Just Believe Notes Weekend Project

I have made a number of these fun notebooks in the years.  I found the pattern at Capture the Moment.  You can click here for a link to the directions.  

I had a scrap of decorative paper the "Print Poetry" paper pack.  I know I won't get through that pack using scraps!!! LOL  But at least the scrap piece is gone now.  Once again I find that I should have put a layer behind the image. And I'm thinking that I should have used Very Vanilla card stock instead of the Whisper White. But I had run across this notebook and it just needed decorating.  I don't even remember making it or putting it away!  But that doesn't surprise me! LOL  Anyway, the pencil was already wrapped in white paper so I had to go with white.

You can get a good deal on scratch pads at Office Depot, Office Max or Staples.  You just have to shop around.  Sometimes you can go to your local printer and see if they have any for sale too.  I had bought a TON of them a long time ago so I just slowly pick away at the stash.  One of these days I'm hoping to find that I am in need of shopping for more.  But with the amount I have on hand right now and how quickly I am not using them I don't see myself buying anymore for a VERY long time.

These notebooks are very fun to make.  Now I did alter mine a bit from the original pattern.  I made mine shorter because of the size of the scratch pad.  It's extremely easy to adjust the pattern to what size notepads you have.  I also cut my pencil down too. We have a band saw so I just took it out there and cut it off.  You can take a craft knife and mark your length and then just roll the craft knife across the pencil and apply some pressure and when the cut gets about half way through or a bit more, you can snap the pencil on that cut line.  Just sand the end and now you have safely cut a short pencil.  Or you can try to find some short ones at the dollar store!  How ever you make these, they all turn out cute.  I just like the idea of having a pencil holder along with my notepad!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Fun Note Holder Weekend Project

 I love those little note holders that the Dollar Spot at Target has.  I can be found buying several of them at a time.  I don't really care much for the paper that is inside them.  It kind of reminds me of the paper that is used when learning to write your A B C's. I think it's a new print type paper. Anyway, when I make these for gifts I usually cut up copier paper, not only because it's nicer but because I don't really like the color of the paper that is in the holder.  It's usually a melon color.  I've only used it once when I had made a box that had the melon color in the cover.  Now this box would have worked with the melon color paper but I opted to use white since I was making it for a gift for someone special.  

I actually printed out the paper on 28# copier paper and then I used the "Elementary Elements" download to make the cover.  The word "Notes" was just typed in and moved to the center of the image.  Then I put the strip paper I printed out back in my printer and printed out the words.  Now I could have put the words and the image along with background all at one time but I had printed the background and I didn't have any other use for it.  SO I have now used that piece of paper I printed and reprinted on!!

I added 2 brads and the ribbon holds the cover shut!  Just as simple as that and yet elegant looking.  I punched the one hole with the Crop-a-dial and the other hole I had to make using the paper piercing tool.  The Crop-a-dial wouldn't reach that far!! It was not a prefect hole but the brad hides it so all is good!

I LOVE making these altered note holders and my favorite was a snowman one I did a couple of years ago. I sold all of them at a craft fair and was meaning to make more but didn't.  Which is probably a good thing.  I don't think I want to have the same item out each year, that is what makes craft fairs go stale.  SO maybe this fall I'll make more of come up with an even cuter one!

These are also great for stamp camps, customer appreciation gifts, hostess appreciation gifts, a gift for coworkers, teachers and even stocking stuffers  

I was just at the Dollar Spot at Target and they don't have any of these in right now.  But they get them in every now and then!

Happy paper crafting!

Thank you SO much for stopping by today,
Wanda

Faith in Nature Mini Notebook Weekend Project

Here is another little notebook I made.  This time I used the leaf from the "Faith in Nature" Hostess set.  I embossed the leaf using gold embossing powder.  Once it was heat set I sponged it in with Cajun Craze ink.

The "Just a Note" image is from a Studio G stamp set that I got for a dollar at Michael's a while back.  I bought it only because I wanted the "Just a Note" image.  I had plans for it and now you can see the plan in action.  What better words to put on a little notebook???  I want to get a "notes" custom made stamp. I do have one but it's a much bigger font.  A smaller font would be perfect for these 2-1/2" x 2-1/2" notebooks. 

So I will be adding this notebook to my ever-growing pile for the fall craft fair.  It's great to be able to make so many notebooks and have a place to get rid of them!!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Two Step Owl Punch Notebooks Weekend Project

This owl punch was one that caught my eye right away in the new catalog and it went to the top of my wish list. I've been having a lot of fun with it too.

Today I thought I would play around with some notebooks since I had a lot of the inside (copier) paper cut and waiting in a stack to be punched. The stack was getting a bit high and I thought I'd better punch the holes in it with my Rubi Coil machine before the pile gets bumped and the papers land all over the floor.

After I cut out the front cover using Chocolate Chip card stock I cut a piece of Whisper White card stock for the top layer. Then I punched out the owl and all the components to make the owl.

I finished it off by adding a small rhinestone to the center of the flower. I had gotten the rhinestones in my pre-order and had not used them. Hoarding already!!! LOL SO I thought I'd better use these things. Plus there's SO many in a package! It gave the notebook a bit of bling. Though I don't usually put things like that on my notebooks because of the odds of it falling off inside a purse. But it was just too cute having it on there so I ran with it.

Aren't they fun notebooks? I LOVE making them when I have time. I have a few other stamp sets that I want to play with using these notebooks. And of course I will share them with you!!

I made a bunch of these one year and sold out on them at the craft fair. I may start making some each day so I have a bunch ready for this falls craft fair. Ya gotta make what sells!! They would even make great Make n Takes and a fun Stamp Camp item as well.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Scratch Pad and Pencil Holder

This scratch pad holder was very easy and fun to make. I used the Stampin' Up! "Bella Bleu" decorative papers. I LOVE that pack of papers. And of course I had to play around with the new border punch too! SO glad it's going to be in the new catalog.

The adorable pencil holder is from a design by Nichole Heady at "Capture the Moment". She has the pattern for it at her site.

I did mine a bit differently than she did hers. I didn't make my holder part have the slot for sticking "stuff" into it. I just made a front and back to mine. I did add a little more card stock width to the back so the pencil holder could be taped in place there. The pencil holder Nichole has prints out on card stock right from your computer and you just cut and put it together. Very simple!

On mine, the "Don't Forget" came from the Stampin' Up! "Teacher's Pet" set.

I did take my pencil out in the garage and used the band saw to cut it down a bit. I suppose I could have just run it in the pencil sharpener until I got it shorter. And it would be sharp too! This one is not sharpened.

Oh and I did change the length of the pencil holder part too. I made it the same length as the scratch pad holder. I think it's adorable. I have lots and lots of decorative papers and I have LOTS of scratch pads too. I think I bought a case of them a few years ago!

Isn't it just adorable? And it's SO quick to make too. Well, the pencil holder did take a little time cutting out by hand but it's SO worth it. And it is very easy to cut out. These would make fabulous gifts and stocking stuffers! It would be great to get a head start on stocking stuffers!

I do have a couple more Valentine's Day things to post this week and the rest will be back to "business as usual." Which means I don't want to fill the week with Valentine's Day stuff when it's only a week away. Not much time to play and get new things created!

Thank you SO much for visiting today.
Wanda

A Bigger Note

I am so use to making smaller note holders and this one was a bit of a challenge for me. While sorting through some "stuff" in my workroom I ran across a small legal pad. I thought it would be fun to make a fun holder for it. I was going to use card stock when I remembered I had bought a package of the Stampin' Up! "Thoroughly Modern File Folders." Another one of those "why did I buy these?" purchases. I thought the looked cool but really had no plans for them. I will probably be cutting them up to use in projects. And as I am looking at the package right now the word "Sizzix" is going through my head!!! I'm going to have to check out the die cuts and see which ones will work with these!!!

If you don't have these file folders you can cut card stock to work too. It's not quite as heavy but it will do the job!

To make this I kept the factory fold and cut the back side at 7-1/2" and then I scored above the original score at 7/16". Then I marked the front at 7-1/2" from that score and cut it.

That is all you need for the holder. Very simple and quick.

I did have to cut the notepad down a bit. I didn't want a long full-size one. I cut off enough so the notepad is now 6-1/4". I added a piece of white grosgrain ribbon and then a piece of Soft Suede on top of that. I did tape them in place with the Sticky Strip tape. I wanted something that would hold.

Then I added Stick Strip to the back of the notepad and taped it in place.

For the pen I took a one inch piece of Soft Suede card stock and rolled it around the pen. I saw where it overlapped and cut it there. I didn't measure the length of that piece. It will vary a bit from pen to pen. I used glue to hold the card stock. Tape would work for a while but then in time it will come apart. Glue is the way to go here, including affixing it to the inside of the folder.

These make quick and easy gifts. Great items for teachers too!

On the front I did decorate it with a couple of ovals layered on a scalloped layer. The word "notes" came from a custom stamp I had made.

Have fun making these. They are simple enough that even the kiddies can help work on them with you, giving little gifts a more personal touch!

Thank you for visiting today,
Wanda

Easy Notebook "Purse" Holder

Isn't this just the cutest little purse notebook holder? And it's SUPER easy to do too.

You just take one of those clear plastic boxes that hold 4 cards and envelopes comfortably. If you're like me I try to shove 5 or 6 of in there!!! LOL The original post (and I'm sorry I don't remember where I saw this) suggested you cut it in half. I had these adorable small 3" x 5" composition books and two of them fit in the holder nicely. SO I proceeded to decorate the notebooks. Once I had them decorated I cut the plastic box to a little above the height of the books inside. I cut a piece of matching decorative, scored it and slipped it inside the box. I added some coordinating grosgrain to the outside of the box. Cut each piece the same length before you tape them in place. The ends of the ribbon meet at the bottom of he box. Make sure the loops aren't twisted before you secure the other end. I affixed the ribbon with the Red Line tape. You really need something VERY sticky here. I punched a hole in the left side and added a piece of Hodgepodge hardware to make it look like a purse zipper. Though when I thought about it (afterwards of course) I realized the zipper on my purse isn't on the side, it's actually inside to close the opening on the top. LOL Ok, so it's suppose to give the illusion of having a zipper!!! How's that? LOL

The stamp used here is from the Stampin' Up! set "Embrace Life" and the paper is from the "Ginger Blossoms" group. And the words are from the "Office Accoutrement" set. That is my favorite little stamp from that set!!! I use it more outside that set than I do with the set.

These are very fun and easy to make. You could even get a little more creative with the ribbon and make small loops on the back that would hold a pen or pencil too! You can make the box deeper so there's room for a pen or pencil. Probably a pencil sharpened down far enough to fit inside nicely. Or you can do like I did and make them find their own pencil!!! LOL These would make a very fun Stamp Camp item or they'd be happily accepted by your hostess or customers. They just make a great little gift!

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda