DIY Adorable Journals – The Perfect Homemade Gift

This post is not about quilts!  Or sewing of any kind!

Today I’m going to share my journal with you!  No, not like that!  You can’t read my diary.  That would be wrong.  But also (and mostly) because I don’t keep a diary.

I do, however, use a journal.  Not for my deepest thoughts.  I use one for taking notes at church.  It helps me listen better to the sermons.  I also use a journal made from graph paper for sketching quilt ideas.

Journals are a dime a dozen.  But I’m a crafty kind of girl, I can’t just use a store-bought journal.  Fortunately, they are easy to make!

Because they are so quick and simple to make, a DIY homemade journal is a fantastic do-it-yourself gift idea!  Your family and friends will love a homemade journal, in all their favorite colors.

Supplies:

Composition book (Lined or graph paper of choice)

Scrap Book Paper:

2 Coordinating Pieces 12 inch by 12 inch and 2 Pieces White (at least 7 by 11)

Mod Podge

Paint Brush

Wax Paper

Harry Potter.  Or any other 1000-page book that has some weight to it.

Ribbon (Optional)

Make a DIY Homemade Journal

Start by placing a piece of wax paper between the front cover and the first page, and a piece between the last page and back over.  This will help prevent the pages from sticking together if (when) the mod podge seeps around the edges.

Take 2 pieces of scrapbook paper, one will be both the front and back cover, and the other will be the coordinating spine.

Cut paper sizes to approximately 6 inches wide by 2 inches taller than your composition book.

Spread Mod Podge all over the front cover, and along the spine of the composition book.

Place the front cover paper on the right side of the cover, with about an inch hanging over the top, bottom and right side.  Press down.  It’s okay that it doesn’t reach all the way to the spine.  That’s what the coordinating paper is for.

Hold the spine paper in your left hand, gently folded in half.  It doesn’t need to be folded with a crease, but just enough to help you gauge where the middle is, to line up with the spine of the composition book.  This way there will be equal amounts of this paper on the front and back.  Press down.

Spread Mod Podge all over the top of the paper.  Seriously, just glop it on there.  Whatever amount you think is right, double it.  More or less.

Make sure to get some Mod Podge in the little seam between the two papers, this will help it seal more tightly.

Place a piece of wax paper over the top, and place a heavy book on top.  Let dry at least overnight, or as long as needed.

After the Mod Podge on the front of the journal has dried, turn the composition book over, and repeat all steps on the back.

Once it’s dry, (again, leave it overnight) it’s time to move to the inside flap of the cover.

You should have about an inch of paper all around the edges on all sides.

We are going to fold all of the cover paper over the edges and into the inside of the cover.  We cannot do this along the spine of the composition book.  Cut a small rectangle out from the spine paper.  Cut the smallest amount possible, but just enough to make sure what remains can be folded in.

On the front cover, fold the corners of paper towards the inside cover of the composition book.  Paint mod podge into the fold, and press into place.

Fold the rest of the overhanging paper into the front cover and paint a little bit of mod podge to hold in place.

This picture actually shows the back cover over the journal, not the front, but it is exactly the same steps as the front cover.

Cover the rest of the inside of the cover in mod podge, and place the 6 inch by 9 inch white paper in, tuck it right in to the spine, and centered top to bottom.  Press into place. (Please note, the photos I took of this step were of a quilt journal so it’s not white paper, it’s a Quilt Tracker.  For a DIY journal, this can be just plain white paper.  I prefer card stock, but plain paper will work for this step as well.

Replace the wax paper between the cover and the front page, close the journal, place a piece of wax paper between the journal and Harry Potter, and let Harry do his job for a couple of hours or overnight.

Once the front is dry, repeat all steps for the inside of the back cover.  If adding a ribbon (as a book mark), it goes between the back cover and the white paper, during the step to apply mod podge.

Let it dry thoroughly (seriously, Harry Potter never knew he was so crafty, he is getting lots of work with this project!) and wrap it up for a friend.

Now, you might be thinking, “Darcy, you said this was a quick project, but it has multiple nights of drying, that’s not quick!”

Okay.  Give yourself a week or so to make these journals.  It’s not a last-minute gift.  However, it is quick.  The crafting work that goes into each step is just a few minutes.  Do a step, go to work, let it dry.  Do another step, go to bed, let it dry. Repeat over a couple of days This journaling project is very fast to put together, in terms of the time you will put into it.

Once it’s done, have fun journaling!