DIY Craft Journals

Hi I’m Gwendolyn and I have been a stay at home mom since 2009. I have been with my husband, James, for 10 years and we are proud parents of Jayme (8) and Nicholas (13). We are also parents to 3 dogs, 2 cats, 2 hamsters, and a snake. My father-in-law lives with us so it is always non-stop at our house. I had the honor of becoming a step-parent when I got married and have a great relationship with my step-son. I always used coupons and shopped for bargains but was forced to step up my game when my husband was disabled in 2005. I get an incredible rush from saving money and finding great deals. My life is a constant journey and I look forward to sharing it with you all.

Buying fancy journals can get expensive and my sister had made these a few years ago for my dad because he writes a lot. I started doing them as a way for my daughter to have cute journals without paying a fortune at the store. She is always doodling and could go thru one in a month. They are simple to make and not very costly.

Journal

  • 1 composition notebook
  • 2 pieces of scrapbook paper (you could also use construction paper you have decorated with markers or stamps)
  • Glue Stick

Place scrapbook paper on front cover (not covering up the black binding). Cut off some of the excess but make sure to leave some so you can fold it over the edge. Using the first sheet as your guide – trim down the second sheet.

Take the glue stick and cover the outside edges of the front cover and make some lines from corner to corner. Take the paper and carefully line it up along the black binding edge. Press down and smooth.

Fold over the top, bottom and side around the edge of the cover – this will create indents in the paper. Cut out the top and bottom corners where they form a box. This will make folding and gluing down easier. Then take a glue stick and cover the edges of paper you are going to glue to inside cover. Fold over and smooth down, repeat on all 3 sides.

Repeat the above steps for the back cover.

If you want to add more pizzazz, add stickers, embellishments, ribbon, etc to the front cover.

**Makes a nice gift with a pen**

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