Each year I start my Christmas prepping in October/November. Why? Because I like to make a lot of my gifts. You will love these personalized notebooks I made last year!
I took boring notebooks and my scrapbooking supplies, and created fun notebooks for my girl cousins. It wasn’t too hard and in spite of the fact that I made over 12 of them,it didn’t take me that long to make.
Personalized Notebooks:
You will need:
- Notebook (avoid spiral bound)
- Scrapbooking papers
- Stickers, ribbons and other deco.
- Mod Podge
- Clear Packing Tape
I bought very simple composition notebooks.
My paper wasn’t big enough to wrap all the way around front and back so I used two different patterns for each book. You can see below how it only wraps half way in the front. Also make sure you leave 1/4 – 1/2 inch of paper around the sides that you can tuck in.
Next step is pretty basic. Cut a rectangular piece for the front.
I used a glue stick to attach the papers to the notebooks. Again, make sure that there is enough paper to tuck around the edges.
I used a notebook that was held together with staples, I think the bound notebooks would’ve worked better for this project though. If you are using a staple bound notebook, make sure to glue the bottom down first, and then wrap the paper up around the top and glue.
You will need to make a v cut for the center of the notebook. If you are using a bound notebook, just trim the extra off. (note: paper works way better than cardstock. cardstock is too thick)
I tried gluing the inside part down after I tucked it around. However, the glue didn’t seem to like me for that job. I ended up using packing tape all the way around on the inside. It actually made it look better as well and I knew that it wouldn’t come “unglued” later.
All pretty and waiting to be decorated!
The next part is my favorite part. That part where you get to go a little bit crazy with stickers and glue and be all shades of creative. Here are two different ones that I did.
Finally, grab your Mod Podge and give the entire cover a couple coats making sure to wait a proper amount of time for each coat to dry. This helps adhere the stickers and stuff more firmly down and makes sure they won’t fall off later. 🙂
So go ahead, grab the kids if you want and make some fun and personalized notebooks! Leave a comment below and tell me what kind of gifts you like to give at Christmas, homemade, store bought, or both?
Great minds think alike! 🙂 I did something similar for my niece and nephew at back to school time. I didn’t add the extra details like ribbons and stickers though. You’ve given me ideas for the rest of the composition books I have sitting here (they were such a good deal in August). Sometimes when I use Mod Podge it still seems a little sticky after it’s dried. Do you ever have that problem? It could be that I use too much…I do tend to do that.
My Christmas-time budget may be a little tighter this year. I’ll probably have a mix of store bought and homemade gifts. I like to make candy to give away. I’m also thinking about making some cinnamon ornaments. I haven’t made them in a few years.