Hello Stampers!  Our Stamp Club is in its 20th Year!!! WOW!!!  At this month’s Saturday Morning Stamp Club we made Altered or Covered Composition Notebooks.  We have made many over the years.  This version has a ribbon bookmark attached.

Composition Notebooks can be purchased anywhere school supplies are sold.  Stock up during back-to-school sales–that is a great time to get yours!  Get lots of them! They make great gifts, or craft fair items!  Everyone loves or needs a notebook!

Use any Designer Series Paper and Ribbon you wish.  (Paper used is from Stampin’ Up!, but I do not know which paper pack it came from, as it was just left over from another project). Save those scraps!

You will need 4 sheets of Designer Series Paper:

Two for the front, cut to 9 x 12.  Two for the inside, cut to 9 x 7.

Cover the outside of your notebook first. Adhere paper to the front covers with a strong adhesive or glue of your choice.  DO NOT be skimpy with the adhesive — you do not want your notebook to fall apart!  To add the bookmark, attach the ribbon with duct tape to the inside back cover slightly down from the top.  Be careful how/where you place the tape over the ribbon, as you do not want the tape to show.  You want it to be hidden by the inside designer paper.  Add the ribbon after you covered the front and back, but before covering the insides of your notebook.

I chose to leave the black spine uncovered, but you can cover the spine if you wish.

I personalized my notebook with “Notes” using the Mini Alphabet Dies.

These notebooks are so easy and fun to make!  They make great gifts and you can personalize them anyway you want!  How will you use yours?  Will you keep it, give away, or both?

Happy Creating and Keep Shining, Maria

Hello, so glad you stopped by!

At Stamp Club Saturday we made a gusseted gift bag from one sheet of 12×12 DSP (Designer Series Paper)!

On one end of the DSP, Score at 4 1/4″, 5″, 10″, 10 3/4″, 11 1/2″

On the opposite side, Score at 1″ and 11″

After Scoring, you want to cut in a few strategic places to make the flaps of the bag.  Like shown in the photos below:

Add ribbon, a tag, some goodies, and your gift bag is complete.

Fill bag with a baby onesie, socks, or chocolate bars.  Make a care package with chapstick, tissues, gum, mints, nail file etc.  What will you put in the bag you make ?

Supplies Used:

Happy Forest Friends Stamp Set and Dies

Happy Forest DSP

Calypso Coral and Basic Grey Ink

Old Olive and Basic White Cardstock

Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon (comes in white and can be colored or dyed to match whatever you’re working on)

Baker’s Twine Essentials

Tailor Made Tags Dies and the Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine

Unless otherwise mentioned, all supplies used are from Stampin’ Up! and can be purchased through my website.

Happy Creating and Keep Shining, Maria

Please note: I first saw this from Jenni Pauli, a demonstrator from Germany, who showed this at our November On Stage Event.  November? Yes, November!  You can’t rush into these things (husband’s favorite phrase)!  You can find her on Instagram.

It has become a stamp club tradition to create customized / personalized notebooks.

Here’s this months version….

The insides are decorated as well.  A flat glassine bag has been added to secure a note you might want to give your recipient — that’s assuming you will be giving it away!!

DSP is cut to 9 x 12 for the covers, and 9 x 7 for the liners.  You will need two each.  When adhering DSP to your notebook, do not be conservative — use LOTS — it would be awful for your beautiful notebook to fall apart!!!

Who will you give a personalized notebook too ?

If you plan on keeping it for yourself, what will you write in it ?

Better yet, make two — one to give, and one to keep!!!

Happy Stamping!  Bye for now, Maria