Netherlands First Impression - Almere

So we moved the the Netherlands for Graham's work. There's definitely a mixture of feelings regarding this change in our lives. There was a lot of stress leading up to the move because we were pretty rushed into this, but we got there at the end.

I got a new camera for this journey. It's a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ110. The other contender was the LX-100, which has a better lens but much heavier, therefore, less travel friendly. I thought the x10 optical zoom would come in handy, and I was correct.

Our Mascot, Captain Squeaky, approves of the not-so-blinding flash

The cats came with, of course. They had a much tougher journey than we did, since they had to be fasting for the entire trip. I can assure you that they have definitely forgotten about this ordeal and are back to being lovingly needy as usual.

Anyway, we are currently staying in this cute little village called Muziekwijk in Almere, approx. 40 km northeast of Amsterdam. People refer to this place as the Milton Keynes of Netherlands, and I can see why but don't think it's that bad.

I find it quite similar to the outskirts of Sydney really; quiet and nothing happens around here. At least the local shops are less than 10 min walk away, which is better than most Sydney suburbs. The buses are frequent and they take you to the town centre in about 10 min as well. Almere Centrum has a town market and lots of retail stores and eateries, so again, much better than most Sydney suburbs. I so guess you can say that I like the place? Lol.

It's unusually sunny for a Dutch autumn, and we are out to explore the neighbourhood.

A nicer shot of the street, it's so European!

The local canal is like 2 blocks away, so 2 min? I mean, I have to post canal photos!

Spot the little blue boat down the river in the photo to the right. No filters or digital editing, the new camera is doing well pretty I think. :)

Testing out the macro function on this little guy in the local pet shop! It kept focusing on the bars rather than the hamster though. :( I'll need to figure out how to fix that.

Didn't get to take many photos of the town centre and the market, this swan in the lake should make up for everything though? (with slight contrast and colour level editing)

The sun is in the wrong spot for taking photos of anything! The water looks good though. As you can see, the Eurasian Coots have nested on this ledge/wave break in the artificial lake.

Hope you enjoy the photos. I'll have a comparison to Amsterdam in the next post. I took a lot more photos so have to cull it down a bit.

There are a few things that aren't great, which I can tolerate, but one thing I really can't stand is the smoking. People smoke everywhere and they just throw the cigarette butts EVERYWHERE! Definitely not great for an asthmatic... :(

Moissanite vs. Diamond vs. Amora Gem (Vomit Marketing Campaign!)

While most of the time I felt like I wanted to post something, I ended losing interest or just forgetting about the topic entirely. However, on this particular topic, my mega chemistry nerd self would not let me go to sleep tonight if I did not express my thoughts on this RIGHT NOW!

This came about when I was browsing forums on people's opinions of Moissanite, since I have recently upgrade my Forever Classic stones on engagement ring to the new Forever One stones. Also, I'm going to assume that if you're reading this post, you have some knowledge of what moissanite is and I do not have to explain it.

Disclaimer: I'm a Moissanite or Diamond Alternative advocate, everything I write here is of my own honest opinion and not sponsored by any companies. Yes, my stones are from Charles and Colvard (C&C), but that's only because the only jeweller that sells moissanite in Sydney/Australia stocks only their stones. All quotes in italics are taken from http://www.amora-gems.com/.

Part I: WARNING, this is only the beginning of me ranting, there might be some information that may help though. Anyway, so there are some pretty interesting comments out there that made me more eager to write this post. If you're not interested in listening to scientific rationalisation and being educated in the light of science and knowledge, please stop reading here, it is not worth your time and there are clearly no room for arguments here.

The most common 'cons' people have with moissanite are; 1) people mistake it for a diamond, 2) some stones have a greenish tinge or streaks, and 3) they're a new stone and therefore, has not withstood the test of time.

Let me address these points for you:
1) Not sure how this is a con... If people try to pass it for a diamond, it is not the problem of the stone. Moissanite have similar visual properties to diamonds, so it is not surprising that it happens. Some people will call it a fake diamond, but you can choose to educate them or let them remain ignorant. Their opinion may or may not change, but now you've spread the word about moissanite.

2) If your stone is green, then you most probably just have a bad quality stone. It is common for moissanites to have green or yellow colours, but there are also plenty of good quality colourless stones around. Yes, they are synthetic, i.e. grown in the laboratory under simulated conditions. It does not mean they're somehow made in a mould to be exactly the same as each other. So if you're interested in buying one, I highly suggest going into a store and have a look at them in person. They do come in the D-F colourless range now, and they have actual green coloured stones, but I don't particularly like that green colour.

3) Test of time is perhaps the most unfounded opinion! The laboratory synthetic technology has only been developed for ~20 years, it doesn't mean the stone has only been around for that long. The first moissanite was discovered in 1893 by the crazy arse-kicking Nobel laureate Henri Moissan, and has later been found in some meteorites. Diamond withstands the test of time under inert and non-extreme conditions due to its structure and properties. Time itself has NOTHING to do with it. To ask if a moissanite will still look the same after 100 years is a clear indication that the person does not understand the science behind materials. If you don't understand, that is ok, just don't make unfounded judgements. Anyway, moissanite has very comparable physical properties to diamonds, such as durability and hardness, so it will withstand the test of time (assuming you don't try to wear it like some cheap $2 junk you bought in the Reject Shop).

If you still have any questions to elaborate on why and how things work, please leave a comment or message me. I would love to explain things in more detail.

Moving onto Part II: 
I have to admit, I have never looked closely into Amora Gems by Better Than Diamonds (BTD) until browsing through some forums. I never thought about purchasing them because they're not available in Australia anyway. After reading some buyers' positive reviews, I decided to have a closer look at how they claim to be better than C&C's moissanites.

Amora Gem claims to be different to Moissanite due to its structural difference and better physical properties. Their words: 'No. The crystal structure of the Amora Gem is distinct, and optically superior, to the crystal structure of Moissanite by Charles and Colvard. The Amora Gem has more brilliance (higher refractive index), and better color (wider optical band gap) than Moissanite. Both Amora Gem and Moissanite by Charles and Colvard are members of the ‘Silicon Carbide’ family of crystals – there are over 200+ members of this family.'

Let me tell you straight up, it sounds like a load of bull crap, and let me explain that more critically as follows. I actually left the most important factor to the end, so skip through to see if you agree before reading the rest.

1 - Structural difference:
Moissanite is the name of the class of crystalline silicon carbide, including its many polytypes. Yes, structures within this family may vary dramatically (as stated by BTD), the company does not state which polytype it is for those who are interested to find out HOW exactly it is better than the common 6H polytype moissanite created by C&C. You can look up the structure and properties of SiC on scientific journals (require subscription but free for uni students/researchers). I found this nice but old information website for the polytypes. From the references, it looks like the 2H and the 4H polytypes are slightly superior in RI and colour, but not hardness. The 3C polytype is intrinsically yellow, so it can't be that. It'll be interesting to find out what Amora Gem actually is!

Polytypes are related by slight structural differences, and you can make some really different polytypes. However, most of the 200 moissanite polytypes are likely unsuitable for making gemstones. They used diamond and graphite as examples or structural difference, but they are Allotropes, which have a very different definition of classification!

2 -Patent:
I have no law background so I'm not going too much into this. Here's the C&C patent and Amora's Sales Restriction.

In short, the C&C's patent covers many SiC polytypes (in particular the  common 6H and 4H) and doped-SiC, but most douche-baggery of all - "Rough SiC gemstones are cut from large single crystals and then fashioned into finished gemstones by a combination of techniques currently employed in connection with conventional colored gemstones and diamonds."

Therefore, if BTD could not come up with another way of cutting SiC crystals into gemstones, they cannot sell SiC gemstones. It is a very broad patent, non-innovative, and has been invalidated in Korea. The patent has expired and is expiring in many countries, and BTD is desperately trying to set itself apart from C&C in order to get into the market. There's nothing wrong with that, but what they make is still Moissanite, unless they have developed other SiC structures that are not part of the polytype family!

And how does BTD set itself apart from the more established and reputable C&C? 

3 - Marketing: F***! This is dodgy as hell and false advertising at its best!

Let's give some examples of what they write on their website! By the way, maybe you would like to start a drinking game for every time I say 'F***' or abbreviate phrases that contain it, cos I'm pulling their shit apart! The C&C's website maybe not have references for their data (they have a patent though), but it does not include false information or blatant lies.

'Amora Gem Crystal is older than planet Earth, but was never available on Earth..until now!' 

I mean, how the hell did geologist find it in the first place over 120 years ago?

'Due to incredibly high temperatures it requires for growth, it is only present on Earth in rare quantities near the Earth´s heated core, and it is lack of availability is perhaps one reason that diamond became the most prized gem on Earth.' 

Contradicting statements, and NO, they do not form in the earth's core FFS! The upper mantle (7 to 35 km downward to 410 km below the crust) is far far away from the core! Diamonds are not the most prized due to its rarity but to the most successful marketing campaign in history!

'Now that Amora is grown in a lab by creating star-like conditions, the total production is a small fraction of the annual mining output of natural diamonds.' 

So they've solved the fusion process?! Fusion occurs in stars at temperatures over 100 million degrees! Just stop your bullshit already! Every single sentence in the paragraphs 'About Amora' section is not just a little, but completely incorrect! How can they get it this wrong?

'Moissanite is not a diamond alternative.'

Then WTF is it then?! Your bullshit 'New category into the luxury gems family'?! 

Now their comparison to moissanite - The SAME F**king thing!

Refractive index: AG 2.66-2.71 vs. Moissanite 2.65-2.69, a whooping difference of 0.01-0.02, or <1% difference. How the f*** can you claim that to be MORE brilliant? If you've done science even in high school, you'll know that these values are probably within error margins of the measurements. 

This is when they try to be scientific but still gets it wrong: 'Note that when a value is listed as with two values with a hyphen, it means the material is doubly refractive. In other words, the value from light entering the side is different than light entering the top.'

FFS! That's not the meaning of birefringence and definitely an aweful explanation! Just use a textbook or Wiki already! In short, one beam of incident light splits into two differently polarised beams of light as it goes through a medium. I am so angry right now and you can probably already tell by the excessive swearing...

Colour: AG - D-F vs. Moissanite - Green Tint. C&C moissanites now also come in D-F colourless range, which I suspect is the same as the AG, as it is more difficult to grow to a larger size and takes longer. Even C&C's Forever Classic moissanites never tinted green, it was definitely on the warmer faint coloured J-K range. BTD is comparing the most outdated technology and products from C&C, which is just not fair! You can also treat gemstones to get a better colour, but subjecting them to harsh chemical or physical conditions may affect the structural integrity of the stones and make them less durable. I don't know how BTD achieves a whiter colour, they do not specify that at all.

Cut: Not a gemologist but learning to become one. Since C&C also has the patent on the cut of their moissanites, the AG is of a Hearts & Arrow style (Tiger) cut. Due to the different refractive index to diamond and birefringence, C&C developed and PATENTED the best way to bring out the brilliance in moissanites, while H&A cuts are best for diamonds. So some of the negative buyer reviews usually revolve around how the AG looks flat in low light, glassy, or has weird reflected rainbows. The main reason for that would be a bad cut of the stone. This never happened with my C&C moissanites, they still shine through even in dim lighting. I have to leave that to someone who has seen both stones side by side to leave further comments.

4 - FINAL but Most Important - WARRANTY! 
NO F***ING WARRANTY! Their excuse: 'Amora gems with 9.5 hardness do not need a warranty (similarly like diamonds).'

Tiffany and most reputable diamond sellers offer life-time manufacturer warranties, so does C&C on their moissanites! If you still want to buy a AG after reading this post, it's up to you. Their prices are not even cheaper than the C&C's Forever One Moissanites!
I think I've said more than enough about how dodgy this company portrays their Amora Gem. I will support a competitor who provides a quality and reasonably priced moissanite source, but this company is just FULL OF SHIT! I can imagine how hard it is to compete under a patent law, but it doesn't mean you have to lie about EVERYTHING! This website has perhaps the most infuriatingly inaccurate and outrages marketing claims I've ever came across! Not exaggerating!

I'll upload some photos of my moissanites another time.

Battle of the Matte Lipsticks: Nars vs. Inglot

So you remember that lipstick I bought while my husband went on a rampage in a toy store? I'm going to do a pretty comprehensive review and  comparison of that and another one in this post.

First, let me present the contestants and the Judge of this battle!

Inglot AMC Lip Pencil vs. Nars Pure Matte Lipstick with Judge Sirotan Pirate Henchman. (and my amazing skill at standing him up on his tail for this photo!)

Since I can't somehow insert a table to compare them side by side, we will just start with the short one. Some info about my lips: they are very dry and I bite and lick them a lot. I'm lazy so I don't re-apply much. This makes me a very harsh lipstick critic! ;)

Nars Pure Matte Lipstick

Colour: Bangkok (soft rose)
Thoughts: It is a muted nude pink with gold shimmer, so I don't know how it's classified as matte when the finish has a soft sheen to it?! It is not that pigmented actually, a little on the sheer side for a matte lipstick, so it needs a few swipes for full coverage. I just really like this colour, that's all.

Formula (from their website) : Contains wild mango butter for moisturising properties, long-wear applications, vitamin E and acai oil for antioxidant benefits.
Thoughts: There is no such thing as long-lasting moisturising lipstick, just does not happen with chemistry or physics! It is moisturising, it looks even when applied but actually feels a little gritty for my lips. It doesn't dry my lips out any more than they dry themselves out, lol. It's nowhere close to as long-lasting as the Maybelline one I reviewed last time, there will be no trace of it after lunch and coffee...

Price: $35 for 2 g from Mecca, so on the more expensive end for those with a budget.

Inglot AMC Lip Pencil 

Colour: No. 24
Thoughts: It is a dusty rose pink, and definitely a matte finish. It looks warmer with an orange undertone on the back of the hand and in the tube, but appears to have a neutral-cool tone when applied. It is quite pigmented and looks pretty pink on my lips.

Formula: Not much info on their website, except for avocado oil for a moisturising, long-lasting effect.
Thoughts: Compared to the Nars lipstick, this one is not very moisturising. It is essentially a fat lip pencil, it still sits in the lines of the lips a bit but the application is much smoother. Again, nothing is as long-lasting as my Maybelline one, but this one is pretty good. It fades pretty evenly after lunch and dinner, and the lips look a little stained. The only downside is dryness I guess...

Price: $23 for 1.8 g from Inglot stall, not bad if you don't sharpen and waste it too much. Yes, it comes with a convenient sharpener on the end of the tube.

Pictures time!

Lippies out of the tubes, and Sirotan needed a rest from his previous magical acrobatic stunt!

Swatched on the underside of my forearm, Nars on top and Inglot on the bottom.

Top: Indoor fluorescent light (everything looks yellow! >.<) 

Bottom: left - natural outdoor light (cloudy), right - stain after rubbing off with tissue.

On the lips, Nars on the left and Inglot on the right. The lighting is slightly different but both under natural indoor light.

Inglot still had plenty left after food, but the dryness?! You ask where's Nars? All in my stomach with the food and drinks!

The left-over Inglot lips looked fine from far away, and I really hate the yellow undertone from the fluorescent light! Sirotan and I think Inglot is the winner of this battle, since dryness can be solved by some lip balm, but the lack of lipstick is the end! :p

Procrastination Update: All the cute things!

This post is to make up for the previously failed "Lipstick Week" post, I only lasted 4 days of lipstick in that week...

I'll start my redemption by posting the Scottish cousin of Boris the Wolf; say hello to Hadrig the Fox!

He is based on the same crochet pattern as Boris, with larger ears and additional whiskers, and of course, orange in colour.

 Hanging (like my pun?) with Kurosuke (Studio Ghibli Sootball) as the guardians of the TV. 

Hope you're ready for more "Awwwwwww"s! This is what happens when you led your husband off the leash while you're trying to buy a lipstick... The review of this amazing lipstick can be found here.

Deadpool and Groot Bobble Heads <3

Being a die-hard Deadpool fan, hubby just had to buy him to go with our Deadpool Smorking Labbit (yes, that is the correct spelling of this brand of toys). At least the colours of these two match, they both have red and black...

Anyway, these should be enough for your daily "Awwww" dosage, if not, here's a link to more on Reddit. :p

Finally, a celebratory photo of my Ph.D graduation! ^^ Think it still counts as an "Awwww"moment.

Just some extra information that no one else cares about; The University of Sydney DOES NOT have a floppy Ph.D hat! So the only way to tell you apart from dodgy undergrads is the colour of the red hood, I got totally shafted! :( Can you see how the colour scheme of this post has translated throughout? The colour of foxes is called red, even though it is clearly not red, and Kurosuke is black, duh!

Lipstick Week: Swatch and Review (Monday)

I am determined to wear a different coloured lipstick for each day of this week, just to annoy my husband because I can.

Apparently a lot of guys don't like kissing girls with lipstick on, I can imagine the reasons but I don't think it's enough to deter girls from wearing them. So suck it up, boys!

For each of the lipstick, I'll do a short review and some of my signature blah blah blahs. Lipstick is one of those really annoying make up items that differs heavily on personal basis, more so than other make up. I have put in a close up of my bare lips and a full mug shot (no make up other than lipstick) for skin tone reference. I try to take photos under the same lighting (bathroom selfie time, lol), so direct comparison can be drawn between the swatches. 

Monday

Maybelline - Super Stay 14Hr Lipstick in Enduring Ruby (#070)

Left: bare lips, Right: Two swipes and lined 

Indoor natural lighting without flash on a relatively sunny day.

• Shade: A cool toned, bright, berry red (colour does not deviate on lips), Satin finish. 
• Formula: Smooth application (glides on easily), moisturising, does not accentuate dryness (not settle in lines), highly pigmented, not sticky, minimal feathering, can easily re-apply, nice berry smell.
• Staying power: slight initial transfer, long lasting (probably can last up to 14 hours), fades evenly, stains lips. 
• Price: Cheap enough = plain packaging, decent quantity (3.3 g)

Left: blotted on tissue for a more matte finish, Right: After drinks, snacks, dinner (Garlic prawns & gnocchi in Arrabiata sauce), fruits, and some gentle smooching with the hubby. ;)

Final verdict: Probably the best drug store lipstick that actually does what is advertised. I know that dark colours will always have better staying power than light/nude colours. That aside, the lack of transfer makes it better than some high-end designer lipsticks, that's a big deciding factor for me. I have tried Giogio Armani Lip Maestro in 400, the amount of lipstick that I vigorously wiped off without affecting the colour on the lips both amazes and scares me... Anyway, can't think of any more to write and being kicked off the computer, Ciao! xo

Crochet Project: Boris The Wolf

This month's obligatory post is another craft related entry, but the end result this time is much Cuter! This little cutie was requested by a friend for her work related agenda, and she purchased the pattern on Etsy from this extremely creative seller. I'm very please to let you know that this post is going to be short and sweet, unlike the previous wishy washy essay-like posts. =P

I have made some variations to the final product, but the crochet pattern remained the same.

Sitting on the scratching post, invading the cat's territory!

The most obvious difference is the colour scheme; I used white, light grey and black for a less intimidating appearance (imo anyway) instead of the original colour choices.

Awwwwww!! Too cute not to be squished!

Oh the googly eyes! Bigger eyes always make things look cuter, or alien-like if they get tooooo big. This is natural selection at its best! #notbabycrazy

Auditioning for Saturday Night Fever with just the right amount of Boogie!

You think the ears look too small? Wolves actually don't have huge, stand up ears like German shepherds! Maybe the big, bad wolf in the Little Red Riding Hood, but this baby definitely doesn't need them!

Oh yeah, his head is also slightly crooked... Well adds to the derpiness, I guess?

Just to babble on like I always do, I absolutely adore wolves! They are my favourite animal and majestic as fuck! I would even move to Alaska or Canada just to be near them. Of course, they are no pets and wild at heart, but it'd be nice to have a wolf-dog hybrid as a pet. There aren't many documentaries or books on the interactions between human and wolves, but the ones out there are definitely heart-warming and soul touching. Here's a National Geographic article on A Wolf Named Romeo for a different view on this beautiful animal.

Obligatory cat photos nevertheless, don't think the cats liked their limelight taken away from them!

Ossi's "Don't Give A Fuck!" face and trying to push Boris off his pedestal.

Here's a wolf on a cat on a computer chair! Where am I suppose to sit?

DIY Project: Making a Solander Box

Apparently, if you keep doing something at least 5 times it becomes a habit (one of those lame madeup philosophies by my husband). This means, after I've published this post I'm done for the rest of the year as a blogger, right?! :P Just kidding, I actually enjoy posting, I just tend to procrastinate more.

This project was on my mind since late last year as I wanted to buy a nice presentation box for our wedding album, which had been sitting in a plastic bag vertically since we got it. Naturally, the cover became slightly bent... so I decided to get a box for it. Due to my anal retentiveness, it was just impossible to buy the perfect box without spending a lot of money for a custom made one. A lot of places I found only do wholesale, while this Etsy store provides bespoke and personalised boxes, the choices are very limited.

Since I'm pretty good with making things, (lol no shame!), I decided to do it myself and make exactly what I want in the box. With the help of youtube and some particularly helpful videos but this professional bookbinder, I embarked upon the journey of box making... 

First of all, I'd like to make my own differentiation between the Solander and the Clamshell boxes. According to wiki, the only difference is in the language used, i.e. British vs American. Apologies but I HAVE to sidetrack for one thing here, because the reference for that wiki page was taken from my friend's father, Australian historian Edward Duyker. Graham and I are still amazed by his personal library, and his collection of historical artefacts and geological samples!

Back to boxes, from what I've seen across the internet, most (with some exceptions of course) of the Solander boxes have three fixed side sections on both the top and bottom trays. While most of the Clamshell boxes on the market have only fixed sides on the bottom tray and a flexible lip for closure. Since the Society of American Archivist glossary has defined both boxes with three fixed sides on both base and lid, I truly don't understand when, where and how this "sideless-lid box" came about. I imagine the box without fixed sides on box trays is probably less sturdy and light-fast for archival purposes. I also realised that I put too much information regarding my post subjects, but I hope this can help you make some educated decisions if you ever want to buy or make a box yourself. Anyway, I'm calling it a Solander box to honour the person who invented it!

FINALLY, a photo-guided tour of this box-making process. If you've watched all six of Sage's videos and followed his instructions, without coming up with some smart-arsed alternatives like I did, then you'll probably be fine. Since I hadn't completely thought through my ideas, what you'll read about instead is a bunch of stuff ups I made and I how fixed them. :P

*In reality, I write all this crap and then upload the photos and add some final touch ups. The photo processing part is extremely brain numbing, so I had some Carpenters playing in the background to help the mood a little. You know, imagining little birds singing in the garden outside the kitchen window, but they're really taunting the cats that are stalking their every move on the inside. So close, yet so far, damn you birds!!

Part 1: Making of the Bottom and Top three sided Trays. 

This was where all things went wrong because of my little self-justified idea (backed up by husband) to replace the starting material with MDF Wood (3 mm thickness). So here is a list of advices for How Not To Fuck Up!

No.1: DO NOT USE WOOD!!! Unless you have power tools.

Just stick with cardboard, bookbinding board to be precise. Other than being more sturdy and durable, it's really not workable unless you have power tools! I was able to get help from some generous friends who pretty much did most of the cutting and sanding for me, otherwise I would've given up a while ago.

This is what happens when you don't have power tools:

Despite your effort of making precise drawings for cutting, that hand saw you bought just for this purpose will just lay all that effort to waste in the form of the teeth marks of a wild rabid dog! You then have to mask that inexperience of using a hand tool with copious sanding and some sort of terminal lung disease from inhaling all the saw dust that the wind just blew into your face! All this can be solved in less than a minute on a fucking table saw! Hell Yes to power tools! I was raging so hard during this part of the process, and promised myself I'll never work with wood again, unless I get my own power tools one day... 

Not all tools are present here, if you haven't chosen to use wood then you wouldn't need a saw!!

No. 2: DO NOT USE WOOD GLUE! If you have ignored my first warning...

Wood glue is just your regular PVA craft glue but higher quality, which is still completely useless if you're trying to stick three long and thin pieces of wood together while trying to retain structural rigidity! Fuck that and go straight to the hardcore 2 part epoxy that sets in 5 minutes! It creates strong permanent bonds in no time and requires minimal clamping. Don't get the 90 second ones as it'll just solidify as you apply it onto the wood, while the 2 hr ones are no different to the wood glue. I'd rather go for the over kill than waiting around hoping the wood glue has dried over 24 hours and find out that it breaks as soon as your cats inevitably sit in the cat trap you've painstaking crafted.

No. 3: LEAVE ROOM FOR MISTAKES!

Most of this really came from working with wood and the bad cutting job from the hand saw. The bottom tray was cut by hand and the top by the table saw, but the fit was just too tight for the covering fabric I bought. Lucky I made everything a little bigger so that I could sand the crap out of the bottom (inner) tray to give it more room for the fabric. This was also done with the help of my friend's table mounted belt sander! It also fixes the remnant glue marks and that imperfect gluing job you did. Mistakes are okay, if you can fix them. If you can't, then you're just fucked and should start from scratch and try not repeat them again! Of course, there is no room for fuck ups when it comes to important things, I certainly hope that making a box is not THAT important to you...

The top tray is supposed to be 5 mm lager than the bottom tray on all 3 sides. Think it looks ok? Think again!

When you fit them together, BAMMM! You've screwed up somewhere, somehow...

Okay, no more swearing from here on! Angry kitty is gone, happy kitty is back! =^_^=

Part 2: Covering the Trays and the Cover with Fabric.

The cover is made from three separated pieces of card board (slightly larger than the trays after they've been covered) held together with the fabric, so that when glued onto the trays it creates a flexible drop-down spine. My local Eckersley's store didn't have the bookbinding board in stock, so I bought the core boxboard instead. Since I'm sticking it onto wood, rigidity is not an issue here. If you're using it for making the trays, please don't use boxboard as it will bend when you apply glue onto it. Anyway, just make sure you leave enough room between the pieces or it won't fold over properly. Yes, this is another one of my minor boo-boos, but it was easily fixed by cutting a little off the edges of each piece of board.

Here's another little trick I came up with for this project and future fabric-covering related projects. The most common fabric of choice for bookbinders and box makers is Buckram. I personally find this extremely boring and hard to find in our crappy local fabric stores (namely Lincraft). Another alternative to this to find some nice fabric and iron on some adhesive backing to make any fabric suitable for gluing. OR, you can just buy some nice curtain material and your work is done. This is probably the only thing I did right for this project! 

The bottom tray was left unlined, since I was going to add a padded layer to it anyway. And again, leave some bloody room for mistakes! Can you also see the gentle curvature of the bent boxboard?

And some illustrated guide for covering and wrapping around the corners of thick pieces of boards. Or you can just watch the youtube videos...

The fabric I bought for the cover was quite thick and stiff and nicely textured, it is off-white with a soft satin sheen, which is perfect for a wedding album box. I used a thinner plain fabric for lining the inside. The great thing with curtain fabric is that they don't shrink when you apply the glue, or need to be pre-washed for the iron-on backing. However, you'll need to press the thicker fabric to the wood for at least 30 minutes with some weights to ensure proper bonding. Yes, you can use wood glue for everything here, no need for fabric glue, which is for gluing two porous surfaces together.

There's a trick to wrapping around corners and that, but due to my inexperience, my corners turned out to be a little bit ugly. Other than that and the whole process being time consuming (mostly waiting for things to dry), it went pretty smoothly. 

Part 3: Assembly & Final Product.

The most important thing is to have some even heavy weights for pressing. Due to the size of my box (11" x 14"), it was really hard to even find books that will fit into the box properly. Since the boards were slightly bent from the wet glue, you really have to press hard around the edges and apply extra glue in the gaps. We managed to finally glue everything together with the help of my husband's collections of somewhat useless nerdy things (mostly MTG cards).

Magic cards are actually the major contributor to the overall weight, and Lego by volume. At least I know that my box can withstand some heavy squashing!

The final touches are the extra spine board that fits within the gap of the two trays for extra light-fastness, and the padded minky fleece lining for the bottom tray. Most commercial boxes don't have either or both of these extras, hence justifying the DIY business. The lining is the only part where you'll need fabric glue and some double-sided tape, at least no excessive pressing is needed! :)

Soft and fluffy just like my cats! <3 

Dun dun dun "drum roll", here are some obligatory photos of the finished product. I'm pretty satisfied with the final product, regardless of the tedious making process and some minor imperfections, and that the texture of the cover makes it hard to open and close the box. I means seriously, when is friction ever a good thing?! Also it's for storage, so unless some troll friends of ours request to look at our wedding album every time they come over, it's not really a problem. :P

Hope you had more fun reading about the mishaps of my box making adventure than I did making this pretty and useful piece of crap! I'm proud of it, but it was really a pain in the arse, and it was ALL MY FAULT! Sigh...~_~"