CP Notebooks: Handmade Journal Tutorial

Hello, crafty friends! How about handmade journals for our project today? They are fun and easy to make, and came together in no time. It took about fifteen minutes to make one, and I couldn't stop. It's addicting!

The first thing you want to do is gather your supplies:

printer paper
Willow Lane 6x8 Paper Pad
paper piercer
needle and thread
embellishments.

The 6x8 Paper Pad is the perfect size for these notebooks; they are big enough for your everyday lists, notes, journaling, but also small enough to take with you anywhere. I started by trimming seven sheets of copy paper to measure slightly less than 6x8 inches – I wouldn't do more than seven sheets, as it gets harder to get even edges. I folded them in half, and did the same with the cover.

With the help of a magnetic cutting mat like the We R Memory Keepers one, I was able to keep copy paper and cover together, and mark even spots for the binding. I then pierced through all the pieces at once, making sure to avoid any shifting of the papers.

Next, I used colored embroidery floss to attach the pages and the cover together, making sure to hide the knots on the inside of the spine.

I created some mini tassels to attach to the twine that I used to keep the journals closed.

For the closure, I simply punched a hole on the front cover, about ¼” from the right edge, wrapped twine around a brad I placed in the hole, and went around the notebook a couple of times.

Here are the finished journals. I created different covers, from very simple to a bit more time-consuming, like the washi tape one. I truly enjoyed decorating them.

I hope you'll give this project a try. It is really fun!

Enza

Supplies: Willow Lane – 6x8 Paper Pad (344490); 6x12 Stickers (344485); Ephemera Pieces (344486); Washi Tape (344480); Decorative Trim (344476); Mini Apha Stickers (344481); Cheerful Chipboard Letter Stickers (344488).