Two-Hour Coworker Gift

Another coworker is seeking greener pastures and her last day is Wednesday. Tomorrow we're taking her out to lunch and, keeping with my new tradition of handmade presents, I wanted to make her a little going-away gift.

Since we're in PR, we go through a lot of notebooks. Most of us use those ugly composition books -- with the garish blue, red, green, purple, or black covers. I have six of them on my desk -- all for different clients and projects.

Anyway, several weeks ago I saw a pattern for making cloth covers for composition books. Just a few days later, I found a stash of composition notebooks in the basement that Shawn had bought at Target on clearance for 26 cents each!

Of course, I forgot which blog I saw them on so tonight I decided to make my own pattern and hope for the best. All in all, it turned out pretty well! And I sewed enough fabric strips together to make another one.

 Here's the front inside cover. I used a scrap piece of fabric to make a fun pocket for pens and business cards.

And this is what the front and the back of the notebook look like. Pretty fabrics, don't you think? The best part is that when she uses all the paper in this notebook, she can recycle it and insert a fresh one!

In other news, I had a great lunch with one of my coworkers who made me an interesting offer. More on that later, if it all works out.

Let's see, what else? There was no school today but I enrolled Mazy in after-school care program that offers full-day care on holidays and school breaks. I usually stay home with him, but we were just home together for a week. Today they visited the Salisbury House -- he really enjoyed it. He wants to go back soon with his museum journaling book.I haven't been there for over 20 years, so I'd like to visit again in the spring to see the gardens. Incidentally, it was featured on The Antiques Roadshow tonight! It was the second of three Des Moines episodes.

We're planning a short spring break getaway to Overland Park, KS, to visit my sister and her family in mid-March. I'm hoping to drive down after work on a Thursday night and stay until Sunday, or maybe even Monday morning. I think my parents might be going too, and Shawn is deciding whether he will go with us or stay home and have a weekend to himself. Personally, I'm trying to talk him into staying home and enlisting his nephews to help him do home improvement projects!

And speaking of weekends to yourself, the annual scrapbooking weekend at Camp Sunnyside in Ankeny is this weekend! I can't wait!! This is the third year that Mom and I are going for all three days (Friday through Sunday). It's so much fun and I always gets lots of scrapbooks made and updated. And I save my birthday money so I can buy new papers and stickers and other cool scrapbooking things!

All right, time to put in another load of laundry. The cold weather is back and I  had to wear a coat again today.. But it sure was nice while the sunshine lasted!