Make A Notebook In 5 Minutes

Read more...

Make your own notebook

Is the recycling stack precariously high? Make all that paper into something useful again. Cat Davison gives a new lease of life to scrap paper with a simply bound notebook


The great thing about binding your own books - apart from the sheer thrill of making something you were going to throw away into something you were going to buy - is that you can make it as easy or as complicated as you like. You can rustle up a coverless, warts-and-all notepad for shopping lists and daily plans in under 30 minutes, or labour away at a work of art with specially bought paper for a day or more.

What you need

A stack of paper
A ruler
A pencil
A thick sewing needle
Strong string or thread
A thick needle topped with a wedge of cork (or a mini hand-drill)
A small clamp (if you have one)
A cutting mat

What to do

1. Stack all your papers together. It doesn't matter if they are different textures, colours or thicknesses - I find this actually makes the book more interesting - they just need to be cut to one size (of your own choosing).

2. With all the papers aligned against their left-hand edge, place them on your cutting mat. Using a ruler, mark a light line with your pencil down the left-hand edge, about 1-2cm in. Mark increments down this line, between 1-2cm apart. Remember the more widely spaced the increments, the longer your stitches will be, and the quicker your book will take to sew. The shorter, the more labour-intensive, but also the more refined.

3. Align all your pages once more on the cutting mat. If you have a small clamp, use this to fix the pages to something solid, like the corner of a table. If not, press down hard on the top of your stack and start pushing through your increments with a thick needle or drill. Depending on how thick your book is you might be able to do this in one go. If not, separate your pages into sections, mark each one up, push through the holes and then combine.

4. Thread your needle. Although this might go against every sewing sensibility you have, tie a knot around the head of the needle (this prevents the thread from escaping when you push it through the paper).

5. Push your needle from underneath your stack at the bottom hole, leaving a good 12.5cm of string spare when you pull the thread through. Don't tie a knot at the end.

6. Weave your way up the spine of the book, threading each hole. When you reach the top, go back the other way so that each hole has been gone through twice and you have a continuous line of thread up the spine.

7. When you reach the bottom, cut the needle loose and tie the two spare threads together - I like a lavish bow!
And another thing ...

You can add a hardback cover to your book by cutting two pieces of card to the same size as your notebook. Placing both on top, cut them again so that the bind is showing - this normally involves lopping off a centimetre or so from the left-hand edge. Get some tough fabric, cut it to the height of your book and make sure it wraps around the spine and covers a good few centimetres of the card. Using PVA, glue it around the spine, attaching it to the cards so they 'hinge' off the fabric.


Read more...

3D Paper Stars

Have you ever seen little paper stars like these? They're very easy to make, and they're a fun way to recycle a bit of junk mail into something colorful and decorative.



Steps

1.

A long, narrow strip.
Cut a long, narrow strip of paper about 1 cm wide and as long as whatever page you are cutting.


2.

A simple knot.
Tie a simple knot (the same kind you use to tie your shoes) at one end. Cross the ends of the strips and pull one end through the loop that forms. If you want the color from a particular end of the strip, tie the knot at the other end. Don't twist the paper, just loop it around.
3.

Gently tighten the knot.

Gently pull the knot without creasing or squeezing the strip of paper. When all the edges are in contact press it down and crease. You should have a pentagon with a long end and a short end sticking out.
4.

Fold the short end over, following the edges of the pentagon, so that it does not stick out. If there's a little more than a pentagon width, you can tear it off or fold it under and tuck it in.
5.

Wrap the long end around and around the pentagon, following the edges and the folds. The result should be a fatter pentagon. Fold so that the color you want faces out, if the two sides of the strip are different.
6.

Tuck in the loose end. If there is a little too much, fold it over or tear it off before tucking it in.
7.

Pinch the corners to make the pentagon into a star.

Read more...

Make your own kite

Have ever wanted to build a kite? Well, here is a simple kite you can make your self!



A kite consists of these basic parts:
# The Spine. The up-and-down, or vertical stick that you build your kite around.
# The Spar. The support stick(s), that are placed crossways or at a slant over the spine. Sometimes they are curved or bowed.
# The Frame. The joined spine and spars, usually with a string connecting their ends, that form the shape of the kite and make a support for the cover.
# The Cover. The paper, plastic, or cloth, that cover the frame to make a kite.
# The Bridle. One or more strings attached to the spine or spars, which help control the kite in the air.
# The Flying Line. The string running from the kites’ bridle, where you hold to fly the kite.
# The Tail. A long strip of paper or plastic of ribbon that helps to balance the kite in flight. Not all kites need tails.
# The Reel. The object you use to wind your flying line, to keep it form getting tangled or flying away.

DIAMOND KITE
Materials:
# butcher cord or thin garden twine
# scotch tape or glue
# 1 sheet of strong paper (102cm x 102cm)
# 2 strong, straight wooden sticks of bamboo or wooden doweling 90cm and 102cm
# markers, paint or crayons to decorate you kite.

1. Make a cross with the two sticks, with the shorter stick placed horizontally across the longer stick. Make sure that both sides of the cross piece is equal in width.

2. Tie the two sticks together with the string in such a way as to make sure that they are at right angles to each other. A good way to ensure that the joint is strong to put a dab of glue to stick it in place.

3. Cut a notch at each end of both sticks. Make it deep enough for the type of string you are using to fit in to. Cut a piece of string long enough to stretch all around the kite frame. Make a loop in the top notch and fasten it by wrapping the string around the stick. Stretch the string through the notch at one end of the cross-piece, and make another loop at the bottom. Stretch the string through the notch at one end of the loop at the bottom. Stretch the string through the notch at the other end of the cross-piece. Finish by wrapping the string a few times around the top of the stick and cutting off what you don't need. This string frame must be taut, but not so tight as to warp the sticks.

4. Lay the sail material flat and place the stick frame face down on top. Cut around it, leaving about 2-3cm for a margin. Fold these edges over the string frame and tape or glue it down so that the material is tight.

5. Cut a piece of string about 122 cm long. and tie one end to the loop at the other end of the string to the loop at the bottom. Tie another small loop in the string just above the intersection of the two cross pieces. This will be the kite's bridle, the string to which the flying line is attached.

6. Make a tail by tying a small ribbon roughly every 10cm along the length of string. Attach the tail to the loop at the bottom of the kite.

7. Decorate!


Read more...

Coffee Filter Angel

This pretty little coffee filter angel is perfect as is, but you can dress her up with glitter to give her an extra special glow.

Decorate your whole home with festive Christmas crafts! Create homemade cards, your own Christmas ornaments, tasty Christmas recipes, or just snuggle up together with printable Christmas activities.



What you'll need:

* 3 basket style coffee filters
* 2 cotton balls
* 6-8” length of silver or gold ribbon
* 1 white chenille stem
* 1 gold chenille stem
* Scissors
* Hot glue gun

How to make it:

1. Place two cotton balls in the center of one of the coffee filters (see image).
2. Hold the coffee filter with your fingers, gathering the cotton balls in the center to create the angel’s head.
3. Place a second coffee filter onto the open end, tucking the filter in a bit into the head area. This will produce the layered effect on the dress (see image).
4. While still holding the filter together, tie a piece of gold or silver ribbon around the “neck” and tie a tight bow. Trim ends and set aside (see image).
5. Take the third coffee filter and fold it in half, then fold the filter up length-wise accordion style. Wrap a white chenille stem around the center, and then fan out the wings (see image). Fold the excess chenille into a loop for your hanger and twist together at the end.
6. Make a halo from the gold chenille by wrapping it around something circular, such as the top of a paint bottle. Twist the ends to form the halo. Trim the long end of the chenille, leaving approximately 3” (see image).
7. Have an adult hot glue the halo to the back of the angel so that it is positioned above the head.
8. Glue the wings in place behind the angel, hiding the gold chenille from the halo.

Tips:

* To embellish your angel, try using gold glitter glue or glue and glitter as decoration.
* We do not recommend using markers for facial features as the ink may bleed through the filter.
* If you really want to add facial features, try using a toothpick and acrylic paint.


Read more...

How to Make a Paper Bag - 10 steps

This bag can be made in any size, out of any type of heavy paper. Use it to hold candy, popcorn or any small objects or gifts.







Cut a piece of heavy brown or white paper (craft paper or butcher paper) to 9 1/2 inches by 15 inches.

Step 2

Position the paper on a flat work surface (any patterned or decorated side should be facing down) so that the short edges are to your left and right. Fold the bottom edge up 2 inches and sharply crease the fold. Unfold.

Step 3

Use a ruler to find the center points of the top and bottom edges. Make two small pencil marks at the top edge of the paper, 1/2 inch to the left and 1/2 inch to the right of the center point. Repeat on the bottom edge. Turn the paper over and make the same marks on this side as well.

Step 4

Bring the right edge toward the center of the paper so that it lines up with the marks made to the left of the center point. Sharply crease the resulting right fold. Unfold the flap.

Step 5

Repeat step 4 for the left edge. Make sure that the left edge lines up with the marks made to the right of the center point. Turn the paper over.

Step 6

Bring the left and right edges to the same points as you did in steps 4 and 5. This time, however, glue the entire left edge to the right edge at the point where the edges overlap by an inch. Do not crease the edges. Allow the glue to dry thoroughly.

Step 7

Place the seamed side of the bag down. Push the left and right creases in about 1 1/2 inches so that they fold in toward the center. Lay the bag flat and crease the sides of the bag so that the folds are each sandwiched between the front and back of the bag.

Step 8

Locate the line of the crease made in step 2. This is the bottom of the bag. Fold the bottom edge of the bag up 4 inches and sharply crease. When you release the paper, the bottom edge of the bag should be slightly erect.

Step 9

Open up the bottom edges of the bag so that an upright, open-ended box is formed. The box should open up along the fold lines made in step 2 and this fold line should be touching the bag's surface. If you look down into the box, you should see two paper triangles facing each other.

Step 10

Push the side creases of the box inward and bring either free edge of the box down to lie flat. Bring the remaining free edge down on top of the other and glue it into place. Allow the glue to dry thoroughly and open the bag.


Read more...

Paper Flower

There are so many lovely ways to do this. One way is to use your heart punches. You can make flat flowers or 3-d ones very easily. Let me show you how!

To make flat flowers, you will need:

• A heart punch – use several different sizes of heart punchess if you want to make a few different sized flowers
  
  
• Some cardstock or designer patterned paper
  
  
• Some adhesive such as a glue pen or a double sided tape runner
  
  
• Perhaps a circle punch for the centre, or you could use a brad, another shaped punch, or anything else that you think would make the centre of the flowers pretty
  
  
• Scissors with a sharp point are often very useful, but sometimes not really necessary – the punch can do all of the cutting for you
  
  
• Pens or paints or other markers for adding a little depth to your blossoms with a few lines or accents. I use a lot of metallic pens for this, like gold, copper or silver or even all three with a little black to add more depth
  
  

Here’s How to Make Paper Flowers like the ones in my illustration above, only flat:

• Step 1 - decide what size heart punch you want to use. It will be forming the petals. Punch out about seven hearts. You may need more or less, depending on the punch size and how much you want to overlap the hearts
  
  
• Steps 2 to 5 - Now use your markers or pens to make the centres seem more like blooms. I colour the point of my hearts as they will form the centres of the blossoms. I also run a little edge over the outside of the heart as shown in steps two and three
  
  
• Step 6 to 7 – Assemble your hearts together as shown, continuing until you have enough to make a flower. Put some adhesive behind each petal so it will stick to the last one. When you reach the last petal, slip it under the first and adhere it down
  
  
• Step 8 – Shape your flower with the shaping tool (this process is described below)
  
  
• Step 9 – punch out the centre of your flower. I used two punches here, a flower punch and a circle punch. If you use a flower punch like this where the petals are a silhouette, punch the flower first then punch out around it with your circle punch. If you try it the other way round, the circle will slip around in the flower punch and it be hard to get an even border
  
  
• Step 10 – With this centre decoration, I added accents to it with gold, silver and black pens then trimmed around the image with my sharp little scissors
  
  
• Step 11 – The shaped centre

For one finished effect, you can now use the flat shapes as they are. Just place the centre piece in the middle and glue it down. This is great for scrapbook albums where you don’t want too much bulk.




Read more...