Stitched Embellished Postcards and Notebooks

With social media the art of putting pen to paper seems to be long forgotten. Receiving a letter is a real treat and something to keep forever, especially if you can see that time and effort has been spent in making it. Embellish your own postcards then enclose in colourful envelopes tied with ribbon. For a special gift, jazz up a plain notebook with a matching decorated cover.

Essentials

Thread, stranded cotton, DMC: purple (553); orange (608); pink (917); black (310); red (326)
AC cardstack, Brights, American Crafts, heavyweight card, 216gsm/80lb, textured
Buttons, vintage: purple; orange; pink; red
Ribbons, matching
Notebook, A6
Paper, cartridge
Postage stamps, 80 collectable birds
Stitch piercer, Sew Easy: zig zag; blanket; lazy daisy
Mat, piercing, Sew Easy
Comic annual, vintage
Sizzix Big Shot
Die, Tim Holtz Alterations (657188), Sizzix
Glue, all-purpose
Tape, double-sided
Knitting needle

Cover a notebook

Measure the cover of an A6 notebook and add 2mm to all of the sides. Cut out cartridge paper to this size. As per the template, mark where the spine of the book is and make grooves with a knitting needle so that the cartridge paper will bend easily.
Start to arrange pink and purple coloured postage stamps onto the cartridge paper in a pattern. Using a Sizzix Big Shot die, c labels from the pages of a vintage annual. Play with the positioning of the labels and stamps, then glue into place. Arrange a mix of matching vintage buttons on top of these and mark their positions, but do not sew on just yet.
Lay the notebook cover on top of a piercing mat. Using firm pressure, roll a Sew Easy tool over the cartridge paper, creating little holes. If it doesn’t go straight through, use a pin to finish off the holes. Use a zig zag head on the two sides of the cover and a straight stitch head up the spine as shown, then using two.