A little notebook tutorial

I love little notebooks. Simple ones that I can throw in my purse, and if something happens to it then it's no big deal. Well, for my December My Little Shoebox project I decided to make a little notebook from the square die-cut sheet from "Green". Here's how I did it.

First cut the middle section out of the die-cut sheet
so that only the ends are scalloped (approx. 3.5 to 4" in width)

Fold the sheet in half.

About 1" of the way in from the 1st fold,
make another fold, and be sure to bend it backwards so it's pliable.

Now here's where it gets a tad bit tricky.

Fold the first fold in so that it's inverted.

This step strengthens the paper so that when the holes are punched
they won't rip. It also makes for a sturdier binding.

Cut down some regular ol' typing paper to fit inside,

and slide it inside the notebook covers
BEHIND the inverted fold.

Punch 2 holes at the top, going through the covers

and the paper. Tie a pretty bow, and there you have it.

A view from the top

A simple little notebook (without any bulky embellishments
on the front so that it can be thrown in your purse),
and a great way to use up some scraps too.

I also keep these in the console of my car so I can sketch or jot something down when I'm in a pinch. And Caroline has taken a liking to little notebooks too. Looks like I'll be making these for a while. :)