Japanese Knot Bag

Had fun sewing this adorable 'knot' bag. A small open tote bag with a twist. A tote with asymmetrical handles. It's designed so that the longer handle slips into the smaller handle to close the bag and form the 'knot'. An easy to sew pattern from 'Motif Studio Patterns' available on Etsy.

More Accidental Dried Roses

More of my lucky happenstance...more dried roses.

Few years ago I received these when they were lovely fresh roses. They sat in the vase, water evaporated and voila! Lovely dried roses! They now have a spot on my windowsill.

 

Diagonal Pocket

 

Diagonal Pockets are another handy structure designed by book artist Hedi Kyle using classic origami techniques. In her book The Art Of The Fold she covers the height to width ratio of 3:4 to increase or decrease the size of this structure. I made mine using the dimensions provided in the book which required a sheet of paper 9 x 12 inches. This created a finished pocket measuring 4.5" x 3". I had some lovely watercolor papers in my stash called Peaceful Meadows by the Paper Studio which I used to construct my Pockets.

Makes an amazing booklet with pockets for notes or cards and a mini journal. Lovely enough as a gift on its own or add a gift card! Just a really neat fold constructed out of one sheet of paper and no gluing necessary. A pamphlet stitch for your notepad or use a simple elastic band to secure your notepad as in a midori style travelers notebook.

Mini Watercolor Book

Made this mini watercolor book using 140 lb watercolor paper.

The pages were made using one 9 x 12 sheet and folding it accordian-style.  

The cover was made using silk-screened Nepalese Lokta paper featuring gold
brush strokes on turquoise paper.

The little book measures 3" x 2.5".
Fun size to paint some trailing branches with leaves and perhaps some pretty
tiny blossoms

Fabric Notepad & Card Holder

I sewed this fun and convenient little notepad holder that measures 4.5” x 6”.  I decided to make 4 small notepads made of parchment and handmade papers to insert into the pockets. It  actually has 6 tuck spots (2 pockets along each side of the pencil) handy for cards, cash and even your iPhone mini! 

And a spot for your pencil! 

Upcycled Old Books

I created these journals from old books. I retained the covers and gutted the books of their original pages. Using a pamphlet stitch I added a variety of papers to create aged, vintage looking journals full of blank pages for journaling or sketching. Perhaps a travel diary, garden journal or even a place to jot down favorite recipes!

 Fun books if you like a bit of grunge! If interested, you can find many tutorials online showing this method of repurposing old books. Check out Nik the Booksmith, she has a variety of videos demonstrating how to turn old books into journals.

Accidental Dried Roses

I received these when they were beautiful fresh roses a few years ago. Through sheer neglect I ended up with these lovely dried roses! They sat in the vase, water evaporated and voila! Lovely dried roses and I think the few years of dust add an interesting shade of red :) So there you have it, the accidental dried roses!  The sweet dish was a fun flea market find!