DIY: Notebook | Back to School 2014

Hey everyone,

So today is my first post in my ‘back to school 2014’ series. I know I’m doing a lot of series posts at the moment, however as #summerstyle is coming to the end, it’s easier to plan blog posts like this. So I hate to say this, but this beautiful summer holiday is going to come to an end- no matter how much I try to put it off in my mind. So I’ve decided that the only way I can make the idea of going back to school a little less painful is that I can be school-ready, which means I have all the necessary school supplies! There will only be a few posts, but I hope this may help/inspire a few of you.

Today’s post is a DIY. When I have tests in school, I am often lazy and put off revising, especially in my science subjects. One of my school goals for this year is to improve my effort and grades in science, and I want me revision to be less forced! I decided I wanted a separate revision book for physics, chemistry and biology. I looked in the shops, but notebooks are either too expensive or too nice for school work. So I decided I’d DIY some notebooks, and I thought I’d make a post so that you can too!

Time for DIY: 30 mins

What you’ll need:

·         A notebook, I used A4. You could use a notebook you already have if you want, it will not matter by the time you’ve finished!

·         Scrapbook paper. I used a pad of different papers, but you could use coloured card, wrapping paper, images of the internet, magazines etc. Be imaginative!

·         Scissors

·         Glue

·         Pencil

·         Two alternative coloured pieces of paper or card

·         (Optional) A computer with a lot of fonts

Step 1-

Take your notebook and remove any stickers on the front. Then take your scrapbook paper and select a piece of pattern that suits the colour of the notebook (because a few cms on the front will show). Make sure that the piece is large enough to cover the page. Then draw around it using your pencil.

Step 2-

Cut around the paper, using the lines you’ve drawn. Make sure that you fit the paper as well as you can, the more precise you are, the better it will look. Then stick it on using a Pritt stick (glue)- you may need quite a bit. Also make sure that you glue right up until the corners so that the paper doesn’t un-stick!

Step 3-

Now you are ready to create the label on the front. So you will need two pieces of card/ paper to layer on the front. Cut one smaller than the other. I chose a piece of brown scrapbook paper and then also a piece of lined paper (from a notebook). Glue on the larger piece of card, I chose to place mine in the centre but you could put it anywhere, see what you prefer.

Step 4-

For the top label, I chose to write my subject name. You could alternatively write your name, class, teacher etc. Now this is an optional step, but I loved how it looked on the book. So you can either write like you would normally, although I would recommend a few practises, or use this simple tip. If you go onto your computer and load a program on which you can write on, write out your subject and select your favourite font. I chose a handwritten one. Then either print it onto the paper or trace it onto your paper.

Step 5-

To finish off your notebook, all you need to do is stick down your smaller label. Then the notebook is ready to be used.

I think this DIY is so cute and effective. The boring plain notebooks I bought from Tesco were only £2.00, and I already had the scrapbook papers, so this was a cheaper alternative to pricy £5.00 notebooks, and it’s personalised for you. I’d love to see your DIYs, please send them to me and comment down below what you thought.

For surviving back to school,