DIY Monday: Fabric Journals

DIY Monday is back! I am so excited to share with you this simple and super fun idea for covering journals.... 

step 1: choose some fabric that you love! i buy almost all my fabric from etsy.com (search under 'supplies'). i love vintage sheets (like these), cute japanese patterns, and random designer patterns. 

you'll also need a couple moleskine journals (or any paper covered journal... and of course, you can always DIY your own from scratch if you like). i like large journals with unlined pages for sketching!

step 2: iron your fabric. you won't want any wrinkles on your book cover. :) 

step 3: trim your fabric so that it's about 1 inch (on all sides) larger than your book. lay it facing down (so that the backside of the fabric is showing). spray your book cover with spray adhesive & wait about 5 seconds for it to dry just a tiny bit (so it's not too wet) and turn your book over so that the cover adheres to the back side of the patterned fabric. next, immediately, close your journal and make sure there are no 'bumps on your fabric... smooth the front and back of the cover with your hands. 

(lay your journals under something heavy for about 10 minutes while the glue dries)

step 4: trim the fabric right up to the edge of your journals. 

(pretty scraps... i thought they needed their own photo.)

step 5: add machine or hand stitching to add extra durability to the edges of your journal. this step is optional! 

Yay! your journals are done! I have a few more cute ideas to add a little extra personality to your books.... 

first, use a disappearing pen to draw a cute mustache on the top of your journal. 

next, add an outline with some fabric paint and fill in the inside. then use a paint brush to even out the application. 

ta-da! it's adorable and quirky! another fun idea is to adhere patches to your book cover. :)

i want to carry these everywhere! hope you've enjoyed DIY monday! XOXO. elsie 

Comments

[angela]

cant wait to try this. i have a huge collection of vintage fabric i've been dying to use..thanks els!

[Roxanne]

Oh this is so cute! I'm a sucker for little notebooks.

[Emily Wind]

Hi Elsie,
I really like the mustache one and the badges on is really cute. You are so clever!
From Emily

[Tracey]

Great diy post Elsie!!!

[chelsea]

These are so pretty! I love the print on the one with the patches :)

[Missy]

Oooh, what a great project. If I'm snowed in tomorrow I may just have to make one--or a hundred! Oh, do I have any notebooks?

[tiffany.]

this is gift perfection!!

xo.

[Mary-Beth]

I LOVE it! can't wait to make these!:)

[kaylin]

so cute! my boyfriend is a writer and this may be a belated valentine's day gift. thanks for the inspiration!

[Kira]

This is probably really weird for me to post this, but here's a website for vintage engagment rings. They're all gorgeous! Thought you might find something you like on it.
http://www.antiquejewelrymall.com/womwedandenr.html?page=0&sf=&sd=#sortblock

[elsie]

thanks everyone!!

kira, these are really pretty. i just browsed through them. we *just* finished ring shopping (yay) or else i would consider one of these vintage beauties. XO.

[Sandy]

can't wait to make these!! the moustache is a nice touch!

[Brenna]

I LOVE these!!! Can't wait to makes some of my own!

[sansku :)]

lovely!

[Amy Cluck]

Cute! I have a vintage sheet in the same print. Love!

[jessica]

ohhh these are cute!

[Elle]

These are gorgeous! It so happens that I have a couple of blank moleskines and fabric lying around the house, what a timely DIY post :)

Thank you!

[ariel]

these are so cute! i'm going to do this to all my sketchbooks.

[Jaimie]

super cute elsie, i might have to do this next time i have a blank notebook like those.

[Moorea Seal]

oh i do love journals. and flowery ones are even better!