craft time: DIY journal

i know i promised trip updates, but this is more important.

i just finished making my general conference journal for this weekend. i had to share it first... just in case you wanted to make one for yourself. i needed to give you time to make one :) see? more important. 

ok, i found this last week at one of my fave blogs: fox + hazel. isn't it so cute?? check out the full instructions on this bad boy right here.

photo credit to the lovely lady, torrie, at fox + hazel

she is using hers as a way to keep that healthy life style on track. mine is for general conference this week. i will most likely make one for every single one after this because a) they are the perfect size, b) i can have one for every conference and feel better organized and archived, and c) i am slightly obsessed. here's my version:

 

a couple things i did differently than the original:

• my envelope was too big, so i cut it and edged it as follows:
• i took 4 strips of paper 2in wide and  folded them in half. Then bordered my notebook by putting the edges of the envelope inside the fold and sewed around the edges like a hem.
• i also sewed on the piece of lace underneath the front side folded paper and around the edge.
• my title strips are sewn on, too.
• i used 15 sheets of graph paper and no washi tape {but if i had some, you best believe my notebook would have been covered!}.

as you can see, i get a real kick out of sewing on paper. i love the look of it.
hint: if you are going to be sewing paper, i suggest having a needle just for paper. paper will dull your needle just like it does your scissors. 

happy notebooking! and if you decide to make your own, send me any pictures or tag me on instagram! i would love to see.

xo

a craft to go with breakfast

i have something of a habit of wanting to make "beautiful" food. i never realized until my mother-in-law pointed it out to me last night. she said...

i'm not like you, i don't look at food and go 'oh how cute.'

true story. i do that. and even today, i was on my healthy pinboard looking for some meal ideas for the week and asked brock what he thought of the mexican haystacks.

'isn't it cute?'

that totally came out of my mouth. i just love food. i'm trying really hard to stay away from the delicious sugar.smothered, or fried.in.tons.butter, or just packed.with.amazing.things.i.should.never.eat. it's really hard because those things are so pretty! but healthy food is pretty, too! don't judge it just because it's good for you, ok? i have to try not to, so you should, too.

that all being said, i also love pretty dishes and pretty places. so i made some place-mats for our kitchen. i want to make tons and tons. but i just have one set for now. it was quite simple, once i got the dern thing cut {my fabric twisted a tad when i washed it and the stripes weren't straight. p.s. this was a test, you probably don't want twisting fabric for place-mats because you will wash them again and again}. i just hemmed up the edges and hand stitched a little on the corners. and ta-dah! sitting under the breakfast of champions. {will post later!}

what do ya think? si or no?
now i just have to say...
let's eat!