Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Back to School Fun Series #2: Notebook transformation



I don't know about you, but the act of making lists and writing things down is essential for me. If it isn't written down, well then it is not likely to happen in my world. I have too many things to remember and I get distracted easily so I thought I would pretty up some ordinary composition notebooks for jotting down my thoughts, things to do and such. I found these notebooks for only 40 cents each, so the natural thing to do when something is super cheap is to buy more than you need, right? I know that this is stating the obvious, but you can get school and office supplies on sale everywhere in August. I've paid $2.50 for that same kind of composition notebook when my daughter needed one for school in the middle of the school year. This little project is super easy and very quick! You will need a hot glue gun, pretty paper, buttons, pony tail holder and ribbons if you want.

1 sheet of scrapbook paper for each side. You can match or not. Br creative and have fun!

Fold in the sides and glue with the hot glue gun. Cut angles on the paper that stick out beyond the notebook. Fold in and glue down. Make sure you prefold before applying glue. And don't burn yourself!!
Apply a generous amount of glue the the center edge of the back of your notebook. Pinch the ponytail holder in half and place it on top of your glue, holding it until dry. Watch the fingers and glue, this project isn't meant to cause burned fingertips!
Cover the back flap of notebook with coordinating pretty paper. This covers up all the glue and makes it look neat and pretty!
You will need to have two buttons. One must be smaller than the other. Glue the small one on first, then the larger one. This creates something for the button to wrap around.

I know,  I used a little too much glue.
I also glued paper down the spine of the notebook and then added pink ribbon, not sure why I didn't take a picture after I attached the ribbon.
 That was so quick and easy I think I will do it a couple more times! This time green and blue, of course.









I hope you try this out. This project isn't just for students, It is for anyone who likes to write things down in something fun and creative. Please share your notebook transformations with me, I would love to see them! This is also a great project for the tween and teen age groups. I'm not done with my back to school series so stop by often and see what is next.


Thanks for stopping by and getting creative with me!

Cori Ann

15 comments:

  1. very cute. Great way to personalize a boring looking composition book. They are so cute. winks-jen

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  2. I love the ponytail holder and button idea!! Never would have thought of that. They look super cute! :)

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  3. Very cute and fun. Love the closure!

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  4. Awesome craft!! Thanks for linking it up to "Crafts for Under Twenty Somethings"!!

    Melanie
    bearrabbitbear.blogspot.com

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  5. Nice work! I'd love to have those pretty little notebooks on my desk1 http://bresbaubles.blogspot.com

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  6. Cori Ann... you've scored yet another hit! They are adorable. Adding them to my long list of To Do's

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  7. These are adorable! I'm going to show them to my nieces and maybe we can borrow some of your ideas to make their back to school notebooks really cute! Thanks for the inspiration!

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  8. You transformed the notebook! Looks great!

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  9. These are awesome! And so much cheaper than buying the pre-made ones. How savvy!

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  10. I keep looking for the perfect notebook. You've made me realise that any old notebook will do and I can make it perfect. Thanks!

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  11. super cute! thanks so much for linking to handmade tuesdays @ ladybug blessings! www.ladybug-blessings.com

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  12. Very cool idea. Thanks for the idea.

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