As soon as each Damask Love Live “student” walked into Scrapbook Territory, she got an assignment! Walk around the store and find ONE 12×12 sheet of patterned paper that best fits your crafting style! Considering that Scrapbook Territory houses thousands of sheets of 12×12 paper, this was not simple task.

No one had any clue what we would be doing with those sheets of paper until we got started on this project: Custom Composition Notebooks. I wanted each “student” to leave with a notebook that they actually liked, so instead of choosing the paper for them, they got to select it themselves!

For the notebooks, I opted for 5×8″ notebooks from Guided Products, an awesome company that sells simple paper supplies all created from recyced materials. They even sell those coveted kraft mini binders that are popular for creating birthday binders!  While you can definitely replicate this project with traditional composition notebooks, I love that the notebooks from Guided Products  don’t contain any graphics or printing on the inside of the covers, making for a clean and neat finished product.

To complete a notebook just like ours you’ll need:

• 5×8″ Guided Products Notebook
• PVA Glue
• Foam Brush
• A sheet of your favorite 12×12 patterned paper
• A 2×9″ strip of black bookcloth (available at Paper Source)
• A piece of 1/4″ Elastic – we used elastic from Bitsy Bands  because it comes in a TON of colors!
• A Crop-A-Dile Eyelet Setting Tool
• Eyelets
  

{1} Use PVA glue to cover the front and back of your notebook with patterned paper, stopping about 1/2 shy of the spine edge of the notebook. This edge will be covered with bookcloth

{2} Trim around the edge to remove any excess patterned paper

{3} Use a burnishing block to smooth any rough or uneven edges

{4} Apply PVA glue to the bookcloth and adhere it to the spine. You can get creative with trim too!

{5} Use the Crop-A-Dile to punch a hole in the top and bottom of the back cover then insert the elastic and secure with an eyelet.

{6} Place your monogram on the cover for a customized look!

I’ll see you back here shortly…you don’t want to miss the next post. Trust me.