DIY ENVELOPES

 

     I know this project has been done countless times, but I wanted to give it a try. It's a super simple project, but you all know how I love my personalized paper goods. Though, I'm not sure it needs instructions to go with it. Simply unfold an envelope you have lying around, trace it on a magazine page, cut, fold and glue! Easy peasy! You can also use cardstock, scrapbooking paper, wallpaper, fabric or newspaper! 

     If you don't happen to have an envelope lying around that you can use, here are a few links to various envelope templates I found online: TEMPLATE 1 | TEMPLATE 2 | TEMPLATE 3 | TEMPLATE 4

Happy Mailing! 

Jean. 

THE LAZY-SCRAPBOOK ALBUM

Here's what you need: 

1. A sketchbook. I recommend spiral-bound hardcovers, so your photos don't bend.

2. Glue or a gluestick. Gluesticks may not hold for long, so choose a good brand and apply liberally. 

3. Scissors! For trimming or cutting out photos

4. Photos! :) Of course.

(Page from our beach trip this past spring)

     Arrange your photos however you'd like, glue them down and scribble in captions and notes along the white spaces left. If the pages of your sketchbook are thinner, make sure your pen doesn't bleed through! If you still want more of a scrapbook feel, you can easily add in stickers and decorations around the photos. I prefer leaving them blank, so it doesn't distract from the images themselves. 

(I'm a big fan of documenting food on our trips.) 

     And that's it! It's an extremely fast process and can also serve as a photojournal, depending on how much you jot in along the edges. It's much less intimidating of a project to take on then a full-fledged scrapbook, but still lets you store and keep all your favorite memories. :) Mine's exploding with pages! 

Jean. 

STITCH YOUR OWN STATIONERY!

     I have a confession to make. I'm a paper addict! It's true. Journals, stationery, books...I hoard them like crazy. Yet at the same time, I'm incredibly stingy and I never want to shell out my tiny bit of money for packs of generic stationery. Instead, I prefer fancying up regular paper with my own little details! It's really very simple to do. This particular walkthrough is for stitching up your own stationery with whatever cutesy headers or decals you'd like! 

Here's what you'll need:

1. Paper. Any type will work, though from what I've tried, heavier paper will hold up better with all the poking and pulling. I had way more knots and tangling when working with lighter papers. 

2. Push-pin. 

3. Needle and Thread. Use as many colors as you'd like, make sure your needle isn't too much smaller than the pushpin holes, or the thread will just slide right on through. Embroidery floss would also work really well here. I just doubled my thread since all my embroidery floss is packed somewhere in the garage. 

4. Cork-board (optional). Just makes it easier to poke into. Cardboard, carpet, foam...anything else will do. 

     First off, trace out your design very lightly with a pencil. Then, place your paper on the cork-board and use the push-pin to poke out your design. This makes sewing through easier and reduces the amount of wrinkles you would get otherwise. 

     Thread your needle and get sewing! Make sure to start so that the knot of your thread is on the back of the page. Keeping your letters or design connected in a single line is faster, since you don't have to stop and rethread/knot multiple times. 

     Continue stitching through until your design is complete! Be wary of your thread tangling and knotting along the way! That'll ruin your work pretty quickly and doesn't look nearly as nice. Feel free to add more along the page. I'm thinking of stitching in lines to write on across the whole thing. Off to make more! Hope you enjoyed!
Jean.