The rice I cook for my family comes packaged in neat gunny* sacks (burlap in Amer. Engl). After the rice is finished, I try to find new uses for the empty bags. Over the years, I have repurposed them into memo boards, computer bags and little coasters. The above one is the latest reincarnation of the trusty gunny bag into a journal cover. I embellished the cover with a 4x3" piece of cured chalkboard cloth on which you can actually write with a chalk. The felt liner is made out of repurposed plastic bottles. The notebook closes with a cotton cord that I dyed using tea and coffee solutions. I machined stitched around the edges to prevent fraying. I thoroughly enjoy making them and they are available for sale at my Etsy shop

This is a perfect a gift to someone who  keeps journals and likes all things green.

* The British English word "gunny sack" etymologically comes from the Indian word "goni".