DIY Handmade Journal

The ease of this project is going to blow your mind!  I bet you never imagined that you could make your own Custom Handmade Journal in minutes. PLUS….it’s a recycled project. This DIY Handmade Journal is made from a cereal box! NO JOKE!

I made a couple for my kids earlier, and they have already informed me of their orders for their friends. They love them! What a great homemade gift too! You could make a DIY Handmade Journal, include pencils, stickers, and more for an amazing gift!

You will need

• Cereal box (1 cereal box makes 2 notebooks. You can also use cardboard, cardstock or gift boxes)
• Paper for the inside pages (I used computer paper, but you can also use lined or graph paper)
• A piece of decorative paper (to cover the spine)
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Pen
• Glue stick, tape runner or double-sided tape
• Darning Needle and embroidery floss
• Button

Steps: 

• Cut out the cereal box to create the cover for your notebook. I cut it the same size as the paper. 8.5″ x 11″.
• To cover the images of the cereal box, apply glue or tape to the inside of the notebook and place a piece of paper on top to attach. Cut around the edges to remove any excess paper. Fold it in half so that the blank side is facing out.

• Run embroidery floss through the needle and sew on the button to the front of the notebook. Leave about 20″ of the thread hanging. This will be used to wrap around the notebook to close. This is done easiest with a large gauge darning needle.

• Grab your paper for the inside pages. With the needle and embroidery floss, stitch the paper to the notebook down the spine.

• Tie a knot around the back of the book. This will be covered with paper later and not seen.

• Apply glue or tape to your decorative paper and attach it to the spine of the notebook.

• You can now use that extra string to wrap around your book and secure it shut by wrapping it around the button.

The possibilities for this one are endless! You can make these notebooks any theme, or any size really! What a great way to get the kids writing, or an amazing teacher’s gift! Who wouldn’t love a custom hand made journal?