There are many reasons why you should make your own cover for your notebooks. For instance, a barely used notebook from last semester would be a waste to throw out, but you wouldn’t want to use it while it’s looking ragged, would you? Or perhaps you simply want to personalize your notebooks. After all, despite the multitude of eye-catching or clever notebook designs available in the market, it’s hard to find a truly unique design without having to spend extra bucks. Chances are, you’ll find someone with the same pretty notebook you bought from the local bookstore. So if you want your notebooks to stand out and if you want to have the glory of proudly saying you made the notebook cover yourself every time someone adores it, here are seven DIY notebook covers you can do.
- Brown Paper Bag Cover
Although it may not sound appealing, using a brown paper bag as a notebook cover actually results to a beautiful, vintage design that will give your notebooks an elegant, antique look. Once you’ve covered your notebooks with the paper bag, take it a step further by adding geometric designs on the cover and script fonts on the spine to differentiate and label each notebook. You can use a white oil-based paint Sharpie pen for the designs.
- Wallpaper Design
Usually, some scraps of unused wallpaper are left after redecorating a room. Put those unused wallpaper to good use by using them to cover your notebooks. Cut the wallpaper according to the size of your notebook then adhere it using white glue. Use any piece of craft paper of your choice for the spine. If your wallpaper is boldly decorated, it’s best to use a toned-down, simple or plain spine design. The best part is that you’ll never run out of options for the notebook cover.
- Embroidered Notebook Cover
You’ll need a paperback covered notebook to successfully make an embroidered notebook cover design. Before you start, picture out how you want the design to be and what patterns you want to make. Once you’ve done so, make the holes in the cover of the notebook according to the design you want. Then, using a needle and a thread of your choice, weave through the holes to make the pattern you like.
- Chalkboard Notebook
You can make a chalkboard out of anything, including your notebooks, as long as you have some chalkboard paint. Simply follow the manufacturer’s directions provided in your variety of chalkboard paint to cover your notebook. Usually, two coats of chalkboard paint are enough. With a chalkboard-covered notebook, you can change your notebook design as often as you want by simply erasing the previous one and drawing a new design. Or, you can write reminders on the cover to make sure you won’t forget them.
- Washi Tape Notebook Design
Nowadays, there’s a huge variety of washi tapes available with different patterns and designs. Choose a washi tape pattern you like then use it to do whatever design you want with your notebook. You can either fill the entire notebook cover with washi tape or you can just do the spine. You can also make geometric patterns or stripes or chevron designs on your notebook using nothing but washi tape.
- Fabric Cover
Fabric covers are perhaps the most aesthetic way to cover your notebook, and they’re a great way to make use of pretty fabric scraps. To make it simple, use a lightweight fusible Pellon. Make a simple design using fabric scraps then fill the rest with linen. This will look great on your journals or diaries or any other special notebook.
- Magazine Cut-Outs Cover
Make a collage on your notebook using your favourite magazine images for a colourful, chic-looking notebook. Alternatively, you can cut those images into a shape such as a circle or triangle then glue them onto the cover side-by-side for a cleaner look. To finish, place a single, bold design that will stand out at the center of the notebook, such as a word or a short phrase, to make the cover look more collected and less wild.
