 22” paper would usually be cut down to 8.5” x 11” sheets.
Higher weights are thicker sheets of paper or cardstock. I can put 65 lb and 80 lb cardstock through my inkjet printer, which is very handy. If you are looking for a good weight for mats for your cards, go with 60/65 lb. I like to use 80 lb for the perfect card base. It will easily handle glue and embellishments, plus your finished card will stand up for display. It’s also easy to score and fold 80 lb cardstock.
My absolute favourite cardstock is Neenah Classic Crest 80 lb Coverstock (Smooth Finish; Solar White). I started using it after a search for the perfect cardstock for colouring with my Copic markers. I soon discovered that it was also the perfect card base. It comes in 8.5” x 11” size. This easily cuts in half to make two 4.25” x 5.5” cards, which will fit into an A2 envelope. Neenah is definitely worth considering as you make your way through the world of paper weights.
•Paper Palooza is a series of posts for those who Rest•Relax•Restore by playing with paper. Whether you are into cardmaking, scrapbooking, origami or creating your own handmade journals, Paper Palooza is for you. It's the journey.
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