Decorative Notebook - Super Simple

Hello Everyone! I am so sorry that my post from last Thursday disappeared while Blogger was "down." The good news....here it is (again)! It is Teacher Appreciation time at my kids schools.  I made decorative notebooks last year and the teachers are still stopping me to let me know how much they loved it and what they used it for. Since they are SO simple to make, I decided to create them for my children's teachers this year.

Materials used:
Notebook - any size or kind will do. I stock up on them at "back to school" time when Staples has them $.01 (does anyone know where the cent symbol went on the keyboard and what replaced it? I know when I took typing in school (way too long ago) there was a cent symbol)
Paper - StampinUP paper pack, but any paper you like will do
Paper cutter - I used my Provocraft cutter, but any will do
Adhesive - any you like, but the stronger the better
Optional - Ribbon, embellishments, stickers, etc

First measure your notebook, mine was 8 by 10.5 inches. I cut my paper at 7.75 by 10.5 because of the spiral wire. The next step is putting the adhesive on the back side of the paper. I have found the closer I can get to the edge of the paper, the better. This will prevent the edges from "rolling." I also put a big "X" corner to corner to help keep the paper down. The hardest part of this project is lining up the paper with the notebook. If I get going too fast, I usually mess it up. I start at the upper right corner and match up the notebook corner to the paper corner. I carefully line the top of notebook and paper up and press down, while keeping the rest of the paper off the notebook. Next, I line up the right side of the notebook to the paper and carefully press down all the paper.

I added a ribbon to the edge of mine (I used my Zyron sticker maker to adhere the ribbon to the notebool/paper) . I think this blends the paper to the wiring/notebook nicely. I also used my Cricut Expression and Songbirds cartridge to cut out the M.  I cut the M using the real size dial at 3 inches. Keep in mind, you can decorate your notebook any way you want with ANYTHING! That is what makes these so much fun.

I also made a matching bookmark for all of them. If you are interested in seeing all them that I made using several different colors and pattern paper, click here!

Remember, I love comments and hearing from you all. Thanks and have a great weekend!