The Address Box

As I was compiling the guest list for the wedding, I realized I needed an address book. I know, I could always store the addresses on my computer in Excel or Access. I actually have done that, and it is super helpful because I can keep track of who we've sent save-the-dates, invitations, and thank you notes, as well as whose response cards were returned with which menu option. However, I also wanted a paper copy, which should be obvious due to my predisposition towards old-fashioned pen and paper.

My wish-list for the address book made the search difficult. I wanted our purchase to be:
1. Cheap. Good things can be inexpensive too!
2. Fountain pen compatible.
3. Able to hold a lot of information in each entry.
4. Easily updated. Twenty somethings move around often.
5. Representative of both The Man and I. It couldn't be too girly. Pity.
6. Marginally attractive. Just because it can't be bedazzled or floral doesn't mean it is required to be ugly. It will be in our house after all!
7. Able to hold a lot of entries to fit our bazillion family members.

Long list of requirements, huh? Well, I couldn't find an address book that fit my laundry list, so I decided to make one. This was one of my weekend projects, and I just had to share.

Behold, our address box! I know this isn't an entirely new idea, but it was what worked the best for The Man and I.

We decided to go with a very cheap note card box, found on Amazon and chosen for simplicity and portability. You could get as crazy with the box as you want, such as using/making a card catalog out of wood or covering the box with floral contact paper. There are also smaller recipe boxes that would probably be a better option if you need less space. I didn't end up being thrilled with the quality of our box, but that's what you get when you ask for cheap, apparently. I will be updating the box whenever we have a more permanent residence.

Dividers. We debated about just buying cheap alphabetical note card dividers or making our own. We landed somewhere in between. I cut out scrap paper to 3x5 dimensions and added purchased tabs for convenience and durability. The tabs only came in packs of 25, so it was economical to be one short. I ended up lumping X, Y, and Z together in one lonely tab. Seriously, I need to find friends with X, Y, and Z last names, stat! The scrap book paper I already had, so that was helpful to our bottom line.

We bought a pack of 1000 3x5 note cards to use in our address box. Overkill? Yes. But, this will give us plenty of entries, as well as some back ups, and heck, we could probably use note cards as toilet paper now. These note cards support fountain pen ink and were the right price, so all in all, we were happy with the purchase. We use one card for each entry and replace it with a new one for each update. Less scratching out means less confusion (and it's prettier). We included: name, address, phone numbers, email, and household birthdays.

Here's how the price worked out: $4.77 for the note card box, $10.97 for 1000 note cards, and $2.72 for 25 tabs. That's a total of $18.46. We purchased them all on Amazon and had some other things we needed to get in the same trip, so we ended up getting free shipping. 

We think that this little project turned out great/better than we hoped. It's a convenient system for us now, and hopefully, for the years to come.

Also, I really need to learn how to take better pictures. And I need a good spot to take pictures. And I need Photoshop. So please ignore the horrible picture quality, I am a work in progress.

Please ignore my ugly counter tops. I'm renting! Otherwise, cute, right?

In other news, I found these little cuties when I was out shopping last weekend. I went in to Ross looking for cheap craft supplies and found them peaking out at me in the housewares section, begging me to take them home and display them proudly in my kitchen. Okay, so they were even named after The Man and I before I left the store. (And yes, I know that they are both roosters. Leave me my illusion! I think I am the light blue one.) Okay, so my fiance thinks I am crazy, but a fun crazy, right?

Wishful Thinking 10/25/13

I am officially obsessed with this set of Hogwarts Subject Notebooks. As a longtime HP fan, I've made many an item reflecting my love for the Potterverse (including an entire set of Gryffindor scarves). These are just amazing, and I wish I had come up with them. Better yet, I wish I could own them. I'd want the complete set of handmade journals, found on Etsy and made by TwoCritters for $99.99.

The Book Thief Review

As you may remember, the Book Thief was the first on my fall reading list. Well, I finished, and I decided to write up a quick review, in case you were on the fence like I was. No spoilers, I promise.

Let me preface this by saying that I didn't want to read this book. I don't normally read about depressing topics. For example, I wouldn't normally pick up a book on the Holocaust. I'm a book crier (and a movie crier, especially those of the Disney variety) and I really didn't want to pull down my good mood. This one was getting rave reviews, and I put aside my reservations this one time (that's how they get you).


After I finished the first chapter, I was ready to recommend it to others. This story really draws you in and keeps your interest. I was searching for moments in my day to pull out the book and keep reading, stealing my own words in my spare time. I get it now.

The plot is drenched in the death and devastation of World War II. The main character isn't Jewish, she is a German in a German town with blonde hair and a rough start. The story is told by the most unlikely of narrators. We never catch his name, but we learn a lot about him during our time together.

This book provides hope for the human race amidst destruction. It shows proof that you don't necessarily need to be good at something to love it. It also shows that no matter how small your story is in the vast scheme of heroics, someone may be touched by it. There are other messages from the book, but you will have to read it yourself.

And yes, I cried. The end left me in a complete bittersweet sadness that is expected of books about this particular era in humanity. I don't regret reading it; I feel better for it. I have read that they are turning this book into a movie. It always worries me when beloved stories are turned into movies, and this is no exception. This book was so excellent due to the narrative voice, and it may be hard to relay that to the big screen. Either way, I may not be able to watch the movie for a while. I still have to get over this book.

See? No spoilers. Read it-borrow or buy, I don't care. It was worth it.