Belly Band

Our life is shining and alive at the present moment. It is not in the past, not in the future, but right here and now. This is where our life has always been - waiting for us to notice it, to live it, to be fully present with it. Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara, the lead monk on the Walk for Peace

I tried to be fully present with everything that landed in my day today. It was a good day.

Marilyn's joy journal made it to Rhode Island and she seemed pleased.

As I mentioned...Marilyn's pile of papers and notions had a vintage vibe. And the minute I saw this long floral strip I knew it was going to somehow wrap around the journal to become the closure. I just needed to figure out how.

I'm not exactly sure what the material is...but it seems it might have been wool felt. The tiny pink flowers had bead centers..and the whole thing was carefully hand stitched. It seemed like a treasure...so I had to honor it somehow.

In the end...I turned it into a belly band as the closure. Because the band would be a horizontal feature...I chose to do the vertical strip quilting with the papers as a contrast. I think it turned out pretty well.

I carefully stitched the band closed and attached a button to give the illusion of a closure. 

It gave me a chance to add a little something vintage from my grandmother Funk's button box. 

I also tucked a vintage postcard from my 

grandmother Miller in the front pocket.

The band easily slides on and off with room for the journal to 

grow as Marilyn adds her own touches.

Every page is from Marilyn's papers...she didn't need any of mine. There are lots pockets and Marilyn provided cute little bags and envelopes that I worked in. Now it's time for Marilyn to make this even more her own.

There are a few others who have expressed interest in my Joy Journal Project...but I haven't gotten any more papers yet. There is no hurry...this is an ongoing offer and I am nearly finished with one using my own papers that I will offer up as a giveaway soon.