~ a journal in use .. .

"A book is like a garden carried in the pocket."


before.. .


& after ~


where hopes & dreams abide


& quotes & maps nest.. .


the days journies appear on its pages,
alongside the hearts questions ~


changing words to be more meaningful
{from home-extraordinary furniture, to, home-extraordinary future}


~ a dream of mine ~ {i painted this page then wrote/drew/glued flower shapes on it}



the beauty of these little journals is that they can travel with you during the days necessities, like carrying a dream in your pocket!!! precious dreams

paper bag journal ~ pamphlet style binding

you will need:
- a needle, i use a matress needle, its the massive one in the needle packs from the supermarket :)
- thread, i used embroidery floss
- your little booklet/journal
im showing you without the paper bag cover, because it was easier to photo, then i re-sewed it with the cover intact, so please don't be concerned with the photos...take everything we assembled on the last tutorial, that is the paper bag cover, & paper inserts, lay it flat{the paper inside the cover} & clip it all together with a bulldog clip{to hold it together, i didnt do this so mine went a bit wonky at first :) }


then thread your needle {if you like you can use wax or just run the embroidery floss along the top of a glue stick to strengthen it, but i only used 6 double pages inside-24 back & front, so i thought the floss should be strong enough without glue or wax}


& make a hole in the middle of the centre fold, threading the needle through the entire booklet...usually bookbinders use an awl, but i found that the needle went straight through as its not a heavy weight booklet.


go down & thread back through about an inch or two from the bottom of the journal


then take the needle right up to the top & thread it through about an inch or two from the top...


thread it back throgh the beginning hole


mak sure the two tails are on opposite sides of the thread, & then tie...& voila!!! a journal, made by you!!!

have a wondrous day!!!

~ a paper bag journal .. .{part 1}

you will need:
- a paper bag{which you love & want for a keepsake}
- scraps of fabric or lace
- glue{the all important! }
- old newspaper{for the middle pages}
- paperclips or embellishments of your choosing


i bought a pair of oh so soft scotch & soda leggings & they came in a glorious paper bag which i did not want to throw out...so i let it sit in my cupboard for a while until i decided to make a journal out of it!!!
~ first, fold it in half
~ then cut some strips of fabric or lace or ribbon to fit along the top & bottom edges{i used a weave for the back of the journal & a see through lace for the front.
~ you see the edges where the paper bag creases into itself? glue along there & then stick your little piece of fabric right onto it, pleating as you go




i then stuck the equally cool tags into the front flap
& used some paper clips for a scrap of tulle etc


for the middle pages, i tore out parts of my favourite newspaper - the Brisbane news{it must be all those yummy pictures!!!} & folded them to size

& for the part 2 of the tutorial i'll show you how to sew them together to make a signature{or the actual book insert, leaflet style!}





such sweet thoughts!!!

a crepe paper wall .. .

~ this wall of soft pink ruffles was made with crepe paper & masking tape {so inexpensive yet highly effective!!!} though i wish it was silk fabric, how glorious would that be!!!

i simply tore off a length of tape,
then turned it upside down,
laid it on the carpet
& pinched the crepe paper into pleats straight onto the lower half of the tape
& once i finished the row & turned it over i stuck the top half of the tape directly onto the wall

loveliest thoughts

~ time .. .

i haven't had alot of it lately, though i do have some ideas to show you soon {& a ruffled wall in the becoming!!! loveliest thoughts