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Hand Made Journal

Materials

  • 6 sheets of regular typing or computer paper (8 1/2 x 11)
  • 1 sheet of heavier paper (cardstock, tagboard, or handmade paper, also 8 1/2 x 11)
  • A hole punch
  • Yarn, twine, or ribbon
  • Ruler
  • Pencil
  • Scissors
  • Crayons, markers, or magazine clippings to decorate the cover

Instructions

  1. Pick up the piece of heavier paper or cardstock.  This will be the cover of your book.  Hold it so that it is wider than it is tall.  Fold it in half.
  2. With your ruler and pencil, mark 5 dots down the folded side of your paper.  The dots will be 1 1/2 inches apart, and about a half-inch in from the side.
  3. Using the hole punch, punch out the holes where your pencil marks are.
  4. Take the 6 sheets of typing paper and hold them together.  Fold them in half the same way you folded the cover.
  5. Slip the blank pages inside the cover and make sure the edges are lined up.
  6. Using the holes already punched in the cover as your guide, punch the same holes  through the typing paper.
  7. Using the twine, ribbon, or yarn, begin lacing the book together.  Start at one end and weave the twine in and out of the holes. 
  8. Tie the twine at the last hole so that it will hold the book together.
  9. Now you can decorate the cover of your book any way that you like.  You could draw a picture, cut pictures out of magazines and glue them on, or glue on a special photograph.  It's your book, so be creative and make it unique!