Annnnnnnnd, we're off!
30 projects in 365 days? That sounds manageable. (I've got four queued and ready to roll.)
I mentioned that phase one of this project is all about using up existing supplies. This is part of my idea that sometimes creativity comes when you GET IN A BOX. Setting parameters and working with what you have can make you even more inspired. The example I like to use is the Project Runway one: the challenges when the designers had to "make it work" with car parts always had much more interesting results than when they could use any fabric at Mood.
I have had a case bound grid journal from Paper Source in my cupboard for years and knew it would have to be Project 1.
Hilariously, I have already attempted to do a tutorial of this process (and I've already given a handbound book away!) but every five years you get to recycle blog content so we're good. Plus, I've gotten moderately better at taking photos of myself doing projects in five years. Though if I do anything right in the next five years it will be hiring an assistant to help me take photos.
I didn't have any great patterned paper on hand for the cover of the book so I decided to really go for it and stamp my own with a hand-carved stamp I made a few years ago. I already had white bookcloth and kraft paper on hand so it was a no-brainer to use white paint.
I love the look that results from a hand-carved stamp. The imperfections really make it. (I you want to carve your own, this is a great kit, I love this brayer and I have had great results with this printing ink – though any craft paint works.)
The hardest part of this project is (sadly) sourcing the book kits. You need a text block and precut book board which isn't easy to find. Paper Source has these square ones in limited quantities. Blick has these smaller ones at a great price if you want to make a bunch (teacher gifts anyone?). I am sure there are more, but these are the only brands I have tried. Other than that, you'll want:
- PVA glue
- a glue brush
- pencil
- ruler
- book cloth
- bone folder
- scissors
STEP 1 : cut your book cloth down so it's a few inches taller than your book and about 4-5 inches wide. Fold it in half the long (hot-dog) way. You now know where the center of your spine will be. Place your ruler on the fold and measure out about the width of your text block on each side.
For this book, my text block is 10/16 inches thick. I went 9/16 out on either side of the 6 (see those marks on the ruler?) We measure out this far to be sure our book will open and close properly. Mark these spots with a pencil in two places of the book cloth.
STEP 2 : apply glue to the bookcloth starting at the pencil marks and pulling out all the way to the edge of the bookcloth. Line your bookboard up with the marks and push down to adhere.
STEP 3 : do the same on the other side, being careful to line the top of the two bookboard pieces up.
STEP 4 : apply glue to the top of the bookcloth and pull it tightly over the bookboard.
STEP 5 : use your bone folder to smooth out any wrinkles of the booktape on the back and front sizes. (At this point you can add a bit more bookcloth to the back center – see final photo in step 12 below – but it's not necessary.)
STEP 6 : congrats! You have just combined two pieces of bookboard (your covers!) with a spine!
STEP 7 : we are now going to cover the book with paper. The amount of paper you'll need will vary based on the size of your book. You will want 2 pieces (one for the front and one for the back) and you should shoot for a few inches taller and wider than what your final book will be. Apply glue to the backside of the paper, taking care to pull the brush off the edge (on to scrap paper). We need that whole edge covered with glue.
STEP 8 : turn the paper over and line up the glued edge against the spine so it covers the bookcloth edge but leaves about an inch of cloth showing. Use your bone folder to smooth things out.
STEP 9 : turn the book back over and use scissors, to cut wide U shapes out of the two corners, making sure to leave about 1/8 inch of space between the paper and the bookboard corner.
STEP 10 : apply glue and fold down the top and bottom sides of the paper.
STEP 11 : use your bone folder to tuck in the extra little bit corner – this will give the book a polished look.
STEP 12 : apply glue and fold over that final side. Pull tight and smooth out with the bone folder.
Repeat steps 7-12 for the other side. Congrats! Your cover is complete!
The final step is to drop in the text block. The text block is a "pre-glued set of pages" and it slips right into your covers. Stick yours in and be sure that it fits. To hold it in place, we need to cover the whole front and back pages with PVA glue. This part always makes me nervous.
What I like to do is get it lined up in the cover exactly how I like it. Then I carefully set it on the table and open the front cover. Slip a piece of scratch paper under the front piece of the text block and apply glue to the whole thing, pulling the brush over the edge of the page and on to the scrap paper. Without moving the text block, close the book and firmly press down the cover. Remove the scrap paper.
Then flip the book over and do the same to secure the last page of the text block to the back cover.
Tuck fresh scratch paper (without glue on it) behind the covers to protect the pages and stick it under a heavy book for a few hours. The extra scratch paper will absorb any extra moisture. This glue is no joke and your book will hold beautifully.
Hooray! A REAL BOOK. I've learned a lot of DIY tricks over the past decade but book binding is top ten for sure. When I make stuff, I am trying to make stuff that I would actually want to buy. This is one of those projects for sure and a perfect kick off to MAKE&GIVE30.
And now! The giveaway. Since this is a journal… leave a comment telling me something that you'd write down in it. Grocery lists? Dreams? Things your kids say? Funny Leslie Knope quotes? I'll draw a random winner by the end the week. Giveaway open to anyone, anywhere.
GIVEAWAY CLOSED! Random.org chose #278 as the winning comment which is Sara (Kanapi). Sara, please email me at elise.blahaATgmail.com and I'll send out your book. Thank you!
enJOY it 
432 responses to “PROJECT 1/30 : a handbound journal”
I started a notebook for home projects when we moved in and it’s an ice record but I would love a pretty place to record all of our to do list and wishes and then what we actually accomplish and this would be perfect!
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I am dying to start Bullet Journaling and this would be perfect! Especially because you did graph paper instead of blank pages. Pick meee. 🙂
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This would be perfect for me to plan out my Girl Scout Meetings! I’m a leader x 7 years
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I LOVE graph paper and would write my dreams in it! A blog is currently at the top of that list. Thanks for the chance to win a handcrafted item by you!
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So lovely! Thank you Elise. 🙂
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Work ideas! I’m moving next week from Chicago to SF and get to work at a startup as their Content Coordinator (AKA getting paid to blog! ). I’ve already been writing down thoughts and ideas as they pop into my head, but I need to find a little notebook to keep them all together.
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So cool, Elise! I’m constantly writing down ideas, inspiration, quotes, and sketching pictures in random places. So I’d fill this book with more of those.
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Super cool! I’d use it to keep yoga sequences in for my classes.
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A goal this year is to get off the beaten paths more in Seattle and Spokane, so I would start with writing down new-found businessess and parks to check out in those cities.
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I want to start a dinner diary like Jenny at dinner:a love story!menus recipes grocery lists i think it would be a great record to have and your book is beautiful!
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I would use that graph paper for sketches for a monthly calendar and sketches for scrapbooking PL.
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I’d keep it in my purse for writing out grocery lists, to-do lists, random quotes I read and (sadly) for disposing of gum my kids no longer wish to chew. #momproblems
Love the idea and the effort.
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Great first DIY ! Cant’t wait to see the others ^^
On this book I’ll put my schedule and ideas for my blog and shop !
Charline
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love the grid paper! i’d use it as my daily gratitude journal where i jot down a few things each day that i’m thankful for.
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I recently went on a mindfulness course and during the first session I had to write a letter to myself with my hopes & aims for the course. After 10 weeks I had forgotten what I had written so I cried when I read the lovely things I hoped for myself during this period.
To carry this forward, but without the pressure of keeping a journal, I would like to capture positive thoughts, positive moments, lovely people I had met to look back on.
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This is beautiful! I love it 🙂
We’re going on a trip in June & I need a new travel journal for it. This would be perfect!
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Adorable! I would use this to start a new workbook for a public client I started working on this year to help keep me organized(I’m an auditor – any bit of fun/creativity makes my day so cheery!)
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I would use it as my prayer journal. Great tutorial.
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i will use it to someday write down all the cute things my little boy says 🙂
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I always like to write out possible projects, wheter for kids clothes or quilts or knitting. Sometimes it’s a list of projects to finish. It’s nice to have all the inspiration and information in one book.
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I love all journals. I would use it for lists and notes to myself about things I just need written down. I already made a “we want to remember book” based off the one you made for Ellerie 🙂
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Every year I keep a bulletin board in my studio. I pin up photos, quotes, comics, movie ticket stubs, anything that reflects what’s going on in my life. At the end of the year I put it all in a book. That’s what I’d use this book for. 😊 thanks for the giveaway!
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This is beautiful. I’ve been reading/studying some amazing books and articles lately. I think I’d keep this close at hand and take down notes on biomechanics and other movement-related mechanisms. That’s my thing though: I’m a body nerd!
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I love writing down the little profound insights I have. Like, “Hey. You don’t have to do EVERYTHING.”. Stuff that inspires me and makes me feel good about who I am.
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I’m an art teacher so I would use it to keep track of new ideas for my students! Thank you for the opportunity! 🙂
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I would use this book for pretty much everything. I am list obsessed and make 1-2 to-do lists a day plus monthly goal lists. Plus I would use it to log creative ideas I have for projects as well as my thoughts about life.
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I’m trying to keep a gratitude list at the end of every day. I write the things that made my day, or just the small things, on my planner, but a journal would be better to store these glimpses of gratitude 🙂
Happy Birthday! (Sorry for the delay) 🙂
xo. Alice
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This is such a fun idea. I would use it as an idea journal. I love graph paper for that so I can write and sketch.
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Love the hand carved stamp!
I am almost at the end of my journal and have been looking for a new one to takes its place.
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Since it’s a grid I would sketch some simple modern quilt patterns!
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So pretty! Thanks for the tutorial. I’d love to use this journey as my next bullet journal/daily planner!
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Great project!! Love Love Love notebooks. And I agree with Jenn, ALL. THE. LISTS!!!
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It’s lovely! I would use it to journal my project 365 I’m working on this year.
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Love how this looks! I keep a gratitude journal but this would be great for sketching ideas/planning… 🙂
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I would use it as a gratitude journal.
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So lovely! I would use it to keep track of my yoga and ballet progress!
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I love this! I’d write about my recent move from PA to WY.
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Lovely! I would use it to write my endless to do lists. Without them I’d be lost!
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I love the grid paper! I would totally use this for my Bullet Journal in an effort to get things done!
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To-do lists! So many to-do lists. Love the square grid paper for organization purposes.
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I’m so excited to see this idea throughout the year!
I would write my to do and grocery lists.
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I have 2 journals…one for jotting down everyday stuff I don’t want to forget and another that I write special events, quotes I hear and more important things in. My everyday journal is just about full so I’d use this journal for that…like web sites to remember, paint colors I love, project ideas! Thank you for giving one away!!
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I would write down ideas for things to make and try!
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I would use it as a gratitude journal!
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I just started working my first full time job, so I would use this journal to keep my myself sane and I transition to this new time in my life- whether than be making lists, writing my thoughts, anything!
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I would definitely use it for work: lists, meeting notes, ideas, and the like. Looks awesome!
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I would use it to write down all the new and cool things my two kiddos do. Instead of just writing it down on random bits of paper and putting it in a box. Like that the paper is grid instead of lined.
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I would write down things that made me happy. Things like my husband saying something sweet to me about my outfit one day, or a Scripture verse that really stuck out to me, or just the little things in life like a cup of coffee on a rough morning. Those are the things I would write down!
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About to have my first baby so I’d use this for journaling my thoughts on motherhood.
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I will use this to note down positive,happy, inspirational quotes, lyrics… and also my thoughts about them.
Love the simple pretty design!
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