Although I make most of my own notebooks, I wanted one with lines and bought a cheap old composition notebook. Not wanting to be seen publicly with something so drab, I decided to give it some style.

Before:


After:


I also added some pockets to the inside covers for small notes and receipts. I am sooooo in love with this paper, and have bought several sheets of it for many different projects.

To do this yourself:
1. Using medium-grit sandpaper (I used 220 grit), lightly sand the outside covers of the notebook. This will take some of the gloss off and allow the papers to stick to the covers properly. Wipe off the sand residue with a damp cloth and let dry completely.

2. Find some decorative papers that you like, and cut them slightly larger than the covers of the notebook.

3. Glue the papers in place (I normally use PVA glue or Aleene's Original Tacky Glue, as I find glue stick adhesives tend to come undone after a while).

4. Once your glue is completely dry (about 15 minutes), lightly sand the edges of the covers using your 220-grit sandpaper. This will smoothe out the cover edges and give the notebook a weathered look. Wipe off sand residue with an ever-so-slightly damp cloth.

5. Wrap ribbon around the front cover and tie into a bow. Add a few spots of glue to keep the ribbon in place.

6. Add pockets or envelopes to the inside covers if you so desire.

7. Voila - a super duper notebook you won't be embarrassed to carry around!

I just finished working on a new ribbon-hinged album. The covers are made with scrapbook paper and the inside pages are black cardstock.



Here is another ribbon-hinged album (my first) that I made a few weeks ago:





The colours in the photo are kinda crappy, but it's a beautiful pink-and-brown combination. The inside pages are also pink and brown cardstock.

I really love the look of this type of album and plan to make many more for sale and as gifts...

I recently came up with this project - I absolutely love how it turned out, especially the colour combinations.

It can be used as a recipe box or an organizer - it can hold several mini file folders.

   

It was a pain to figure out all the measurements for this first one. I made another one, tweaking any areas I wasn't happy with, and it turned out much better and easier to make.

I think it would make a really cool Mother's Day gift...

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You can now find the tutorial for this project on my blog:
http://papermuse.wordpress.com/

Just click on the Tutorials page in the right-hand corner...

I recently bought a 100-pk of CD sleeves, and decided to make this cool CD case from an old Michael Jackson album cover. Here are the links to the pictures:

Front:

Open:

Back:


It contains 5 sleeves and can hold a total of 10 CDs - perfect for a road trip!

I'm really happy with how it turned out...