I bought myself a Kindle 3, and ordered a DecalGirl skin for it, then realised with dismay that all the covers I fancied - the Tuff-Luv Antique, for instance - would almost completely obscure the gorgeous skin if I left the Kindle in the case when using it, which is kind of the idea with that 'book-type' case.
I havered madly for a week, torn between unsatisfying alternatives, and in the meantime, I kept my Kindle in an A5 Jiffy Bag-type postal envelope padded with bubble wrap and fastened with a small bulldog clip at the top.
I spent a few days experimenting with the whole cut-a-hole-in-a-book DIY approach, but didn't like the results, though someone with more patience could make a fabulous hard cover from one of the PaperBlanks notebooks. Those things are lush!
Then, gradually, light began to dawn.
I spotted a crystal case made by Tuff-Luv which would allow the full glory of my DecalGirl skin to shine through (it's the 'Before the Storm' one, if anybody wants to know), and ordered it. It arrived neck and neck with the skin, and I decorated and protected my lovely Kindle in one satisfying half hour. I really can recommend the Decalgirl skins, they're astoundingly easy to use, and truly are repositionable even after being rubbed down, with a bit of care.
So I looked at my little post-bag Kindle case, and thought, well, why not? So off I went to the local charity shops (thrift shops to you US Kindlers) to find a garment or two I could cut up and use to decorate the envelope. One chenille jumper (sweater) and a silk/viscose shell top later, and I was in business. As I am
sans sewing machine at the moment, I had to do a bit of hand sewing, which with my skills means that things are a tad clunky and imprecise in places, but I basically sewed an envelope-sized, er, envelope from the jumper, stuck double-sided tape all over the outside of the postal envelope, inserted it into its woolly sleeve and pressed it all down to my satisfaction. Then made a 'flap' from the exuberantly-bobbly collar of the jumper, lined it with the orange-red silky viscose (a bit more hand sewing, and in hindsight, I should have inserted some stiffening, maybe even the original card envelope flap), and used my hot glue gun to stick it to the back panel of the woolly sleeve (I had had my fill of sewing at this point).
I braided some canvas-work wool in toning colours to make a loop, and sewed it to the flap. Covered the attachment point with a little brass button I had in my box with 'Ladybird' written on it - thought that was a nice touch, as Ladybird Books are well-loved children's books here in the UK - and added a horn toggle to finish the fastening. Another time, I might go for an elasticated loop. I may yet add a couple more buttons to disguise the slightly improvised top corner glueing, and perhaps a line of braid or ribbon across the top with a carrying loop or something.
But on the whole I am very happy with how my Kindle Cardi (TM... or soon will be!) has turned out. Pictures attached! (The first photo is closer to the actual colouring, as I used flash)