Mini tutorial: Book cover/ (stamp storage)

I'm sure everyone knows how to do this already, I learned that in school when I was 13, but just in case... here is how to make a nice looking book cover for little spiral notebooks and such.

In this case I was making a cover to store my My Thoughts Exactly stamps. :-)

I made an 8X10 cover to match the size of my zippered pouches (found those at Walmart for back to school and I should have bought more... Will definitely be on the lookout for those next August... ;-))

Step 1: Cut some cardstock to desired size. (I used old cardstock containers, because I was out of empty cereal boxes...) Glue to a piece of paper or cardstock slightly bigger then cut the corner. (I used Modge Podge to adhere my designer paper, and ran a brayer all over (the paper) to try to get a good spreading of the glue.

Step 2: Fold the extra paper all around and glue it. Add pieces of ribbon if you want to tie it shut afterwards.

Step 3:  Glue 2 pieces of cardstock or paper to finish the inside. They need to bit slightly smaller than your cover. (here I took 3/16" off from my original 8X10 measurements).

Step 4: Punch holes and use binder rings to hold everything together. I need to buy bigger rings because my little album/storage is really full... ;-) I made little reinforcers by punching cardstock with a 1/2" circle punch.

My stamps are stored in the zippered pouches, 2 sets back to back. I used a label maker to write the names of the sets at the top of the pouches, and stapled little tags on the side.

This way I can find what I am looking for in a glance... :-)

All that's left to do is tie a knot and proudly display it somewhere in your crafting area! ;-)
(and what better way to use this beautiful paper you have been hoarding forever for "that special project"? ... ;-))

ETA:  I have since found larger binder rings at Staples, which gave my inside pockets more breathing room, and enabled me to decorate them with little ribbons....

Baby planner

When I saw the holiday planners on Michelle's blog (http://michellewooderson.blogspot.com/) it instantly got the wheel turning into my head as to how to adapt this to my current "baby-on-the-brain" state!! All you need is a 5X8 junior notepad and 2 sheets of 8X11 cardstock.

Her version is chic and embellished, you can find her tutorial and template here: http://michellewooderson.blogspot.com/2008/09/holiday-gift-ensemble.html. It can be adapted to so many occasions! :-)

My version is way more simple but I wanted to be able to carry this in my bag without worrying that it might be torn or damaged in any way. For the cover focal point and the accents inside I just used some cute baby gift wrap, and I used my sewing machine on paper for the 1st time. That didn't exactly go as planned since I sewed on the wrong side of the cardstock and my machine wasn't set right for paper obviously either!! (if you click on the pics for a larger version it will be obvious!!) But hey, that was a first ever attempt and this is how you learn... but I admit I was too lazy or impatient to do it all over again! ;-) LOL! I also added a bit of ribbon so that it would stay closed in my bag.

In the little pocket I tucked some custom notecards, made from white cardstock with a little piece of wrapping paper wrapped around and rounded corners. I made one for names (serious brainstorming going on there) and one for my list of essentials! Plus one for whatever I will soon realize I forgot to plan for! ;-) ...

This was a fun and quick little project (if you omit the time spent fighting with the sewing machine of course...) and Naomi already wants me to make one for her!...(but without the sewing! Phew!) :-D

"To-do" album

This is not a very involved project on the creative side, but hopefully it will make my life easier nonetheless!! It's a journal I bought at Michaels for $1 and turned into a "to-do album" for the family.

I love to be organized but I am usually not!! The older I get, the more I forget things, and I hate lists (and sometimes misplace them!... ;-))

So I used little tabs with each family member's name to customize this booklet and have everyone's stuff in the same place (yes "baby" is written in pencil so I can erase it afterwards and write the baby's real name! ;-)). The tabs stamps are by Stampendous and you can find them here http://www.mylittlestampshack.com/catalog/item/5737001/5610981.htm. If you haven't visited Carrie's online store yet, it is time, she has a great selection of clear stamps: http://www.mylittlestampshack.com/

For the cover I just used a white label and stamped & embossed (for durability!) "to-do" to hide the original "journal" title.

Now let's just hope we actually do some of the things already listed in the booklet!... LOL ;-)