Happy Pay It Forward 2012 is off and running! This has got to be one of the coolest things I have participated in since my blogging days have started. If you don’t know anything about the project you can read more about it here, or here. I received one gift from Erin, who writes art-is-try artistry. It is a mini book with an encaustic cover. It is truly a great little item to own. It is so perfect I don’t want to write or draw in it! I immediately got inspired and wanted to make artwork! If you haven’t checked out Erin’s blog, please do so. She is a dear blogging buddy and does fine work of the book sort. 

I had to send out three gifts of my own and let me just say this: what a difficult task! I wanted to make collages for everyone because that is my specialty besides sketchbooks. Then I thought, why not Pay It Forward with art that makes my recipients make more art!? I decided to send each one a homemade mini make-your-own scrapbook kit. Andreia, Andria, and Melissa have all received one of these. The tiny package includes: 

1 blank origami envelope to decorate and hold the accordion book

1 double-sided accordion book with prepared pages (about 5.5” x 6”)

1 envelope of “LITTLE THINGS” full of buttons, ribbon, stickers, and collage pieces

1 personalized note

1 watercolor cardstock (to be used as a bookmark, to collage, or just to keep)

I hope the girls use the “LITTE THINGS” to start a mini-art journal with the weird and random things I have sent. An even better idea would be to design a scrapbook full of inspiring images and quotes to help them get their creative juices flowing. I put things in the package that I use on a daily basis, and started each page the same way I begin collages or sketchbook pages. I hope it’s motivating and I hope they do something really neat with them. The best thing about the books is that each one will look so different!

The photos don’t do the project justice so you can check out this really short, and bad VIDEO I made to give you a much better idea of the gift. If you want to particpate in this awesome project and give and get handmade art click one of the above links and sign up!