Autumn Notebook Tutorial

Hello friends! I am happy to take part in an Eileen Hull blog hop, to celebrate the release of her new Pocket Notebook die. Don't miss all the notebook inspiration along the hop. You should have come here from Betsy Skagen, who has a very creative project to share with you.

As you know, I love to make notebooks and little books. I made an autumn notebook for a friend, using Eileen's new Pocket Notebook die. It's a great size (4 x 6.7 in) and can be customized in so many different ways. You can, for example, easily make it thicker or thinner.

Start by die cutting two covers from mat board. The die is very versatile and also includes a page element and other details. I only used the cover part today.

Die cut covers from Tim Holtz's Abandoned Paper Stash and glue to the mat board with matte medium. Place under a heavy book. I used two different papers for the front and the back and a third one for the spine.

Glue patterned papers to the inside covers too.

Glue the spines together as shown, using matte medium, and again place under a heavy book.

Sand the edges, to reveal the white core of the paper and give a worn look to the journal.

I used Eileen's Journaling Cards, Flowers & Leaves set to die cut leaves and flowers, from Abandoned paper, canvas, and from the Simon Says Stamp Copper Glitter paper. This is a stunning glittery paper, and doesn't give off any glitter at all.

The bird, from the Birds & Butterflies, was die cut from another piece of Abandoned paper, and the branch from canvas. Later, I also die cut the branch from glittery paper.

Sand the edges of the paper flowers slightly. Shape the flowers with tools from the Tonic Craft Tool Kit and glue together.

Punch a hole in the center of the spine, as shown.

Thread a piece of elastic through the holes, to create space for three signatures.

I secured the elastic strings by tying them through a button and then again at the end to create a closure mechanism. As you can see there is an extra little hole which I didn't use. I covered it up with a tiny flower after taking these photos.

Cut papers and fold in half. Arrange into signatures of about seven papers, depending on the thickness of your paper. I used sketch paper, and cut two papers from an A4 sheet. I forgot to measure the size exactly before giving the book away. I love being able to pick my favorite papers for notebooks and journals. I stitched down the center of each signature with orange thread, but you can also use staples.

Tie the ends of the threads and tuck the signatures in under the elastic bands.

Glue the flowers and leaves to the cover and add a title with a sticker.

Glue the bird and branches to the cover. Give the bird an eye with a marker.

If you want a darker edge, you can ink the edges instead.

Here's the back of the notebook. You can add more details there if you want, but I often keep the back relatively plain. I love Tim's Abandoned papers, and for more inspiration on them check out these posts: Inky Bird Art Journal Page, and Heart Shaker Cards.

I gave the notebook away yesterday, since it was made for a friend who follow my blog and I didn't want her to see it beforehand.

Here you can see all the gorgeous projects made for the hop. Your next stop on the hop is the wonderful Tonya Trantham. If you get lost along the way, you can always head back to Eileen's blog.

These are all the stops along the hop.

Susie Bentz

Pam Bray

Julia Aston

Annette Green

Kathy Clements

Cheryl Waters

Ginger Ropp

Mitsyana Wright

Debbie Bankston

Anita Houston

Maggi Harding

Anne Redfern

Jenny Marples

Betsy Skagen

Anna-Karin Evaldsson (you are here)

Tonya Trantham

Madeline Arendt

Lisa Hoel

Karen Bearse

Nicole Wright

Sue Eldred
Elizabeth Robinson

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit my blog today!  

Happy crafting!

Anna-Karin

Supplies:

* Please note: the links are affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.

Other supplies:
Eileen Hull Sizzix dies: Pocket Notebook, Birds & Butterflies, Journaling Cards, Flowers & Leaves