I found oodles of glass beads on clearance last summer and since I don't make jewelry I decided to make these beaded bookmarks (thongs).






This is the flattest book I could find that would scan. The scanner doesn't do them justice, really!

Using thin crochet thread/yarn, I took 9 pretty long lengths of it (24 inches maybe).
Knot one end together about 4 inches from the end.
Brade the 9 strands until you have a good book length (use a standard hardcover or paperback as a guide) and knot this end.
Using watered down glue, rub each of the ends of the 9 strands and let them dry, this will stiffen it for beading.
add beads to at least 6 strands of thread, knot the ends and add a drop of glue to be safe.

I gave these as Christmas gifts last year and sold some at a fair. They package nicely in little velvet or shimmerey cloth  bags. They were a big hit, especially among my big time reader friends.

Here a few of my tiny treasures.
I had to scan them because my camera died last night
::sniff sniff::




I started making these as a more interesting way to give money gifts than just a card. Kids really like these especially when you make a bunch of them in graduated sizes and nest them together.
The ones in my photo are home to my marble magnets. They hold 3 perfectly snug. (I slide a piece of a cut aol tin inside the box base to hold them in)  For this size I started with 2 pieces of decorative paper; 1-  4 1/2 inches square for the cover and the other is 4 1/4 inch square for the inside.
The directions are here:

http://images.scrippsweb.com/HGTV/2003/07/29/cds1411top.pdf

http://images.scrippsweb.com/HGTV/2003/07/29/cds1411bottom.pdf

They are super simple to make once you get the hang of it and you can make them any size. My 9 year old daughter is addicted to making them!

I was inspired!
I whipped these girly composition book covers this morning. (the date on my camera lies) My 3 young daughters just love them.
I am in a first-time relationship with my new sewing machine so let's all pretend like my button and pockets are straight and that my stitching is fabulous. I'll get this sewing thing yet!
Anyway, I made a pattern by covering the book with a brown paper bag and using that. As for the pockets... I just slapped 'em on.



I'm not sure if they show up but I put in some of my handmade micro-beaded pens in the pockets.

These are lovely. I especially like the first necklace.
I wish you luck supporting yor habit!

A sticker machine sounds like so much fun! I don't know if it would be an economical way of making collages though.

Yep, you're right. I was thinking more for the smaller pieces I guess. I am soooooo cheap with my sticker machine, I stress out about using up all my "sticky" stuff.
I think copies of your collages would look great as journal or notebook covers.

Really nice!
What do you do with them when you are done?
I'm wondering how rubber cement behaves longterm, does it crack or discolor paper?
I bought myself a xyron (sp?) sticker machine thing and I don't know how I lived without it before. Sometimes I use a bit of repositionable tape before I stick something for good.
Keep on collaging, they look great.

Everyone's marble magnets are cool!
I figured this would be a good place to tell my idea...
4 years ago I made a gift for my daughter's kindergarten teacher. I made copies of the class picture and put every kid's head in a glass marble. I sealed the back real well (I don't remember what product I used) and set them in a stepping stone. I proceeded to write a message in the conrete material and added some colored glass marbles and charms. I was worried that the photos wouldn't hold up in the concrete but 4 years later the teacher tells me that they still look good. She keeps it outside in her garden all summer (in a more dry area) and brings it in the garage during the winter. She also told me that it was one of the more thoughtful gifts she's ever received from a class.

Hi there!
I saw this cool project on HGTV a while back and even made one with leftover velvet that I had on hand. I gave it to my sister for her birthday and she loved it.
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/crafting/article/0,1789,HGTV_3352_1399724,00.html
Good luck.

I'm on the east coast and I get lots of blank books at the Christmas Tree Shop. They have all kinds; bound, spiral, big, small and are usually only $1.00 each. I keep a supply and decorate them as needed for gifts.
Good luck with your search and post pictures when you make some.

Nice idea!
I think that it would make a nice gift for a new mom or grandma; decorate it with baby girl/boy things and they can stuff it with pictures and carry it in a purse.
I think it would be a nice way to save photos and things from any special occasion (vacation, wedding, kids camp, recitals, etc..). It takes up very little room and you have all your memories in a neat and tidy package.