Flower garden with kitty

A mini notebook with embroidery flowers and a felt cat. Inside end pages are a cotton swirly circles patterned fabric. Paper size is 3x5 cards cut in half. Cute!

Undersea garden journal

Aquatic gardens in beautiful blues. Another journal for the Etsy shop. I used blue eyelets and black waxed thread. Dark blue card stock is the first page of all six signatures of paper. Really fun to look at and touch. I saw the movie Ponyo recently and really loved the undersea animation, I wish I could draw like they can! And I wish I lived closer to the ocean in general. I love the idea that this fabric is patterned after an undersea garden...so pretty!!

Gettin' buggy

The girls and I made some crazy bugs from a kit. It was a lot of fun and took up some time on a lazy Saturday while Jeremy had to work. The weather is still too cold for the park and it's May as of today!! Can't wait to do some yard work and leave the house without my winter coat. It's a stay in and bake some muffins kinda day. :)

Dandelion mini notebook

I used free hand embroidery to "draw" some spring dandelions in the sun. Made with a felt background and attached to a stiffened felt cover. For end pages I used this blue polka dot cotton fabric. Paper is refillable, 3x5 cards cut in half. Lots of fun to make...tons of french knots!!

Polar Bear Journal

I got this beautiful fabric on a trip to Hailey, Idaho a few weeks ago. Jeremy and I left the kids with his sister and took off for an overnighter. His band played a show at the Sun Valley Brewery while we were there, too. So this journal really reminds me of the deep woods and the beauty of the mountains. I added a hand sewn felt patch to the front. The book is also carefully hand sewn with linen waxed thread. Each of the six signatures has a beige piece of card stock as the first page. Sewing the book is my favorite part...this time was especially fun, I don't know why. :D

Bunny in space mini notebook

I finished this last night. It's a design I made once before but really liked. Patch made of felt and attached to stiffened felt. Hand stitched by me with embroidery floss. The end pages are a dark blue "starry" cotton fabric. Super cute!

Owl mini notebook

A felt owl patch added to a stiffened felt cover with cotton fabric leafy end pages. Pretty crazy/cool if I do say so myself.

Summer blue stripes journal

Fun to make and some of my favorite summery blues. There was a blue sky today after a week of rain and gray, so I am hopeful that the leaves on the trees will be returning soon!! Fabric covered recycled hard back book covers. I used a cool map/hot air balloon fabric for the end pages. Six signatures of paper are carefully hand sewn inside. The first page of every signature is a baby blue color, the rest of the pages are white. I used an off-white linen waxed thread to sew the pages in, black eyelets were used also. This is so reminding me of summer and that breezy, oceanic smell. A journal to take on a trip to the beach!

Jewelery frame

I found this vintage frame at a thrift shop and then covered cardboard with some paisley fabric and cut it to fit. I think it turned out pretty cool. Could be used as a cork/message board with push pins also.

Cilantro plushie

Another attempt at a Cilantro doll. This time I used fleece for the face, too, instead of just the body. I think I liked the smaller version better. I want to try again with a smaller face at least. Hand stitched by me. :)

Panda love mini notebook

I don't know why, but this guy cracks me up every time I look at his face! So spaced out! I guess it's good to be able to laugh at your wonkiness in sewing rather than the opposite- right? Anyway, hand stitched felt, embroidered bamboo and grass. Paper is 3x5 cards cut in half. <3

Travel journal

I had to use this colorful, whimsical fabric for another journal. There are pictures of famous architecture and modes of transport all over it. The end pages are cotton fabric also, with greetings printed in all kinds of languages. The first page of every signature is a vintage map from a Life encyclopedia circa 1960. The rest of the pages are white blank drawing paper. I used gray eyelets, and black linen thread to sew it together. Super cute! OOAK

Quail mini-notebook

I made another mini notebook of stiffened felt and embroidery. Another gift, this one is for my kindergartener's teacher. I never get tired of making these...

Spring Fever journal

Hand made, one of a kind. Fabric recovered hard-cover book. Six signatures of blank white drawing paper with the first page of every signature being blue card stock. I used dark brown eyelets as well. Carefully hand stitched with black linen waxed thread. Coptic stitched to lay open flat. End pages are a flowery cotton fabric also.
I loved this Alexander Henry design and had to use it for a spring time journal. Lots of fun to make and really one of my best journals to date! :)

Pear mini notebook

Hand stitched. Covers are made of stiffened felt with cotton fabric end pages. Made as a gift for one of my kid's teachers. I hope she likes it!

Popcorn with a kick!

I had to tell you all (all two of you that will read this) about this awesome spice topping from Mexico that transforms popcorn into the BEST treat! It's called Tajin and it's a mixture of red pepper, salt, and dehydrated lime juice. Anyway, you can sprinkle it on fruit or veggies and/or popcorn... and it is so tasty. It's my new favorite snack. I ordered it online from mexgrocer and wanted to recommend it. :D

Cuteness!

Thrift store finds I just couldn't pass up! This jar with a red ceramic lid makes the coolest moss terrarium. And then this green, round lunchbox was too adorable to not take home. Cilantro looks so cute in there, too!

The circle game (Joni Mitchell) journal

I've always loved that song by Joni Mitchell called The Circle Game. So when I saw this fabric completely dedicated to circles, I thought of the song and had to make a journal from it. I'm not sure if the song or the fabric inspired me. My life is so full of cycles... some good, some not so good, but nonetheless I am happy to have a visual homage to patterns. So, it's a few hours later...the peacock patch was an afterthought...I just wanted to add something to make it less boring. I don't know if I will change the name of the journal or not. The original idea still holds true, I will always start singing that song when I see it. The last photo in the set was taken before I added the patch(which is 100% hand stitched by me). I really loved making this...my two favorite things (books and patches) together again!!

Pear and Teal Journal

Another hard back journal, but it's also soft because it's fabric covered. :) The first page of every signature is teal blue card stock. The other pages are an off white, blank drawing paper. End pages are dark blue with white polka dots cotton fabric. Journal size is 4 1/2 x 6 inches. I added some creamy yellow eyelets. In spite of potty training my three yr. old, I still made time to finish this...it was a labor of love. :p

Winter flowers mini notebook

Hand stitched flower patch. Made of felt. The end pages are a gray/white cotton fabric. Made as a gift. This is my favorite patch to make. It always ends up so pretty.

Bird lovers notebook

Hand stitched of felt, plus I embroidered a couple of plants in back. Patch is attached to a stiffened felt cover and notebook paper is 3x5 cards cut in half, so it's refillable. Is it just me or does this remind you of the bird watching Scout merit badge? hahaha

Happy Journal

I upcycled a used book cover and recovered it with this cool polka dot/egg shapes brown fabric. The end pages are pink with polka dot trees fabric. There are six signatures of paper with the first pages of each being a brown flowery card stock. I used an off white linen waxed thread to sew it together. My camera really sucks- sorry. Anyway, fun to make and fun to handle.