Handmade Summertime Notebook

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Looking for a cute way to reuse some of those printer paper scraps this summer?  This handmade notepad is a great way to recycle partially-printed pages and makes a perfect little gift to tell someone you're thinking of them too.


Start by trimming two pieces of Spearmint Pop-Tone Cardstock, two pieces of Sno Cone Pop-Tone Cardstock, a piece of Kraft Chipboard, and several sheets of partially-printed printer paper to 5" x 7".  If you don't have a collection of partially-printed pages to use like I do, Classic Crest Text Weight Paper would work great as well.


Die-cut the coral reef frame into one of the Spearmint panels, and a slightly larger oval frame into a Spearmint and Sno Cone panel.  (Leave the second Sno Cone panel intact.)


Ink the edges of the coral reef panel with green and aqua inks (I added a gradient of deepening colors from top to bottom) and add random spots of color to the intact Sno Cone panel with teal, blue, and purple inks.


Stamp the mermaid, fish, and oyster images with black ink onto Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Cardstock and color them in with alcohol-based markers.  Die-cut or fussy-cut the images out, leaving a thin white border around the edges.


Lightly stamp the bottom corner of each sheet of printer paper with a coordinating image.  I chose light green and blue inks to match my cover and stamped the images off once onto scrap paper before stamping the page.  This adds a cute touch to the inside of the notebook, but allows the recipient to still use most of the page.


Assemble the cover by sandwiching the two oval cut-out panels between the inked blue panel and mint coral reef frame as shown and adhere with tape runner.  The extra panels add stability and a little bit of dimension that allows you to tuck your die-cut colored images into the scene better.  Adhere the images with liquid glue.


Add a sentiment to the cover if desired (here I've stamped one in Versamark ink and added white embossing powder).  Punch two holes in the top corners of the cover, the kraft chipboard base, and all of the pages of printer paper.

To ensure all of the holes line up perfectly, punch the kraft chipboard base first and use it as a template for punching all of the other pages.


Place the printer paper pages between the cover and the kraft chipboard base and feed a piece of natural twine through each hole from the back of the notepad.  Tie a simple bow to hold the book together.

I hope you enjoyed this easy handmade notebook and thanks so much for stopping by today.  Be sure to visit the CutCardStock store to purchase any of the supplies showcased today and remember that Pop Tone Cardstocks are on sale this month!

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