An Essential Mashup

My mother was a preschool teacher for many years, which has made me very aware of the importance of giving good teacher gifts. Not yet another smelly candle, not something made by the kid that sounds sweet and sentimental in theory but looks a little crafty-crazy in reality.

Something small, thoughtful, and above all useful.

So I thought, if I were a teacher, what would I need for the summer?

Sunglasses, a notebook and pen, iced coffee.

Come to think of it, even though I'm not a teacher those things are pretty much my essentials for summer too.

Or I'd like them to be: my summer could use a little more time with that notebook and pen, truth be told.

 

The fabric here is from Amy Butler's Alchemy collection. I realized later that I'd gone pretty wide of the mark of my girl's teacher's aesthetic: she is more neon chevrons than sketchbook flowers. Ah, well. Try, try again. 

The hybrid sunglasses case/pen holder is another zakka of my own design. It mostly came about because I wanted to include a couple pens to go with the notebook and needed a place to put them, and because I wanted to play a little more with the pen-holder techniques from the gift I made for my girl.



In retrospect, though, I feel like this mashup is something I've desperately needed in my life. What are the two things I am constantly digging for in the bottom of my bag? Yup, sunnies and a pen. (Seriously, I cleaned out a couple of purses the other day and I was like: Oh look, I have pens again.) And here is one thing that keeps them both handy.

Maybe you need this object in your life, too?  Is anyone interested in a tutorial for the  sunglasses/pen case, the Liberty pen holder, or both?