DIY Back to School Notebooks - eCraft DT Tuesday

I can't believe how fast the summer has gone by and that it's almost time for school to start again!  One of my favorite things about the beginning of the school year was getting new notebooks and drawing or taping pictures to the front and back covers.  Today's tutorial is how to make your own notebook using your eCraft and a few craft tools you may have in your crafting stash.  

Supplies:
eCraft
eCraft Shop Pro
Chipboard (Cereal Boxes)
Cardstock - white
White Paper (Copy Paper) 8 1/2 x 11
The Cinch Binding Tool by We R Memory Keepers
The Cinch Binding Wires or Spiral Bindings
Wire Cutters
Pliers
Washi Tape
Scotch ATG Gun
Colored Cardstock
Xyron 5" Creative Station with Permanent Adhesive
Paper Trimmer
Silver Sharpie Marker
SVG Cuts - Miss Baker's Classroom SVG Kit  (apple, stem, banner)
Lettering Delights - Halloween Cut It's  (skull)
Font - Comic Sans MS Bold (eCraft Shop Pro Fonts)

How To:
In eCraft Shop Pro, resize a rectangle to 8.5 x 5.5 inches.  Using your eCraft cut the chipboard (2 pieces for front and back of notebook) and white cardstock (you will need 4 pieces) at this size. Then adhere the white cardstock to the front and back of one piece of chipboard.  If your cardstock is on the lighter side and you can still see the decorated/printed side of the chipboard through it, you may want to cut another piece of cardstock to 8.5 x 5.5 inches and adhere this piece on top of it. 

After you have covered both pieces of chipboard (front and back) with cardstock, then take your washi tape and wrap it around the chipboard in strips.  (see pics).  For the top and bottom, you want to use half of your washi tape and wrap it around the top/bottom edge this way you won't see the cardstock/chipboard edge.  After you have wrapped washi tape all around the first piece of chipboard, do the same for the second piece.  (Note: The side of the washi tape where you have the seam, you can tape a piece of washi tape vertically to cover the seams, so it looks a little neater.  Also the seamed side will be in the inside of the notebook.)  Once both are covered set these aside.

Next take your 8.5x11 paper and cut them in half so they are 8.5 x 5.5 inches.  I used a paper trimmer for this so I could cut a few pieces at a time( and it was easier since you are just cutting the paper in half.)  Once you have cut a good amount of paper that you would like for the inside of your notebook put these to the side. 

With the Cinch Binding Tool, punch holes in the cover/back chipboard pieces and also punch holes in the paper.  After you have punched the holes, use your binding wire or spiral and the machine to bind and cinch your notebook together.  Use the wire cutters to trim down the wire and the pliers to turn in the ends of the wire. 

Using your eCraft, import and cut out the apple and stem (from SVG Cuts' Miss Baker's Classroom SVG Kit) at 3 inches wide and the banner at 5.25 inches wide.  Adhere the pieces to the front of the notebook with the Xyron 5 inch Creative Station and write the teacher or student's name on the banner in the silver Sharpie Marker.

I also made these two notebooks using the same above tutorial, only instead of cutting out the apple, stem and banner, I cut out the letter K using the font Comic Sans MS Bold in eCraft ShopPro at 2.5 inches wide.  The Skull is from Lettering Delight's Halloween Cut It Set and was cut out at 3 inches wide using the eCraft and eCraft Shop Pro.

Have a great Tuesday!
-Kim