What do you do with a hard-bound book you really don’t need but are too lazy to get rid of? Turn it into a journal, perhaps.
As Christmas crept closer, I finally finished the journal I was putting together as a gift. The reality is that making a journal is not as hard as one would think. The hardest part of this one was probably separating the original book from its cover.
One highlight of the process was picking and organizing the papers to fill the inside. I rotated between large and small pieces instead of having them go in order of size because I thought that looked nifty.
Once I counted how many papers I wanted in the journal I decided to do two signatures. Measuring and punching holes for the binding was perhaps a little bit stressful, but not as much as one might imagine.
Once the signatures were sewed in place I decorated the front of the book. While decorating I noticed that the pages were pushing the book open in a way I didn’t like. So I added a button and some braided embroidery thread to hold it closed when it wasn’t in use.
The notebook was fun and relatively easy, plus I could work on the parts at different times so it was a fun project to do in between school and work. And the best part, this makes an amazing gift, especially for someone who would like to journal but never remembers. Perhaps a handmade notebook would inspire them to fulfill their journalling goals.
So please, go ahead and make a journal!