Now that I have access to the Internet, Wi-fi, and my apps again (read about that here) I have some major catching up to do…Amazon shopping in particular.
During my shopping experience I was looking at these paper notebooks and considered spending the $4.32 for them. I needed them. I’m always writing my ideas down on an old receipt or whatever scratch piece of paper I can find and then it just gets pushed down to the bottom of my purse. Then, after careful consideration I thought – why buy those when I could make them myself?
I did just that. But instead of using plain colorful cardstock for the cover, I decided to use decorative scrapbook paper. Check it out.
See the video tutorial here on Youtube
Supplies
- Decorative Paper
- White Printing Paper
- Paper Trimmer
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Staples (standard size)
- Thumbtack (or safety pin)
Step One
First, I started with the cover of the notebook. Because this is a pocket sized notebook, I made the dimensions fairly small. I measured and marked the decorative paper with a pencil to a width of 6.5″ x 4.5″ and marked a middle line at 3.25″. Next, I cut and scored the paper with a paper trimmer.
Step Two
Next, I did the same technique with the white printing paper. It’s important to note that I measured and trimmed the paper slightly smaller than the cover. This is so the paper stays within the inside of the cover. With that being said, I made the filler paper 1/8″ smaller than the cover. In other words, the printing paper dimensions are 6 3/8″ x 4 3/8″ and marked a middle line at 3 3/16″. Just like the cover, I trimmed and scored this paper too. I did this step five times.
Step Three
Now, it’s time to grab the staples. Since I don’t have a long handled stapler, I had to improvise the way I’m binding this notebook. I could bind it with thread, but I like the stapled look better. I took two unstapled staples from my stapler (just unhinge the stapler and press the stapler to where the legs of the staple doesn’t bend). Then guesstimate 1/4″ from the top and bottom of the inner crease and with the staple indent a mark onto the paper with both legs of the staple (this is where the staple will eventually go).
Step Four
Last, align all papers (cover and filler paper) into the book, grab the thumbtack or safety pin, and puncture the indented staple markings all the way through. Then, feed the paper through the staple and press down on the legs of staples, securing all of the journal pages together.
