If you are anything like me, you have a collection of birthday and greeting cards that you can't bear to get rid of because they are so lovely but which end up filling up drawers and boxes under the bed because you don't exactly know what to do with them.
Well one way of putting them to good use, one which means you get to look at them more often too, is to turn them into simple note books.
For this you will need:
- A greeting or birthday card
- 5-6 sheets of plain paper that are at least as big as the card when it is opened out flat - copier paper is a good choice
- A large needle
- Strong, thick thread - waxed linen thread is the best
- An awl (if you don't have one, you could just use a large needle as long as it has a sharp point)
- A bone folder, the side of a ruler or even a (clean!) ice lolly stick
- A pencil
The first thing you need to do is make your pages.Unfold your card and use it as a template for your pages. Because the cover of this book is just a folded piece of card, you are not going to be making a very thick notebook so 5 - 6 sheets of paper will do. This will make a 10 - 12 page notebook. Trace round the opened out card and try and cut all of your pages together either using a guillotine or a sharp craft knife (this ensures that all the pages are the same size).
Fold the stack of pages in half and press the crease with a flat edge such as a ruler or even a lolly stick.
Open the pages out flat again and assemble your book with the card cover at the back and the central crease in the pages lined up with the central crease in the card. Mark three points in the central crease of the top most page. One in the middle and the other two, 3/4" from the edge. Then pierce through all the pages and the cover with an awl or a thick, sharp needle.
Cut a generous length of strong thread and thread your needle. Put your needle into the central hole and pull it though leaving a three inch tail sticking out of what will be the middle of you book.
Push the needle back through to the centre of the book through one of the side holes making sure the thread is pulled into a tight 'stitch' on the back of the book.
Pull the thread taut along the central inside crease of the book and push the needle out again through the hole on the opposite side of the book.
Finally bring the needle back through the central hole. Make sure the two threads are on opposite sides of the central stitch.
Tie the two threads together in a secure knot over the top of the long central stitch - and you are done! Enjoy your book.
