Attractive notebooks often cost as much as $5 in a box store, and are mass produced.  Not only do you have to pay so much for a nice looking notebook, but many of us are afraid to use them knowing that we won’t be able to buy the same design again.

However, if you buy a cheap, plain notebook (how about at the Dollar store?) and use some attractive craft paper, you can make your own designer notebook for half the cost. And you always know where you can get another one.

Supplies:

1 Spiral bound notebook
Scrapbook paper, heavy wrapping paper, or other decorative paper
Exacto or craft knife
Spray glue
A large piece of scrap paper, cardboard, or an opened paper bag
Hole punch or ballpoint pen
Pliers

1. The spiral of your notebook will likely be bent at the very ends to keep the spiral from coming off.  Take your pliers and unbend both ends.  You should be able to simply twist the spiral out of the notebook- if the spiral is getting stuck, use the pliers to make the wire spiral the proper shape to smoothly travel through the notebook holes.  A slightly curved shape works best.

2. Spread the scrap paper/cardboard/paper bag over your  work surface and place the notebook covers on top of this.  Make sure that the outside side of the covers are facing up.

3. Coat the covers with spray glue.  Make certain that the edges of the notebook covers are coated well since you don’t want the covers to come off.

4. Lay the decorative paper over the glued covers and smooth well.  Remove the covers (complete with decorative paper) from the gluey surface, and allow to dry upside down for an hour or as long as stated on the glue can.

5. When dry, use the exacto or craft knife to trim the excess craft paper away from the notebook covers.

6. Use the notebook cover’s holes to guide your holepunch.  You want your punched holes to exactly match the holes in the notebook so the spiral binding will fit smoothly through your new covers.  If you don’t have an appropriately sized hole punch, use the tip of your exacto to punch a tiny hole in the center of the notebook holes.  Use the ball point pen to push through the paper to make the holes.

7. Line your decorated notebook covers up with the holes on your notebook paper.  Make certain they fit properly. 

8. Re-insert the spiral binding, twisting it through the the notebook holes the opposite of the way you twisted it out.

9. Re-bend the ends of the spiral binding to prevent the spiral from coming out again.

Tip: You can use the excess paper to decorate your own matching pens