This journal was inspired by a fat quarter that I got for Christmas a couple of years ago.  My daughter loves giving me craft supplies for Christmas.  The cover is soft padded and quilted with french knots.  The handmade beads match the book perfectly because they are handmade from the left over fabric.  I kept adding more and more strings of beads over the front cover.  There are six long strings of beads hanging from the macrame knotting that ties the book together.

Zebra stripe beads cut from bead sticks look lovely when mixed with round wood beads.  Cut your bead sticks with a very sharp safety blade.  You can use a template or simply make a couple marks on a piece of paper to align the bead stick so you cut them all the same size.  My camera needs new batteries so this picture is a scanned image with a digital backgrouond texture added later.  But the idea is the same.

 

The time is drawiwng near when the boxes must be processes and shipped so I am working hard on getting as much done as I can.  No time to do journals these days.

Today I am working on making necklaces for the kids.  Almost 100 pieces of wonderful white cord was donated and the beauty is, each piece was the perfect length for making a little necklace.  I am stringing them all with my handmade fiber beads mixed with pony beads.  Two of my bead sticks gives me enough fiber beads to make one child's necklace.  They tie in a knot at the back and can be adjusted to any length.

I also have some rag dolls cut out that I will be donating to a fundraiser for the kids.  Hope to get them finished this weekend.

Thank you for stopping by my Artfire Studio Blog. I have just settled in, so be sure to check back soon for updates!