Bind-It-All: From Binder Rings to Zutter Owire: How to Convert a Mini

There are so many pre-fab books on the market nowadays such as Punky Sprouts, Clear Scraps, Bare Elements by Creative Imaginations, Bascially Bare and don't forget you can always create your own book using Covers and Acrylic Pages from Zutter. Many of these pre-fab mini books feature a 2 hole binder ring style binding but it is easy to convert that to an Owire binding with your Bind-It-All.

Recently I created a Halloween Trick or Treat Book using a Chipboard Purse Album from Clear Scraps where I converted the binding from binder rings to Owires.

The first step in converting the binding from rings to Owires is covering the pages. I prefer to paint the pages rather than cover them completely with paper because it is just alot faster and easier! I always cover my pages before binding, whether it is a pre-fab book or a bunch of chipboard pages, and then decorate after the binding is completed. This is so that my embellies don't get damaged or interfere with the binding. A bonus is that early on the process, I feel like I am getting alot done!

I painted all of these pages in this mini book but the binding holes were still visible. Then I cut rectangles of paper and used them as mats or borders on the pages, placing them so they covered the pre-cut binding holes. Note: If I had completely covered the pages with paper instead of painting, I would not have had to add any extra paper to cover the binding holes.

The next step is to decide where to bind the book. You may decide to choose a completely different binding area than what the book "recommended" with it's pre-punched holes. The key is to find a straight surface of about 4" or more in length. On this mini, I decided to bind the book along the same edge where the binding holes were previously placed.

On a shaped book or any book that does not measure in half inch increments (like a 6.25" wide book) you will want to measure the binding side of the book and locate the center. This can be done by inserting the page into the Bind-It-All and holding a ruler up to it. This book measured 6 3/8" from side to side so I lined up the centering arrow printed on the Bind-It-All with half that measurement (about 3 1/4") and punched 6 binding holes. I then used the peg on the back of the stop guide tab to punch additional holes continuously along the edge of the page.

The inner pages of this book were super tricky because they were just slightly smaller than the covers. I lined up an inner page with a cover and inserted both into the Bind It All. I then inserted the peg on the back of the stop guide tab into one of the holes on the cover and punched 6 holes. The Bind-It-All will re-punch the holes in the cover but punch new holes in the inner page. I then used the tab to punch holes continuously along the edge of each inner page.

After all the pages were punched, I bound the book with Owires and decorated! One of the coolest things about Owires is they also provide a place for "jewelry" to hang from between you pages. Beads, bauble, and other items can be attached to the Owires between the pages using jump rings or ribbon to create extra interest. On this mini book, I used some pages from several mini shaped acrylic books by Clear Scraps (bat, pumpkin, and ghost) as dangling embellishments between my pages by attaching them to the O-Wires.

On the final page in the book I attached a tag with journaling to the Owires with a bit of ribbon.

Any book that has a 4" straight edge or longer can be converted to an Owire based binding. This makes for a stronger book as well as provides a fun place to hang extra embellishments within the book. Try converting your next pre-fab book into a masterpiece with your Bind-It -All!

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