Create your own DIY Notebooks for back to school, or for your own use. I have to confess that I am a paper junkie. I really do love notebooks, and I think my all time favorite are composition books. I’ve been using them for years and always embellishing them in some way, first I would cover them with images from magazines, then I started painting them, now I guess it’s a combination, but really anyway you make them will be awesome and way more fun than the covers they come with.
SUPPLIES YOU’LL NEED:
- Notebooks – various sizes
- Mod Podge
- Glitter
- Washi tape
- Decorative papers
- Adhesive letters
- Paintbrushes
These supplies are suggestions based on what I used, you can use any sort of decorative papers or cut up magazines, whatever you like.
Right now all the stores have their back to school supplies in and on sale, it’s the perfect time to stock up on 50 cent composition books and 17 cent notebooks. I seriously have a hard time paying $3 for a notebook (I know I’m cheap!) that someone else designed when I can create my own way cooler DIY notebook.
To start I used white acrylic paint and just painted over the covers for all the notebooks. You don’t have to do this but I find that it helps to stiffen the covers and this can be helpful when using them, I don’t like a flimsy cover.
For this small notebook I used some printed paper from an old Lilly Pulitzer catalog that I had saved. I knew my hoarding would pay off!
Then after glueing the printed papers onto my notebook, I mixed Mod Podge and glitter to cover the spine.
The reason I like to mix my glitter with Mod Podge is that it will keep the glitter from coming off all over everywhere. Which could really be a drag when you find your hands, your clothes, your bag, etc. covered in glitter
Let it dry overnight to make sure that it’s completely dry, otherwise it may stick to other books and peel off.
For this one I created a heart in glitter with decorative papers on the spine and corners.
Here I added ribbons, ric rac, and glitter letters on top of my paint and glitter, Mod Podge mix.
For the spiral notebook, in addition to using glitter, I also added several different washi tapes and then letters.
Have fun with these and don’t be afraid to go crazy, really make them your own.
