Journal and Colored Pencils Roll

Last month, my friend Katie was celebrating a birthday.  I had yet to deliver her wedding quilt or her finished napkins from a shower, so I really was nervous but excited to give something artsy and crafty.

Being an art teacher and a reflective soul, I knew Katie could use a journal.  Or hoped.  I settled on a blank book.  I love blank books, as they can house any thoughts, sketches, or notes.  I'm a bit picky, and I finally found it in the eleventh hour at Walmart.  I try to avoid the store, I feel obliged to add, but it was able to deliver in my late night crafting hour.

This is the end product.



I'm in love with the fabric and the string (although it was a bit tricky to work with)--both came from a local shop, Fancy Tiger.

I finally bit the bullet and chose to do a little monogramming with her (new, post-wedding) initials.  I didn't absolutely love how it turned out, but she did, which is what matters.  I've had more success with other lettering with memo-pads, but I think that forcing myself to use this pink fabric and choosing skinny letters led to my pitfalls.

Inside front cover.

After polishing off the book cover, I really wanted to a) use more of the fabric and b) add something else to the gift (maybe my belated gift guilt coming through?).  I also had been wanting to make a pencil roll.  Being an art teacher, I knew Katie would love this and put it to use.

I also love functional gifts, and I'd been wanting to use a lot of my pretty scraps.  So I found a pattern online that wasn't the best written, but it definitely helped me figure out some of the to-do list items.

Here's the pencil roll!

Love it.  It's a perfect pairing with the journal, and the pink is such a flirty match!

This makes me cringe a little, as you can see that the green stitching didn't line up perfectly.



I love the rolling up contrast!!!  The flannel interfacing really gave the perfect weight.

I really struggled to figure out the string placement and functionality.  The directions I used encouraged me to use a button, but I didn't find the right button. 

I tried not to stress about the pair of pencils and colors.  I liked having it more randomized and not in just a gradiated layout.

 All in all, I loved doing this.  I love giving it to Katie.  Seeing her use this journal regularly has been a treat.  I would love to get into the rhythm of making more of these!