DIY Journal / Notepad.

Hey Everyone :)

So I've got yet another DIY for you all. I really enjoyed making this and it looks so nice as well. Its a journal. I like to doodle a lot and its usually on random pages, so I created this to keep it all tidy in one place. You could use these for anything; shopping lists, to do lists, journalling or drawing.

This journal is real easy to create and you can create it any size you like and any design you like.

You will need:

Cereal box (or card).

Fabric or paper with a design you like.

Ruler.

Scissors.

Glue.

Sewing needle.

Thread or string.

Firstly you have to cut the cereal box to what size you want your journal to be, I cut it about an inch shorter on all sides than its original size. Once you've cut it to size glue it to your desired fabric or paper with and inch or 2 of spare fabric around the cardboard.

Then you glue all of the sides down, with cutting the corners diagonally so that the fabric or paper can sit nicely.

Once you have stuck the fabric or paper down, cut a piece of decorative paper to the inside of the cover, leave 1cm around the edges so the fabric or paper is visible. To make sure that the paper stayed in this place I added a little stitch or each corner of the paper through to the cover.

Then fold the paper in half to create the cover and bend in the journal. Also make sure that it all aligns correctly.

Next add a button to the outside of the cover, this will be used to fasten the journal. You can use any button you have along as thread can fit underneath it.

Now decide how many pages you want in your journal. Once decided cut down some paper to fit into your notebook, about 1/2cm smaller than the cover. Fold the paper in half. I used 9 sheets of paper, so I had 18 pages to doodle and write on. 

Using your ruler measure every 2 cm and make a small mark. Then using a needle, poke through the cover, this will make it a lot easier to sew the paper onto the cover.

Then, align the paper to the notebook where you want it to be placed (mine is 1/2cm from each edge). Then do a running stitch through the paper and cover along the fold. Do this in both directions, up and then back down to make sure the stitch goes along the whole fold.

This is the finished product. I folded a piece of thread (3 1/2 times longer than the width of the journal) in half and looped it around the button and around the journal twice. You could use anything you'd like to fasten your journal together.

I created one with a paper cover and one with a fabric cover. I found the fabric cover a lot easier to work with as it folded nicely around the cereal box, whereas the paper creased and didn't look as neat.

I really enjoyed making this and I love the outcome of how it looked. If any of you do create this let me know through Twitter or Instagram. :)