What's In the Bag?

My niece is approaching a birthday, and the party will be puppy-themed. It's all very exciting, and I just mailed off the handmade portion of her present. It's wrapped in this drawstring bag. I had to line the bag in the end because the cupcake fabric is too light in color to fully conceal the contents, and my niece is too young not to peek (so are her siblings, and I don't want to be responsible for any scene like that). What's inside the bag? It's a puppy-themed, fabric-covered sketch book for musings, stickers and drawings. It closes with a multi-colored pencil. I hope she likes it.

Prototype Paper

At the moment, I have two fabric-covered notebooks in my farmers' market line-up. One is a covered composition notebook with a ribbon to mark your page and a pocket inside the front flap for storing notes and receipts. The other is a pocket-sized version of the same thing. But, I wonder if a small notebook would be more useful if it were spiral-bound so pages could be removed more neatly. I found online a tutorial for covering a steno pad. It features loops for a pen to hold the notebook closed. Resizing and re-orienting the pattern's principles, I covered small spiral notebooks with wires running down the side or across the top. I like the size of the smaller one, but the pen looks better tucked along the longer side of the side-bound notebook. If you see me in the next couple of days, I will be hauling out these prototypes for your feedback. Gather your thoughts.

The Internet Is Always Right

One of my good customers challenged me to make a fabric cover for a steno pad. My first impulse was to Google the task. Sure enough, a high-quality tutorial popped up. I used it nearly verbatim to make a fabric-covered steno pad with loops for a pen closure and interior pockets. I think it's super-cute, and plan to shrink the pattern down to cover mini spiral-bound notebooks. I like a notebook with pages attached by stitching or coils (rather than glue) and this idea is just the solution.

On The Move

My sister and her family are moving, and it's time to get serious about looking for a house. From a distance, the process sounds fun. A new house means fresh picking-and-choosing of so many things. Let's paint! Let's plant! Let's recombine favored possessions in a new nest! The reality of moving is more drudgery and paperwork, so I'm sending off a new fabric portfolio for the task. This fabric folder features a large center compartment for file folders of real estate listings and a notebook of questions to ask the realtor. On the front is another zippered pocket for the city map, an open pocket for smaller notes or a calculator and a small zippered pocket for business cards. On the back of the portfolio another open pocket can hold house flyers and floor plans. The fabric is brand-new, and possibly more my style than my sister's. I don't get to pick out a new house, but fresh fabric sure is fun.

Stampin' Up! Fabric

My friend Nancy of http://nancysniftynotes.com and http://www.etsy.com/shop/NancysNiftyNotes makes cards. She primarily uses the Stampin' Up! card making line of stamps, inks and papers. It turns out, the company also has a line of fabric. In preparation for a Stampin' Up! convention, Nancy asked me to make a purse and pouches using some of their prints. I was free to mix and match, piece and cut, as long as the Stampin' Up! fabric remained the star and I used as much of the fabric as possible. The result is a pile of items, both large and small. I'm pleased with the coordinated result, and now Nancy has enough of this and that to store her everyday items with gifts for her card class participants, besides.

You Can't Make Me Learn to Thumb Type

I learned to touch-type in middle school. A strict, no-nonsense typing teacher perched on a tall stool and verbally commanded the sequence of home row keys we were to type. The bells of a room full of manual typewriters rang together to signal the end of each line, and we all returned our carriages with firm swipes of the right hand. At the end of class, the teacher praised polite young men who carried their typewriters back to the storage area and then returned to transport the machines of the young ladies. My friends and I thought this was very funny because we all knew we could certainly hoist our own machines. Looking back, the typing class stands out for its usefulness. I type all the time. But, I just can't get the hang of thumb typing. Entering a note or calendar item on my phone using the minuscule pop-up keyboard and my thumbs is beyond laborious. I really would rather write it down with pencil and paper. I've covered small notebooks with fabric before and sold them as stocking stuffers. Now I'm trying larger notebooks. These composition books have the potential to show off larger or pieced prints. Inside I included an open pocket for receipts or random scraps of information. My mother suggested a ribbon in the top seam for a bookmark.

Pot Basket

I have taken the first fabric pot baskets down to the Shared Space Coop on Main Street in Urbana. In one of the upstairs galleries, I have several shelves of pouches and purses for sale. It's very motivating to have a place to stash projects as I finish them year-round, and not only sew to prepare for the fair-weather farmers' market. I am experimenting with more explicit labeling on my items. So, these baskets have tags detailing not only the price, but also thumbnail photos of potential uses for a basket with a pot inside it.

Make a Note of It

I have a new cell phone; it's a so-called smart phone. Now I can take pictures and keep a calendar and scan bar codes with my phone. I've been trying to make the most of the thing by switching over from paper to electronic versions of lists, notes and schedules. But, I miss paper. Sometimes what you need is a little notebook in your purse for jotting down gift idea or things to do the next time the kids have a day off from school. So, if I'm going to revert to "the old way" of doing things, I can at least cover it in fabric.

$5.71

I recently visited the IDEA store just off of Springfield in Champaign. It is an indoor garage sale for crafters and people who like stuff and stuff. Since I fit into both categories, I had a wonderful time browsing. I rumaged; I gasped; I didn't resist. I came home with under six dollars worth of things and things: bias tape still in the packaging, interesting buttons, embroidery hoops I can use to frame fabric for the wall, vintage bingo cards for the covers of notebooks. Check out http://the-idea-store.org/ and then go visit.

Make a Note of It

I'm a list-maker and a note-taker. I have yet to advance to any electronic organizer. For me, post-it notes and the backs of empty envelopes do the job most of the time.
Recently, K and I sat down to make something out of the growing pile of used gift cards and hotel room swipe keys I originally collected to be used as pretend credit cards for kids playing house. We made tiny notebooks...a whole bunch of them. Let me know if you need one.

Recycled Favors

R just turned 10, and the theme of his party was Lego. Proving that I really do need that drawer (maybe there are 2) dedicated to interesting cardboard boxes I plan to make into something someday, I recycled various Lego boxes into notebook covers for party favors. The pages inside are the blank backs of flyers sent home from school. Boys, now you have a place to write your secret Lego messages!

Postcards

I find that the creative side of me if fueled by collections. Maybe the mental exercise of noting what is alike and what is unique about each object in a collection is the focus I need to choose a direction in a new project. I'm equally motivated to make something if the new item will add to the wealth of items I already have.
When first exploring Ebay, I began a collection of Christmas postcards. They're inexpensive; they mail and store easily; they're very graphic. Now, what can I make that owes its spark to these little lovelies?

Holiday Cards

Holiday cards are arriving in the mail. It seems to me the style of the card sent is related to the attitude of the card sender. Some folks are stream-lined. Others are almost frilly. Many are literal; these last people you can spot because they base their Christmas greeting on a holiday photo of themselves. Most of the time I like to make my Christmas card. I throw in a photo of the kids, too. Though I will admit I bought my cards this year, I still share samples of my greetings from other years.

Recycled Reward

I've been teaching a Junior Great Books reading group once a week at R's school. Because it's an extra group, and I don't have the homework authority of a teacher, I bring a small bribe each week for the kids who are prepared and participate. One week it's a pencil; another week it's a fun eraser or a bookmark. Yesterday's meeting was the last of the year, so the prize is a notebook meant for summer lists and doodling. I rooted through my recycling to find a dozen kid-friendly boxes to make into notebooks. As I'm sure I've noted elsewhere on my blog, who doesn't enjoy a Jello notebook?
In case you are wondering just how much Jello is served in my house, most of the boxes used in the making of these notebooks are left from a science project--also for R's class. It turns out layers of different-colored Jello make a fine (and tasty) model of sedimentary rock.

What Would You Pay?

R and N's school is holding a fund-raiser during the spring carnival. Each class is tasked with creating a raffle basket organized around a theme. My contribution is an "arts and crafts" basket comprised of a wooden drawer unit filled with the glue, glitter, paint and pipe cleaners any crafty elementary student could be busy with. Note the bonus bin of clay, markers, paper and more. I hope someone bids for the ensemble.

New Digs

In an effort to clear out a bedroom for R to have his own room, I have added scrapbooking to my sewing space. The new high table and tall chair are meant to say to short passers-by, "Keep moving! This, too, is Mom's space." I have yet to scrapbook in this new zone, but I have discovered that the table is delightful for beading.

Who Doesn't Want One?

I was thrilled to receive for Christmas a Zutter personal binding machine. Now I can punch holes and attach a metal ring binding to anything I want. I am stock-piling interesting cardboard boxes to make into great covers of handy notebooks. This little gem has a front and back cover made from old hotel room keys from M's trips back to Seattle. So cute! Want one?