Midori Travelers Notebook Santa Style

I am very busy. At least, that is what's on the cover of my pink listy notebook I keep on my desk at home (see it right here)...and it's true! I haven't even had time lately to put new lists in it. (sad for a listy girl like me) But, last year, I had started stitching up Midori Traveler's style notebooks, and by the time I sold some of them, it was after the holidays, so I still had SantaDori in my stash. Although I love the upcycled Coach leather Midori I made, it was really fun to switch over to this Christmas theme for the month. 
 See how I upcycled an old leather handbag into a Midori notebook

 One of my favorite things about this large fabric Cahier-size Midori is how I stitched the inside with white felt lining, a cute pocket, a heart diecut from the fabric, and a Christmas tree pin. I had made a lot of those Christmas pins the year before out of felt, and so I just stuck one in there. So cute. At the time, the plan was to make a lot of SantaDori's and use up all those Christmas tree pins. Sigh. Maybe next year.

I'm on the go right now with work and a show I'm in (9 to 5 The Musical), so this notebook is fully loaded and keeping me sane. It has two six-month planners, a list book with every list I need for every thing, a folder packed with diecuts and scraps, a dashboard I made to keep extra posties and washi, a business book with plans and ideas, and a verse and phrase art journal to play in. Plus I have extra Ink Joy gel pens hooked on the side there--I really love those gel pens they've come out with.

Playing in my art journal phrase/verse book

Does this Midori stay with me at all times. Oh yes. Is it like a personal assistant? Definitely! Plus, if I have a little downtime, I've got art supplies.

I love my sugarplum fairy Nutcracker charm on the spine.

And, I have a home for my cute DIY decorative paperclips. They really come in handy here.

Because this Midori has a pen loop stitched on, I can just clip on a few binder clips to also carry around the extra gel pens, and keep my Smashbook marker/glue pen in the loop.

Most crafters probably have all the supplies they need to stitch up a Midori style notebook, in whatever size you wish. Then, load it up with everything you need!

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch

WOYWW 391 - Singing, Dancing, Crafting

Happy What's-on-your-Workdesk-Wednesday lovelies! Just click on that link if you're mystified.

My desk is full of happy place goodness, like my birthday mug from darling nephew, my listy pad with lots of shopping lists, my cross-stitch and even that kitty pen. I love that kitty pen. And being super busy with work and rehearsals for the musical 9 to 5, I am just having a ball. Now, you would think I'd be dog tired all the time (at 56 I'm even older than Jan!!)--but energy seems to promote more energy! I do have to get my sleep though, take my vitamins, use my cool mist essential oil humidifier, totally limit night time carbs, and drink plenty of water. Hello! High maintenance! But that's okay. The only cookies for me are apparently here on blogger where they have a notice up about telling my European friends we have cookies. But trust me, they are not chocolate chip.

I have experienced more desk delight lately because of this amazing thing--one of those multi-pocket tote organizers. I picked up two on sale for half-price, and they've change my life, oh yeh. This one carries the brunt of my messy deskness. It's just packed with things that I like to keep out and about and in view, but they are all organized, including some rings of washi tape hanging on a ring on the tote. That tote thinks of everything. I love her. I even have a Hello Kitty flashdrive hanging there! And of course, that's my new glue gun--remember, the one that is cordless AND has a light! I am notorious for actually losing glue guns. So that baby is in sight at all times.

To the left is multi-pocket organizing craft tote no. 2. This is my bible-art-journaling tote. So it is packed with all of those supplies. I can just carry it to the coffee table if I want to hang out there and journal, I can take it to bed and journal with my lap desk, or even to my sunroom. The Reset Girl on Youtube is responsible for this, and I love her. She even took one of those craft totes on a plane. So, I'm pretty sure I could take this anywhere I'm going to be camped out for a while and want something creative to do. It is heavy though--it has so many pockets inside and out, that you have no problem stuffing in your markers, ink pads, stamps, planners, journals, bibles, and little makeup bags to organize your ephemera, stickers and embellishments. LOVE!!!

 And check me out--it is the last room of the 12-month dollhouse cross-stitch!!! It is almost complete. It's the garage, and I still have another thing to stitch on the shelf, and some outlining to do. Woo hoo!

Right now we are rehearsing 9 to 5 The Musical on the fourth floor of our Little Theatre (and by the way, there is NO elevator). It was renovated from some major grants, and I just love touches like this where they have painted on some motivation. So cute. Here's where I am A LOT right now.

Happy Wednesday! I'm off to visit the WOYWW village!

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch

WOYWW 389--Bible Journaling Tote

Well things have just been a whirlwind ever since I turned 56 last week! Happy What's-On-Your-Workdesk-Wednesday lovelies.

And I offer this half-blurry photo for my quick post today taken early this morning. This is my beloved bible/art journaling tote I put together a couple of weeks ago. It is to keep all my journaling supplies together, lug around the house if I want to, and I can't believe how much I love this. And thank goodness I did it. Because the next week, I suddenly auditioned for a musical, 9 to 5 the Musical. The music and lyrics were written by Dolly Pardon, and it is, of course, based on the movie 9 to 5 which I always loved, and I got a great role! I am loving rehearsals and all the singing and the dancing, and really all the music in this show is fantastic. But I also work, I craft, I sing in the church choir. So keeping up my energy is job one right now.

I find though, that having at least this much of my art supplies together and organized has made all the difference. And in my "theatre rehearsal bag" I can just grab my Midori, and one of the little bags in this tote that has the real on-the-go things like markers, washi tape, and a few stamps and then I also throw in my knitting and *boom* I've got things to do at rehearsal when I'm not on. Woo hoo!

But I still plan to do a blog about my whole journaling tote here when I have a minute--so it's coming soon!

Happy Wednesday!

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch

Golden planner...bits and bobs WOYWW 387

Happy Wednesday lovely! I'm popping in very quickly so I have time for visitation! As you can see, I've been fiddling with my new personal planner from Recollections--picked up on sale and with a coupon of course. Michaels now has a hugey selection of planners and planner accessories just in. I still love my planner in my Midori, but I wanted a personal size ring binder planner for my bible journaling tote. It is dedicated to things like bible study notes, thankful lists, inspiring clippings, and anything to do with creative bible journaling. So to start putting it together I got a gold foil Christmas paper pack to help decorate behind the dividers and in the pockets, etc. So fun!

Also scattered on this Wednesday morning's fresh photo is Halloween stickers that were completely marked down, some essential oils I got on sale--loving my oil diffuser humidifier--my coffee, and a kitty pen! I just picked that up at the At Home store at checkout, I had to have that cute pen. Oh my goodness.

 Just finishing the last of the outlining in the November room (the kitchen) of the cross-stitch dollhouse. Coming up is the last room--the garage! Have a wonderful week.

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch

In Love with Bible Journaling--WOYWW 386

Happy Wednesday lovely! I hope you are in your happy place. This is mine, and it's even happier with this new cordless glue gun I found at Hobby Lobby! Used a coupon, and was completely delighted the first time I used it and realized it also has a light on it. What!! No cord AND a light? I didn't even know they put lights on glue guns now. So yes, we are in love. I'm doing a page in my bible journal notebook. I also have an actual journaling bible and I'm really enjoying it.

My bible journaling tote

I picked up a craft tote on sale half price, from Paper Studio, at Hobby Lobby, and thanks to inspiration from The Reset Girl on YouTube, I have a dedicated bible journaling tote. It also hold other kinds of journaling. Having my bible journaling supplies, my bibles, notebooks, stamps, stencils, paints, markers, everything all together in one place actually causes me to sit down and do it! I can take it out on the sunporch, take it in the car, I'm amazed. Why didn't I think of this long ago! And I just purchased some downloadable digital art from Illustrated Faith, and getting ready to have fun with that. It's all printed out. And the great thing is, I can print it out as many times as I want.

And, while I'm on a roll, I have a new little ultrasonic cool mist oil diffuser that sits on my craft table. I love having one, it's awesome, it even changes colors, and again, why didn't I get an oil diffuser long ago! My favorite daytime scent combo is lemongrass and peppermint. I feel happy and more energized. I think it works! In fact, I'm finishing the November room in the dollhouse cross-stitch! Not long ago I was behind by two months. But I really loved stitching this little kitchen. So, I should be done with the December room by my birthday! (Nov. 10) That would be cool. I may go back after I'm done, and stitch a couple of my favorite rooms to be little individual pieces to frame.

And lastly, I found the cutest little mini stapler, and I love this little thing, it is very sturdy. I keep another mini stapler I like in the bible journaling tote, so I got this one to just sit on the craft desk, and it even has the little page flag dispenser on top. Cute!

So, after I grab another cuppa coffee, I'll hop around the WOYWW neighborhood for a visit. Cheers and happy Wednesday!

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch

My New Desk Organization Companion--Craft Tote Bliss Part One

Week after week...messy desktop after messy desktop...constantly wondering why can't I keep this place tidy so I'll feel more creative...what's my problem.
Well, now I know thanks to a half-price craft tote sale at Hobby Lobby. I was always drawn to these totes, but in the back of my mind I thought, what would I really do with all those pockets, nooks and crannies and they'd most likely end up being tossed aside, OR cause me to buy craft supplies I don't really need to fill up those pockets!

Oh no, no, no, mademoiselle. Oh contraire. They solved two big craft desk organization problems!

Let me say first, it's one thing to actually have a project spread out...but it's another to constantly have my piles and ongoing mess!

Problem One: I am always working on more than one project, and I don't want to let one get buried, forget what I was doing with it, and it ends up in the UFO bin. So it's in a pile on the desk.
Problem Two: If I really put things away, completely out of my sight, then they tend to stay there. For years possibly. I forget about them and don't use them. That is a craft tragedy in my mind. So I tend to let those things hang around on my desktop somewhere, knowing that at least I'll see them all the time. But then, you know, things get piled up.

What the craft tote does: All the stuff that I like to use all the time is upright, visible, yet organized in the craft tote. It even has a sturdy ring to hang my washi rings on! I love that. And, although it is loaded up and very heavy, it has super sturdy handles, so I can move this thing around the craft room. I can change out what I want in it, and basically it is my messy desktop all organized and extremely handy without taking up all that valuable real estate on the desk. It is now housing little patterned paper pads I want to use soon, the cropadile, favorite pens and markers, my new cordless glue gun (go me), things that tend to go in and out of my purse and lay on my desktop, my planner, stencils, stamps, ink pads, favorite scissors, and my awesome mini stapler.

And this Paper Studio Craft Tote is still not completely full. It has interior pockets within the compartments, so I can stuff receipts in there, mail, a package of ephemera I don't want to open yet but don't want to lose track of, and my extra Midori goodies I'm working on.

I could also stick my current stitching project in here, but I actually rescued a smaller, old craft tote and have deemed it my current stitching project tote--I was on a roll. And now my desk is happy.

Just my big to-do listy book I was writing in, and a cuppa.
And if you've made it all the way down here...here's what NOT to buy at Hobby Lobby.

Isn't it adorable! A little portable office. DON'T buy it. It promised that it came with a hole punch. There's no hole punch in here. Then, I tried to load the stapler and it immediately broke. *sigh* I'm going to take it back. And anyway, I have a cute mini stapler from Office Depot that works fantastic. I don't even know why I bought this--I was sucked in by the cuteness.

Later this week I'll post my Craft Tote Bliss Part Two--what really started all of this. My bible journaling tote! It's the same tote by Paper Studio in a different color, and it is now home to all my wonderful bible journaling goodies that I can carry around the house, move from table to desk, or take in my car. I'll break it all down for you on how I put mine together and why on Thursday.

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch

Crafting in the Cosmetics Aisle...a little Tuesday tip

This is a little reminder that you don't have to shop at the craft stores for everything in your crafty corner of life. I happen to love all the new rose gold that's been appearing everywhere. And I needed a little embroidery bag to throw in my work bag every day. BUT...I really wanted one with rose gold hardware. It just makes me happy.

I was in the cosmetics aisle, though, not the craft store, and I found a whole new inexpensive line of cosmetics bags from Flower Beauty--the new brand by Drew Barrymore. The best thing, besides the price, is the gorgeous oversized rose gold zipper pulls and hardware! So cute. I just picked up this little one for now, and then right there in the same aisle, I found rose gold stork scissors! What?!? As someone who threads a needle every day, I love my little gold stork scissors. But these rose gold stork scissors are adorable. They're meant to be brow trimmers, but now they are repurposed as another pair of embroidery scissors, plus they look cute in this bag. Boom!

It's just those little daily things that can bring us extra joy--so why not find what you like and repurpose it! After all, my favorite travel craft bag is an Orla Kiely diaper bag! And I left the actual diaper bags years far behind me! But let me tell you, nothing has more pockets or is built more sturdy than a diaper bag. Makes you rethink what you need and where you shop for it!

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch

The Coffee Keeps Pouring the Floss Keeps Flying--WOYWW 383

Happiest of Wednesdays Lovely! It's What's-On-Your-Workdesk-Wednesday I have a friend who calls his wife "Lovely-Lovely" and so that's what we all call her! But we're lovelies too.

Anyhoo...yep...I'm drinking coffee and cross-stitching. I'm obsessed with this dollhouse cross-stitch. But at least I've arrived in the October room right on time. What you see there is the September room, the first room on the first floor, but it is a double room because it has the dining room part in it which is the October room. I am well into the dining room now, because this was yesterday, and I can't wait to do the cute kitchen! Oh my goodness.

Too bad I also have to work, do laundry, chores, cook, clean, feed cats...I swear I'm just in a mood to hole up and stitch and watch Netflix! 

Oh I won a happy mail prize by the way! Just a box of $25 of random craft supplies from Factory Direct Craft. There is a lot of fun stuff in there too.

Happy Wednesday!

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch

A Little Tuesday Tip for Cross-Stitchers

If you have long used the Stitchbow system of keeping your DMC floss, then no doubt you have lost labels! So many times my DMC labels just pop right off when I don't notice, and then I really have to track down what color I've got on there!

But see the one in the middle? Yep, that's pink washi tape. It wraps around there easily and I just write the DMC number and wallah...it doesn't fall off! I think I'll eventually have all the ones I'm using right now relabled this way. And the washi tape is cute, you could color code it for different projects you have going on, and as long as it's a light color you can easily write on it.

Just a little Tuesday tip!

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch

Midori by the Sea -- WOYWW 382

Happy Wednesday Lovely. Join us at What's-On-Your-Workdesk-Wednesday.

What is a desk anyway? It's the place where you are camped out getting something done, creating, pondering, browsing...all of the above. Right? So while I couldn't...sadly...camp out by the sea, I made my desk, at least for an hour, by a big fountain. This is why they call this thing a Midori traveler's notebook. It travels, with lots-o-notebooks inside! I was doodling things into my planner, and listing things in my listbook and having a happy ole time in a world surrounded by iphones.

I have to say though, there's really nothing wrong with being on your phone. It connects you with the world! Being able to check on my business, my family, and my friends remotely--amazing. But I also need pretty paper and stitching time.

It's good to get away from your regular desk sometimes, especially when the weather is gorgeous. I also have to share, I've made it, finally, to the first floor of the cross-stitch dollhouse. Woo hoo!

Four rooms to go before the end of the year. This is the start of the living room. The last room to stitch will be the garage. My nephews will love that I'm cross-stitching a car!

I leave you with the other sight I see everywhere right now. It's pumpkin time in the Ozarks! And I need those mums in my life. Have a beautiful week.

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch

♥Why You Should Dance Every Day♥

I started going to a new church recently. Love this church. Anyway, each Sunday we happened to sit in front of a beautiful elderly lady sitting alone. There was something just, I don't know, sparkly about her. I was very drawn to her and she always noticed us each week and let us know that she looked forward to seeing us the next Sunday. Her husband sang in the choir, so she sat alone until he joined her in the service.

One Sunday he sang special music, and she was so proud. She patted me on the shoulder to tell me, several times during the service, that he was going to sing.

The next Sunday I told her what a great job he did, and that I too used to sing in a choir. She remembered this and mentioned it the next time I saw her.

I was thinking about her this week and looking forward to seeing her sparkling little face. She's a tiny thing. But then I found out that last Sunday, after she took my hand and I told her goodbye and told her to have a beautiful day, she had fallen later that day and broke her hip. She died this week from complications of that fall.

I was completely shocked that someone so special was gone so quickly after I met her. But then, from people that know her well, I found out so many amazing things about her. First, she had extreme dementia. I thought she might, but, she remembered my husband and I week after week. Then I learned she used to jitterbug, and did it so well she won contests. I knew there was something special about her, because I love dancing, and dancers and all of it. She had a dancer's heart. I knew it.

While I can't share all the personal things in her life, like how she even served in the war in a special way, it amazes me because I didn't even need to know any of it to see her sparkling, shining beautiful spirit. It all just came through loud and clear in her eyes and her smile and I now know I had the privilege of meeting an amazing, talented, brave woman for the last few weeks of her time here on the planet. This was some special timing, because I almost missed her.

I know there's no wheelchair with her now in her heavenly realm, and she is jitterbugging to her heart's content. So, I will keep dancing, while I can, at all, even if it's in the kitchen to the radio. You hear that Justin Timberlake? Old ladies like me dance to your music, because it's good for the soul, it's important, and now's the time to take a breath, kick off your shoes, and dance. Right Edith?

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch, Dance 

All I Need Is Coffee and Cross-Stitch...WOYWW 381

Happy Wednesday Lovely!

Visit a bunch of random Wednesday desks from crafters all over the world right here at What's-On-Your-Workdesk-Wednesday. Madam Julia just keeps this party going week after week...even if she's having brain surgery, literally, and we just let her because 1-We're nosy about desks 2-We have friends across the planet we would have never known existed if it weren't for Julia so...3-The global crafting community becomes like living in a little crafty village when you come to this blog party. It just makes your week brighter. Somebody needs to make a movie about us! I'll write the screenplay Julia!

I loved stitching the second floor sunroom--so cute

Anyhoo...my desk is coffee and cross-stitch. See...I knew it...this is why I don't do big cross-stitch projects anymore because they take over my life at some point and then I'm not doing other things I wanted to get to. I've barely finished the August room in the dollhouse, and now I'm finally on the first floor! BUT...and that's a big but (not mine)...I need to get into production mode for the Christmas craft sale things I want to make. I'm like a craft hamster on a wheel.  Oooh...that reminds me of when darling daughter was little and we had hamsters and were told we were buying two females and one day I opened the top of their cage and there were 12 hamster babies that looked like little aliens! Pardon my reminiscing. Good times at our house.

Swing over to the left and here's my busy box which holds things that would normally scatter everywhere, and on top is the cross-stitch and my DMC floss. I had just unhooped it after finishing the third and second floors.

See that cute little zipper bag? I need to stitch about a dozen more of those!

And I have to share the cutest wooden stamps I got in the Target dollar spot. A set of four stamps for a buck...I love them!

One of these Wednesdays I'm going to do one of my "complete desk tours" and make it to every desk in the WOYWW village! Will it be this week? We'll see.

Have a beautiful day.

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch

A look at the whole second and third floor done! Wrinkled and stained from dragging it with me everywhere.

Brown Sugar Breakfast Cake - Just Add Coffee and a Smile

I'll admit it. We like this cake for breakfast as much as any coffee cake, thus the name. Oh so good with a warm mug of coffee! But it is suitable as dessert after dinner, birthday cake, even a groom's cake. It's so easy to make, and besides, I promised my crafty peeps this week during our weekly craft desk blog hop that I'd post it. So here's the recipe--ripped out of some magazine long ago and tweaked over time.

Brown Sugar Breakfast Cake
 INGREDIENTS
**********
4 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup oil
2/3 cup water
any yellow cake mix
1 small package vanilla instant pudding
1 cup packed brown sugar
powdered sugar to sprinkle on top later

DIRECTIONS
Put all the ingredients in your mixer, mix on slow and then mix well on medium for two minutes. Grease a bundt pan and pour the mix in. Bake for one hour at 350 degrees. Let the cake cool in the pan for twenty minutes, loosen the sides and and invert it onto a cooling rack to completely cool. Sprinkle the top generously with powdered sugar. Yum!

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch 

 
 

WOYWW 380--Oh dear she's having her cake and eating it too

YES. That's cake on my desk with my coffee in the morning light. Oh dear. Has it come to this? I'm so busy I have to eat cake for breakfast? Well, twist my arm. Because it's brown sugar cake, and it's pretty good for breakfast! (Let me know if you'd like me to post the recipe--very easy.)
Anyhoo. Happy What's-On-Your-Workdesk-Wednesday lovelies. It's number 380! And Julia's planning a crop. Wish I could cross the pond and go. *sigh* I'd drop everything.

second floor sunroom

I'm cross-stitching, getting the dollhouse caught up--I wanted to stitch a room a month this year and I'm almost done with the August room. Woo hoo! (Hello, it's September) See, this is why I don't do large patterns anymore--they take a year. But I dearly love this dollhouse. 
I actually have a dollhouse, and I've decorated it with patterned paper on the walls--meant for scrapbooking--I've stamped in it and on it, and I even have furniture from my childhood in it, so it's pretty special to me, and I couldn't pass up this cross-stitch house. Hey, here's a link to when I blogged about my dollhouse and you can see if you fancy it. I created a craft room in it--so it's not for a little girl, it's for me!
The Scrapbook Dollhouse Project

And this photo is for Jan and Julia because they know how I am rubbish at crochet and everything turns into a circle! But I found a youtuber who finally taught me what I was doing, and I made a headband. Woo hoo!

So see why I eat cake in the morning? I need lots of energy to cross-stitch, crochet, and do the business of daily life. I also like to find time to write, and I may be joining choir soon.

Oh dear.

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch

Cuppa Washi

Reminder: Your self-worth has nothing to do with your bank account. It has nothing to do with the size of your house, how big your crafty stash is, or carrying a designer bag.

Crossbody from Charming Charlie

Speaking of bags--I'm a bag lover--a bag is a bag is a bag. In fact, lately, I really prefer the gorgeous variety and well-made bags at amazingly thrifty prices at Charming Charlie. Beautiful colors, vegan leather and gorgeous hardware that stays shiny for a long time. Shiny! And my favorite tote bag? The one my friend Jan made for me! She lives across the ocean, and made the cutest ever tote bag from fabric that makes me feel like it's spring.

All that being said, I am on a no-spend until Christmas shopping time. One of the things that makes me happy is shopping my own closet, shopping my own stash, and looking at things in a whole new way. Like this cuppa washi I created.

That was a stack of washi I got for less than three bucks at TJMaxx and instead of putting it on a ring, like I usually do, I displayed it on my desk in a cup--very handy as I use washi for everything. Cuppa washi for me....love it. My friend Susan used to own a pottery painting shop, and my daughter and I loved to go there, pick out a piece of pottery and sit and paint. I also went to a few girl parties there where we relaxed, brought appetizers, chatted and painted. So fun. When Susan was moving and selling the business, she gave me a couple of things that she herself, a very talented artist, had painted, and one of them was this lemonade cup. I've now had it for years. You can find new inspiration and new ways to display things from all kinds of things around your house and having a few sentimental things on your desk that bring back happy times is delightful. You don't have to go buy something.

Shop your stash, rearrange, and reinspire yourself.

Rings of wash in my beautiful box.

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch