How To: Personalized Notebooks

What is everyone talking about right now…the cold and the holidays.  They kind of go hand and hand, and while I'm not a big fan of this extreme cold right now, you've got to make a snowman out of snow (my parallel to making lemonade out of lemons).  I feel like a caved bear with my blinds and shades closed to keep in the heat, but all this coziness plus the holidays makes me crafty too.

If you are still trying to check some people off your list but want to give a gift with a personal touch, say no more.  Welcome to Loreen's craft corner….

I did this project toward the beginning of the year and kind of forgot about it till now, so I thought I'd share.  The Chapel Designers florist group gets together every year for a field trip to the New York flower markets, and this year member Trish Van de Merkt wanted to give each member a little something special.  She approached me about personalizing notebooks with the Chapel Designer's logo, and the game was on!

How cute are these…

Do you love the added Reenie Rose floral touch?

So this is a really easy project to do yourself in an effort to spice up a classic notebook.
Here's your supply list:
-Notebook (with a cover that is compatible with your chosen writing tool…don't want things to smear)
-Graphite paper
-Removable Tape
-Tracing instrument (I use a mechanical pencil without the lead)
-Fine point markers or pens to trace over/color in your design (make sure they won't smear on your cover surface).  For this one I used a black Micron pen and a gold gel pen.
-Ruler
-Eraser

Step 1:  Choose your design and print it out to scale.
Step 2:  Cut a piece of the graphite paper to fit underneath your design.
Step 3:  Place your design where you want it and tape it down to hold it in place.

Step 4:  Use your tracing instrument to go over your entire design.  If needed, use a ruler for straight lines and curved elements for any organic items (I used a glass for the circle).

Step 5:  Once everything is traced in, go over your entire design with your desired marker choices.

And that's it!  Add a fun pen, and you have the perfect gift that says you cared more than just a lil notebook.

The graphite paper is key in this project for giving you the extra umph of confidence to know that you can handle the design you chose no matter what.  Imagine all the fun designs you could use….different fonts, something from a magazine or picture.  It's like going back to tracing in kindergarten!  Easy peasy.
Let me know if you try this and send me a pic of your finished project!