de K O rate: here's to an arty new year

i never make new year resolutions but after 2011, which was a year of great plans and little action, i decided to make a list of resolutions for 2012. i’m not sure how or if i’ll achieve all the goals i’ve set myself but it’s worth a try. my list reads (in no specific order):

1. SAVE! SAVE! SAVE!

2. arrange an island holiday for 2013

3. back-up and organise all music and photo files (sounds simple but this was not done for the whole of 2011 and possibly 2010)

4. art journal once a week (per Rachel and Elsie's Art Journal All Year E Course)

5. get skirting boards for my house (this has been a plan since October 2009)

6. update family photos around the house (this has also been on the cards since 2010)

7. try harder to get friends to visit me in Singleton (not fun for them, but fun for me)

8. visit the Hunter Valley Wine Region more often (it’s only 20minutes away!!!)

9. EXERCISE! EXERCISE! EXERCISE!

i’m in the process of completing item 6. i've selected the pics and saved them to a USB, now i just need to print and frame them...

i've had 3 friends come to my home town in the last 2 weeks so item 7 is off to a good start.

item 4 is going well also. i've completed my first journal entry. its on recent day dreams which for me have largely been about the beach, relaxing and the idea of having a more chilled lifestyle which ideally feels more like a permanent holiday. i did say it was a journal entry on "dreams"...

my friend's Amy and Mel are also creating an art journal so they will help with my motivation to keep at it when i find excuses not to.

today i decided to keep my journal looking pretty for when i leave it lying around my house. i decided to make a book cover (as suggested by Amy).

here's how i made my fabric sleeve for my journal...

supplies:

1. A4 diary/or other book 2. fabric 3. iron on facing 4. scissors 5. sewing machine 6. thread 7. overlocker

instructions:

1. cut the iron on facing to the exact size of the A4 book (size when fully opened) 2. cut the fabric with approx. 2cm overhang at the top and bottom and approx. 4-5cm overhang at each side of the book 3. hem all 4 sides of the fabric with approx. 1cm hem 4. iron on facing to fabric (centre) 5. using the overlocker stitch the long edges ensuring you fold over a sleeve for the book cover to fit (see pictures - make sure you measure before you sew)

NOTE: i also attached a heart to the cover using a zigzag stitch.