notepads.

growing up, my dad owned his own print shop. i remember visiting the warehouse, the smell of the presses -- the toner and paper. before we'd leave, my dad would let me pick out a few notepads made from mis-runs or the end-cuts from print jobs. we had stacks of them around the house. i think notepads are what began my love affair with paper.

the other day i was searching for my grocery list notepad. the kind you buy at the store -- a couple bucks each, and always a little kitchy. it annoyed me that i needed to go to the grocery store to buy another grocery notepad. then it hit me. i could make my own, just like dad used to.

the boys were at a basketball game and my daughter was mulling around in the kitchen, looking for something to do. i quickly enlisted her help, and in under an hour with a few supplies we found around the house, we each had our very own custom notepads!

some of you may be thinking. well duh! i do this all the time! making notepads is sooooooooooo easy! :)

but some of you may be thinking, NO WAY! make your own notepads?! this i've gotta see!

if you're in the latter group, this tutorial is for you. :)

what we're making:



cute, huh?

here's what you'll need:

• this download (or your own design, whichever you choose)
• chipboard sheet, 4.25x5.5 (you can use the backing of an old notepad, too)
• craft glue (this kind of elmers will work. so will this aleene's.)
• a small paint brush
• a trimmer
• binder clips like these ones (or any old chip-clips would work, too)

step 1: download the notepad file, or create your own. we're making a 4.25x5.5 notepad, so 4 designs could fit on one sheet of regular printer paper.

step 2: print 10 copies of the notepad file. trim it in fourths so that each sheet is 4.25x5.5 inches. this will give you 40 sheets.

step 3: stack your notepad sheets with your chipboard at the back. tap the stack on two sides (top and left-hand side) in case your sheets aren't cut exactly to size (which mine often aren't!).

step 4: clamp the paper together on both the left and right side toward the top, shown here.

step 5: paint a thin layer of glue along the top. be sure to use enough to cover the top of the chipboard backing. let dry for 30 minutes, then add one more layer of glue.

while the glue is drying, add another binder clip along the very top, or sandwich the notepad between two books (being careful not to get glue on your books!)

step 6: tear off the top sheet if it has glue or markings from the binder clips on it.

step 7: tie with a sweet ribbon and pencil... voila!

are you going to try it? my daughter wants to make one for her teacher. cute!

enjoy! and happy thursday.