When I make my journal covers, the outside is a unique little art quilt made with my hand dyed fabric, free-motion machine quilted with my “sketchy” style of quilting. Inside holds a 5″ x 7″ spiral bound notebook, lined for “scribbling” or unlined for “doodling” made by Ecojot. I’ve sewn a loop on the front to hold a pen/pencil, and there’s a pocket for business cards (inside front) and larger paper trapper pocket (inside back). An elastic keeps it all neat & tidy.

My “mini-doodles” are tiny sketchpads: they hold a 3″ x 4″, 50 page spiral bound sketchpad:

These will all be for sale this weekend at Red Dirt Art Festival!
I’m sharing this with Kim and friends here:
And Amy’s Sew & Tell too!

New Going Green Journals Finished is a post from: Candied Fabrics

I’ve been working hard at school, and trying to get my studio mojo back, as I’ve got a lot of making to do. When I need to make a lot of something, I do it assembly line style. In this case I’m making 11 scribblers and 11 mini-doodles, by Saturday if possible. (stop laughing!) At times like this, I often question my sanity, but sometime in the past few days, I took a look at my stacks of pieces:

I realized that:

1) I still love the patterns created by similar sized objects fanned out like this.

2) I still love my “warm colors” palette.

3) I still love my “cool colors” palette.

alamodestuff Linda has started a weekly meetup based on taking a moment each week to really notice something as you go about your daily grind life. I need to do this. You may want to too – read more about it here:

One Moment: Stacks is a post from: Candied Fabrics

There are many companies out there trying to leave the world a healthier place.  I wanted to tell you a bit about 2 that I have met and come to love through the blog-o-sphere.

1st up is Daisy Janie. I’ve written before about Jan, the beginning and end of all things Daisy Janie. She’s an amazing graphic designer, and has been in the forefront of organic fabric design. She’s gone from selling her designs digitally printed on organic goods directly to the public on her website and Etsy:

to offering her 1st wholesale collection, Geo Grand, which debuts in March (can that be just a couple of weeks away?)

What got me inspired to write to you today was she just blogged about passing up an awesome opportunity, because it meant forgoing one of her main focal points in her mission, to work with organic materials in order to lessen her impact on the environment. That surely is putting her money where her mouth is!

The other company I wanted to tell you about was Ecojot, a Canadian company that makes 100% post-consumer recycled paper products that are acid-free, processed chlorine free with bio-degradable inks & glues. No new trees are used to make the paper and the paper mill is powered by biogas harnessed from a nearby landfill!

They’re the company I chose to buy my journal inserts from when I started making my Going Green Journals:

Not only do they make beautiful products that are great for the environment, they’ve started this stupendous “Buy One, We Give One” campaign. It is the company’s new business model committed to directly advocate children’s arts and literacy in developing countries. In many poor areas young students cannot afford school supplies, nor are they provided them. In an effort to equip children in need with basic school supplies, ecojot will donate a notebook for every ecojot journal, jumbo journal and sketchbook purchased.

They’re also having a giveaway to get the word out for this campaign, so head on over and enter!

It is an honor and a privilege to know these companies, they inspire me to try my best to add to the earth, rather than take away from it, with my art!

Inspiration: Companies with a Conscience is a post from: Candied Fabrics

I also listed the 5 convertible clutches I made awhile back:

Now, with the bags, I’ve been listing them as a group, with a labeled photo to indicate the name of each item, and then when I sell one, I just change the text in the listing to indicate which are still for sale. Although I could have done that for the journals (all the warm color mini doodles in one listing, all the cool planners in another, etc…), I’m still not sure which way makes the one-of-a-kind, unique-and-not-to-be-repeated-ness of what I do more apparent. I know I’d love your opinion, dear blog reader!

Ultimately, I’m designing my own website so I can have more control over how things look when they’re for sale, and hopefully more closely illustrate my process to a prospective buyer, but I’ll probably always have an Etsy shop as well, populated with just some of what I do.

Anyway, speaking of the website, I’m going to work a little on that today, then take a look at my July list and see if I can get anything done on it!

Rest assured, you’ll be seeing Yellowstone pictures off & on for weeks!

Going Green Journals Posted! is a post from: Candied Fabrics

Yes! This is stacks and stacks of new “Going Green Journal Covers!” Finished JUST IN TIME to pack up and take to Idaho, for my 1st out-of state trunk show! How many altogether? 30!, 15 in a warm set of colors and 15 in a cool set. If I ever tell you again that I’m going to make 30 of something all together, all at once – SLAP ME up the side of the HEAD! Seriously, it’s easier to do the same step over & over again – but when you’re doing that step 30 times, it goes quite slowly. SO, when you’re trying to keep some out of school boys occupied, attend and photograph several important concerts, and get ready for a camping vacation – it’s a bit UNNERVING!

Anyway, here’s a few more photos (do you like the name of this line?)

And more will be up in the Flickr site group.

And now – we’re off to Idaho and Yellowstone. I SHOULD have some connectivity in Idaho, so I hope I can pop in up there, but then – HORRORS – no internet for – over a WEEK!!!??? Help! Wish me luck!

30 Journals finished…Off to Vacation! is a post from: Candied Fabrics