A sweet little note pad.

Kellie is a tree-hugging wife, mom to three, and late-night crafter. She blogs regularly at Greenhab and the Green Phone Booth.

I bought some of these teeny tiny little composition books during back-to-school time for $0.19 each. I knew I could find something crafty to do with them! These are going to make sweet little stocking stuffers. (Hopefully my mom isn't reading this!)

I started with a tiny comp notebook that was about 3" wide by 4" tall. Perfect size for the purse or car. I found a bunch of fabric sample squares at my local thrift store last month. This piece is 8x8". I used some ribbon so the user can tie it closed, but that isn't necessary. You might want to add some other little decorations to the front.



I cut the front fabric piece a little narrower than the width of the book, to allow the black spine to show, since it coordinated with my fabric. I cut it long enough to wrap around the bottom and create a pocket on the inside for business cards. You can really use your imagination on this and create it as you go!

Here I wrap the fabric around to the inside and press it with my finger so I know where the crease should be, then I removed it from the book and ironed it flat. I hemmed the bottom of the fabric (which would eventually be the top of the inside pocket).

Once that was done, I put the fabric in place and secured it with some binder clips. I did this to avoid the little holes that would be created by the pins I normally use when sewing. The binder clips held the fabric in place for the most part, but you just have to go slowly and make sure the fabric doesn't slide around.







You'll also want to add your ribbon at this point, before sewing. I slid mine in between the inside cover of the book and the pocket. You could sew it onto the outside and cover it up with a cute little button. Or you could use a piece of elastic, sew both ends in there, then use the elastic to wrap all the way around the book. Lots of ideas there!



Using a zig-zag stitch, I sewed all the way around. Then repeat on the back cover. I didn't make a back pocket.

When I got done I decided that the front looked too plain, so I sewed this little piece of canvas on and stamped my mom's name on it. You'll want to do that kind of thing before you sew the fabric onto the book, or you will see the stitching inside. (Lesson learned!)

This was such a quick and fun project. I'd like to do a patchwork version with some tiny little scraps I've been saving. The options are really endless.