My DIY Journal Project

Journaling has been a part of my life for quite a while now.  I’ve never been one to sit down and journal every day, but I do enjoy recording encouragement from the Word, music, and books, as well as things in my life that God is using to teach me.

I started my last journal in 2011 and it was only last week that I finally filled all of the pages (so you can tell how often I actually write in it!)  With that one filled, I needed to get a new one…which gave me the idea of making my own!  A friend made one recently and it looked pretty cool, so I looked up DIY Journals online and got a few directions on how to do it.

Here’s the finished product:

And the back of it:

From this angle, you can see a little more of the binding.  It uses a special stitch—called the coptic stitch--to keep it all together.  I found a youtube video on how to do it and it’s pretty straightforward. 

With this stitch, the book lays open flat and is quite sturdy.  It is important to make sure all the stitches are nice and snug.  

To make this, I used pretty common materials.   The only thing I had to buy special was some Mod Podge and hemp cord. 

Here’s what I used:

* Scrapbook paper (for making the outside and inside of  cover)
* 2 pieces of cardboard cut from a random box laying around (also for the cover)
* 33 sheets of normal typing paper (folded in 1/2 and in groups of 3.  I then poked 5 holes in the          crease for the binding)
* Scissors
* Pencil
* Awl (for pre-poking the binding holes)
* Some kind of rubber to poke into when using the awl (I just used an old flip-flop.)
* Craft Glue
* Mod Podge and sponge paintbrush (to give a finished-off look to the cover)
* Hemp Cord and needle (for the binding)

And that’s about all there is to it.  The only thing, really, that requires actual instruction in this project is the binding.  Everything else is up to your preference—the number of pages and kind of paper for the pages, the kind of cover (some websites talked of using leather, for example), and the size.

I’m pretty happy with how mine turned out!

Pinterest and Scarves

I have recently become {somewhat} hooked on Pinterest.  It is fun to have at one's fingertips so many ideas on how to become an efficient cook and homemaker, ultimate Do-It-Yourself-er, and maybe even a successful seamstress.  The resources are plentiful...and seem practically bottomless.   I don't know if anyone else has this feeling, but I have the problem of never really getting around to actually trying out the ideas and seeing if they work!

Well, about three years ago, I fell in love with {scarves} (Well, I have also fallen in love with Isaac Stanley, but that wasn't quite three years ago and the story would require its own post!)  Anyway, when my aunt gave me my first scarf from Afghanistan--a long, narrow, black crocheted-type scarf with specks of green and pink, as well as little sequins-- I smiled and politely said "thank you," while inside, I thought, "What in the world am I going to do with this?!?"   Ahh, that scarf has since become one of my favorites!  

Once I finally decided to go out on a limb and risk looking totally ridiculous in a scarf, I loved it!  Do you know how much fun scarves can be?  With just one scarf, you can dress up a plain t-shirt. Or, use different scarves with the same shirt and you get a totally different look!  Or sometimes...well, you get the idea. :)  

Needless to say, I now have a pile of scarves in my closet...several from Israel that my dad brought back for me, a solid green one from India that my dear friend Claudia, the previously-mentioned one from Afghanistan has been joined by another one from the same aunt,  as well as a bright cheapy Family Dollar scarf...and the list could go on.  

Soo, I've recently noticed the popular use of infinity scarves this winter.  They're fun and have a different look to them.  But,  I hate to spend money if I don't actually need the item I want to buy (just ask Isaac...or my family.  They'll tell you how often I talk myself out of buying something!) So, as fun as infinity scarves look, I still haven't talked myself into getting any. 

Well, I ran across this genius idea on Pintrest for turning a regular, long, narrow scarf into an infinity scarf!  I've tried it and it works! (And actually, it can be done with a large square one as well, you just have to loop it around a little differently!)  

Here's the idea: 

"I have a ton of pashmina scarves that I love for their pattern or color, but I prefer infinity scarves when it comes to the actual style. I figured out a solution last year and now do this all the time. 

If you have a long rectangular scarf, just tie the two ends together by the corners, and put it on like a circle scarf. If you wanted to, you could just sew it together at the ends, but this is super quick and you can take it apart at the end of the day. " 

Ta-dah!  I knew I didn't have to go out and buy an infinity scarf!  

So you see, Pinterest does have some good ideas...they can save you money...and they can be incredibly fun as well...especially when you get to do it yourself and you get to save money at the same time! :)