One of my new Etsy products is a digital download of notepad pages that can double as journal cards for memory books, journals and scrapbooks.
However I
recently discovered how to make your own glued notepads while looking for
something else entirely. Isn't it always the way? My first notepad was made using
scraps of leftover paper. But it is so simple that I wanted to make
something a bit more decorative and realised my art made the prefect
subject matter for some cute notepads to scatter through the house.
Tools
and materials:
10
printouts from the PDF included with these instructions. I use plain
copy paper in 70-100gsm (roughly 20 - 24lb in the US).
Tacky
PVA glue (It has to be tacky glue that is nice and thick. I use
Aleene's Tacky Glue.)
Paper
trimmer or scissors
Spring
clamps
Method:
- Print out ten copies of the notepad papers. That makes 40 sheets of paper for the pad. I used the printer's standard settings but you can use a higher quality print if you prefer.
- Cut each of the sheets out using the grey outlines as a guide.
- Bundle all of the sheets together and make sure all the sides line up and are straight, especially the top edges. Clip the bundle of papers together near the top of the pad using the spring clamps. You want the top of the bundle of papers to be nice and tight and firmly squeezed together.
- Take the top off of the tacky glue and squeeze a generous amount along the top of the paper bundle. You want to smooth it out either using your finger or a little piece of card but don't mash the glue into the top of the paper or you will get glue oozing in places you don't want it. Let that layer dry. Then squeeze a second layer of glue on top of the first once it has dried. Again, make it a generous layer, smooth it out and let it dry.
That's
it! You have a great little notepad using some cute images.
Alternative
ways to use the sheets
Instead
of using the glue method, you can hold the sheets together using a
fancy bulldog clip or punch holes along the top of the pad and fasten
the sheets together with string or hinged book binding rings.
You
can also use the sheets for journaling or scrapbooking too.
