Decorative Journals

Last year, while searching the internet for new and creative ideas, I ran across a YouTube video teaching how to alter a regular composition book into a gorgeous journal.  I got inspired!  So, I made a few of them as Christmas presents for the lovely and talented ladies I eat lunch with everyday.  We call ourselves, "The Lunch Bunch".   They absolutely loved them.  I've also made some for personal friends who love to write.

Here are pictures of the journals I decorated for "The Lunch Bunch". (Forgive my amateur photography skills, but I think you will be able to get the idea.)

 These are examples of the inside of the front and back cover.

In August many of the composition books go on sale, so it's a great time to stock up.  

Many of the craft stores put stickers and decorative paper on sale for 40% to 50% off, as well.    

An additional teacher discount is given to teachers with a school ID card.  Some schools do not issue teacher ID cards.  If that's the case, sometimes they accept other forms of proof of employment. 

The initial purchase of supplies may be a little bit of an investment.  

However, after purchasing the initial supplies, the following journals could range between $5 to $20, depending on how elaborate it's made.   One idea is to save birthday cards, calendars, ribbon, and scraps of decorative paper to use for future projects.  This lowers the cost.  I keep all my scraps of paper and stickers in a binder with pocket dividers.  This makes for easy storage and less clutter.  

Here is a list of materials I use:

A Composition Book

Decorative Paper

A Paper Cutter

Double-Sided Tape Dispenser

A Variety of Stickers, Accessories, Ribbons, ...

If you love to write, and create, this is a fun project.  

It's a wonderful gift that is useful and very much appreciated.

It's also a great project for our middle school students.  Kids can decorate their journal to show their unique personality and personal interests.  

I think I may have a journal decorating contest this year...  

Here are the You Tube videos that inspired me.

This video shows another example of an altered journal made for an elementary teacher.

This last video shows the same concept for spiral notebooks.

Enjoy!