Chicken Scratches - Journal and Tote

A journal and/or tote seems to be my gift of choice these days. My friend Shannon celebrated a significant birthday this summer, and I wanted to make her something to commemorate the occasion. She has a bit of a quirk: she loves chickens. So who better to make something for with this fabric????

I lined it with a funky rainbow fabric. In essence, the bag is reversible, though inside out you can see the seam where I sealed the lining after "birthing the bag."

Of course, I also had to make her a matching journal, which I entitled, "Shannon's Chicken Scratches." Silly me -- I forgot to take a close-up of just the journal. But here it is with the tote:

See that little flower on the journal in the stitched square? Guess what it's made from! Can't figure it out? It's the bottom of a plastic egg carton compartment! We use egg cartons as paint holders, and when I noticed a dried one upside down, I couldn't bring myself to throw it out -- it was too pretty :) (Insert DH's guffaw ;) So I turned it into a flower :)


Have you made any gifts lately?
Have you taken trash and made it into a little treasure?


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