DIY Teeny Little Scrolls

I hadn't done anything crafty since my Christmas ornaments so when I was home sick this week, I decided to work out those creative muscles again. Inspired by this mini message in a bottle tutorial and a wish to do something sweet for A.'s trip to Japan, I came up with these cute teeny scrolls.

You'll need:

- round toothpicks (snip off the ends so no one gets stabbed, just make sure they're all even)

- double-sided tape

- strips of colorful paper (I cut mine into 1 inch-wide strips. It's also best if the paper is plain on one side so the person can read your message easily.)

- thin string

- brads, charms, tags or anything else you'd like to attach to your scroll

I'm a perfectionist so I like to lay everything out on a gridded mat. Place the paper strip design side down and space two toothpicks above the strip's ends. Cut a piece of tape just slightly shorter than the paper's width (so you don't have any sticky tape showing once the paper's attached) and tape it around the middle of each toothpick.

Wrap each end of the paper around the middle of each toothpick, pressing down with your fingernail to make sure it sticks well. Write out your message (or how about an inspirational quote?) on the plain side of the paper.

Slowly and tightly roll in each end of the scroll simultaneously until they reach the center. Wrap string around the middle, slip on a charm and then tie it up.

I had these tiny paper bag embellishments just hanging around and they were perfect for these miniature scrolls! I wrote A.'s goodbye note on origami paper, slipped it into a red bag and he took it along on his trip :)

And I might be way too early for this, but I think I have an idea for this year's holiday ornaments. (And yes, my Christmas tree is still up!)