I just love Notebook Makeovers! I think maybe it is because I have always loved notebooks. Don’t laugh, but one of my true sorrows since graduating is that I no longer get the thrill (yes thrill) of buying a new notebook every semester. I mean really, a girl does need a new notebook every now and again! Hmm, I know it might be a bit cheesy but I just love school supplies!?! Who’s with me??? Anybody? =]  ha ha.

You Will Need:

• 1 notebook
• 2 pieces of scrapbook paper
• mod podge
• paint brush
• ribbon

Step 1: Paint a thin layer of mod podge onto the cover of your notebook

Step 2: Place your scrapbook paper onto the cover, making sure to get it as close to the spirals as possible:

Repeat for back cover of your notebook:

Step 3: Cut excess paper off your notebook, using the inside of your notebook cover and a guide:

Step 4: Paint a layer of mod podge along the spiraled edge of your notebook, this is where you will place your ribbon:

Lay your ribbon down, and then do another layer of mod podge over your ribbon and over your scrapbook paper:

Step 5: Cut your ribbon so it doesn’t hang over the end of your notebook. After you cut it, you can dab the ends with a little bit of mod podge so it wont fray. Then allow your notebook to dry.

Step 6: Spray your finished project with a clear acrylic sealer (using paper towels to protect your inner pages). That way when you fold over your notebook your front cover and back cover wont stick to each other.

And Voila!!! A one of a kind, personalized notebook—perfect for even those of us who are no longer in school!

A few tips:

• If your notebook cover starts to curl, after it is dry, just place it under a stack of heavy books for a few days and it should flatten back down. Mine curled a bit, I think because my scrapbook paper was a bit thick and I maybe used a little too much mod podge. I know I know, I was getting a bit too mod podge happy! But it did lay flat after a few days under the books.
• If your scrapbook paper didn’t stick completely to your notebook cover just use a glue stick to fix it. Again, I think mine didn’t stick as well because my paper was kind of thick. I made one for my daughter using thinner paper and it didn’t have any problems with curling or coming undone. So there you go…(If any of you have any other additional tips I would love to hear them so just leave me a comment!)
• HAVE FUN!!!

Here is a composition notebook I covered  a few years ago using the same techniques:

This is so cool–One of our readers (and friend) decided to make the fabric notebooks that we posted about awhile back, for a Young Women activity that she was in charge of! I just LOVE these notebooks because every single one of them turns out sooo different! And these ones all turned out so cute! I really like the BYU one and the brown polka dots with the pink string bow!

Remind me why I haven’t make one yet???

I am absolutely 100% in LOVE with this fabric covered notebook. My mom was in charge of coming up with a fun girl’s camp craft and she asked me for some ideas. I sent her a link showing how to make this awesome Woven Scrap Journal —something, I myself, have been wanting to try for quite awhile. Anyhow, being the creative person that my mom is, she took the idea and turned it into something a little bit more “camp” friendly. And I just love how cute it is! Instead of making the entire journal from scratch out of cardboard and then glueing in paper—she just used a .50¢ Mead notebook—then she simply turned the cover of the notebook into a cardboard loom and weaved in her strips of fabric. She then glued a piece of scrapbook paper on the inside to cover up her fabric ends, and then she hot glued biased tape along the top and bottom, just making a tiny slit in the biased tape to fit around the notebook paper.

You have got to make one of these…I’ve got to make one of these! Absolutely adorable!

Supply List:

*mead notebook

*fabric strips (a fat quarter will be more than enough!)

*hot glue

*biased tape (or you could just fold over a piece of matching fabric)

*scrapbook paper

Here is a great gift idea for ya’ll if you have kids on your list! I actually made this one for my brother’s birthday which is in a couple of weeks, he is turning 8 years old! But I thought I would also make a few more for Christmas gifts. I know my little girl would love one of these in pink! Plus, these are super fast to make, especially if you are making more than one and you cut out multiple pieces at the same time! I just covered a composition notebook with flannel using this great tutorial from Craftblog.com.au. And then I added the colored pencil pockets on the front…I got the idea for this at Skiptomylou.org and then just added it to my notebook for my very own unique creation! I just love it!!! Next time I make one I will see if I can put up my own tutorial with exact measurements and stuff so it will be easier to make one yourself…