Tutorial - DIY hand-bound notebook

Hey all!

The inspiration for the tutorial this week came after receiving a lovely vintage supply kit from Lisa, over at Lisa's Craft Shoppe! I mean, what idea doesn't come to mind when you open up this package:

Anyway... :D

I searched around for a notebook tutorial, but ended up creating my own. Keep reading for the how-to!

Materials:

Two pieces of cardstock (I honestly just cut a blank card in half!)

The paper you wish to bind, cut to the size of the cardstock, plus one scrap piece

Bits and pieces to decorate... as mentioned earlier, my notebook features vintage ephemera from Lisa's Craft Shoppe

Glue

Scissors

Craft sealant - either Modge Podge, or make your own (click here for the tutorial)

A thick, strong needle, like a binding needle

Twine or thread

Ruler

Pencil

Here we go!

Step One

Start gluing the decorations onto a piece of cardstock... don't worry about bits hanging off the edge... you can clean those up later...

Well, now haha. Trim off the excess bits.

Step Two
Cover this with the sealant and allow to dry (it will dry clear, I promise!). Repeat with a few coats. The more coats, the glossier it is!

Step Three

On the scrap piece of paper, draw up a binding template. You can use whatever measurements you wish - I ruled the puncture points 1 centimetre in and in 1 centimetre intervals.

Step Four

Use this template to puncture the binding on all of your pieces of paper and cardstock.

Step Five

Time to start binding! First, secure the pages with a peg or clip, with the two pieces of cardstock as the covers.Using the twine and needle, use a stitch of your choice to bind the pages. I used a running stitch, which doubles back on itself, however, blanket stitches also look really good. Check out this pinterest board for some good book-binding tutorials.

Step Six

When you have bound the notebook, you are done! Well, almost, haha. Just need to tie off and trim the twine, finishing by applying glue to the knot for security. NOW you are finished!

 TA DA! Anyway, I must say a MASSIVE thank you to Lisa and her supplies for the inspiration for this project! Keep watching this space for more tutorials featuring these cuties!

You can check out Lisa's Etsy shop here and her Facebook page here.

Also, remember to let me know how you go! I would love to see your own notebooks and inspirations!