DIY With the BIA

Jennifer Priest here to share with you a custom scrapbooking sketch book I created. It's one of those things you just can't buy because no one sells them.

I’ve been clipping sketches from magazines, printing them from the internet, and sketching my own over the years and I have amassed a large collection of bits and pieces of papers with sketches on them. I’ve seen sketch books made from Composition books but I wanted something totally customized to me. Enter the Bind-It-All!

I started my project by designing blank sketch pages on the computer. I set the margins to ½” on all sides but left about an inch on the bottom so that I had room to punch my binding holes. The pages are printed on 8.5x11 paper and then cut in half to create 8.5 x 5.5 pages. This is a nice size for taking in a crop bag, I think! I printed all the pages on both sides, creating single 12x12 sketch blanks on one side and double layout sketch blanks on the other side of each page.

After I printed and cut all the inner pages, I cut some blank pages to put in the back so I have a spot to glue sketches I’ve printed or cut from mags. You can put divider pages in if you want – I put one to separate sketches I make from the ones I printed or cut out.

To assemble the book, cut one Zutter Chipboard Cover down to 8.5"x11". Then cut it in half to make two 8.5"x5.5" covers. Cover with paper, then punch binding holes on the 5.5” side. Put the book in order with a cover, inner pages, and then a cover. Lay the back cover on the front cover so the outsides of the covers are facing each other. Insert binding wires and bind with the Bind It All. The rule of thumb for choosing wires for your project is to choose a wire with a diameter ¼” larger than your project is thick. Since I plan to glue things to the inside of my book, which will make it thicker over time, I am using an O-wire with ½” bigger diameter than my book is thick right now. Use the Binding Buddy to close all 9 loops of O-Wire at one time. After the book is bound, add a title and decorate! You can also use the Round It All to round the corners so they don’t get bent up while the book is stowed in your tote bag.

Supplies:

• O-Wires, Chipboard Cover, Round It All, Binding Buddy – Zutter
• Paper – The Paper Company, October Afternoon
• Stickers – American Crafts, Making Memories, 7 Gypsies
• Stamp – Scenic Route
• Diecuts – October Afternoon, K&Company
• Ink – Close to My Heart, Colorbox
• Ribbon & Seam Binding -- Offray, May Arts, Making Memories

What book would you make that you can't find on the market to buy?

Visit my blog at: hydrangeahippo.com