Notebooks- Christmas gifts 4

I can never have enough little notebooks!  I stash them in my nightstand, my purse, in the car, on my desk, in the kitchen and I have even been known to keep one or two in the bathroom.  You know, I get my best ideas when I'm in the shower or blow drying my hair! 

I usually get my notebooks from my favorite store in the world, Barnes and Noble.  There is just nothing like walking in to that store and smelling the fresh ink!  It's the smell of creativity, that's what it is!  I love it.  Anyways, before I get side tracked, they have a fun selection but they can be pretty spendy.  Not anymore, here's a cheap way to make your own.   All you need is a computer, a printer, some cardstock and scissors or paper cutter. 

I have a collection of digital scrapbook paper that I have been acquiring.  It's all been free so that makes this project even nicer.  I chose a couple of my favorites and printed an 81/2 x11 sheet of cardstock.  I decided on the size I wanted for my book.  The finished size of these books is 4x6 so I cut the printed cardstock to 8x6.

Next, take 8 sheets of regular printer paper or any paper of your choice.  Cut it 1/4" shy of your cover measurements both in length and width. 

Fold the cover carefully and the inside papers in half.  Make a crisp fold. 

 Now, here comes the last step.  With your sewing machine, simply sew down the middle of the book, backstitching at the beginning and the end and you are done!  You can't see very well in this picture but I used a contrasting thread for a little surprise.  In this case red!

If you are handy with a photo editing program like Photoshop, you can really customize the cover by adding pictures, a favorite quote or even a cool monogram!  These are perfect stocking stuffers for kids!