Vanessa Lauria
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Everything I know about crafting I learned from my college roommate, Vanessa, who taught me to make beaded necklaces, collages, notecards, quilts, clothing, and hand-sewn journals. But her focus was always on fabrics, and now she sells her handmade scarves and embroidered portraits through her Etsy shop, Pidge Pidge. I talked her into sharing the instructions for these pint-sized notebooks with us; they’re just the right size for tossing in a tiny clutch, jotting down grocery store lists, or leaving in your desk for last minute brainstorms. (Not so good with a needle and thread? Buy them pre-made at Pidge Pidge.)
Upcycled Matchbook Notebooks from Vanessa Lauria
You'll need:
- Paint chip samples (ask a redecorating friend if she has any spares) or other heavy weight paper; try old manilla folders or school folders, paperbackbook covers, thin cardboard boxes from crackers or cereal.
- Scrap paper (it's fine if there's printing on one side).
- A button (collect the extras that come inside sweaters and coats).
- Needle and thread.
- Cut the paint chip into a rectangle shape (I usually trim off the paint color names in the process). The size is up to you—the examples I make tend to be around 6 inches long by 2.5 inches wide.
- Fold at the 2 1/4-inch mark, the 4 3/4-inch mark, and the 5 1/2-inch mark along the length of the rectangle. (These measurements are approximate—you can use a matchbook for reference, or adjust according to your taste.)
- Cut the paper inserts. Orient scrap paper so that the printed side is down (and blank is side up). Cut strips and then rectangles to fit inside of the notebook. The stacks I make are about 2 1/4-by-2 1/2 inches. You may have to trim slightly so that the notebook folds up easily and the stack doesn't stick out. I use a stack of 15-20 rectangles per notebook (the staple can't hold together a larger stack)
- Place the stack (blank side up) on the table. Place the cover (right side down) with the skinny fold flush with the bottom edge of the stack. Staple through all layers of the skinny folded section towards the bottom so that the ugly side of the staple is on the wrong side of the cover.
- Fold the matchbook up. Sew a button to the front cover. You can also decorate with a collage, stickers, wallpaper or wrapping paper decoupaged to the outside cover.
Read more about eco-friendly crafts:
View and Vote : Do It Yourself Doozies
Expand Your DIY Horizons at Maker Faire
Bend Your Old Toothbrush Into A Necklace
Make Your Own T-Shirt: Tied Up The Sides
Make a Laptop Stand from a Cardboard Box
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