Using patterned paper to change the look of a plain notebook.
"Trust Yourself." Why not try re-covering your notebook for use at school, work, or home? I re-covered another notebook with patterned paper right over it. I used patterned paper from a themed paper pad and a few other office supplies to spruce up my notebook.
Supplies and Stuff
These are the items I used to re-cover my composition notebook:
Notebook. I had this 8" x 5-1/2" notebook sitting on my shelf. I don't remember when or where I got it.
Patterned paper. I used a few sheets from a Whiskey Barrel paper pad I bought from Michael's.
Double-sided tape. I used a tape runner to adhere the paper onto the covers. Tear tape or glue would work as well.
Scissors and paper cutter. I used scissors to cut off the excess paper off the notebook. I used a paper cutter for creating precision cuts of the sheets I wanted to use, but you could just use scissors if preferred.
Pencil. The pencil allowed me to mark where I needed to cut on the sheets of paper. I didn't want to measure much for this craft project.
Choosing the Paper
For this simple craft project, I decided to use some sheets of paper from my Whiskey Barrel Hot Buy paper pad by Recollections. I bought the 12" x 12" paper pad on sale at my local Michael's some time ago. This isn't a paper pad I use often, so I thought this was a good opportunity to use a few sheets.
I pulled a brown leather-looking sheet to use on the front and back covers of my notebook. I also pulled a dark gray fabric-looking sheet to use over the spine of the book.
Fortunately, the paper pad included several sheets of small designs. I pulled two separate sheets with small designs I wanted to add to the front and back covers. I also added a small design to the inside of the front cover.
Covering the Front and Back Covers
I placed my notebook over the brown leather-looking sheet of paper to mark the height and width with a pencil. I cut the sheet larger than the lines I marked because I knew I'd cut off any excess paper that extended the length and width of the cover later. It's easier to work with too much paper than too little (or not enough) paper.
I used my paper cutter to cut the sheets of paper down to a smaller size. I don't have the steadiest of hands at times, but I could've easily used my scissors if I didn't have a paper cutter handy.
For both sides of the cover, working on one side at a time, I ran my tape runner along the edges of the cover. I also ran the tape runner through the center for safe measure.
I lined the patterned paper along the bottom edge of the cover before pressing it down firmly with my fingers. I specifically made sure to run my fingers over the taped areas to secure the paper's adhesion onto the cover.
Once the paper was securely adhered onto the cover, I used scissors to cut the excess. I opened the cover and made sure the blades of the scissors lined up with the cover's edge. Doing so ensured a relatively straight, clean cut.
Covering the Bind
I cut the dark gray fabric-looking sheet of paper to 2" wide. I then placed the piece I cut over the notebook's cover to determine at what length I wanted to cut it further.
I placed the book's spine longways over the center of the paper to determine where to make score marks. I wanted a sharp, clean fold to fit perfectly over the book's spine after I adhered it.
For a moment, I thought I did enough. Then I remembered reading blog posts and watching videos on book binding. I tried binding my own hardback sketchbook in the past, and the instructions I followed required me to leave a gap between the front, spine, and back covers.
The gap between the front and back covers creates a hinge or joint, allowing a book to fully open. Without a hinge or joint, a hardback book wouldn't open completely, making it difficult to write or read the contents.
After I recalled this information, I decided I needed to make a couple more score marks. I placed the paper back onto my paper cutter and additionally scored 1/8" to the 'outside' of the score marks I made previously. I then folded the scored marks into an according shape of sorts.
I ran my tape runner down the out edges of the paper. I accidentally ran the tape off the edge of one side. Instead of cutting off the excess tape, I used my thumb to fold the tape over onto itself.
I placed the notebook's spine longways over the center of the paper. I ensured the top and bottom edges of the spine and paper lined up. I then folded the edges onto the
As I did with the front and back covers, I used scissors to cut the excess, making sure the blades of the scissors lined up with the spine's edge. Again, I had a relatively straight, clean cut.
It's likely my attempt to create a hinge wasn't correct. As I mentioned earlier, I'm still learning the book binding craft. I'm simply happy the book opens wide enough for me to access the pages.
Adding Small Designs to the Covers
There were a few sheets with small designs and motivational quotes I liked. I chose a 4" x 4" small design with the quote, "Self-Reliance. Trust Yourself. ESTD Because You Can. Do Good. Be Good." I thought this was a nice motivational quote to have on the front cover. I cut the design down to a size I liked and adhered it to the front cover with my double-sided permanent tape.
I chose an even smaller design that had the word "AWESOME" on it. I cut the design down to a size I liked and adhered it to the front cover with my double-sided permanent tape.
I thought this was most fitting for me, especially since I used to annoy my past colleagues by playing the song Everything is Awesome repeatedly through the department's Bluetooth speaker when customers weren't present.
I decided to add one more design to the inside of the front cover. I cut the design down to a size that fit within the cover. I adhered it to the inside of the front cover with my double-sided permanent tape.
My Thoughts
This took me less than 30 minutes to complete with just a few items. The photo and video quality doesn't do the new look justice. I'm pleased with the paper pad sheet options and how the finished re-covered notebook turned out.
I don't know how long this design would last with regular and frequent handling. I thought about applying Mod Podge to protect the cover from wear and tear, but I think I'll leave it as is and see how well it holds up over time.
I had a couple concerns with this re-covered notebook. First, I worried my natural skin oils may cause the paper to discolor over time. The designs I taped onto the front and back covers could do the same.
My second concern was with the way I covered the spine. I worried I did it incorrectly and it may come apart over time.
Hopefully, I won't have to deal with major defects when I begin using this notebook.
What's Next?
If you're looking for another easy way to spruce up your notebook, this is one way you can consider doing to do just that. Stickers work well, too.
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam
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