Simple DIY Sketch Pads

Last Christmas I made baskets of art supplies for my youngest grandchildren. I thought it would be more meaningful (and less expensive!) to make personalized sketch pads instead of buying them.

(The gifts were ready in a timely fashion; this blog post...not so much.)

Since the Christmas season is hectic enough already, I kept the designs simple. I cut front and back covers for each book from chipboard, then applied patterned paper to each surface. The inside pages were cut from white cardstock to be slightly smaller than the covers. The names were stamped using a simple alphabet stamp set and ink to match the cover papers. I used my Bind-it-All machine to punch holes in the top of all covers and inner pages, then bound each sketch pad with O-wires.

Thanks for visiting!

Wedding Scrapbook using Cricut & Bind-it-All

This was started as a crafting blog, so I guess it's time to start crafting! 

My daughter insisted we not spend money for her birthday because we had paid for her wedding just three months earlier.  Well, that was easy because we had no money left.  (Oh, I'm kidding! It wasn't that bad.)  I did find something practical to buy, but I wanted something special to give her. Then it hit me--I've got tons of scrapbooking supplies just begging to be used, and I had a digital file with all the wedding photos, so guess what I made?

I only had a couple of days to work on it in between visits from my daughter and her new husband, who were in town for Thanksgiving.  So I rolled up my sleeves and got busy.

I wanted to play with my new Bind-it-All, so I decided to make my own book instead of using a premade scrapbook.  And since I was trying to beat the clock, I chose my DCWV Once Upon a Time 8x8 paper stack (it gave me an instant theme, the paper was already embellished, and the smaller pages would be easier to fill--what more could a lazy crafter want?)

To start, I cut chipboard slightly larger than the pages to make a cover, then used some patterned paper cut slightly larger than the chipboard to cover the front and back, wrapping to the inside.  I glued a photo to the front, then wrapped an acetate sheet over each cover, again wrapping to the inside.  I cut a coordinating paper slightly smaller than the covers and glued it to the insides to finish it off.

I wanted to protect the scrapbook pages and give them more stability, but I didn't have 8x8 page protectors.  So I used 8 1/2 x 11 protectors, cut the top to 8 inches (excluding the bottom seam), then cut one side slightly larger than 8 inches (to allow for the binding).  This would make it possible to slide the finished pages in and out if needed.

To complete the book I punched holes in the covers and the cut sides of the page protectors using the Bind-it-All, put the protectors between the covers, and bound the book with O-wires.  I used my Cricut and several cartridges to further embellish the pages with flourishes and phrases. The finished pages were inserted into the protectors, I tied a small ribbon at the top of the binding, and then agonized over all the changes I wished I could make.  But at least I had a gift to give my sweet daughter on her 26th birthday!

And here are the finished pages: (Some of the colors are off- I have no idea what happened!)

Maybe it was the content more than the actual scrapbook, but I truly enjoyed the finished product.