It’s no secret that I love notebooks, and I love decorating them even more. The problem is that designs with lots of embellishments are not suitable for carrying in a pocket or throwing into the centre console in a car. For that reason I decided to decorate a notebook that would be more practical in these circumstances. So with a camouflage pattern from the World of Good Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP) pack I set to work.

CAMOUFLAGE COVER

I began with the camouflage paper and a small (3-1/4″ x 4-1/2″) composition style notebook. To be honest these notebooks have always given me trouble as the binding is rarely straight. So instead of trying to measure and cut the paper with a trimmer I decided to save myself some stress.

First I put some Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) around the edge of the printed part of the notebook cover (avoiding the binding). Then after adding more glue in the centre I placed the paper on top and slid it up to the the edge of the binding. With the paper in place I then used my Paper Snips to cut off the excess paper very roughly. Finally I opened up the cover and using the edge as a guide neatly trimmed off the rest of the excess paper.

This worked beautifully, so I repeated the process to fix some camouflage paper onto the back cover as well.

POCKET SENTIMENT

At this point I started thinking about adding a sentiment that could work with the camouflage theme. I found what I needed in the Campology Stamp Set, “happy trails”. So using Tuxedo Black ink I stamped it onto a scrap of Old Olive Card.

Then I remembered a cute little pocket-shaped die I’d seen in the new Suit & Tie Dies. When I checked I discovered it was the perfect size for the sentiment, so that’s what I used. After cutting it out, I fixed the sentiment onto the front of the notebook with liquid glue.

Essentially the notebook was finished but I had an issue with the edges of the pages which stood out stark white. A little ink and sponging would solve that problem!

First, while holding the notebook closed, I tapped Mossy Meadow ink over the edges of the pages using some Stampin’ Sponge. Then I sponged more ink around the top, bottom and open edge of the notebook cover. Finally I lightly tapped some ink around the edges of the sentiment piece, just so it blended in a little better with the background. With that my project was complete.

Quick and easy with nothing to catch and tear. Sometimes practicality is the driving factor and I’m really happy with how this turned out. Are you a notebook user / collector? What do you use them for?

If you missed my 2021 easel calendar / Post-It note project, where I coordinated the edges of a post-it note pad, you’ll find it in my blog post A new year means a new calendar.

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS – I bought the Suit & Tie Dies in a bundle with the coordinating Handsomely Suited Stamp Set (not used today). This meant I saved 10% off the cost of buying the two items separately. I’ve included a link to the bundle in case you want to explore this option.