Sunday 5 July 2015

Little Friends. Mousy Mail Notepad Cover

An envelope, a pencil, a few stamps and a lovely note. "Patchwork, Please!" by Ayumi Takahashi inspired this little project. I was going to try out a smaller version of an envelope paper pieced block featured in this book before making something bigger. The envelope turned out really cute...


... so I had to use it somehow. It didn't take long before I knew what I was going to make. A cover for a notepad. For me. Selfish, I know, but I do need a cover for my notepad I make notes in for my stitching.


It was so enjoyable putting all these bits and pieces together. Choosing fabrics, making a few stamps, working on the simple embroidery, arranging it all together. I absolutely love how pink and red colours go together along with the linen, this combination makes me so happy and cheery.


It took me some time to draw that little paper airplane to get it right, for it to look like folded paper. It turned out alright. These little Mice friends are having a great time reading a book and laughing non-stop. I cannot wait to use more of that funny childish fabric. The "par avion sticker" was inspired by the new book "Sweetly Stitched Handmades" by Amy Sinibaldy of NanaCompany. Amy always has perfect ideas and a special touch when it comes to tiny details.


Instead of much loved labels, I attached a couple of stamps on the back side and added a tracing left behind by the little paper airplane. Nothing complicated, nothing fancy, just simple sweet elements that together turn a plain cover into a silly and lovely cartoon like picture.


Now scribbling notes, writing to do lists and sketching ideas in my notepad is even more enjoyable with this new cover. Do you use a project journal? Do you take notes on your ideas and things you make? I do, because I know that I easily get distracted with new ideas, or forget some important measurements or how something was made. As in the case with this cover - I just could not remember how I made the "panels" but luckily I found the notes I took in my journal. Happy note taking! Larisa xox

12 comments:

  1. This is so darling!!!! It combines a few of my favorite things like mice, stamps, and mail!! Sometimes selfish sewing is necessary. Beautiful work Larisa; I love all of the sweet details you have put into this project!!!

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    1. Thank you, Gina! These are all the things I love too. Even though I have a phobia of real mice, I absolutely love any kind of mousy toys, fabrics, pictures... It was an absolute pleasure to work on this project. :-)

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  2. Oh, this is such a sweet and lovely project, Larisa. Why shouldn't you make something for yourself, once in a while?

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    1. Thank you very much, Dina! I am so glad I decided to be a bit selfish, I enjoy this cover a lot. It makes me smile every time I pick it up. :-)

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  3. Oh my goodness, I think this is as cute as can be! I am an embroidery fanatic and I'm a new quilter and this project is one I will be attempting. So sweet!

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    1. Thank you very much, Nancy! It's a really easy project to work on, you don't need much quilting experience for this and you can add as many cute details as you like. I am really happy that my work inspired you to create something new. Thank you for visiting my blog! :-)

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  4. These are so cute! Absolutely lovely... And all the little details like the paper plain, just precious! :)

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    1. Thank you very much, Ann! Working on this project was almost like doodling on paper, adding one small element after another. So much fun! :-)

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  5. So pretty! What a great use of that envelope pattern! Love all the little details!

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    1. Thank you very much, Agnes! I love the envelope pattern, there are so many interesting possibilities for it.

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  6. I'm melting away! This is soo soo cute!

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    1. Thank you so much, Claudia, for your compliment! I still find myself smiling every time I use this notepad. It was such a fun project!

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