Cute Little Pocket Book - Tutorial

Sometime around December of 2009, Lucy and I did a Make & Take at Archiver's while we there cropping one Friday night. It was a cute little book with pockets in it made out of a piece of 12x12" cardstock. I made one for my sister to use as a gift for someone she worked with. I proceeded to post a few pictures and tell about the book, but not how to make it. You can see it here. My dear friend, Michelle, said she'd like the instructions because it would be fun to put prayers in the pockets and give it to someone. I probably said I'd be happy to share my newly-learned directions with her.

But I never did.

Sigh.

I did, however, keep the email containing her comment asking for instructions. All this time. Since 12/21/09.

Sorry, Michelle. What a major procrastinator I am!

And I am happy to report that now, nearly four and a half years later, I'm finally posting the instructions. For Michelle. Or anyone else who'd like them.


1. Start with a 12x12" sheet of double-sided cardstock. Not patterned paper, but cardstock (I just don't think paper would hold up all that well, but you could try it).

2. Cut it in half. Either direction. Ha! Ha!



3. Score each half at 2" the long way. Figure out which side you want to be inside and which will be the outside. Fold on the score line the appropriate way. This forms the pockets.



4. Now score each half on the back side at the center (6").



5. Score at 3" in from each end on the opposite side.



5. Fold it back and forth, accordian style, as shown in the picture.



6. Using a very narrow adhesive, adhere the outside open edges on each half to close the pockets. If your adhesive is very wide, it takes up pocket space. I love this adhesive because it's only 1/8" wide and it does a great job of holding things together.





7. Adhere the two sections together at the center. Yes, I know, my outside edges aren't yet adhered in the picture. I did this in reverse order on these two steps when I made it.



Now it's one long accordion with a slightly thicker center where the two pieces are adhered to each other.



8. From a scrap of coordinating cardstock, cut a piece 2x4" Score at about 3/4" in from the long edges on both sides. Fold. This will form the spine. You can also tear the edges or use decorate scissors or sponge ink onto them for a different look.



9. Put adhesive on the two sides of the spine, but not in the center strip. Align book inside the spine and attach together.



10. Determine desired length of ribbon to wrap around the book and tie in a bow. Center over the spine and adhere (glue dot or adhesive) on the front at a minimum. You can also add adhesive on the spine and/or the back as you want. Another variation would be to put the ribbon underneath the spine. In my finished product, the ribbon is on the outside, although you'll see me attaching it to the front before the spine went on. How I made it and how I'm writing the instructions are a little out of order.



11. Attach decorative die-cut or sticker or whatever other bling you'd like to add to the front over the top of the ribbon.



12. Put stuff in the pockets - gift cards, money, notes, gum, miniature Flat Stanley and family, or whatever else you can come up with. Tie it closed with a bow. Or knot.









13. Clean up the mess that is your desk. Or maybe that's just me. In all fairness, I did another project before this one, which would be why it's super extra messy. Or at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Actually, now that I look at that mess, it's from the other project, not this one at all. Oh well. The messier the desk, the more creative. That's my motto and I'm definitely sticking to that one.




If you have any questions or anything doesn't make sense, let me know. Enjoy!!

Baby Steps

So maybe the answer to getting back into blogging isn't to think I'll post 4-5 times a week. Maybe it's to do this in baby steps for now. Perhaps the goal should be one weekly recap. Posted on Saturday, Sunday, or maybe even Monday. Then start filling in what I can during the week. If you've seen What About Bob? you know all about baby steps. I think I'll give it a try. Sans Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss. Because they don't know me. And I wasn't in their movie or anything.

Last Sunday, we celebrated my Dad's birthday in our usual way. Dinner, presents, and cake (sometimes including ice cream).

Everyone should get some Cheetos for a birthday present, right?

I hope he gets them all!

My pretty Mom.

Cousins

The things that happen when you sit in front of a white board!

We had dinner at Texas Roadhouse, which was very, very yummy! We hadn't been there in a long time, so I think that made it taste even better.

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Caleb really likes to dress in nice clothes. He got the green tie for his birthday and hadn't had a chance to try it out. Or learn how to tie it. Come to think of it, I still don't know if he knows how. I think I did that one. Guess I'd better make him practice if he's going to wear one of those!

Naturally, he throws in an interesting expression.

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Tuesday was my last day doing two Bible studies on the same day. It was a little crazy keeping up with that schedule, but at least one of the studies was lighter and we only met every other week. The other study is Beth Moore's study on the book of James. The James study has been just incredible. I'm amazed at the things I learn in her studies that I never knew or heard before, even though I may have been through a book of the Bible many times. It's always good, but sad to reach the end of a study. Good because of what I've learned (and hopefully seen implemented in my life), but sad because it's over.

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This morning, my niece was in a play. This was her third play since she started taking acting classes. She's so good at acting. It's just in her. That's probably why she's such a fantastic model for my picture taking. This one was called To Be or Not To Be and she played a portrait. Okay, she played Cinderella in a portrait in the library and she (along with Peter Pan, the March Hare, and a couple others) came to life. It was really quite cute.

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Over the years, I've done a variety of arts and crafts. The one thing I could never do is knit. Mom has taught me numerous times and I don't know what the issue is, but I just can't keep the tension correct. Either it's so tight the stitches won't move, or it's so loose, it's a big, sloppy mess. I can, however, crochet. Which is even stranger to me - I can keep tension just find in crocheting. Not sure what that's all about. Anyway, I don't do it much any more because of the problems with my entire upper right appendage. But since I've separated the keyboard from the laptop and raised the laptop monitor to a more ergonomic location, my hand and arm aren't so bad.

When I take Zach to bowling, there are a few moms there who crochet. Which made me feel like perhaps I should crochet again. So here I am, dabbling in the world of yarn and hooks. I mostly only do it while at bowling. That way, I won't get carried away, crochet too long, and cause myself more pain.

My current project is a shawl/scarf. It started out to be a scarf, but the not-really-a-pattern that I was creating wasn't working out for me. So I opted for a pattern out of a magazine I'd recently purchased. Sadly, I've run out of yarn and it's not done. So it will either be a scarf with angled ends, or I'll buy one more skein of yarn. Yes, I know...it will probably not be the right dye lot. But I don't think I care.

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Mom and I had some more stamping time this afternoon after the play and lunch. I'm about to the half-way point of total number of cards needed. It looks like we'll have to plan one or two more stamping days, though, if I'm going to get them all done this year.

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Remaining activities sans photos:

• Homeschooling
• Birthday lunch with a dear friend and Mom at Panera
• A trip to the annual Holiday Food & Gift Fair
• An evening of cleaning up the scrapbooking bench
• A meal delivered for a new mom whose husband is deployed
• Birthday cake shared with a new friend from church and her kids, dogs, and cat
• Attempting to resolve our lack of voice mail notification
• Fun and laughs at the grocery store with Lucy
• Impromptu visit from another friend and eating pierogies together

I Could Do That

In my efforts to reign in my activities and simplify and streamline my life, I've realized that I have a troublesome affliction. It's called I Could Do That. People who know how to do a lot of different things and who aren't afraid to try something new are especially prone to bouts of ICDT. I've discovered that ICDT increases when I attend art and craft fairs, blog hop, and read magazines.

I was just over at Ruthanne's blog, loving her adorable camera strap covers. From what I can see online, her covers look very nice. I'm sure she does a great job. But here's where things go awry for me. Instead of admiring her work and maybe setting aside some money to order one of hers, ICDT pops up and says, "Why on earth would you BUY that when you could make it yourself?" And since I've been listening to the voice of ICDT for so many years, it never occurs to me that there's an alternative.



{This is not a copy of Ruthanne's strap. Just one I happened to have made.}

Instead, I put my life aside and begin to rummage through my fabric collection to see what I have that I could use to make my own groovy camera strap cover. Which usually leads me to find a pattern for something else I wanted to make. Or maybe some fabric that I planned to use for a new purse. So now I'm making a camera strap cover AND a purse. Naturally, I only have one fabric that I like for the strap cover, so I'll need to make a quick trip to the fabric store and find something to go with it.

Once I'm at the store, there are SO many choices. None of which works with my current fabric, but that's okay, I'll just buy two new fabrics. And whatever other supplies I may need, which I probably HAVE at home, but am not quite sure where. Most likely in a tote in the crawl space.

Whew! I'm finally home, with all my fabric goodness (and maybe something else), and it's time for dinner. That's okay, my fabric needs to be prewashed anyway. Toss it in the washing machine and scrounge up something for a healthy & nutritious quick and tasty meal. Like pizza. From Domino's. After dinner, I throw the fabric in the dryer and settle down in front of the laptop. This project will require a little research. Not that I can't just come up with my own pattern, but I know there are many who have gone before me who will have valuable insight to offer.

So I'm searching patterns and etsy for examples, instructions, tips, and ideas. This requires probably 10-12 open tabs. Give or take thirteen.

Okay, I'll stop now. I won't force you to read the drivel before the end. A couple of days later, my tally will look something like this:

Rummaging through my fabric = 2 hours
Trip to the fabric store & extra stuff purchased = $30
Internet research = 6 hours
Cutting & sewing time = 3 hours
Pizza for dinner = $13
Sleep lost = 3 hours
Cleaning up the aftermath in my studio = 1 hour

Total: 15+ hours and $43+ later and I will be the happy new owner of a camera strap cover. The big question, though, is was it really worth it? Some days, I would say, "Yes, absolutely!" Other times, not so much.

Now I do know that some of this happens due to on and off lean financial circumstances. In those times, I probably make do with some fabric I already have. I may have no other choice. The problem arises when I COULD afford to purchase the item, really don't have the extra time, but still spend money and time on something that could've been handled in a much simpler fashion. Namely, just order the cover from Ruthanne, wait for it to arrive in the mail, and rejoice upon opening the package.

This is just one example of ICDT. There are many, many more where that came from. I think what I need to take away from this is to step back for a moment and look at the big picture. Do I have the time to invest? Is this really the best use of my time and money? Would I maybe just want to support a fellow blogger/homeschooler/crafter this time?

The answer will not always be the same, but curbing the impulsivity of ICDT would probably go a long ways in helping my sanity.

Tulips, Squirrel, and a Craft Fair

I seem to be quite overdue for a post of randomeandering. First of all, is this not the cutest little squirrel drawing you've ever seen? My five year old niece drew it. It is just so adorable! I think she did a terrific job.




My friend has a very fun and interesting yard and I just love walking around with my camera. You can look forward to a plethora of shots from her place this summer. To start, I spotted a couple tulips hiding behind an outbuilding.

Our church is hosting a craft fair in few weeks and since I'm on a sewing kick, I thought it would be fun to participate. So I'm making a bunch of cute little accessory/organizer type bags - the kind you can have in your purse or tote or whatever for chapstick, lotion, ibuprofen, iPod, etc.


What does it say about me when I cut out my fabric and feel compelled to lay the pieces in a nice little pattern because I know that it will make an interesting and colorful photo? Ha! Ha! Okay, maybe not THAT interesting, but it was still fun. Before being a shutterbug, I'd just have piled them up in a boring stack.

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to women's ministry for missions. I'm also recruiting Clay Guy to make his cute little sock monkeys - out of clay, of course - to sell there with me.

I have a couple of other things I thought about selling there, but probably don't have the time to do all three. Just have to see how that plays out. I also have NO idea how big the craft fair is, how many people attend, or anything at all. I just know that there's no fee to have a table and a portion of the proceeds will go to a good cause. This is only the second fair, and I wasn't at the first one. So we'll see how that plays out as well.

And hopefully sometime soon, I can finish the blog design, because I really like the completed look just a bit more than this version. In my spare time. Ha! Ha!

My New Bag

Sometimes when you can't find (or can't afford) what you really want, you just have to make it yourself. Well, I have to, anyway. Last year, I made a tote bag that was to function as a purse/camera bag. It was pretty much a prototype, because I knew that I would have to use it for awhile to decide what I really wanted. A few months ago, I purchased some fabric for the upcoming bag. Last week, the boys went to work with hubby for the day, which freed me up for a day of sewing. And sew I did.

I made a bag that was crazy huge, along the lines of luggage. That really wouldn't do. By then I was pretty obsessed with having the bag of my dreams, so I was back at it the next day. I'm pleased to say that by the time Saturday afternoon arrived, I was done! Well, mostly. I have a couple more additions coming, but had to get back to real life, after taking so much sewing time off. I'm very happy with the newer, smaller version. It's the perfect size for my camera and a few purse items or just to be used as a purse.


Fortunately, I had plenty of tapestry and liner fabric left.



As a purse.



As a camera bag/purse.



It even has little pockets for memory cards.



I always make a coordinating little bag.


What's missing, you ask? I still plan to make an adjustable cross-body strap for those times I'm shooting pictures and don't want to worry about it slipping off my shoulder. I'm also making movable, padded dividers so the camera has its own space.

Paper Christmas

In the spirit of simplicity, we used our paper Christmas tree again this year.

And if you're using a paper tree, you should probably make paper stockings, right?

Wishing everyone a blessed & Merry Christmas!!

Cute Pocket Booklet

I learned how to make a very fun little pocket holder book thingie last week during a make & take at Archiver's. It's a little book with eight pockets inside. You could put gift cards or money or little notes or perhaps some gum inside the pockets.



We needed a gift for someone who rents regularly from Redbox, but it doesn't appear that they offer gift cards/certificates, credits you can buy, or any other way to gift their rentals. So we created our own. Each pocket had a dollar in it for a rental (Yes, I know you use a credit card, but that's beside the point. Don't get all technical on me.)



Isn't that just the cutest? The finished size is 3x4". The main portion of the book is created from one double-sided sheet of 12x12" cardstock. You can use some scraps for the rest. I'm sure you could come up with all sorts of fun ideas for it. I have a couple more planned, so maybe I'll post a few more pictures when they're done.