Homemade sketchbook...attempt number two...

After I had so much fun creating my first homemade sketchbook, I thought it might be fun to do another one (that and the fact that I lost the first one. :P ) So, this time I decided to show more of the steps I used in creating this one. Mind you, this one is more of a travel sketchbook or a journal just to take some quick notes in. However, it is very easy to make and requires mostly some simple materials you probably already have lying around, which, to me, is the best kind of scrapbook to make. :)

First, take those basic materials, which for me, were: a brown paper bag (this was my cover. I used the kind like you used to pack your lunch to school in, which you can buy in large quanities from your local grocery store or possible craft store), some sort of binding material (I used yarn, but you can use a needle and thread, a sewing machine, or whatever you prefer), some eyelets and an eyelet tool (I'm blanking on what the name of this thing is. See the picture below for references.), and whatever paper you intend to use in your scrapbook.



Second, Cut your paper to the desired size. I simply folded my paper baggie in half and measured based on the size I wanted from there. Although if you prefer to be more scientific, feel free to pull our your ruler and measure everything to ensure a better fit. That's the great thing about these homemade sketchbooks. They're made to fit into your needs! Once you have measured and cut your paper (I used a paper trimmer, but scissors will work as well), then proceed to step three.



Third, use your eyelets or other binding material, and bind your papers and covers together. If you wish to decorate your cover first, feel free to do so. Just be sure that whatever you decorate with will not be in the way of where you intent to place your binding. For my sketchbook, I placed the eyelets first and then threaded my yarn through them and tied each into a sort of braid.







And here is what my finished product came out to look like. It's not beautiful by any means, but it serves as a simple sketchbook or notebook that I can take with my just about anywhere and use with just about any basic medium.



Additionally, I tried several other types of covers and papers and come up with some other types of sketchbooks, which you can see below.






UPDATE: You can view my other sketchbook attempts here and here.