Sketch Book

I hit Target today to see what kind of post-Valentine deals I could snag (I have a thing for hitting the 50% off sales that always follow holidays). I was hoping they would still have some of the vinyl placemats (that I had already picked up for full-price) on sale so I would not feel so guilty when I hacked them to bits. Lucky me found them barely out of sight on a top shelf. Brought them home and set the boys up with something to do and set to work creating this:

I thought I would be able to cut through the vinyl with my rotary cutter and quilting mat--not so much. So I had to resort to marking a line with a pen and cutting by hand--yikes! I cleaned up the edges a bit with my Purple Cow trimmer (oh how I love that trimmer). I alternated the inside pages between a heavy-weight watercolor paper (so I can use inks, pens, and paints) and graph paper which I love for drafting sketches so you can draw to scale. A quick punch with the Bind-it-All, and poof, a handmade journal that's durable enough to be tossed into a bag and carted everywhere inspiration may strike. Oh yeah, the front and back covers are made with the placemat, in case that wasn't clear.