a prettier notebook

You know how sometimes you see a project that you just have to make and it magically jumps to the top of the list? Or doesn't even make it on the list because it is done so fast? Even though it is a really really long list of things just begging to be made? I am sure I am not alone here. It totally happened to me when I saw this post over at Stitched In Color. This is also when I found out that composition notebooks filled with graph paper existed. According to my sister I am the only one that didn't know. Clearly I am out of touch haha. It got me thinking about how I need another graph paper notebook (please ignore the other 2....they each have different purposes). And a pretty cover, well that's just necessary :)

It turns out I got a staples brand notebook for $.99 so that was pretty awesome, and then I set about trying to figure out what kind of cover I would like. Obviously it has to make me happy all the time and be very inspiring and all that. And I had been wanting to make something with gray + rainbow colors because, well, I would say that is about as happy as it gets. And then it hit me. And then I tried to talk myself out of it because 35 HST blocks on something so small seemed crazy. And then I couldn't get it out of my head. So I made it.

And I love it. I just want to look at it all day! The scraps I used, well I'm almost embarrassed that I kept such small oddly shaped pieces (the leftovers from the bunting in the babes room), but obviously now I feel okay about it. I will say though, that I didn't even have big enough pieces to make the 3" squares I needed and ended up actually using FW templates to make my HSTs. But it was so worth it. I decided at the end to cut what I had left into 2" squares (that is correct, I didn't even have big enough pieces to get more than one 2.5" square out of each so I cut them smaller) so now I can make another one with those or something. I think I actually need to go through my scrap bin and cut all the small/weird shaped pieces into nice little squares that I could actually do something with.

front

back

inside flap

Anyway, that is my happy little notebook cover. I look forward to many happy years together :)

I am also done my summer sampler (yay!!!) and am just waiting for it to be all washed and dried all pretty-like so I can get some pictures (if it stops raining long enough). I must say my first FMQ experience went rather well and I am quite proud of myself. More on that tomorrow :)