Although today in stores you can find a notebook for every taste and color, the only way to get a unique thing is to do it yourself. Most often, a scrapbooking technique is used for such homemade work, which allows you to experiment with colors, textures, details and designs.
Design options
Scrapbooking style notebook can be designed in different ways, depending on the chosen style and its purpose. For example, a glider for a business person should look moderately serious, but at the same time have some creativity. The cover can be decorated with a concise inscription or even a company logo. It is more convenient to make such a notebook on strong springs for easy turning over or to equip it with a fabric tab fixed inside.
Pages should be plotted or lined and have the ability to affix calendar dates. Well, if inside there will be separate sections for phones and addresses, important dates and lists of goals.
If a notebook is created for a little girl, then inside you can add a variety of pages with secrets, beautiful illustrations, sheets with stickers and drawings for coloring. The cover can be decorated with unusual volumetric elements, for example, metal crown, birdcage, slipper or fabric flowers.
For the manufacture of botanical notepad burlap, dried flowers, twine and wooden decor are used. If the notebook is to become cookbook, on the cover you can place images of dishes, without forgetting about the beautiful inscription. Book dedicated to the first years of a child’s life, decorated with appropriate images and decor.
Design ideas are truly endless. It all depends on who the gift is intended for and how it should be used. In addition to the cover design, for notepad are selected way of fixing the sheets, layout, format and number of pages.
The ruler is classic - in a ruler or a cage, and sheets can be attached with glue, plastic or metal springs.
Necessary fixtures
As for the materials used and the decor for the notebook, it should be mentioned that all of them can be either purchased in the store or made with one's own hand. Moreover, some of them are easily replaced by improvised items. Of course, the work will not be possible without stationery: a simple pencil, sharp scissors, a long ruler and glue. The paper may be different, but even standard sheets for an A4 printer will do. In addition to stationery clips, you can not do without a strong sewing needle and thread.
For binding, special metal rings or springs can also be used. It is customary to create a notebook cover from a special binding cardboard. To make the notebook soft, you can’t do without a pleasant to the touch fabric, as well as fleece or sintepon for stuffing. As a decor, a variety of buttons, beads, lace, pieces of fabric and other interesting details. In any case, the selection of materials should be carried out depending on the topic of the notebook and on who it will be intended for.
Preparation
At the preparation stage, it is necessary to decide what and how many pages should be in the notebook.
It is important to remember that if A4 sheets are taken as the basis, the number of pages will be 2 times more, since the sheets in this case are folded in half.
Previously, each page can be plotted. If soft cover planned, then a piece of fabric is recommended to iron beforehand. It is immediately necessary to determine whether a soft lining is required for a notebook, what thickness it wants to be made.
Procedure
To create a scratchbook with your own hands from scratch, it’s better to choose a ready-made master class for beginners and step by step follow the instructions. Creating a simple notebook begins with the fact that the sheets are folded like a book so that they do not open.
It is better to immediately iron the fold line. All pages are stacked under the press for a while and after readiness are fixed with stationery clips on top and bottom. Using a ruler on the sheet, the borders of the spine are outlined. Its length is divided into several identical fragments, which are marked with a pencil. With help stationery knife or even a file shallow cuts are created at the marked points.
It is important to process each leaflet in a similar way.
Then the notebook is collected by stitching. Experts recommend the use of lavsan sliding threads with increased strength for this purpose. The spine is glued to the silicone sealant, although in its absence, you can use ordinary glue.
While the structure dries, it stands secure with clamps. The flyleaf is assembled separately from thick cardboard: 2 large identical blanks and 1 small size, forming a spine. Additionally, you can cut two squares of craft paper for interior decoration.
The cover is assembled as follows: cardboard blanks, fleece lining and a large piece of fabric are connected. Kraft is glued at the end.
Notebook for man fond of music, great to design as a music notebook. In addition to office paper, you need real music sheets or printed music notes.
Pieces of paper can be given an unusual color by using regular coffee.Having brewed a drink, it should be soaked individually all the leaves, artificially aging them in a similar way. The paper may dry naturally, but to speed up the process, iron it.
By the way, if you add a little cinnamon to the brewed coffee, then the notebook will also smell delicious.
If there are ink pads in the household, then with their help it costs slightly tinted edges of pages. Old eyeshadows have the same effect.
To make the cover, you will need cardboard blanks that are lined with fleece and wrapped in an opaque fabric of a suitable shade. From the inside you can glue the edges, and then decorate all the pages from the old collection of notes or special paper for scrapbooking with musical motifs. Decorating the cover, for inscription you can use a sheet of music notebook, processed along the edges iodine pencil.
As the main area of the composition, it is recommended to use a finished gypsum, cardboard or home-made frame, decorated with some decor or covered with sparkling varnish. For a different cover decor, pieces of lace, beads and buttons, satin ribbons and fabric pieces are useful. Metal parts will fit in perfectly, for example, an old violin or a composition of several notes.
When creating a cover or internal spreads, the rule of compositionality must be applied.
The finished work should be balanced in color, and in style, and in content. Individual components should look harmoniously next to each other, creating a holistic impression of the picture. The composition should have one semantic center, a peculiar accent, and other components are already used as additions.
Unusual examples
To create a Provence-style diary, you need to select several pieces of suitable fabric, for example, in small bluish cell and with a bright floral pattern. Part of the fabric is used for the basic design of the cover, and part - to create a flower. Lace ribbon in a beautiful burgundy color will create the necessary accent.
The central part of the composition will be the image of the Eiffel Tower, made on thick cardboard or on leather. A neat button with an image of a watch dial will turn out to be not only an interesting detail, but will also allow you to use a rubber band to close the notebook from prying eyes.
Unusual notebook in pink and beige colors for a young girl can be decorated in the style of "Alice in Wonderland." In the center of the composition is an illustration from a book, and images of roses and card symbols are used as interesting details. In the design of such a notebook lace pastel shades will successfully fit. Do not forget about the ability to close the notebook with large decorative buttons.
This scrapbooking culinary notebook will look great in fabric soft cover in bright pink. For ease of use, it is done on metal rings - so a person using it will be able to quickly access any recipe. A beautiful lace ribbon and a half of a paper openwork napkin are located on top of the fabric.
A neat inscription and artificial cutlery connected by a lace complete the decoration.
If the notebook is intended for work purposes, then do not overload it with details. It will be enough to make a fabric cover, for example, from pale pink polka-dot fabric and a pastel yellow fragment. On top, everything is tightened with beautiful lace. In the lower right corner is a composition of several small decorative elements. Alternatively, it can be a pair of fabric roses and a small metal heart.
See the following video for a master class on designing a notebook using the scrapbooking technique.
