Design Blog

A few months ago I purchased a few small, round mirrors to use in future projects.  I thought I'd frame one of the mirrors with some thick twine and see where things led.  I hope you like the results.

An easy step to achieving more professional looking paperweight designs is to apply paint to the bottom surface of the glass that comes into contact with your paperweight kit's adhesive pad.  This will conceal the adhesive side of the pad that's often visible through the glass.  In its place you'll see a color or metallic.

If you're looking for a creative way to frame a photo within a paperweight, this design is a excellent starting point.  You can alter the materials and embellishments in so many different ways.  For instance, instead of scrapbook paper you can use fabric or a thin, wood veneer.  You can also frame the photo opening with shells, beads, dried flowers, and an array of different baubles.

If you have any broken pieces of costume jewelry laying around, this project is for you.  Even if you don't, it's easy to find beautiful, affordable pieces of jewelry on clearance at boutiques and department stores. Many craft stores also sell a large selection of jewelry that includes earrings, pins, and pendants.

The next time you find yourself in an antique shop, keep an eye out for these items.  They're usually very affordable.  For instance, the needle packs I used in this project were in a plastic bag of other sewing items I purchased for just $5.00.

When summer is just a memory, and the snow starts to fly, this sand dollar paperweight will add a touch of warmth to you desk.  This is such an easy design to create.  All you'll need is a sand dollar, a scrap of sandpaper, a glue gun, and a pair of scissors.  Everything else is included in the paperweight kit (mounting board and bottom pad).

I wanted to create another paperweight design that would allow someone to display a miniature message, similar to the one posted at Vintage Typewriter Paperweight with a Tiny, Typed Message. For this project I chose something we all remember from our school days, a sheet of ruled paper.  In miniature, it's rather adorable.  Don't you think?