So sorry that this week's tutorial is later than in recent weeks, this one has been kinda crazy. I made a couple of these last week, for the first time. I really liked how they turned out, so here's the tutorial. The notebooks can be made from any good quality paper. Last week, I used off cuts from the paper I used for the envelopes I made for the Concertina file tutorial. Today, I've made all three of them from a stack of letter/A4 size paper.
Recipe
Stack of good quality paper, cut to desired size
Letter/A4 piece of card for each notebook
Coordinating piece of card cut to 1 1/5" by the width of the paper
Paper trimmer
Bulldog clips, to keep paper stack together
Scoring board and bone folder
Hot glue gun and glue stick
Strong (red) double sided tape
Stamps and ink or embellishments of choice
Method
- Cut your paper stack to desired size. For these notebooks I cut the paper 6 1/2" long. I then cut the stack into two 4 inch pieces. The remainder of the paper was used to create the third notebook
- Tap each stack to make sure the papers are all level, then secure each with a bulldog clip on either of the long sides
- To prepare the card for the holders, trim each piece to a quarter inch longer than the paper (6 3/4" for mine). If using a belly band to secure the holder, cut a 3/4 inch strip from the remaining card. Photo below shows the spine pieces as well as the cover and belly band pieces
- Score the small piece of card for the spine at 3/4" and 1" on the short side. Fold the card and burnish to reinforce
- Score the card for the covers, so that the center panel (where the paper will be) is a quarter inch bigger than the paper. For my notebooks, I scored the card on the long side at 3 5/8, 3 7/8, 8 1/8 and 8 3/8". For the smaller notebook, I scored at 3 1/4, 3 1/2, 7 3/8 and 7 5/8"
- I used the Box Base side of the Boxer board from Crafter's Companion to score the belly band strips, burnishing after each score. Scoring at 3 5/8, 1/4, 4 1/4 and 1/4" and for the smaller one at 3 1/4, 1/4, 3 7/8 and 1/4". Note: If you've not got a Boxer board, add a fraction of an inch to each measurement to ensure a fit. Photo below shows everything ready for one of the notebooks
- Put a piece of red double sided tape on each side of your paper stacks, close to the top, leaving the red piece on. Doing this now will be a lot easier than leaving it until the spine is on. Yep, I didn't do it now, oops!
- While waiting for your hot glue gun to heat up (you'll need it really warm), you can prepare any embellishments for use. Because I was using the same color card for the belly band, I used this time to ink the edges of the band in silver ink
- When your glue gun is warm enough, you'll need to be quick, so make sure your spine piece, with the folds facing upwards, and the right size paper stack are close by. When ready, carefully put glue in the quarter inch gap between the score lines. Immediately put your paper stack into the glue, lining up the sides and pressing down so the paper gets caught. Hold in place while the glue cools
- Remove the red strip from the double sided tape and press each side of the spine down on the now created notebook. The photo below shows two of the notebooks with the 1/2 inch side of the spine visible and the other with the 3/4 inch. As you can see, I didn't quite get the one on the left lined up correctly. This is another reason to add the extra quarter inch to the covers, so you have a little room
- Decorate the cover card stock. Using silver ink, I inked the fold lines, then added a "Just for you" sentiment, before using a different stamp on each of the covers. I finished them off by using silver embossing powder and heat embossing all the stamping. Note: In the current cold weather, the heat embossing might warp the card more so than usual. If this happens and you have the patience, press each piece of card flat until it cools
- To put the notebook together, add a piece of red double sided tape to the bigger (3/4") side of the spine. Remove the backing and carefully line the spine up with the top of the center panel of the cover, pressing down to secure
- To complete, fold the sides of the cover over and secure with the belly band. The photo below shows all three notebooks that I made
They make sweet gifts
Much love,
Em
