Valentine's Sandals

Valentine weighed in at 4 lb. 9 oz at birth. Full term. Soaking wet. We discovered it runs in the Burmese side of the family. Needless to say, she may be 7 1/2 months old, but her clothes are still 3-6 mo. And she still wears newborn shoes.

It's a real pill to spend $15 on shoes made of fabric, that she'll maybe wear for a few more minutes. So, in the interest of making something unique and well-fitted for Easter, I took matters in my own hands (and a few other assorted tools).

Tada! (These cost me nothing, because I had everything on hand. But at best, you're out the cost of a whole bag of scrap stiff leather from Hobby Lobby, which is maybe $6 after the coupon, and obvs = more projects.)

Wanna learn how? You need 1-2 hours of time, and the instructions after the jump.

Leather or not you like it... DIY Journal Tutorial

Today, a dream came true. Some dream of beaches, castles, zombies (my husband and his sister), etc. I dream of working up the courage and imagination to create my own leather journals.

Note: You can make these without any special tools at all. Any part-time crafter like me can pull 'em together.

Thanks to an extra long weekend, the darker, more mysterious back ways of Hobby Lobby, and dismantling a crafter's block, you get to see my dream unfold.

This will be a long tutorial, but the length belies the simplicity of the project.