Last week I decorated a notebook with a pretty poinsettia patterned paper. As I finished the project I realised that my hubby could do with a notebook to keep track of all those little jobs that need doing around the house. So now he’s had his vacation time approved I decided it was time to make that notebook. In fact I opted for a notepad with plain pages. That way he can include his little sketches and measurements for each job. Anything I can do to make his tasks easier is a bonus right?

NOTEPAD BASICS

I began the project by pulling out a 4″ x 5-1/2″ scratch pad that I’d bought a while ago in Dollarama. This is simply a stack of plain sheets glued at the top to a raw cardboard back. So to start I needed to add a simple cover using Early Espresso Card.

I cut the card 4-1/8″ x 8-1/2″, and scored it at 5-5/8″ and 5-7/8″. Then I folded the card along the scored lines and sharpened the creases using my Bone Folder.

Before attaching the new cover to the pad I wanted to add a loop for a pencil. So I cut some Early Espresso Card 1″ x 4″ and curved it by pulling the card between my thumb and Bone Folder. Then using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) I glued the ends of the card together to form a loop holding the pencil firmly held in place.

With the pencil loop created, I glued it to the back of the original card base about 2/1/2″ from the top. While doing this I made sure that the pencil fitted close up to the edge of the notepad. Then I placed the Early Espresso cover onto the notepad, folded it over the top and glued the back section onto the back. This also sandwiched the pencil loop.

YOU CAN DO THIS

Now the basic cover was done I could start working on the decoration. I wanted it to be quite masculine and decided a raw wood look would be quite appropriate. I found exactly what I was looking for in the In Good Taste 12″ x 12″ Designer Series Paper (DSP) pack.

After cutting the DSP to 3-5/8″ x 5-1/8″ I then cut some Sahara Sand Card 3-1/4″ x 5-1/4″. Then using liquid glue I mounted the DSP onto the card and then onto the notepad cover.

That just left the sentiment to do which I must admit took a while. Not because it was complicated, but because I couldn’t decide on which one to use. In the end I went with “You can do this” from the Forever Fern Stamp Set. Once I’d made my choice I stamped it onto a piece of Very Vanilla Card using Early Espresso ink.

Looking at the DSP on the cover of the notebook it reminded me of an old drawer and that led to another idea. I’d use some Brushed Metallic Cardstock to create a ‘label holder’ to attach to it.

To create the metallic frame I had in mind I pulled out the Painted Labels Dies. There are two label dies in the set (plus some other dies that coordinate with the Painted Poppies Stamp Set), and these were perfect. All I had to do was nest the two label dies together and run it through my machine.

With the metallic frame done I then trimmed down my sentiment piece to fit behind the frame. Then I fixed it into place with liquid glue before attaching the assembled piece to the front of the notepad.

Simple and rustic, my finished notepad would certainly not look out of place on a workbench. And as for the sentiment… “You can do THIS” or “You CAN do this”. I suppose it’s all a matter of how you read it.

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS – I bought the Forever Fern Stamp Set in a bundle with the coordinating Forever Flourishing Dies (not used today). I also bought the Painted Labels Dies in a bundle with the coordinating Painted Poppies Stamp Set (not used today). Buying coordinating products using the ‘bundle’ item number will save you 10% off the cost of buying the same items separately. I’ve included links to these two bundles in case you want to explore them further.